NOTE: I had a request to use this as a topic, so the research is on.
Vietnam
Going to go backward though, and start with a guy who was discussed on here before. Roy Gleason. Gleason was a fleet-footed switch-hitting outfielder. Gleason had signed with the Dodgers in 1961. He started out at Reno, a class C team in 1962. He hit .234 with 22 long balls and 76 RBI’s. In 1963 he moved up to Class A Salem in the NW League. He hit .254 with 16 and 60. He was called up to the Dodgers in September and got into 8 games, mostly as a pinch-runner. He ended up with 3 runs scored, and he got a hit in his only at-bat, a double against the Phillies. It would turn out to be the only hit he would ever get in the majors and he finished his time in the majors with a 1.000 BA. In 64, 65, and 66, he bounced around the Dodgers minor league system not getting above AA. His BA was not impressive, but he had double-digit HR every year.
In 1967, Gleason was drafted into the Army. I was in the Army at that time, stationed in Korea. I had taken basic training at Ft. Bliss in Texas. One of the guys in our battalion was Johnny Crawford, the co-star of The Rifleman series. Over the years, pro athletes and film stars usually seemed to get soft duty. But Gleason took basic at Ft. Lewis, Wash, and then was sent to advanced infantry training at Ft. Polk Louisiana. He was then assigned to the 39th infantry regiment, then to the 9th infantry regiment. They were stationed at an old French fort called Ft. Courage, near Saigon by the South China Sea.
Gleason had many close calls with death as the fort was under mortar attack often. Once 5 men were killed and the attack took off the leg of his company commander. In March of 1968, his platoon came under heavy fire crossing a rice paddy. Two were hit and Gleason carried them to safety even with heavy fire continuing. As a result of that action, he was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant in June becoming the Platoon Sergeant.
Shortly after his promotion, on July 24, 1968, he was walking point and his platoon walked into an ambush. Almost immediately he was wounded in the wrist and lower leg. He fashioned a tourniquet, he returned fire. Many of his buddies were wounded and killed that day. Eventually, helicopters came in and they were evacuated. That ended his tour in Nam.
He returned to baseball in 1969, but his wounds kept him from returning to the majors and he was out of baseball by 1970 at the age of 27. He went on to do some movie work, including starring in Branded with Chuck Connors and doing a Batman episode. He wrote about his baseball and Viet Nam experiences in his biography, Lost in the Sun. I have the book and recommend you read it if you get the chance.
Donny Tidwell
I must admit, I had never even heard of this kid. I found him while reading about Gleason. Tidwell was selected in the 42nd round of the 1966 first-year player draft. Tidwell was sent to Ogden where his manager was Tommy Lasorda. His roommate was Justin Dedeaux, son of legendary USC baseball coach, Rod Dedeaux. Some of his teammates included Billy Russell and Charlie Hough. He posted a record of 4-3, in 19 games and started 12. After the season, feeling a sense of duty, he enlisted in the Army. He had been in Viet Nam only 2 months and 12 days when he was killed on April 12, 1968, at the age of 21. In 2018 when his high school in Diana Texas named the field in his honor, Lasorda sent his family a message. The gist of which was he could not think of that 1966 Ogden team without thinking about the young pitcher who had major league dreams.
Korea
The list of Dodgers who served during the Korean conflict is 12 players long. The biggest star to serve was Don Newcombe. All his service was stateside. John Roseboro missed the 1954 season due to military service. Also, missing time were Danny McDevitt, Norm Sherry, Roger Craig, Jim Baxes, and Darryl Spencer. None were in combat.
WWII
The list of Dodgers in WWII is long, Rex Barney, Boyd Bartley, Jack Bolling, Bobby Bragan, Al Campanis, Hugh Casey, Claude Corbitt, Cliff Dapper, Dutch Dietz, John Douglas, Red Durrett, Herman Franks, Larry French, Roland Gladu, Ray Hathaway, Chris Haughey, Ed Head, Billy Herman, Gene Hermanski, Kirbe Higbe, Gil Hodges, Chet Kehn, Cookie Lavagetto, Vic Lombardi, Cal McLish, Gene Mauch, Rube Melton, Eddie Miksis, Mickey Owen, Don Padgett, Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, Lew Riggs, Johnny Rizzo, Jackie Robinson, Stan Rojek, Bill Sayles, and Duke Snider. Also, GM Larry McPhail left the team to join the Army. When he got out of the Army he was a Colonel. He moved on to run the Yankees.
Reese served in the Navy and was in the Pacific. Hodges, was in the Marine Corps and was an anti-aircraft gunner in the 16th anti-aircraft artillery battalion and served on Tinian and Okinawa. He was awarded the Bronze Star with a V device for heroism under fire. Reiser played baseball for an Army team. Snider and Owen went into the Navy just prior to the end of the war. Herman missed two seasons to the war, Hermanski spent time in the Navy’s aviator training program. Franks was also in the Pacific and attained the rank of Lt JG in the Navy. Lavagetto lost 4 full seasons to the war, serving in the Navy. McLish was in the Army and served in Europe. Higbe joined the Army and saw combat in Europe, his outfit was then sent to the Philippine’s but Japan had surrendered.
Barney served in the Army in Europe and was wounded twice receiving 2 purple hearts and a bronze star. Bragan spent two years in the Army stateside. Campanis was in the Navy rising to the rank of Chief Petty officer. Casey also served in the Navy for two years.
Some non Dodgers that served and are well known, DiMaggio was in the Navy, but he mostly played baseball. Yogi Berra was a gunners mate in the Navy and participated in the Normandy landings where he was wounded. Warren Spahn the great Braves pitcher, joined the Army and was a combat engineer. He was at the Battle of the Bulge and Ludendorff Bridge, earned a battlefield commission and a purple heart.
Ted Williams
Teddy Ballgame, the Splendid Splinter. Williams was one of the best there ever was. But when the war started, he was playing for the Red Sox. He was drafted in 1942 and classified 1-A. A friend suggested that he get in touch with the Advisor to the Governor’s selective service board. Simply because he was the sole support of his mother. Williams was reclassified 3-A ten days later. But the reaction of the public was negative. So in May of 1942, he joined the Navy Reserve. He went on active duty in 1943 and was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator.
Williams played ball and trained new pilots. He was in Pearl Harbor awaiting orders to be a replacement pilot when the war ended. Williams returned in 1946. Williams was recalled to service in 1952. He was not exactly happy about it, but he passed his physical and began refresher training and qualification. Williams flew fighters in Korea. He had more than 30 missions.
Moe Berg
Moe Berg is probably one of the more interesting ballplayers who ever lived. Berg was an average catcher who had degrees from Princeton University and Columbia Law School. He was known as a brainy guy and appeared on radio quiz shows. Berg had gone to Japan with barnstorming teams a couple of times, and after stayed to tour the country and go to China. On his second trip in 1934, he was with a group that included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. When the team arrived in Japan he gave a welcome speech in Japanese and was invited to address the legislature.
Berg had brought a 16mm Bell and Howell camera with him. He had contracted with Movietone News to film the sights from his trip. On the 29th of November, while the rest of the team was playing a game, he went to St Luke’s Hospital in Tsukiji, ostensively to see Ambassador Joseph Grew’s daughter. Instead, Berg went up on the hospital roof, one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo, he filmed the city and the harbor, giving US intelligence services their only view of the city. After the games, he found out he had been released by the Indians and continued to tour going to the Philippines, Korea, and Moscow in the Soviet Union.
When WWII broke out after the Pearl Harbor bombing, Berg accepted a position with the OSS, Office of Strategic Services. He was assigned to the Balkans desk and monitored the situation in Yugoslavia. He prepared Yugoslavian agents for the dangerous drops into Yugoslavia to collect intelligence. In 1943 he was assigned to Project Larson which was a plan to kidnap Italian rocket and missile specialists and bring them to the US.
The US was interested in a couple of German Physicists, Werner Heisenberg and Carl Frederich von Weizsacker. When the OSS learned Heisenberg was speaking in Zurich they sent Berg to attend the lecture. If he felt the Germans were close to the bomb, he would shoot Heisenberg. Berg determined they were not close and he remained in Zurich where he became close friends with physicist, Paul Scherrer. After the war, Berg resigned from the OSS. In 1951 he begged the CIA to send him to the new nation of Israel. This is something a Jew must do he said. They did not send him, but in 1952 he was hired again to use his old contacts and gather information on the Russian bomb projects. He was paid 10,000 plus expenses, and the CIA received nothing for their money. His handler called him flaky.
For the next 20 years of his life, Berg had no job and lived with his relatives. He got a handful of HOF votes. He passed away on May 29th, 1972 after a fall at home. His final words were, how did the Mets do today? They had won. He was cremated and his ashes scattered on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. Quite a life, quite a character. Berg never married,
WWI
Three who were members of the Dodger organization, and all Hall of Famers, served in WWI. Burleigh Grimes, the last of the spitball pitchers spent some time in the Army in 1918. Casey Stengel, the ole professor, was in the Navy for a time at the end of the war. Branch Rickey, the architect of the minor league system and later president of the Dodgers served in France with the army as an officer. He commanded a chemical training unit that included Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson. He was in the 1st Gas Regiment during the war and spent 4 months as a member of the Chemical Warfare Service.
Well, there are the Dodgers and a couple of others who have served in a time of war. There were 8 major league players who died during WWI, 3 were killed in action. There were more than 40 minor and semi-pro players also who died or were killed. In WWII, 3 died during the war, two were killed in action, one, Lt Harry M. O’Neill, a former catcher for the A’s. He was killed on Iwo Jima by a sniper. He had previously been wounded on Saipan. He along with Elmer Gedeon were the only MLB players killed in action in WWII. But the toll did not stop just with those two. There were well over 100 young ballplayers who died during the war, minor league, semi-pro, and college players who were either killed in training accidents, died from illness, or were KIA in combat. Most of those names we will never know. But you can see a list of them on baseballsgreatestsacrifice.com. Not only did US baseball have losses, the Japanese leagues had a lot of players killed also. In the Korean war, only one MLB player was listed. Major Robert Neighbors, an Air Force pilot was shot down and missing in action. His body was never recovered. Considered KIA. 16 minor or semi-pro players were KIA or MIA. Considering the fact that none have ever come home, you could think they were all KIA. 14 in Viet Nam. 5 in the middle east wars. So, baseball has made its sacrifices to war. Other players came home with scars other than wounds. Some dealt with so-called shell shock, which we now call PTSD. Others from the effects of chemicals and wounds. Christy Mathewson was accidentally gassed during a training exercise and developed tuberculosis. It eventually killed him in 1925. Grover Cleveland Alexander was exposed to mustard gas and had a grenade explode near him which led to the onset of epilepsy. He also suffered from PTSD. The epilepsy was sometimes mistaken for drunkenness, which added to his drinking problems. He continued to pitch and pitch well but finally left the game in 1930. He lived to be 63 years old despite all his physical and mental problems.
Well, there it is. About as good as I can do. Some of the players’ military records are a little hard to find, or there is very little information on them. As a vet myself, I respect all of them for their service to their country. Some were patriots, some were drafted and went reluctantly. But they served.
Michael,
I know how much effort this research takes. I thank you and I am sure our readers thank you. Great job!
Hopefully, everyone slept better after last night’s game.
For five straight games, Bellinger is showing signs of life. Progress is not linear, but he is definitely working with the coaches to break out. When you are in a slump, it often gets into your head and that makes it that much more difficult. Hitting is in very large part, confidence. I am fine platooning Belli and CT3… at least for a while, but Bellinger’s GG Defense is a thing too!
The Dodgers will extend CT3… in a Fairy Tale. His agent will see that they don’t!
Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford should be part of the playoff bullpen. After all the bitching and moaning about trading Dylan Floro for Alex, I would argue that Alex is now a better pitcher… right here, right now… and he has even more upside. He’s 5 years younger than Floro and has a swagger! Vesia’s WHIP is 0.969 while Floro’s is 1.241.
Bickford has been a God-send. By the way, that is how you build a bullpen: You don’t go out and trade for or sign the most expensive guys. Andrew Friedman learned his lesson with Kenley Jansen: Big deals to relievers seldom work. Look no further than how the Giants bullpen was built.
Now, let’s get Knebel back and see if The Quack can Duck into the bullpen (see what I did there?)
Trea Turner is a game-changer.
Yep, Turner is a game-changer. We knew he was fast but, damn, this still feels like a revelation. And the early signs suggest that he has Mookie-esque instincts.
With Mookie hobbled, it was interesting to see him (Mookie) batting 3rd the other day. But now it looks like both he and Turner–Justin, I mean– may both be out (or at least limited) for a while. Justin strained something on that fantastic play–the best play, I think, by a Dodger infielder all year.
Seriously, does anyone recall a better play this year from a Dodgers infielder? There have been more lowlights than highlights. The Achilles heel isn’t pitching or hitting, but defense.
Vesia might turn out to be very good, but we are dealing with a small sample relative with Floro. What is the innings-pitched comparison? Floro has been a workhorse for Miami–kind of a Treinen-lite for the Marlins. AF, I think, was smart to sign Florio to a contract–a bit less than $1 million– that was easy to trade to a small-market team. Same with Kolarek, though Neuse hasn’t delivered as we had hoped. Both Floro and Kolarek had been pretty good for the Dodgers, though not as impressive as …. Jake McGee! AF invested about $10 million combined in Knebel and Kahnle (who hasn’t thrown a pitch yet) while Farhan got McGee for two years at $5 million.
But hey, speaking of RPs, how about Justin Bruihl!
Poor Quackenbush got hammered in his return to the majors, but the undrafted guy from Cal Poly SLO looked great, capping a meteoric rise through the minors. Did he make any of the “prospects to watch” list before or early in the season? I love that his game also featured another strong performance from Bickford, a former first-round pick who may be finally living up to his potential, and the undrafted Bruihl. (Did I spell that right?)
Which brings me to that conspiracy theory regarding Dodgernomics.
I really don’t understand how the Dodgers can churn the relief staff so much. Depending on the contract, I assume most who get called up get a little bonus–something prorated to ML minimum. The manipulation of the relief staff is kind of comical, with all these guys getting odd little injuries –I think Roberts just sed the term “obliquely” for one. I’m a bit conflicted about this. I love seeing guys get their shot in majors or a shot at a rebirth. These are often the best stories. But how many teams can afford this luxury? Little doubt that we’ll see several more pitchers up in the coming months. Sucks for the small-market teams, I guess.
Quick and terribly profound observations after the last two games:
–Buhler should now be the favorite for the Cy Young, mostly because of his performance, and partly because DeGrom isn’t expected back in action until September. Is anyone else up there? Seems like it’s Buhler’s to lose.
–Belli homering in consecutive games is a great sign, but I hope there’s no rush to move him up in the order. A recovery in progress. (I had speculated about a kind of Belli-Pujols platoon, but both played today and both hit no-doubters. Sweet.)
–Pollock is now playing as well as he ever played with the Dbacks. Pretty damn impressive. With Mookie sitting, Roberts moved Pollock to the No.3 spot in the order–and he delivered. Muncy also continues to deliver–with the bat. Lefty, righty–doesn’t matter to him. Yeah, he muffed a popup the other day, maybe two– but props for moving into Justin’s spot at 3rd. I’ve read that it’s Muncy’s least favorite position. (I think Taylor will soon get more action there.)
–Whither Lux? I’m not sure when he’s expected to play again, but Trea’s arrival has put his future in even more doubt. A lot also depends on whether Seager stays or goes. If the Nationals had also demanded Lux in that deal, would anyone here have objected? It surprises me that there wasn’t another sweetener (like the new Ranger DJ Peters ) or “lottery ticket.” Just a great deal. Still think Lux’s future is a UT guy. His speed is wasted in the infield.
–Speaking of that trade, I love the fact that Gray has looked so impressive for the Nationals. Fans should always root for guys that the Dodgers trade away, because it enhances the Dodgers’ reputation and will make future trades easier. (Well, I won’t be rooting for one guy the Dodgers would probably love to trade away–if only any team would take him.)
When I was stationed in San Diego after boot camp I tried out for the Marine Corps baseball team and was told by the Captain who ran it I was in, but it would take a couple weeks to get the orders cut. I continued to work out with them, didn’t play any games, and when my orders came through they were WestPac. I asked the captain what happened and he said he tried but they were cut in Washington and there was nothing he could do. Had I tried out a month earlier it might have made a difference. Playing baseball for the Marines was about as light a duty as one could get. Promotion to E-5 and just played baseball all year, mostly against college teams all over the US. There was even some talk of going to Europe and Japan. I had some interest from the Dodgers when I was in high school but they were no longer interested 3 years later. Oh well. Destiny plays out.
I tried to post a question on the other thread but it closed. I agree we should extend Taylor but at 30, this is statistically likely his best year. He’s a Zobrist type player so I’d attempt to keep him, but I think he might get higher offers. Also, this one was directed at Mark but I’ll ask everyone – what are your best early guesses for shortstop going forward? I’d like to try to keep Seager but Turner is the guy I extend for that position. Seager? Third base or adios.
Seager to Turner to Lux?
Seager, Turner, Lux, Muncy.
Muncy is team controlled through ’23. He’s a lock at first. Turner is signed with a team option ($16 million) through ’23. He’s my DH.
I doubt Seager accepts that. I still think he’s off to gnu yourk.
Great work again Bear.
Thanks Badger, I appreciate it. By the way, Crawford, who was really short, about 5′ 7″, got the light duty I mentioned. He was sent to the US Army film center in New York to make training films. Go figure.
Thanks for another great article.
Well, I would rather have Turner, but that would have to come from Seager. It would have to be his idea to move to 3B and that could happen if they have a good run here. I know they can’t afford Bellinger, Seager and Turner. Of course, people with sight don’t want Bellinger. Those with vision do.
I think they could afford whatever they want to do and do so with creative financing, but agree they won’t sign them all. The money that is coming off the books is going right back on with extensions to Turner and Bellinger. Cody doesn’t hit free agency until ‘24, but he just turned 26 and when he gets his strength back he’s a 5+ WAR player. I believe he will stay a Dodger. Trea Turner is now my favorite Dodger. He’s gotta stay. He’s 28 with a body type that could glide easily through age 35. He appears to be a great fit here. The Dodger shortstop for years to come. The Dodgers up the middle of Smith/Cartaya, Turner, Lux and Bellinger will be among the strongest in MLB for a long time.
Lux is going to have to hit first before we start talking about him long term. Lets not go back to the days of Izturis or Cora with defense only mentality.
Same thing with Bellinger, although I believe Bellinger will turn it around and start to hit.
This season in 313 plate appearances Lux has put up 1.6 WAR. Over a full season that translates to well over 3 WAR. For a 23 year old that is pretty not too bad. I believe in him.
I understand you believe in him just like I believe in Bellinger, but WAR is a very flawed stat, too much emphasis on defense.
There you are with your lack of belief in defense again.
I had a high school coach that used to say “keep them from scoring and they will give you enough runs to beat them.” It took a while but I learned he was right. Close games are often won by better defensive teams. Defense includes pitching by the way. This team has pitching, it’s hurting, but it’s still good. We give up far too many unearned runs. Clean that up and we will win more close games. I know the coaches among us believe that.
Because some people here like nicknames, I might suggest “Gavin Sucks”… but that would be wrong.
Did Izturis or Cora ever win Gold Gloves? I really don’t know. I loved the trade for hit-first Hanley Ramirez, even if he did cost Kershaw a perfect game.
Anyway, the
But it’s pretty clear that great shortstops like Ozzie, Vizquel and Simmons have won many games with their glove. They also won games with their bat; it’s not an either-or question. (We could dive into the Defensive Runs Saved stat, and total WAR.) Placing too much emphasis on the bat can be costly.
Bear had a memorable post about that highlighted what a great hitter Babe Herman was–and what a horrible fielder too. Babe have been a great DH.
When Muncy emerged, a big question was where he might play. Some people argued that he should be traded to the AL to be a DH. Among Dodger fans, the idea was that Muncy might be a flash in the pan and AF should move him at peak value. Billy Ripken argued he should DH not long ago.
But what happened? Muncy worked at his craft and improved with glove. He’s arguably been the most reliable bat for the Dodgers since he has arrived, as bigger stars like Belli, Seager and Justin Turner deal with injuries and slumps.
Remember that scene from “Moneyball” in which the baseball nerd argues that Kevin Youklis, with his funny pear-shaped body, is really a “Greek God” of sabremetrics? With his stocky build, Muncy is similarly underestimated. Seager, Bellinger, Mookie, Taylor and Lux all look athlete, but Muncy looks like some guy you see at the bar. Yet he might be as good at 2B as Lux–and certainly much better with his bat in the equation.
Hey, maybe Lux will figure out how to hit southpaws. But even iI he brings it up to how he hits right-handed pitching, well, that would still be pretty mediocre.
I don’t consider pitching as being defense. I consider offense, pitching, defense all separate things like most people do.
You believe I have a lack of belief in defense and I believe you have too much belief in defense. I guess agree to disagree.
Great read Bear. Where do you find the time with the extensive research involved to write these informative articles?
Being retired I have a lot of free time. I am not married, so I do not have a honey do list. I do spend time working on my music as much as I can. I love to read, so the research for the most part is enjoyable. Sometimes there are gaps that cannot be filled in. But I look for as many sources as I can find. Wikipedia does not always have a lot of info, so it takes a lot of surfing the internet to get complete stories. But there are some sites like the one I mentioned that have valuable resources for you.
Bear Wow!!!
Bear Billy Cox was not a Dodger when he served. He came to the Dodgers in 1947. I only know about his service becasue I had written an article about him.
In February of 1942, he had entered the military service and spent four years with the 814th Signal Corps.
For the next four years, he served his country seeing action in North Africa, Europe, and Guadalcanal. Dealing with the sands of North Africa and the swamps and mud of Europe, along with contracting Malaria, his weight fell to 132 pounds on his 5’9” frame. His health never really fully recovered following the war.
Intent on resuming his baseball career, the 26-year-old Cox never complained: “I lost a good part of my career,” he told The Sporting News on May 2, 1946, “but I’m not kicking. I went through four years of the war and came out whole, so I guess I am lucky.”
Yeah, I do not know how I missed Cox. But he flew under the radar. The number of famous people who served is long. And many were in combat. James Stewart flew bombers and had many missions over Germany. Eddie Albert of Green Acres fame earned a Bronze Star for his actions in battle at Tarawa. He guided a Higgin’s boat under fire picking up wounded Marines. Pat Brady, Roy Rogers sidekick on his TV show, was at the Battle of the Bulge and was with Patton’s Third Army. He was wounded twice. John Ford, the director, was commissioned as a Commander in the Navy and came under heavy fire while filming on Midway Island about the time the Japanese were going to invade the Island. He was wounded in the arm. His film of the battle won an Academy Award. The battle at sea that followed turned the tide of the war.
Fantastic write up Bear. The time and research skills are amazing not only this article but all the others as well. How fortunate are we to have the contributors we have on this site?
Per last night’s game: Now was that so difficult? The Dodgers got some good starting pitching from Urias. He may be hitting a wall with his innings pitched and could use a pass when his turn comes up to reset. But, he kept the team in the game. The BP was outstanding. A couple of timely hits in the first inning and later by Taylor. And, of course, a big HR from Bellinger to give us the lead. A fun game to watch.
Trea Turner sure put on a show in his first game with the Dodgers. I knew he was fast, but when he scored from first on Muncy’s double. WOW! You could tell he was new to the Dodgers because he made it home without getting injured. Imagine that. LOL. Trea is an incredible athlete with fantastic baseball skills. He’s going to be fun to watch. With Betts (when healthy), Bellinger, TT, and maybe Taylor the team has some of the most athletic players in baseball. It makes for some exciting baseball moments for the fans.
Excellent point Ted. Urias may be hitting a wall….I’m not sure what we can do seeing so many starters are injured…Kershaw, Duffy, Gonsolin. We can’t have two bullpen days out of the 5.
We’re doing exactly what was suggested here – find more starting pitching so we can rest Urias and Buehler. Hopefully Hamels and Duffy can help soon.
Because of one slightly subpar game?
The last 7 games he has a 2.16 ERA.
I would not reach that conclusion based upon one game.
Ted, Belli tied the game, Taylor’s double scored the 2 go ahead runs. Thank you for the Kudos. I appreciate them.
Right you are Bear. I was unknowingly trying to give Belli maximum credit for his HR. LOL. It was good to see from him.
Great read Bear! Roy Gleason’s son was married to my secretary’s daughter. Several years back, she gave me an autographed copy of Lost in the Sun, Gleason’s signed baseball card and a baseball signed by him for Christmas. They’re my most prized baseball memorabilia.
Lost in the Sun is a great little book. It captures the times and how Vietnam was viewed by everyday people as well as any book I’ve read. If you lived through that era, it brings back a flood of memories.
Badger – your MC baseball experience brought back memories of things I was promised while in the Marines that never came to fruition. While on float, our convoy stopped in Taiwan and we did play a basketball game on the flight deck of the USS Okinawa against a team of players trying out for their Olympic team. We held our own but they beat us.
I had a cousin that was career Army in the US Army Band. Horn player. I was a few years older and our lives went completely different directions. Hardly saw him after age 18. He loved it, and I understand why. Easy duty with a decent paycheck. No way could I even consider a career in the Marine Corps. Nothing was the same after 13 months in Vietnam. I tried baseball again, and though I was always decent, there were no career opportunities for me. I got into Nuclear Medicine through a connection and it gave me the focus I needed.
I bought the book on Amazon after a previous discussion about him. Gleason had some serious skills. The book was well written and an easy read. I played a couple of games at Ft. Bliss. But nothing serious. There was a Giant farmhand there on the post team, kid named Mike Davidson. Pitcher. He never made it big,
Great article, my hat goes off to all of those who served and I just want to say “Thank you” to Badger, Bear and any others on this site who served to protect our Country. Thank you, thank you.
I agree with Mark about Vesia. This guy is tough to go up against. There’s something very weird about his fastball making opposing hitters look like Bellinger, swinging right through it even when it’s in the middle of the zone. Doc says he’s becoming more of a leverage guy, so expect him to throw some big innings as the primary lefty until V-Gone gets it back.
Best part about last night was watching the Bazooka soft toss 102 right by Ohtani after feeding him a couple of sliders down and in. Doc said that JT suggested that Brusdar slow down his delivery to make him more unhittable. It apparently has worked.
Don’t look now, but Belli has a 5 game hitting streak! He’s expected to be in right field today against a lefty, one day after Doc said he would sit against lefties. Instead, Mookie needs a day so Belli plays RF.
Man, I really wanted to see Quackenbush pitch last night after getting called up. Maybe they were saving him to pitch after Kenley, who’s butt has apparently healed enough to pickup saves again. For those who are unfamiliar, Kenley’s butt was injured when he wasn’t selected to the All-Star game and it’s been a slow and painful recovery.
Trea Turner’s first game was exciting to watch. His line score was fairly academic, but he sure impacted the game in a lot of ways. After his first inning walk, the threat to steal a base made the pitcher feed Muncy with fastballs which is a recipe for disaster. He scored on a liner to right from first base with no one out. He went the other way and singled through the hole on the right side and of course, stole a base. Too bad no one picked him up from there. He made at least 2 great plays in the field that could have been trouble for others.
All in all it was a nice game, sans that botched pop-up on the infield. Urias didn’t have his best stuff but grinded out a pretty good game in the end.
Fun story. I watched the game at my cousin’s house last night. His sister was prom queen in High School. The king was none other than Joe Kelly Sr.
“ Great article, my hat goes off to all of those who served and I just want to say “Thank you” to Badger, Bear and any others on this site who served to protect our Country. Thank you, thank you.”
Here here….I concur! Thank you!
TM
Thanks TM, much appreciated. At 17, with the history of service my family has, I felt it was my duty to go.
08/07/21 Los Angeles Dodgers sent RHP Yefry Ramirez outright to Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Roy Gleason …..and now I know something about this minor league Dodgers player I never thought I would know. Thanks Bear.
Last night:
Well, I thought we would bounce back and we did. And so did the Giants. I hate to say this, but I’m very impressed with that team. Other than Posey, no BIG names (Bryant is good, not great), but look at their box scores every day. A different guy chips in every game. I agree, they don’t have the marquis names like we do, but maybe they don’t need them. But I still think it comes down to pitching. They have been solid all season, especially in the bullpen, and unlike us, they seem to have a dependable closer in Jake the Snake. He doesn’t look like he is wearing down either. They have two other guys with ERAs under 2.
Now everyone knows I jumped off the Cody bandwagon this year and was open to trading him. We didn’t, so he’s still a Dodgers and I will root for him. I know several are feeling he will break out because he had a few games where he had some infield hits and then hit a towering HR last night. I mentioned this on the other thread, I believe he hit a mistake. It was not a high hard fastball….the ones Cody can’t hit. Instead, it was a curveball that was at the knees. I’m sure the book doesn’t say this is where you should pitch Cody. But he did, and Cody hit it. I’m glad, but I’m not getting too excited about last night because look at who was pitching? A guy with 3 starts this year and a 4.21 ERA. It’s not like Cody hit the HR off of a proven solid MLB pitcher. We all can agree, it’s much easier to get a hit off of a 4-5 pitcher than a 1-2 pitcher, right? Let’s see Cody do that off of proven 1-2 pitchers. Oh, and I hate to sound negative here, but you did see his weak pop up when we had 2nd and 3rd with one out? He couldn’t even bring in one run, let alone two. So, no, I’m not popping open the bubbly stuff today…I need to see much more.
Now what pleased me more was the other guy whose bandwagon I jumped off- Kenley Jansen. I love how he didn’t fool around and didn’t walk anyone or allow a base runner. 9 pitches, three outs, against a few pretty good guys too. Way to go, KJ. Keep it up, and I will be back on board.
Trea Turner….the real deal. I can’t believe he was a throw in without even having to give up Lux. Oh, by the way, I would have gladly added Lux to the 4 prospects to get Turner and Scherzer. Can’t believe Nats didn’t demand more! Anyhow, Trea can do it all…did you see that catch he made for the final out. Muncy probably would not have caught it. And those legs….oh my…..Run Forest Run! Please extend he and CT3 as top priorities (I know we don’t have to extend Turner this off-season, but why not get it done quicker?). Resign Seager too as secondary priority after those two.
A much more relaxed,
TM
“Oh, and I hate to sound negative here,”
Do you?
Cody will get this strength back eventually, and when he does he will be back to a 4+ oWAR player. He may still be a few weeks away, but he does look better.
I am far more concerned about Mookie.
I prefer not to write negative things about my team, but you have to keep it real, and sometimes there is some negative you just have to bring out in the open….I’m just not some Pollyanna fan who just blows kisses and says everything is all right! We wouldn’t be 4 games out and losing every extra inning game, save 1, if everything was all right, right?
And I would like nothing more than to see Cody show me the money! In fact, I hope you and 10 other guys would be able to come on here and call me out after seeing Cody go on a tear knocking in runs, hitting home runs, and being clutch. I will even call myself out if that happens. If I were hoping for more Cody failure in order to make me look right, what kind of fan would I be? A fan of myself, not the Dodgers. That ain’t me, brother! I bleed blue…both LADodgers and the NY football Giants!
As for Mookie….I agree, this hip problem looks like it won’t be going away for the rest of the year. I don’t know if it will affect his hitting like it is his running, but I give him props for playing last night. I thought for sure after Friday’s game he would be out 5 more games. But, he surprised me….I hope somehow he can still heal while playing.
Now let’s win this series this afternoon with our best pitcher on the mound.
A hopeful,
TM
Fair enough.
I have suggested Cody make some slight adjustments that I think would help, but obviously he’s not going to do it. I’m pretty sure he’s not yet 100% from his injuries and surgery, but he is getting better. It’s only been months since shoulder surgery, last November, and my understanding is it can take up to a year to fully recover. He’s young so it might be sooner, like 9 months hopefully, but I believe in him.
Orel and Joe were talking about it today, and the consensus is that his shoulder is still not at full strength. Hershiser can speak from experience since he also had a shoulder issue at one time. 6 game hitting streak for Belli with his bomb today.
Bear you may have outdone yourself this time. What a great article. Thanks for all the research and a great read. And thanks to all the veterans on this site. I have great old pictures of my dad from Hawaii in WWII. He was a good athlete and had attended a fast pitch softball game, which he’d never seen. He decided to try it as a pitcher. He said when he started, he recruited a Navy buddy to catch. He said it was more fetching than catching. He said he couldn’t hit the side of a hangar. As with everything he tried, he didn’t quit and became a very good pitcher. He pitched with and against the Great Eddie Feigner. That event in Hawaii changed his life. He pitched until he was 50 and coached pitching until he died at 75. That’s were my interest and love for baseball and softball came from.
Well it looks like we now have the lineup we’ve been waiting for. There’s no breaks in this line up and I look for us to make a run at the Giants.
I watched the Giants tie up Brewers in 9th, yesterday. With 2 outs in the 9th the Brewers right fielder misplayed a fly ball that tied the game. It was unbelievably rules a triple. After the gift the Giants won in the 10th.
What a nice debut by TT. Seager made a great bare-hand play too.
Muncy dropped the pop up in the infield and it was originally ruled a hit. Joe Davis even wondered if it was a hit. Is this Little League? Error all the way.
Urias had squat and navigated through 5 with 95 pitches. I’m looking for a strong game from Striker today.
TT hit an outside pitch, maybe off the plate, to right for a knock. I wonder how long it will take our hitting coaches to convince him to take that pitch?
It takes no talent to hustle and I get irritated when players don’t. Top 8, 1st and 2nd, base hit to right. Mookie threw high to Seager on the cut and almost overthrew him. If that throw gets to JT, we’re a bad hop away from advancing two runners. All the while Graterol is standing on the mound. watching the game. He was too lazy to get his big ass off the mound to back up third. It amounted to nothing but could have. Little things matter and we have no room to piss away games.
It’s time to start a run at the Giants and we have the pieces to do it.
Badger, I share your concern over Mookie.
I hope the Dodgers hitting instructors leave Turner alone. If he asks for help, fine, make some suggestions. But this guy’s game looks complete and well defined to me.
The guy who trained me in Nuclear Med was an old fast pitch hurler. His name was Joe Garr. When I asked him about Feigner he said “yeah, I know him. Ask him about the three to nothing shutout I pinned on him.” I didn’t believe him, said I could hit anything, and at age 50 he struck me out on 4 pitches. I fouled one off. I was 22 and after that experience I started playing fast pitch. Didn’t see any pitcher better than a 50 year old Joe Garr until I played on a tournament team in Northern California.
My dad was still a good pitcher at age 50. I love those crafty, crusty old chuckers. My dad beat Eddie a few times as well including games Eddy played with 9 man teams before he took The King and His Court Show on the road in 1950. I think my dad player with a pitcher named Don Skinner in Sacramento for awhile. Dad played a good shortstop in baseball and pitched fast pitch. His teams sometimes played the local Class C league pro team and never lost. As you know, the baseball only guys struggle with that rise ball and can’t lay off it. They could hit it if they had some days of BP off fast pitch but they didn’t. My dad played both baseball and softball when he was in his prime. He was done at 50 as the game was dying except on a national level.
When I was in Salt Lake, there were 2 national caliber teams there that played in the top travel league, nationally. Larry Miller, the Jazz owner and ex softball pitcher had one of the teams. The League had Seattle (PaynPak / Sea1st Bank) Vancouver BC, Gwinella Brothers from Santa Rosa, Salt Lake, Sioux City, Clearwater Bombers, Madison Wis, Raybestos from Chicago and some I forgot.
I watched the World Men’s Fastpitch Tourney in the late 80’s in SLC with my dad and there were some dudes. It was so fun and such a fast game. On the national level there were far fewer strikeouts than locally pitcher dominated games. The Big Boys could really hit. The pitching was dominated then with New Zealanders, who played summers in the USA, during their winters. You know, amateur softball. The guys were supposedly given a job. I played it some and one of my few regrets is that I didn’t stay with fast pitch, pitching when my baseball days were over.
I remembered the name of one guy from the 80s. Chuck D’Arcy. Pitched for a team from the Bay Area or Sacramento. Wish I could recall more, but those National Teams were pro. It was a long time ago. All I remember about him was I couldn’t hit him., but I wasn’t the only one. The more I played the more I preferred slow pitch. I loved the defensive game that came with it. Shortstop and left field was fun. Fast pitch you could go all game and never be challenged defensively.
Thank you Phil. It was fun to do. I also played fast pitch in the service. I did a little pitching, and being a lefty for some reason my ball had a natural rise to it. But hitting was my game. I was pretty frustrated last night until Bellinger went yard. Once they got into the Angel pen I thought they had a chance. Then Taylor’s huge double and Jansen turning back the clock and looking like 2017. Roberts already said Mookie would sit today, day game after a night game gives him 2 days off before they open the series in Philly. Lefty going for the Angels, so Tio Albert will most likely be at 1st and another new lineup out there. Turner impressed me a lot. What a player. They have got to find a way to resign that guy and I do not care where he plays, he makes the team better.
If you could hit fast pitch Bear, you had good bat to ball skills and used the whole yard. And you better be able to bunt the ball.
I could bunt, and I was a decent fielder when I played 1st. I was a lefty. One time in a tournament at Ft. Bliss I had 9 straight hits in a fast pitch tourney. And every one of them went to left field. In Germany, I was playing 1st and a guy hit a liner right down the line about 2 1/2 feet above my head, I caught it and our First Sergeant almost had a heart attack. He could not believe I could jump that high at my weight. On time when I was back in LA, we were playing a game. I got on with a bunt went to second on a passed ball and to third on an infield out. Our manager put on the bunt sign. I took off, the batter stood there and took a strike, I was hung out to dry for sure, so I yelled at him calling him an idiot, the catcher was so stunned, he threw the ball back to the pitcher instead of trying to get me at third. As soon as he threw it I broke for home and scored. Probably one of the last games I ever played. True story.
Seems like I was at Dodger Stadium when the team recognized Roy Gleason many years ago. As I recall the LA Times did a big write-up about him.
Hey, the Dodgers can sign pretty much any and all of their current players, including Corey Seager, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and Trea Turner. Lots of payroll coming off the books in the near future, low cost prospects coming up through the system to help with the payroll. So the question is not can they afford it? It’s trying to figure out how to move forward and stay on top.
Good article about the four free agent shortstops in Baseball Digest. Experts seem to think Seager is the best of the bunch, a better hitter than Lindor, who signed with the Mets. I agree with that assessment. Corey would my choice and I think the Dodgers would like to have him, but not at a $300 million plus contract.
Plus he doesn’t want to change positions. Just a guess, but they now have Trea Turner, who is really good. . Game changing speed, power and his defensive skills are really good and it wouldn’t surprise if the Dodgers extend him before next spring.
All four of the upcoming free agent shortstops are expected to be well paid, but there isn’t a $300 million player in the group and if someone goes that high, there will a lot of risk and it’s doubtful any of the four can deliver on expectations. Lindor certainly hasn’t. Neither has Anthony Rendon or arguably Bryce Harper. Okay, moment of reality. Is there a player in the majors now who is worth $300 million? Maybe Otani. Perhaps Trout and Betts if they can stay healthy.
As much as I like Corey and like to see him finish his career in LA, I’m guessing Scott Boras wants to top Lindor’s amount. The Dodgers could do that, but I’m guessing they won’t.
I think they would be wiser to re-sign Chris Taylor, who starts everywhere, and move Turner to short and work on an extension.
It’s unfortunate that we’ve only seen a part season of a healthy Seager lately, legitimate clutch hitter. But being unable to see him produce at a high level for an entire season after a spectacular performance in 2020 certainly hurts his value. But wouldn’t be surprised to see the Giants pursue him, which might challenge the Dodgers willingness to outbid their rivals. We’ll see. They outbid (actually both offers were somewhat similar) the Giants for Zack Greinke only to see Arizona make a crazy offer and snatch him away.
At this stage you could argue that Taylor is the team MVP. He delivered again last night. So re-signing him is a must, just as Justin Turner returning was a must.
This past week the Giants got incredibly lucky and won can two games they should have lost. Baseball is not just a game of skill.
I agree 100% on the need to re-sign CT3. He’s been the MVP this year and needs to stay on the team with a nice, fair contract. I think his signing is a higher priority than Seager, CK, Pollock and Belli the next year. IMO
Because some people here like nicknames, I might suggest “Gavin Sucks”… but that would be wrong.
Did Izturis or Cora ever win Gold Gloves? I really don’t know. I loved the trade for hit-first Hanley Ramirez, even if he did cost Kershaw a perfect game.
Anyway, the
But it’s pretty clear that great shortstops like Ozzie, Vizquel and Simmons have won many games with their glove. They also won games with their bat; it’s not an either-or question. (We could dive into the Defensive Runs Saved stat, and total WAR.) Placing too much emphasis on the bat can be costly.
Bear had a memorable post about that highlighted what a great hitter Babe Herman was–and what a horrible fielder too. Babe have been a great DH.
When Muncy emerged, a big question was where he might play. Some people argued that he should be traded to the AL to be a DH. Among Dodger fans, the idea was that Muncy might be a flash in the pan and AF should move him at peak value. Billy Ripken argued he should DH not long ago.
But what happened? Muncy worked at his craft and improved with glove. He’s arguably been the most reliable bat for the Dodgers since he has arrived, as bigger stars like Belli, Seager and Justin Turner deal with injuries and slumps.
Remember that scene from “Moneyball” in which the baseball nerd argues that Kevin Youklis, with his funny pear-shaped body, is really a “Greek God” of sabremetrics? With his stocky build, Muncy is similarly underestimated. Seager, Bellinger, Mookie, Taylor and Lux all look athlete, but Muncy looks like some guy you see at the bar. Yet he might be as good at 2B as Lux–and certainly much better with his bat in the equation.
Hey, maybe Lux will figure out how to hit southpaws. But even iI he brings it up to how he hits right-handed pitching, well, that would still be pretty mediocre.
Pretty cool video comparing Pages to JT
https://twitter.com/jokeylocomotive/status/1424144173477732352?s=20
I posted this on the previous thread yesterday Jason, but not sure anyone saw it.
Amazing how similar the two look in the box.
Pages is 20 now. Let’s just say he’s ready for the majors at 22.
Of course, a number of scouts seem to think that Pages has some swing and miss issues but he’s young enough to fix that.
JT didn’t arrive in LA until he was 29. Imagine having 7 extra prime years of Justin Turner.
Giants signed Chatwood and Shoemaker to minor league deals. Farhan using the AF system of load up. Rizzo to the Covid IL> It has to really suck to be a Yankee fan right now. They trade for a guy, go on a winning streak and he gets sidelined by a virus. Angels pitcher today, Detmers, has an ERA of 12.
But the Giants don’t have the Dodgers wallet….
Like just about everyone else, it seems, the signing of Cole Hamels has me worrying more about the health of Kershaw and Gonsolin for the remainder of season. But getting Hamels also kept him from the Giants and Pads, who probably need more help. (SD fans were really hurting after the report of the Pads landing Scherzer proved wrong.)
The Hamels deal just further demonstrates the Dodgers potent wallet. And, if I recall correctly, the Pads were also reported to be in the mix for Duffy.
So yeah, sometimes greed is good.
Thinking about Hamel, Duffy and the RP churn–and comparing that to $$$$$$ devoted to you-know-who—reminds me of an expression I heard from a hotshot real estate developer years ago:
“All good little piggies get to eat. But hogs get slaughtered.”
Giants DFA’d Sanchez, Brebbia and Gausman reinstated to the roster, Thairo Estrada sent to AAA.
Competition officially over in Tokyo, US finishes with 113 medals, 39 gold, 41 silver and 22 bronze. 25 more than China, 42 more than ROC, which was made up of Russian’s. This is due to Russia’s two year ban from competing in international sports. Ban is for doping. Gold in Basketball, Silver in baseball. Congrats to Mike Scioscia on his team’s effort.
Today’s Sunday lineup:
2B Trea
1B Max
LF AJ
3b Justin
SS Corey
CF Chris
C Will
RF Cody
P Walker
No Mookie
Two days off the rest that hip. Totally fine with that. I hope JT gets a day off soon.
There are a couple of movies about Moe Berg you might want to check out. “The catcher was a spy” & “The spy behind home plate”.
I will look into those. Since they are more spy than baseball, they will probably be ok. Baseball movies can be hit or miss. That being said, the Yankees and the Sox are breaking out retro jerseys for the game on the Field of Dreams in Iowa.
Bear, did you receive that email I sent about Moe Berg? Fascinating story. Right down your alley.
Looks like we may be lucky to have Mookie half the time the rest of the way. Hip pointer my ass. We’ve been lied to! The nerve. No, seriously, the sciatica nerve affected by Femoracetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAI).
Oh… and that will be $8,000 for the diagnosis!
Where did you read this, regarding Mookie’s hip?
Yeah, I got it Badger. Thanks a lot.
DODGERS SELECT JUSTIN BRUIHL
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Justin Bruihl and placed left-handed pitcher Garrett Cleavinger on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain.
Bruihl, 24, is 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA (11 ER/37.2 IP) and 50 strikeouts in 26 games (one start) between Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa. His next appearance will be his Major League debut. In three minor league seasons, he is combined 14-2 with a 3.73 ERA (46 ER/111.0 IP) and 145 strikeouts in 72 games. He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 15 out of Cal San Luis Obispo.
Cleavinger, 27, suffered the loss on Friday night, allowing two runs (one earned) in 0.1 innings against the Angels. On the season, he is 2-4 with a 3.00 ERA (6 ER/18.0 IP) and 21 strikeouts in 22 games for the Dodgers this season. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Phillies on December 20, 2020. He was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft by the Phillies out of the University of Oregon.
What saw this coming?
Why so many oblique strains?
You know what I think.
I heard the players have a clubhouse wrestling league which explains away all the soft tissue injuries including Clayton’s forearm from his signature move. The Sodom Destroyer. Coincidentally, he injured his forearm on that move with a knockout to Trevor Bauer in the heavyweight bout.
Two unnamed sources familiar with the clubhouse dynamics, of course.
Most of the time, yeah. You’ve never been that difficult to figure out. Your communication skills remind me of Joe Frazier’s boxing approach.
If I had to guess I’d say ….. Joe Pfizer?
Bruihl wasn’t on the 40-man, so this still doesn’t tell us who has been eliminated.
A trade is brewing.
WinK, Wink
Old friend Brett Anderson is pitching for the Brewers against Cueto today. Brewers up 2-1 in the 5th on a Narvaez HR in the 4th.
3=1 in the 5th. Brewers on top.
Knebel will be activated on Tuesday in Philly. Lux is going to OKC for a rehab assignment. Scherzer and Price for games 1 & 2 in Philly. Anderson leaves Brewers game with leg injury in top of the 6th. Scherzer will face Nola.
Giants tie the game in the 7th, 4-4 with a 2 run PH HR by Belt, his 4th of the weekend.
The good news:
We are out in front.
The bad news:
After 1 inning we are 1 for 5 WRISP.
How is that even possible?
Treat turner is great. Dodgers stat to hit. Now we just waiting for the Giants to begining to lose
This Trea Turner guy might be pretty good, He just scored from first on an infield hit. Holy crap. What an exciting player! All right Albert!! Just crushed a monster HR.
Damn, Giants just won another one run game.
Tio Albert blows a kiss to Arte Moreno
Trea Turner!!!!!!!
Thank you Bear for all of your awesome contributions to this site!!!!
OBTW Shout out to our female poster come on back
Thank You, I really appreciate it. Buehler not exactly sharp today. But boy is Trea Turner a joy to watch. Justin leaves the game with a leg problem. Tio Albert is the bomb. He crushed that ball. Legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden passes away at the age of 91. Javier Baez out with a hip problem.
Markie Post died too. She was considerably cuter than Bowden.
I see the giants margin of victory today was an unearned run. Don’t know how it happened but I’m assuming the defense had something to do with it.
I saw that and yes she was. Only 70 years old. Pollock stays hot driving in another run with a double. The unearned run came in the 6th when they scored 1 run to close to 3-2. Brewers scored 1 in the bottom of the inning to go back on top. Then Belt hit his PH HR to tie it and the Giants scored the 5th run on a single by LaStella that drove in Crawford.
I still can’t believe that Brewers RF last night misplayed the fly ball with 2 outs in the 9th….it’s his own stadium….
Another Bellinger bomb. Is he back?
Getting close. And that one was on a high fastball.
High fastball!!!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
GET HOT Cody ! We need you, Son!
Love,
TM
Dodgers are going to have to take care of their own business, especially against the hot Phillies and the Mets. Giants next 7 games are against the D-Backs and Rockies,
Great article Bear, and read! I’m late to the comments, on the weekends I am so busy around the house, garden, etc. so it’s hard to post for me sometimes but I read all the posts/comments. It’s unreal how the Giants keep scoring in the late innings and winning games. Trea Turner is a special player and I knew once he was in Dodger Blue he’d shine. Be nice to win this series and on to the East Coast for series with Phils/Mets. I love the east coast games as I live in CST and it’s tough to see all the games on west coast to end.
Looking forward to the game in Dyersville, Iowa on Thursday night at the Field of Dreams movie site. Still haven’t gotten any tickets for it.
Just walk in like you own the place. I know some good attorneys!
Don’t you have some corporate tickets that you aren’t using for me? 🙂
Why are so many here high on Quakenbush? I never even heard of him….
Because he was doing exceptionally well at OKC.
Just goes to show that success at AAA doesn’t always translate to success in the majors. Then again, it’s only his first outing and his first appearance in the majors since 2018. I’m sure he was more than a little nervous.
Quack Quack
I an not high on him but he deserves a shot
Quackenbush is a former Padre and Red, has pitched in parts of 5 seasons in the majors, the last being 2018 with the Reds. He also pitched in the Dodgers system in 2019. He has 8 career saves, and a 13-15 career record with a 4.38 ERA. He was 1-5 at OKC but had 14 saves and a miniscule 0.68 ERA. 85 K’s in 58 innings. He did not show much today, but the guy does have icewater in his veins. He does not get rattled easy.
I think I can throw harder than Quackenbush, but Bruihl looks solid.
Thanks Bear for the fantastic article! Great research, and I have to pick up the book on Roy Gleason.
And thanks to Bear, Badger, 2D2, and other veterans for your service!
Your sacrifices are greatly appreciated.
Thank you, I am sure you will like the book.
Justin Bruihl just made my day. I love it when undrafted players make it to MLB. Five outs – three groundouts and two strikeouts.
There may well be some days that don’t go well as with all players but Justin has really improved his game over his three-year minor league career. He has a three-pitch mix, has been able to keep the ball on the ground and in the park. In 111 minor league innings he has given up four home runs.
I’m wondering about why so many of our AAAA pitchers come up lame after a wobbly performance. Any idea?
Thank heaven “Ground Hog” Phil stays healthy and sharp!
It is the nature of the beast. They are not necessarily lame, but any ache can be used for an excuse to get a replacement arm up to the team. This all started with the way AF has used the 10 and 15 day IL’s.
Great great article, Bear! I should give you my creative writing degree!
Thank you Marcia. I did not take any kind of writing courses in High School, so my style is a little helter skelter. but I do enjoy doing the research. The biggest reward is when the posters on here enjoy the story, and it gets a lot of posts.
Nice win. Trea Turner is my new favorite Dodger and he is wearing Garvey’s old number. Charlie Culberson wore 6 when he was here. Turner is an igniter. And this offense is going to benefit a lot from his play. Him scoring on that little dribbler through the infield was one of the most exciting plays I have seen all year.
Lux 0-2 so far with a run scored. OKC up 8-4 in the second. Pepiot has given up 4 in 1 2/3rds of an inning. His ERA is now 8.10. He has allowed 3 triples and a HR this inning. Davidson, Raley and Marte have driven in 2 apiece. Correction, Pepiot allows the 2nd HR of the inning and it is now 8-5 in the bottom of the 2nd inning. ERA now 9.45. Do not think the kid is ready for prime time. Took Pepiot 49 pitches to get through 2 innings.
Pepiot loads the bases in the 3rd on 3 hits with one out and gets out of the jam. 71 pitches in 3 innings. Lux up 2nd in the top of the 4th. McKinstry has not regained his stroke at OKC, he is hitting .179. OKC’s hitting coach, Emanuel Burris thrown out of the game by the umpire. And Lux walks in his 3rd AB. Matt Davidson hits a HR to right, # 18 scoring Lux. 10-5 OKC in the top of the 4th.
They’re in Albuquerque, pitching stats don’t count there. 15-9. Slow pitch score. No stats count there.
Albuquerque is worse than Colorado
Well, it’s pretty hard to get excited about a couple of soft-tossing bullpen adds, one from each side. You can tell that their success is due to some completely filth breaking pitches, but it gives me an ulcer to see 87 flash on that radar gun. There’s definitely more than one way to skin a cat. We’ll see how that plays out, I’m pretty sure I’ll be more excited to see Knebel join the pen on Tuesday.
Pollock is on fire and seems to be able to take 3rd anytime he wants to. He’s 6-0 in SB attempts and at least half of those were 3rd base. I’ll always remember Eric Davis insisting that it’s easier to steal 3rd than second because of the sizable lead you get.
Is everyone ready to agree that Cody will be fine and it’s important to have the best Cody available come playoff time? Especially with Mookie’s hip pointer and Turner tweaking his groin. Chris Taylor is most valuable to this team doing exactly what he’s doing. He’s gonna get a whole lot more than 10M / year and someone’s going to offer him a starting job next year. It will be up to him if he wants to be a regular or a super sub and a perennial contender.
It’s a whole lot more fun to have Albert on this team than I anticipated. He really got all of that one today and against his former team must have made it that much sweeter for him. He’s a baseball Deity and super nice guy. The other players seem really enjoy having him there and he’s doing enough to keep earning whatever playing time he gets.
I love Trea Turner and I love his pig pen uniform. Maybe he’ll teach Seags how to dive for a ball. He’s like having a second Mookie on the team and we went from a struggling rookie to one of the best players right now at our weakest hitting position.
CT3 is a godsend on this team. He’ll most likely rest Justin Turner’s groin on Tuesday and my worry is if he’ll ever get to take a day off himself. Pollock, Turner and Mookie are going to need regular rest and it won’t hurt to give anyone else a breather. I just hope Doc doesn’t feel the need to keep Beaty and McKinney “relevant”. Just let them pinch hit and come into the game during blowouts or when two guys have to rest on the same day.
The Phillies are hot right now, but so were the Nationals when we turned them into deadline sellers. That could have been a big turnaround series for us, instead we lost Bauer and Kershaw shortly afterwards. It’s been bullpen games, blown saves and building up replacements ever since. Everytime we start to look complete, someone else goes down. They’re gonna need to fire the training staff in the offseason.
Bellinger had been hitting some HRs but all of them on breakthrough throwing and I would say until I hit a HR on a fastball, in the zone where he is being overtaken, then I will believe an advance, in an improvement, today he did it and I feel very optimistic and hopefully the beginning of the return to their level.
What a great article and read again today. Thanks Michael.
Trea Turner is exciting to watch, and adds a different dimension, even more than Mookie.
Under no circumstance do I ask JT to steal a base. Ever. Injured on his very next play.
Pardon me for asking a dumb girlie question, but what exactly is “groin soreness?” First Anthony Davis, and now JT. Maybe he should study ballet?
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Gracilis
https://www.webmd.com/men/my-groin-hurt
I assume it’s something just short of a pulled groin muscle. A strain rather than a pull–so take it easy, because it could get worse.
A pulled groin can really hobble you for a few weeks, as I learned from experience when I was in my 20s. You can limp without pain, but don’t try to run. I still managed to play on our slo-pitch softball team, but I had to move from the outfield to catcher. And our rules–or maybe just the menschy nature of our rivals– allowed me to have a pinch runner. I could still swing the bat, but a teammate did all the running, starting from behind the batter’s box.
Pretty sure the MLB wouldn’t allow that.
One reason Quackenbush’s ERA was so low at OKC is that runs scored under these extra inning rules are unearned. Well at least the runner placed on second is. He picked up a few losses that way I believe.
Great to win a series but still a bit disappointing weekend. Giants taking two from the Brewers and the Dodgers give a game away and have the much tougher schedule this week.
Rizzo was one of the anti-vaxers who kept the Cubs from reaching the relaxed protocols What a dumbass.
I took my son’s team to practice on the Field of Dreams years ago. There’s one road in and out of there. That’s going to be a mess.