Revered or reviled? Loved or hated? Steve Garvey generated a lot of different emotions in players and fans. Steven Patrick Garvey, born December 22, 1948, in Tampa, Florida. His parents, Joseph and Mildred, had recently relocated to Tampa from Long Island, NY.
Joe passed on his love of baseball, especially the Dodgers, to his son Steve. Steve used to hit old grapefruits with a broomstick because there were 11 of them in his backyard. His dad was a bus driver for Greyhound. In 1956 he was assigned to drive the Brooklyn Dodgers to spring training in Vero Beach. He asked if his 7-year-old son, Steve, could be a batboy for the team. It was a position Garvey would hold for the next 6 springs.
The player who impressed him the most was Gil Hodges. Garvey was amazed at how much time Gil took signing autographs and connecting with the fans, and even finding time to play catch with him now and then. So Hodges became the player he wanted to most emulate. When he was about 10, his mom asked what he wanted for Christmas, and he replied “a new baseball glove“. When he told her it cost 25.00, try getting one that cheap now, she said that was a lot of money, his reply was 25.00 now would turn into 25,000 later. He was right, but the amount was way low.
Garvey also at times was a batboy for the Yankees and Tigers. He was small, 5’7″ 165lbs. for a high school athlete, he excelled at Chamberlin High playing both football and baseball. He hit .472 in his junior year and .465 as a senior, grabbing the attention of pro scouts.
After high school he went to Michigan State University where he was encouraged by Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans head football coach, to play multiple sports there. He made 30 tackles as a defensive back on the 1967 team, earning a letter. His first at-bat for the baseball team ended with a grand slam homer that landed in the Red Cedar River. Garvey also participated in MSU’s loss to USC in 1967. He chased OJ Simpson on one of his TD runs.
Garvey was drafted by the Dodgers in the secondary phase of the first round in 1968. Some say this is the best draft class ever, Lopes, Cey, Buckner, Paciorek, Ferguson, Valentine, Zahn, and Alexander and Garvey. Not a bad haul. All would play in the majors.
His college coach, Danny Withiler, said Garvey could hit monster home runs and had the ability to come back after a bad day at the plate. But he did question his defense. He did not have an outfielders arm and was only adequate at 3rd. Garvey spent his first season at Ogden, and then in 1968, he was at Albuquerque playing for Tommy Lasorda. He hit .373 with 14 HRs and 85 RBIs. He was called up to the Dodgers and made his debut on September 1st against Jack DiLauro and struck out.
He started the 1970 season in a slump and was sent to the minors. He was called back up in September. but his fielding at 3rd was still a problem. The same thing in 1972 as he made 28 errors at 3rd and rumors began to circulate that his time in LA was drawing to a close.
In 1973 he rode the bench most of the first part of the season through June. Faced with lineup issues on the 23rd of June, Alston on the suggestion of Bill Buckner, inserted Garvey at first and moved Bucks to LF. Buckner played 1st in LA on rare occasions after that. Garvey took to the position like a duck to water. He batted .309 over the rest of the year and had a .993 fielding pct at the position.
1974 would be a landmark season for Garvey. He hit .312, with 21 HRs and 111 RBI’s. He won the NL MVP award, was the MVP in the all-star game as a write-in, and won his first gold glove as the Dodgers would win the pennant and face the A’s in the World Series. He hit .389 in the NLCS and .381 in the World Series. But he only drove in 1 run in the series.
With Garvey installed at first, Lopes at second, Russell at SS, and Cey at third, the Dodgers had an infield that would be together for 8 seasons. And they would form a formidable quartet defensively and offensively. Except for Russell, they would all have 20 plus homer seasons. Garvey and Cey would crush 33 and 30 in 77. Garvey would have 4 more 100 plus RBI seasons in LA.
His first brush with controversy came in the 1974 MVP vote. Garvey had 270 votes and runner-up Lou Brock had 233. Brock had set a record with 118 stolen bases that year, but it had been downplayed by many of the writers. Brock said that conception was based on the old prejudice that base stealers did it for personal gain and not for the team. He said it was true he did not win it, but he also did not lose it. He said he earned it.
Consistency was the watchword for Garvey’s game. And he indeed became one of the most consistent players in the majors. He also was becoming a star in the city where stars are adored. He parlayed that into a 6 year 1.971 contract that would expire in 1982. He also started making appearances on TV shows like Mike Douglas Show, Fantasy Island, and also the TV movie, Hey Coach and Mickey’s 50th birthday for Disney.
Garvey pretty much had it all, the trophy wife, big contract. It looked like the so-called perfect family. And the adoration of oh so many Dodger fans. But did he have the respect of his teammates? Some were reported as saying he was more worried about improving his image than the team. Of course, it did not look like that on the stat line. He was clutch and played every game for 1207 consecutive games. But you had to believe that some time or another it would all come to a head.
As early as 1975 Betty Cuniberti of San Bernardino Sun reported that Garvey did not have a friend on the team. The fact that Garvey had this All-American squeaky clean image, and the fact that he did not smoke or drink caused his teammates to think he was judging them. He was every ad man’s dream. But Davey Lopes opined that even though the team knew Garvey came to play, he wondered that if he would have gone out to have a beer with the guys that the perception in the dugout would have been much more receptive.
This came to a head in 1977 when Don Sutton did an interview with Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post in Philadelphia on the 15th of August. Sutton was quoted as saying “All you hear about on our team is Steve Garvey, the All American boy, well the best player on our team is Reggie Smith. As Reggie goes, so go us. And Reggie doesn’t go out and publicize himself. He doesn’t smile at all the right people and says the right things. He tells the truth, even if it sometimes alienates people”.
Everything was quiet until the 20th of August in New York. Garvey expressed displeasure to Sutton over the remarks, saying we are a team, if you have something to say to me, say it to my face. No one knows exactly what happened but in a short time, Garvey and Sutton were rolling on the floor in a battle royal. According to some scratching and clawing at each other. The press dubbed it “The Grapple in the Apple”. One reporter said that Sutton leaped at Garvey and shoved him into a locker. Some of the bigger players on the team separated them. Ferguson said they thought that if they kept fighting they might have killed each other.
Things calmed down and he went on a tear for the rest of the season. They ended up in the World Series. But would lose to the Yankees again and in 78. Garvey continued to be a force in the Dodger lineup. His HR in game 4 of the playoff against the Expos in 1981 put them up 3-1 in that game. In 1982, his walk year, he hit only .282 with 16 and 86. Campanis had a record of not signing his own free agents. He had traded Lopes and would do the same with Cey. He only re-signed Bill Russell. So the negotiations with the Dodgers commenced. They offered 5 million for 4 years as their final offer. So Garvey signed with the Padres for 4 years and 6.6 million.
On the 15th of April, 1983, Garvey returned to Dodger Stadium as a member of the Padres and was given a rousing ovation by the fans. He went 0-4 but it was his 1,117th consecutive game, tying him with Billy Williams for the NL all-time record. He would get to 1207 in July when he broke his thumb and missed the rest of the year. He helped the Padres get to the World Series in 1984 against the Tigers. He hit only .200 in the series after having an excellent series against the Cubs.
He had problems with his teammates in San Diego, but his teammates found better ways to resolve them more pleasantly. At a pool party at his house, HOF reliever Goose Gossage said that when Garvey walked by his pool, a bunch of his teammates threw him in the shallow end of the pool headfirst. When Garvey popped up gasping for air, Gossage said every hair was still in place. Gossage said, Perfect, Steve Garvey has to be the only guy in the world who could get tossed into a swimming pool and come out looking the same way he did when he went in”.
Garvey took his last at-bat in the majors on May 23rd in San Diego. He flew out and then prepared to have surgery on his shoulder. He was 38 years old. His #6 was retired by the Padres on April 16, 1988. That was the first number retired by the team.
In retirement, he formed Garvey Communications. He also served on the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation as its honorary chairman. He also still appeared on TV shows and commercials. Garvey’s image was not tarnish-proof though. He had met and married Candace Thomas in 1989. This was his second marriage, his first to Cyndi Garvey ended in a messy divorce. Then in 1989, he was named in two paternity suits. Dick William’s came to his defense saying he never saw any of that. Never saw him in bars and he seemed as clean as his image.
To his credit, Garvey never denied the charges saying could he have been more careful, yes. But he paid for both. He took responsibility for his actions. Garvey, like Hodges before him, manned 1st base for over a decade for the Dodgers and both have fallen short in their road to Cooperstown. Sabermetrics have affected Garvey since he did not generate what was seen as enough power for his position. He only hit 30 HRs once. As for Hodges, do not get me started on Gil not being enshrined. I look at Garvey’s hall candidacy the same way I do Fernando’s. Very good players, but not great players.
Garvey still is part of the Dodger family doing things for the speaker’s bureau and such. Former mates, Yeager and Cey also participate in that capacity.
Nice blog, Bear. A few years ago, I was in Phoenix for the American Society of Professional Engineer’s Convention, and Steve Garvey was the featured speaker. Lots of anecdotes and stories and he even mentioned Don Sutton fondly. His best story was that when the Dodgers drafted him, his father was acting as his agent and the signing bonus they offered was quite small. He said that his mother took over the negotiation and played hardball with the Dodgers resulting in what was one of the largest signing bonuses by the Dodgers up until that time. I do not remember what it was,
I have three autographed baseballs: Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, and Steve Garvey.
That’s a good three to have.
Thanks Mark. I really enjoy doing this stuff. My only auto graphed ball has Mike Restovich, Lucas May and Rick Monday on it. I do have another signed by a musician friend of mine’s son. He pitched in the bigs for a few years. Kid is huge……Kameron Loe.
Tony Gonsolin pitched the game of his life and Gavin Lux played the game of his life (even without a hit) and he walked twice and made a play in CF that only Cody Bellinger would have been able to make. That is a tough catch for a new CF’er! I think the YIPS are a thing with Gavin and when you put him in the OF where there are no worries, he relaxes and focuses on the rest of his game. He looks like he is having fun.
It is also great to see Tony Gonsolin start tapping his great potential and learning how to pitch. This guy will be a horse for the Dodgers next year!
Tony did a great job and Lux made a great catch that turned into a DP. Talk about not playing heads up baseball, what was Varsho thinking>>? You can see why AZ has lost over 100 games. Calhoun crushed that ball and his homer. But I was equally impressed with AJ’s catch and the 2 Taylor made in the 9th. Good solid D last night. Offense continues to be inconsistent. Mookie did not look very good in any of his at bats.
The Dodgers team ERA is 2.97 and the Giants are #2 at 3.31, but the Dodgers are stalking the #1 position in Reliever ERA. As of today, the Giants are #1 at 3.08 while the Dodgers are #2 at 3.12. They are closing the gap. I predicted the Dodgers would be TOP 5, but they have exceeded my expectations.
Considering where they started, the stretch run for the pen is pretty damn good. it’s too bad the bats aren’t doing the same. Maybe their saving it for the playoffs.
My confidence is mid level at this point. Too many games were we suck with runners in scoring position. 2 for 11 yesterday. Yeah we beat Arizona. But I think we should beat them up, The giants handled the Rockies easily in Colorado and were only 3 for 11 WRISP. and they did it with a bullpen game. The Cardinals opened a can on the Cubs and went 5 for 8 WRISP. They too did it with an Opener, though it was Flaherty so I don’t believe it was planned. He went 1/3 of an inning but they still won by 8.
Betts 1 for 5 but that hit was a generous ruling. Only Lux was 0fer but he walked twice. Gonsolin only 68 pitches. Will he ever reach 90?
So Bear you ADMIT that first base is where you stick the guy that can’t play anywhere else. Took you long enough.
I was a Garvey fan. I wasn’t ever his teammate so I had no problem with him. What I read sounded like petty jealousies. He could hack. That’s all I cared about. His going to San Diego was wrong. Not as wrong as Piazza leaving town but wrong. There are players that should stay with their home organization and Garvey was one of them.
In some cases, yes. Garvey was one, Muncy is another. But I remember some great glove guys there too. Wes Parker and Hodges. Hodges was put at first simply because they had this guy named Campanella who seemed to be a pretty good catcher who could also hit, and they had Cox at 3rd. I did not like him leaving like he did. But, remember this, Campanis was the GM and there was a kid who just hit a ton of HR’s at AAA, so Al being Al, felt he had a replacement in the wings who would be cheaper and better….his bad. Brock never became the star they thought he would.
Great article on the Garv! He was my favorite player, but I didn’t hate him either. I didn’t like his “Mr. Clean” image, even as a child. There were so many great players to root for on that team with Cey being my favorite. I related to ronny since I was, let’s say, a more husky type. I also loved Smith, Baker, Lopes and Yeager. Russell was definitely my least favorite.
Good win last night. What can I say? The team is finding ways to win. The lineup wasn’t dominant, but the pitching was more than solid. It was good seeing Gonso get up to that 5 inning mark and pick up the win. With two stints with shoulder problems this year, it’s wise to bring him along gingerly. The only thing that really stood out was AJ’s blast and all that great glovework in the outfield.
A win is a win and I don’t subscribe to the notion that we should have beat them more, if there is such a thing. Sure, it’s nice to kick the crap out of a shitty team, but it all counts the same. Even a horrible team like the D-Bags win on average, a third of their games. Don’t take them lightly, especially in their own yard and get the job done.
I love the backend of the pen and how it was used last night. Talk about shortening the game. Three closers used in the 7th, 8th and 9th with future closer Vesia in the 6th. One inning each, no mid inning pitching changes. That’s a curbstomp right there.
I guess the biggest dilemma each night from here on out is who sits. Doc says that CT3 plays CF tonight. That was before Lux ran down that missile in the gap and Pollock hitting a bomb of his own. Who sits?
I’d rather they just give CT3 play time when someone needs a day off. I love him as a bench bat and utility player. But, I can see that he needs a game in the field the stay sharp as well. Hopefully his bat’s ready to contribute.
I’m a little concerned about having Lux in CF in the postseason after he’s wilted under the pressure of just being a big leaguer with high expectations. But man, what a catch last night! That’s when CT3 said hold my beer and made a couple of nice ninth inning saves in left field. Wow, that was really impressive glovework.
Lux might just be playing himself into a full time Center Fielder role. I don’t subscribe to the yips narrative. Middle infielders take years to be able to get their footwork right to be able to make all the plays that a Major League infielder has to make. We see similar problems with TT adjusting to second base. We also see that our next Corey Seager, Eddys Leonard having the same problems with throws early in his career. Lux didn’t show his “yips” problems this year at SS or 2B like he did last year at second. Where Lux ultimately ends up depends more on need than Lux’s shortcomings. He can handle all three up the middle positions on the diamond, but really looks like a natural in the outfield. Like he does at SS.
New day, new game. Let’s see Clayton stretch it out a little more and put another W in the ledger.
The Giants were lucky enough to get the Rockies worst pitchers on this series. Hopefully DeSclafani will wilt in the thin Colorado air today against Jon Gray who’s pitching for his ticket out of Colorado in free agency next year.
Thanks. Popeye was a favorite. And the night I sang the anthem, he hit a HR in the 9th to send the game to extra innings. That was pretty cool.
Very cool indeed!
This was the man who made me a Dodgers fan. I grew up in Giants country but never quite took to them but when I watched the Dodgers and Garvey… BOOM. I was hooked. Heck, I was even a Pads fan (felt nothing for the Dodgers) for the 4 years he was there (BTW, so was I at SDSU☺). Damn, I loved that guy!!!
I can’t deny his bat or his glovework until he had to make a throw. He was a hit machine and never came out of the lineup. A text book No 3 hitter.
The people sitting behind the 1st base dugout took their lives in their hands sitting there when Steve was at 3rd and Sax was having the yips on his throws. Now they have nets to protect the innocent.
Great writeup on Garvey… Not much of a fan though. I still laugh about his daze at 3B.. Needed a screen and a paramedic.. Damn fun… Now Cyndi was a hottie for sure…
Heading out of John Wayne airport this afternoon to Seattle and driving today up to Bellingham… Finally get to see my daughter and granddaughter (Grand son some where off the coast of Japan with the USCG) . Hopefully son will make it up… Hallelujah… We will celebrate my 75th. bday Monday.. AARP say I have a 78% chance to make it to 80 and that surprises the kapok out of me… Oh the Golden years…
Watford my Man… Gonna check out the Ryder Cup as much as I can!!! USA, USA, USA.
Should be in 1st. place whe I get back nest week… Go Blue..
Thank you Peter and have a great birthday. I went to Oregon in May. Visited my daughter who I had not seen in about 14 years, and my grand daughter whom I had never seen. I am not far behind my friend. Older, wiser, and a hell of a lot sorer.
Great Article Bear. The first World Series I remember is 1974 against A´s. I was a kid. After that, got a bat, glove and balls for Christmas, from my dad who studied at Oregon and was, for some other reason, a Dodgers follower. Love baseball and the Dodgers since then.
Go Dodgers.
Kersh pitching tonight. Note to CK, if no one is on and Walker comes up, do not throw him a cookie. He owns you. His 4 HR’s are more than the entire Dodger roster has hit off of Gallen. Taylor is supposed to be in the lineup playing CF.
Shortstop was always the best athlete on the field when I played. I think it’s still true. The second best athlete is the centerfielder for obvious reasons. The third best athlete on the team is the backup shortstop and the fourth best athlete is the backup centerfielder. You go down the list like that until you get to first base.
Thanks for pointing that out Captain! Bored?
What is your problem Bullspin?
Never mind. I know what it is.
No problem, Madger. Didn’t want such a great post to go uncommented. Did you decide if you wanted to take me up on the Seager contract bet? Or, were you just being vociferously disputatious?
As Samuel Jackson would say, look at the big brain on Brett
Lol
Sounds like you’re bored Lol
I answered your bet. Did you even look or are you assuming.
And that was a great video. He still likes beer.
Yeah Madge. Thought is was pretty weak, like betting Kegel exercises. Fixed income, or what?
Nonicname, I am bored. Not afraid to admit it. I think the quote was Brad, not Brett BTW.
Truth be told, never used those words before today. It was in reply to Madger perfidiously promulgating his dissimulate word choice on a post a couple of days ago.
“Like betting Kegel exercises”
Well, you would know.
Watch the video we are talking about before passing judgment.
Rios is throwing and swinging a bat again. Says he will be ready by Spring.
Rios has not been cleared to start a throwing program or swing a bat. He said he expects to start throwing in October and progress to hitting early enough in the fall to have a fairly normal offseason before reporting for spring training at full strength
https://www.moviemistakes.com/film1025/corrections
He says Brett; he just emphasizes the word Brett so it sounds a little like Brad.
Not that it matters just setting the record straight BP
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0xz6Qwt7Rq0&feature=share
There’s the record being straightened
Brett likes him his beer
Pollock rests. Taylor is for defensive purposes, but I prefer AJ’s bat
With the hamstring, they are wise not to push it.
Tonight’s Lineup:
HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG
M. BettsRF 119-436 55 21 10 .273
C. SeagerSS 93-322 48 10 1 .289
T. Turner2B 180-563 63 22 31 .320
M. Muncy1B 119-472 90 35 2 .252
W. SmithC 105-393 74 25 3 .267
J. Turner3B 141-511 83 25 2 .276
C. TaylorLF 126-491 73 20 13 .257
G. LuxCF 79-323 46 7 4 .245
C. KershawP 8-34 3 0 0 .235
Mitchell White starting for OKlahoma City tonight
That’s a decent lineup.
Dodgers 7-3.
I enjoyed your post, Bear! Garvey was never my favorite because of his squeeky-clean image. He could hit, though, and that infield was legendary. Around that time, I remember being set up on a date by my cousin, and spending a miserable evening trying to find something that we had in common. Finally, she tells me that she’s a Dodgers fan. Now I’m finally getting somewhere, I think. I ask her who her favorite player is. She gets all excited and says, “Bill Russell.” I ask her why, and she says, “He’s so cute!” So much for that.
Women.
I had a girlfriend in Eureka that picked her teams in a work pool by the color of their pants. She also liked birds, horses and fish. She won a lot in that pool.
The only thing they know for sure in Eureka is that they are a long way from LA>
Yeah, it was a long way from anywhere. I loved it while I was there. Had to go though.
Thanks David. My girl friend at the time was not a huge baseball fan, but she knew how much I loved it and went to some games with me. My first wife was more of a fan as were my daughters. My oldest still loves the Dodgers. My other daughter married a Giant fan and crossed over to the dark side. It is bad enough when lifetime Giants fans give you grief, but to have it come from your own and some of her kids too, well that is pure torture.
One of my best friends moved to the bay area and when he had kids, became a Giants fan. Traitor. My wife never followed baseball until she met me. Now she’s gotten pretty knowledgeable. She knows that I check the scores when I wake up. First thing she asks me is, “How’d the Dodgers do?” Because of the time difference here in the Netherlands, I can usually catch the last inning or two. Drove me crazy when KJ was blowing games this summer. I’d wake up, turn on the game, and then, disaster! Fortunately, he seems to have righted the ship. Now he still usually has to put some suspense in it by putting on a runner or two, but he still gets the job done. So my mornings have gotten a lot better!
Cardinals won their 15th straight. Hopefully they flame out by the playoffs.
Cody Bellinger has a new hairdo:
That’s unfortunate
I think it will help.
It couldn’t get much worse.
Makes him look skinny.
Actually, those are some skinny arms. He needs to do more pull-ups. A few hundred more pull-ups. This week.
I met Steve Garvey as a child. He went above and beyond to sign an autograph for me outside of Busch Stadium. He was carrying a lot of stuff in both hands. He put it all down to sign for me. It was just after Bill Buckner was a giant d-bag. I will always remember it.
Btw, Reggie Smith was the best player. Garvey’s .OBP probably kept him out of the Hall.
Quit guessing Mookie see ball hit ball
Or if you weren’t ready to hit you should’ve stepped out of the box
Geez we can’t afford to waste at bats
And what’s up with you Turner
Mookie looks at 3 right over the plate and Marte hits the first pitch over the fence.
Different approach.
Whoever was supposed to fill the holes in the Dodgers bats must’ve forgot
These guys better get serious and start shortening up
Maybe they had a team meeting and decided to take Marks advice
E-6
Great start tonight.
You guys kill me. GO DODGERS!
E-5. Another unearned run.
This Arizona team has the worst record in baseball. But they are Major Leaguers. Wake up Blue.
3-0 down. Things don’t look good for Dodgers. Time to reverse the situation. Giants are losing too
And yet another bonehead play by Turner.
On any given day, any team can beat another. That is why the WC game is not necessarily easier for the best team.
That home run had been better Turner’s last shift with two on board. but it’s still good. only three left.
Sorry
https://youtu.be/0xz6Qwt7Rq0
Big brain Brett, in case you missed it
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0xz6Qwt7Rq0&feature=share
There’s another one in lockdown that is the wrong one. Why not watch videos during this game?
Not looking good and the Giants are beating the Rockies again.
All. Or nothing.
You knew it was going to be bad when the first 6 outs all came by strikeout. Mookie sat there and watched 3 balls just go by. First two strikes to Muncy were right down the pipe and very hittable and he watched them both. And then their gloves failed them too. Kersh looked very hittable. He left a couple of cookies right in the middle of the plate that were immediately deposited in the seats.
Yeah. He didn’t have it tonight. Can’t help but wonder how many good starts he might have left in him.
I didn’t take my wife out to dinner because I wanted to watch the game. Now she’s upset at me and look at what this game has turned out to be.
Lay’d down like a bunch of dogs. Now I feel as shitty as it Sewer pipe in lower Manhattan
U R in trouble! LOL….buy her flowers tomorrow and take her out to a nice brunch.
Thanks Bear I’ll take your advice
Hey, where are my videos
Family comes first, Dodgers don’t deserve more than your wife. there is still time to have a great evening or night
You’re right Daniel.If it doesn’t work out tonight I will definitely take Bears advice
October can’t get here soon enough! Either turn over a new leaf or turn out the lights!
Only bright spot Tonite, Giants can still lose. DODGERS let us down BIG TIME.
Only they didn’t. They come from behind and win going away like they do
Glad to see Vassegh calling out the approach at the plate, and the defense
Oh well. Dodgers do seem headed for a wild card game. And the Cards are hot.
On the bright side, it was nice to see Lux show his speed the other night running that ball down in center. Terrific play. He should be a fine UT/platoon guy at the least.
Another bright note: Out in OKC, Cristian Santana finished the season strong, batting over .400 in his last 13 games and leading the team in hits with 100. Santana, a third baseman, was getting a bit of buzz before Hoese was drafted and Miguel Vargas began his fast rise. He’s 24 but not listed on the Top 30 prospects. I hope that Santana is now figuring it out and could be a factor soon. (As I recall it, Matt Beatty never rated higher than about 30 as a prospect before he made the jump to majors.) We can also look forward to Edwin Rios returning in the spring.
If I seem to be in a wait-til-next-year mode, well, there’s just something about the ’21 Dodgers that makes me feel pessimistic. Just so inconsistent.
I hope they prove me wrong.
The inconsistent offense strikes again…5 hits against the worst team in the league. Hate to admit it but it’s looking like a do or die one game is going to happen. Might be a good idea to give Urias and Buehler some rest and hope the bats wake up!!!
Ok guys, let’s get real and admit we laid an egg tonight. Either way, division or wild card, we still gotta shot. Of course the unicorn dream with bubble gum and fist bumps is that we take the division and set up our pitching. But what part of this whole season has been easy? It’s been like pushing chain up hill the whole year. Yes, love it if we get the division, but I also am getting the feeling we might be one of those 5 or 6 teams over the years (including the hated ones),, who came from the wildcard to the promised lane. I could totally see the Dodgers doing that, giving us all a heart attack but gettin it done.
Bad loss to a horrible team at the worst time.
With two games down and both Urias and Walker needing an extra day off badly I would go with a bullpen game today. Tomorrow is an off day anyway so you can empty the pen today.
I do not think we will catch the Midgets for the West crown looking at the schedule and the way they are playing so better to give our top arms some extra rest and hope the pen and the offense can take care of todays game.
Looking ahead to next season I see Clayton not returning at least not anywhere north of 10 million a year on a 1 year contract. It hurts to see him out there trying to get guys out with junk. That fastball is just way below average now and is getting crushed. Hitters spit on the breaker and the slider and wait for the fastball in the zone and it gets hammered. At this stage of his career with is decreasing velo and all his stays on the IR he is a Nr. 4 or 5 starter. Sentimentally I want him to finish his career with the Dodgers but not for the amount of money he has been making in the past. There is just no way with other players way ahead of him in the urgence of being resigned this offseason or little later down the road.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Garvey was a fine player and I loved the fact that he swung the damn bat with those Popeye forearms. But there was something about that squeaky-clean image that always seemed off–and time proved he didn’t deserve the image.
So it was really unfortunate that at the peak of his fame a California school district chose to name a school after Garvey, reasoning that it was better to honor a current “hero” and “role model” than some historic figure or whatever. I’m sure they regretted it after the “Steve Garvey Is Not My Padre” bumperstickers showed up.
To his credit, Garvey visited the school often.
https://www.recorderonline.com/steve-garvey-visits-lindsay-at-junior-high-school/article_d31ae41d-0748-525f-b92d-a90df605b26d.html