I was 11 when the Dodgers won their first World Series in L.A. Living in Highland Park at a home for kids. I had gone to my first games at the coliseum in 1958. We went to about 5 games during the 1959 season.
The Dodgers had replaced long-time retiring SS Pee Wee Reese with Don Zimmer. Zim had some success in previous seasons with the Dodgers and it was thought that he would be a good replacement for Pee Wee who now was a member of Alston’s coaching staff.
Zimmer started bad and stayed bad. His batting average was under .200. To add injury to insult, he broke his toe, so with Bob Lillis struggling, Spokane manager Bobby Bragan recommended to the Dodgers that they call up his SS, Maury Wills. So on June 6, 1959, Wills played his first game with the Dodgers and went 0-4.
His first month in the bigs did not go well for the 26-year-old Wills, who was signed by the Dodgers in the summer of 1950 for a $500 dollar bonus. But he finally started hitting balls that barely would get by infielders and using his speed to get base hits. His path now headed in the right direction, he became a big contributor to the team’s run to the World Series and eventual Championship.
Maurice Morning Wills was born on October 2, 1932, in Washington DC. He lived in the Anacostia district in that city. His dad, Guy Wills, worked at the Navy yard as a machinist, and his mother Mabel, was an elevator operator. He had four brothers and eight sisters.
He began playing organized ball at 14, in a local semi-pro league. He starred in baseball, basketball, and football at Cardozo High School and lettered in each sport 3 times. He pitched and played 3rd base. He also got married his senior year to Gertrude Elliot, his high school sweetheart. The couple would have 6 children and later divorced.
A couple of colleges were after Wills for his football skills. He played QB and safety and was also the kicker. But he wanted to pursue his favorite sport and opted for baseball. He was hoping for a $6000 dollar bonus, but Dodger scouts Rex Bowen and John Curry offered him a new suit of clothes. When they got up to leave, Bowen offered $500. Take it or leave it. Will’s dad said, “we’ll take it.”
Maury began his minor league career with the Dodgers class D Hornell Dodgers. At this point in time, Wills was strictly a RH hitter. He hit .280 and stole 54 bases there in 1951. The Dodgers were going to promote him to class C Santa Barbara of the Cal League, but he asked to stay in NY as he felt more comfortable there and he stole 54 again in 1952.
In 1953 he split time between Class A Pueblo, class B Miami Sun Sox. He hit a combined .286 in 111 games. He returned to Pueblo in 54 and had another solid year and was promoted to San Antonio of the AA Texas League for the 55 campaign. He had a rough year there hitting only .220 and was sent back to Pueblo for 56.
Wills was starting to doubt himself and his career. But he had a good season for the Pueblo team hitting .302 and stealing 32 bases. He was purchased by the Seattle Rainiers, a PCL team, and played there in 1957, hitting .267 with 21 steals. But the Dodgers exercised their claim on him and assigned him to the Spokane Indians of the AAA PCL. Here, Maury’s career would take a huge turn.
His manager at Spokane was Bobby Bragan. Bragan became Will’s mentor. He helped change his attitude and Maury began to doubt himself less. Then Bragan encouraged Wills to start switch-hitting. With his speed, he could be just a little faster to first base.
He told Bragan he would try anything once. Very shortly, he had gotten the hang of it. He hit .253 that season with 25 steals. But over the winter, the Dodgers sold him conditionally to the Detroit Tigers. Wills went to spring training in ’59 and had a good spring hitting over .400 and stealing 8 bases. But, the Tigers had traded for SS Rocky Bridges, so Wills was returned to the Dodgers and sent back to Spokane.
Maury was hitting well at Spokane .313 in 48 games with 25 steals. Meanwhile, in LA, Lillis was struggling, then replaced by Zimmer who broke his toe and Bragan suggested they call up Wills. He made his first start in June and struggled for a while. Then his hits began to get through the infield and his batting avg climbed to .260 by the end of the year.
Zimmer came back but was mired in a season-long slump hitting .165. So going into the 1959 series, Wills was the starting SS in all 6 games. Zimmer had one at-bat in the series. Maury hit .250 in the series and the Dodgers won their first title in LA. In April of 1960, the Dodgers traded Zimmer to the Cubs for Ron Perranoski, John Goryl, and Lee Handley and 25,000 dollars.
Wills started off slow but was working constantly on his base-stealing skills with Pete Reiser, who at the time was a coach on Alston’s staff. The hard work began to pay off and by the season’s end, Wills was hitting .295 with 50 bags. No NL player had stolen 50 bases since Max Carey in 1923. Wills was rejuvenated and eager for every at-bat. The Dodgers finished the year in 4th place.
In 1961, Maury had another solid year hitting .285 with 35 steals, leading the league again. He won his first gold glove, made the all-star team, and was 9th in the MVP vote. The Dodgers finished second to the pennant-winning Reds.
1962 was a magical and very painful year. For fans, the season was loaded with a lot of thrills and chants at Dodger Stadium long and loud…go go go go! Wills reached 50 steals by game 104. Bavasi wanted him to run even more, and it took its toll physically. His hamstrings burned from all the starting and stopping on base.
He broke the NL record for steals, 81, by stealing 4 bases on the 7th of September. Commissioner Ford Frick then threw a curveball at him by declaring he would need to steal his 97th base, breaking Cobb’s all-time record by the Dodgers 154th game. Technically Cobb had set his record in 156 games in 1915. The NL had expanded in 62 and now played 162 games.
Maury passed Cobb on the 23rd of September stealing two bases in a loss to the Cardinals in the Dodgers 156th game. He said at the time, what is good enough for Cobb is good enough for me. I am aiming at 100. He stole his 100th base on the 26th of September against the Colt 45’s.
But the Dodgers had gone cold. Maury did not steal any bases the next 4 games, all Dodger losses. Wills stole 3 bases in the 3 game playoff with the Giants.
He finished with 104 steals, only being caught 13 times. He hit a solid .299. He led the league in triples, won his second gold glove and the 1962 MVP award.
Maury loved to play his banjo and would do so in the clubhouse and in various clubs around LA. He also liked to mingle with Hollywood stars. During the season he struck up a friendship with Doris Day. And according to Wills’s book “On the Run” published in 1991, he and Day became lovers.
Well, in 1962 a man of color dating a white woman was not widely accepted. Bavasi got wind of the liaison and called Wills into his office demanding he break it off with Day. You youngsters out there may not know of her, but Day was considered by many as America’s Sweetheart and the perfect girl next door. She was in a lot of romantic comedies with stars like Rock Hudson. She also was a prolific recording artist.
Bavasi was worried about a public relations disaster for the Dodgers. Anyway, Wills complied with Bavasi’s demands and stayed away although he and Day remained friends and he kept running.
Wills hit .300 for the first time in the majors in 1963. But he stole 40 bases. 64 less than the previous year. He also played in 31 fewer games and was thrown out more. All the stealing and sliding had left him bruised. LA Times columnist, Jim Murray, said his body was so bruised it looked like he had climbed out of a plane wreck.
Maury did not have a good World Series. He hit only .133 and scored one run and stole one base, but the Dodgers swept the Yankees on the arms of their pitchers and LA had its second title.
The Dodger offense in 1964 was pitiful – they slipped to 82-80 and tied for 6th place. Wills hit .275 and stole 53 bases. Leading the NL for the 5th straight year. In 1965 they rebounded to go 97-65. Wills hit .286 and stole 94 bases. He then had a very good World Series hitting .367 and stealing 3 bases.
In 1966 they won the pennant again. Wills for the first time in 6 years did not lead the league in steals. He dropped to 38 and a .273 avg. The Dodgers were swept in the series by the Orioles and were shut out the last 3 games. Wills had a miserable series hitting just .077.
Koufax retired after the World Series, announcing it before Bavasi could trade for another starting pitcher. Walter O’Malley had planned a goodwill trip for the team to Japan. Several players had begged off including Wills, but O’Malley told Maury he had to go.
After playing a few games, Wills went AWOL. His knees were aching and he wanted doctors in LA to check him out. But Maury went to Hawaii first and played his banjo in a couple of shows with Don Ho and Sammy Davis Jr. He stated that he had been relaxing and wasn’t sure when he would return to the mainland. He said the trip to Japan was more important to O’Malley than it was to him… and that Walter was probably pretty mad he left.
Mad was putting it mildly. Already in a foul mood after Koufax’s retirement announcement on the 18th of November, O’Malley said Wills had embarrassed the Japanese and the Dodgers and ordered Bavasi to ship him out of LA. Buzzie did just that trading Maury to the Pirates for SS Gene Michael and 3B Bob Bailey on the 1st of December.
Maury was shocked. He could not believe it. He had found a home in LA and never thought they would trade him. He spent 2 years with the Pirates. He tied his career-high BA hitting .302 in 67. But his leading the league in steals days were behind him. He was surrounded by some very good players on the Pirates, but in those days the Buccos were not a winning team. He hit .278 in 1968 but was exposed to the NL expansion draft and plucked by the Expos from the Pirates.
In 1969 with the Expos, he was not doing very well. Hitting in the low .200’s, he was dealt back to the Dodgers on June 11th with Manny Mota for Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich. He became the Dodger’s primary SS and played in 104 games there. He hit .297 for the Dodgers stealing 25 bases which when added to what he did in Montreal gave him 40 for the year.
Obviously, with a need at the position, O’Malley had a change of heart. But not really. He was uncertain about bringing Wills back since he had basically quit on the Expos and had been called out about it by the Expos owner. But Campanis felt strongly and O’Malley allowed his GM to bring Maury back. Bavasi was now in San Diego running the Padres.
Maury spent the next two seasons as the Dodgers primary SS. He hit .270 in 70, and .281 in 71. But his steals dropped off from 28 in 70 to only 15 in 71. His days as a starter were clearly numbered and his replacement, a converted outfielder named Bill Russell was starting to make progress at the position.
In 1972, at 39 years of age, Maury was through. He only played in 71 games and hit a paltry .129. He was released after the season was over and retired.
Wills then took a job with the game of the week on NBC. His son, Bump, broke in with the Rangers in 1977. Wills let it be known he would like to manage. Bavasi encouraged him to take a minor league job first. But the Mariners thought Wills was ready and he was hired to replace Darrell Johnson in August of 1980. He could not turn a terrible Mariners club around and went 20-38 to finish the year.
It got no easier in 1981, and after a 6-18 start, they let him go. The reaction in the Seattle clubhouse was one of relief. Many thought Maury made some really weird decisions. One time calling for a relief pitcher and forgetting he had no one warming up in the pen.
Wills had bigger problems. He had begun to use drugs and alcohol and was sometimes high for 10 days at a time. He spent more than a million dollars on cocaine. He did not care if he lived or died. He was in and out of rehab. Finally, Tommy Davis, Don Newcombe, and Fred Claire urged him to get clean. He had been arrested on numerous charges including auto theft.
The Dodgers invited him to spring training in 2001 as a base-stealing instructor. Maury served in that position for 15 years. He now lives in Sedona and is finally at peace with his life.
Examining Will’s career you can see that he brought the stolen base back into the game at a level that had not been seen in many years. Others followed and his 104 bags would soon be passed more than once. Lou Brock would steal 118 bases in 1974. Vince Coleman stole over 100 three straight years, 85,86,87. Ricky Henderson would shatter Brock’s mark in 1982 with 130. Henderson is the only other player besides Coleman to swipe 100 or more 3 times.
Wills never received more than 40% of the Hall of Fame vote and was not voted in by the new version of the Veterans Committee. But he did change the game dramatically. I loved watching the guy play, and he was one of those players you had to watch. The chants are still loud…go go go……..
Scherzer vs Wood.
On paper this certainly looks very good for the Dodgers. Lets hope that Max can deliver a W for us tonight.
The two Turners have to start hitting . If they do I am confident we can put up some runs on the Giants pitching staff.
DS will be packed and loud for this one.
Winning game 3 would be huge.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to like Alex Wood. I had high hopes for him when we first acquired him from Atlanta. Now, I think of him kinda like the starting pitcher version of Scott Alexander. He can be pretty filthy at times, but has a hard time staying on the field. When his velocity is up, he’s really good.
I was indifferent towards him when he went to the Reds. I rooted for him as a former Dodgers pitcher and I liked him for what he did against the Astros in the 17 WS. He came back to us last year and was pretty bad except for that wonderful 2 innings in game 6 against the Rays.
PS – It was great to see both Sox win their games yesterday. I’m hoping they both advance. I just have a bad feeling the cheaters will prevail.
Then, he signed with the Giants. He’s dead to me now. I could never understand why a Dodger would forfeit his lifetime adoration from Dodger fandom for a paycheck from the hated ones. Perhaps I’ll forgive him one day, but for now, he’s the enemy and I would like nothing better for him to get bombed tonight.
Scherzer on the bump tonight in a jam packed Dodger Stadium. He said he fixed his mechanical issues, so I’ll be waiting on pins and needles to see Mad Max do his thing against Woody and the Gnats. I’m feeling pretty confident that the Dodgers will wear out Woody who likes to nibble on the edges. I think Albert is going to eat him alive since soft tossing lefties seem to be his favorite dish. I hope Albie is preparing like a Thanksgiving feast, getting dressed with his stretchy belt ready to devour big plate lefty junk. Put him in the 6 hole and let the boys set the table for him. Once Alex is done, bring in Belli for the second course and some defense for dessert.
I had a really nice off day yesterday. I met up with DodgerPatch to pay him that $20 that I owed him when he bet on the Giants to win the division. What a horrible way to win a 20 spot. I hope he took my advice and spent it on Gelato in Seal Beach on the way home from his Sunday coastal bike ride. What a perfect day for it. No wind and a warm sunny October day. I had a great time BS’ing with him before we both had to keep to our Sunday schedules. Afterwards I took wifey on a nice ride in our new Ford Edge. My daughter is about to get her drivers license to I surprised my wife with a new car to prepare my daughter for the hand me down, a 2007 Chrysler 300.
We went down to Cook’s corner and watched the bikers riding wheelies and do their thing on the canyon roads. Then we proceeded up Santiago Canyon for a short visit to Giracci Vineyards, then continued up the canyon to Orange Hills before we got on the freeway to Whittier to stop by my lifelong buddie’s bar. Unfortunately, he decided not to be there for once in his life, he’s usually there all the time as the proprietor of a family owned business. So, we decided to stop by Claro’s, our favorite Italian market and pick up supplies. Just the normal stuff, a 4L tin of EVOO, D.O.P. Tomatoes, Imported Pecorino Romano, Capicola, Prosciutto Serrano, Mortadella and a couple different Salamis. Some cookies, pastas and a 5 pound bag of sausage. We drove the slow way back home, straight down Highway 39 aka Beach Blvd. and stopped by the old neighborhood where I grew up. It was melancholy to see how much everything has changed from my youth.
The drive was relaxing, the new car is extremely comfortable. It has all the tech, a panorama moon roof to enjoy all the views and comfortable leather trim. It was an enjoyable lazy Sunday and our first trip in the car we bought for weekend trips. We rounded out the weekend with a nice pasta dinner, orecchiette with meat sauce and sausage with a salad.
After the weekend and an off day I’m ready to see our beloved boys in blue turn the series around tonight against dead to me Wood.
Good meetup Patch, I hope you tried that Gelato!
>>Whittier to stop by my lifelong buddie’s bar<<
What bar in Whittier. That is my old stomping grounds. Went to HS there, my parents & grandparents all went to Whittier Hi. My grandparents went to Whittier Hi w/Nixon. Grandma used to say he was pretty stuck up.
cheers
pb+
Tubby’s Tavern off Leffingwell, owned by the Scott family for 3 generations.
Good morning, BP. I did not try the Gelato – yet. My lady friend wanted some coffee, so we went to that spot across Main from the Coffee Bean. I am pretty eager to try it, though. On another ride a few weeks ago I dropped by just to check out what you were talking about. It was closed at the time but I just wanted to get a sense of where it was for future reference.
Great meeting you and chatting. Yes, that’s a bet I would have preferred to have lost.
Funny thing about Claro’s. I grew up in Tustin. I know that place very well. It’s been there as long as I’ve been around. That Thai restaurant used to be a Swenson’s Ice Cream in the late 70s. I loved that place. Tony’s Sea Landing on the corner is gone, too. Claro’s remains.
It was perfect riding weather. Like you said, we didn’t have to fight a headwind on PCH in either direction. Made it to the Queen Mary. They had a couple people working security to direct all traffic back out. The Queen Mary is totally quiet and the whole place looked like a ghost town. All the shops are boarded up. I wonder what’s going to become of it now that it’s bankrupt.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FHFnRirKGiqDDNRb7
Sounds like you had a great day, too. Cook’s Corner is another institution. We usually stop there for a break when my cycling club rides through Santiago Canyon or have finished going up and over “The Wall” at the end of Live Oak. When I was a kid my dad would take us on Saturday afternoon drives and we’d go through Live Oak, to Santiago, and often go up Silverado. I still love going up there on my bike. Going up Silverado you’d think you were in Durango, Colorado, not Orange County.
https://tinyurl.com/e2j7tjdw
Orange Hill’s another one. It’s not that far from where I’m currently living, so I’ll sometimes hop on my bike and do a few hill repeats that include hammering up the Orange Hill driveway. One of the best restaurant views in Orange County.
https://tinyurl.com/v6dysfkw
Awesome to hear both of you go to Claro’s. I usually go to the one in Tustin, but since I was in the neighborhood I stopped by the Whittier location. My family moved into El Monte from Detroit around 1960, I believe. We used to go to the one in San Gabriel. I’ve also been to the one in Arcadia. Great place, but less of a selection since COVID, just like most places.
I’ve been to Orange Hill restaurant for a Holiday party once, never went back. It’s a great location with great food, I just never think to go there.
Ok, I misread your post. You mention going to Orange Hills, not Orange Hill restaurant.
I used to go to Cook’s corner. I had a lady friend who lived out in Orange county and liked going there to dance when they had country bands in. Great place.
Cllaros the best. I grew up in El Monte and I still go to the original in San Gabriel even though it’s out-of-the-way now. I like to shave the pecorino Romano real thin and eat it with crackers for a snack
I bet you’ve gone to Petrillo’s pizza as well!
Absolutely it’s right down the street. But to be honest with you it’s not as good as it used to be. Or maybe it’s not as consistently good would be better way to put it
We need to take the wood to WOOD.
And does anyone know how NE winds affect DS? I saw high wind warnings out for socal tonight.
cheers
pb+
A quick look at google maps shows that if winds are coming directly from the NE, then they would be blowing in from CF.
Winds are coming from the NW direction at gametime, so it should be blowing from the left field foul pole in towards 1st base. It’s supposed to be dry and cool, so there shouldn’t be any cheap homers unless you hit one out to RF down the line.
>>>* WHAT…Northwest to north winds 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 to 45 mph.
* WHERE…Los Angeles County Coast including Downtown Los Angeles, Ventura County Valleys, Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands, San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.<<<
MAN that is blowing!
cheers
pb+
I think North would blow from the LF foul pole straight down the line to home plate. Those right handed bats better go oppo against that lefty sinker.
I met Wills at a restaurant in Palm Springs. He sat down right next to me. I enjoyed talking with him. I started playing shortstop because of him. We were about the same size. I think probably he was a few ticks faster. Nice guy. Great player. Bummer about the cocaine, but I can relate. It can and will bring you to your knees. He lives in the Village of Oak Creek. Saw him around a few times.
Yes, I would prefer Kiké and Joc over what we have on our bench, but apparently it was time for them to move on. Whoever it was that was penciled in as their replacements, well, the fact a pencil was used sums it up. We’ll need to finish this with our starters. Mookie and the Turner’s need to show up.
Well, I’d rather have Joc and Kike than Souza and McKinney, that’s for certain. But, that’s like comparing apples to oranges.
Last year’s World Series roster had 13 position players with a 5 man bench. Barnes, Beaty, Rios, Kike and Joc with CT3/Kike sharing a starting spot at 2B.
This year, Muncy is injured so we’re down a starter and have a 6 man bench, so we have two additional hitters in a sense. Let’s pretend that Muncy will be back and we have 13 position players like last year…
That would make our bench more like Barnes, CT3, Pujols, Lux, Beaty. Two of the five players are the same, so it boils down to Kike, Joc and Rios vs CT3, Pujols and Lux. Joc can’t hit lefties and Pujols can’t hit righties, so that’s kind of a wash. I loved Joctober’s bat this time of the year, but I also like Albert’s. Considering that Joc only played off the bench, or to replace Pollock, I like Albert better for the situation we’re currently in. I’ve always liked CT3 better than Kike. Kike had a nice year with a .786 OPS. Chris Taylor had a .782 OPS. Again, swapping spit and a matter of personal preference. We don’t need to get into Lux vs Rios since Rios is injured.
So, yes in the here and now I would rather have Joc and Kike in the place of Lux and Beaty. But, I wouldn’t necessarily rather have them over CT3 and Albert.
I’m also glad they both got paid to be starters for other teams, and I don’t believe in crying over spilt milk.
Thanks Bear a fun write up on Wills. I never knew he was such a ladies man! Good for him.
His was the era of me starting my relationship with the Dodgers! I remember Wills leads off with a walk, steals second and third. Scores on a sacrifice fly. Dodgers win 1-0!
I was at a wedding event(s) in NorCal both Friday and Saturday evening affairs. Can you believe it was planned months ago for this series? It was tough to keep an eye on the games. Saturday evening was the best night!
I had similar feelings for Wood that Pengy expressed. Now, I just want him drilled. I will light another candle in the church for Max to regain his mojo. He’s a mofo when his mojo is correct!
Kind of how I feel about Kike, just not quite as strongly since he did not go to the midgets. But when he said it was Cora that convinced him to come over, I was done w/him. He was one of the most vocal about the ‘Stros cheating & then that.
In other news did you see where the W/Sox pitcher was commenting on how the ‘Stros did not seem to have any idea of the pitches coming yesterday vs how they seemed to have a bead on everything when they were playing at home? Slight rumors of continued sign stealing. hmmmm
cheers
pb+
I find myself rooting for Keekay. Dodger pride.
Me too. He ain’t spilt milk. He’s lost talent that wasn’t replaced. Oh well. He deserves to be where he is.
For what it is worth. Based on final team batting and pitching OPS during the regular season, it should be a Dodgers/Astros World Series with the Dodgers winning it.
I’d rather see the White Sox than the Astros.
I like Trea Turner batting third. I’ve always liked the best batting average batting third.
I like Chris Taylor in the starting lineup. Go with who got you there. I believe Chris Taylor is one of the players who got the Dodgers where they are.
I hope Doc has a good pitching plan for game 4 to avoid a game 5 vs Logan Webb.
nonicnamebumfan: Sorry, comment came up in the wrong place. It was intended for DL after what he said to Bear.
The crack about country music being redneck crap? Don’t worry about that. I can defend myself and the music I prefer over most other genres. And since I am also a musician, his opinion of country does not mean crap to me.
I love the blog, but find the personal attacks tiresome. Sorry, I usually keep my mouth shut and should have this time as well.
No problem Dave. I just pass on stuff like that. It is simply his opinion and obviously I do not agree.
Heck Bear, I am mostly an old time head banger, and even I really appreciate REAL country. I think you have intimated that you do not care for “new country” which has hardly any relation to classic country. I can think of nothing better thing to listen to when I am looking to relax & listen to the voice of an angel than to stream some Patsy Cline in the afternoon. Not sure how you feel about her, but she is one of my faves.
cheers
pb+
I like Patsy a lot. I have a couple of her cd’s. I prefer the classic country sound, and that has been missing for years. Now and then one of the older artists will release an album and the sound is back. Alan Jackson’s new album is very good. I think guys like Brad Paisley and Toby Keith, while not purely classic country, do bring a lot of the roots to their sound. Trace Adkins also. Country took a turn in the 80’s when some artists, added their 50’s and 60’s rock roots to the sound. That allowed for the formation of the first really successful country bands like Alabama. I was really into that stuff and have always had a lot of Alabama in my song list. But also Willie, Waylon, Merle, and even some Hank Sr. It isn’t all hick music and hasn’t been for years. The nasal sound passed on long ago, the only one still working is Willie. And his last couple of releases have been pretty good. He also has a sense of humor and does not mind joking about himself in song. His ” Still Not Dead” off of his Gods Problem Child album is great.
The possum
https://youtu.be/mwWeQPYIKvY
I’m not a big fan of country, but Patsy Cline is one of the exceptions. I’ve got one of her albums and listen to it quite frequently. I have a Merle Haggard and some Johnny Cash, and that’s about it in my collection, unless you count some of Elvis’ stuff. I love watching Roy Clark play banjo and guitar on youtube.
I’m not a big country fan, but I thought this podcast episode was pretty incredible. Even if I don’t listen to country, I came away from this episode having an appreciation for it.
https://www.pushkin.fm/episode/the-king-of-tears/
talk shit get hit
Who was talking shit? No one but you. Your opinion of country music is simply an opinion. And since you are obviously not a musician, I care less what you think of country.
Was he talking shit? As I remember, he expressed his opinion that he liked an MC Hammer song and thought most rap was mostly a string of profanity. So, because he voiced an opinion on music you didn’t agree with you became triggered and lashed out, referring to a musical genre that has been a big part of his life as “redneck crap.” So, because you chose to be triggered snowflake over an innocuous comment, not only did you try to bash him, but you referred to a whole group of people as rednecks. Could you imagine if Bear had referred to rap music as “n***** crap?”
I agree with Dave above. The personal attacks are tiresome.
Thanks Patch. I appreciate the support.
Wow! Tough guy……… online.
Most of them are. I hear it a lot from those who if they met you face to face, they would not say anything.
Do what I do Dave. Consider the source and move on.
No worries Dave
Yeah Pee Wee, the possum had one of the classic country voices of all time. Waylon Jennings said we all wish we could sound like George
George had the classic country voice, and he made some decent songs later on in his career. Weird that he did not want to record “He Stopped Loving Her Today”. It became his biggest hit and signature song.
Nice write up on Maury Bear. He really brought much excitement to the game of baseball and provided Dodgers fans with many memorable moments. He seemed like a good guy. At the time it was shocking to hear of his drug use after his retirement. It was good that he had support from some former teammates.
I hope the Dodger hitters continue to attack the first pitch. Especially, Will Smith. With Gausman many times the Dodgers kept taking first pitch fastballs. And then they would flail away at sinking changeups and sliders. Thankfully, Kaplan removed Gausman and the Dodgers immediately started attracting first pitch strikes with success. If Scherzer has fixed some mechanical issues then the Dodgers should be in good shape to defeat the hated ones.
Carry on.
Thanks Ted. He brought back the steal in such a huge way. And guys like Brock, Coleman and Henderson picked up the pace and stole even more. Wood is a much different pitcher than Gausman, and they started hitting him in the 6th. His worst pitch of the night was the hanger Julio hit to drive in the first run. So far this year, the Dodgers have owned Wood. He is 0-2 against them and has allowed 5 homers. White Sox-Astro’s postponed. rain
Joc just hit another pinch hit HR for the Braves.
3 run home run making it 3 – 0 in the fifth.
Playoff Joc is amazing
Joctober!
Doris Day was a fixture at Dodger Stadium and probably attended close to every home game.
Bavasi sure came across like an ass regarding Wills and the trade to the Pirates. As I remember, Wills legs were one big raspberry from all the sliding he did during the season and that was one of the reasons he didn’t want to play in Japan.
Joctober is keeping up with Kike’ this off season.
Yeah Walter always had Buzzie playing the bad guy, but trading Wills was all O’Malley’s doing. He was really pissed that Wills left the team while they were in Japan. Buzzie was the bad guy in the Koufax-Drysdale holdout too. But when Wills was dating Day, that was all Buzzie. And from the info I read on it, he was not at all nice when he told Wills to break it off. He also did not care about the beating his legs were getting. He wanted him to keep running. Will’s pursuit of Cobb was putting a lot of butts in the seats towards the end of 62. And they were missing Koufax then.
MLBTR just posted the list of what they think the arbitration eligible players will get. The Dodgers have 5 of those guys. Trea Turner, projected 19.1, Cody Bellinger, projected 16.1, Julio Urias, projected 8.8, Scott Alexander, projected 1.3 and Caleb Ferguson, projected 700K. I think Alexander is a non tender candidate. If Seager does indeed sign elsewhere, I think they will try to extend Turner. Bellinger does not have a leg to stand on as far as a raise. Urias will probably be offered a bigger contract than that. Ferguson will sign for what ever they offer.
I read some LA sports writer yesterday ( yeah, I should have saved the link ) who said that the Dodgers have “secretly told” TTurner that SS is his next year. Wonder if there is any truth at all to that.
cheers
pb_+
It would make sense, but I hate to move on from Seager. He’s my favorite player after all. The lineup could be pretty heavy on the left side again next year with Muncy, Belli, Lux and Rios (possibly if JT moves into that DH slot that is expected to my chagrin). It sucks to get rid of the one lefty that consistently hits lefties.
Next year everyone is still under contract as far as every day position players go. Smith, Muncy, Lux, Turner, Turner, Pollock, Belli, Betts and Rios. Can’t complain too much if we have to say goodbye to Seags I guess.
Enjoyed your article on Maury Wills, Bear! I remember what a thrill it was as a kid listening to the games when Maury Wills would be get on base. I was usually under the covers listening to my transistor radio then. I would get so excited listening to Vin Scully’s setting the scene, with Maury taking his lead, the inevitable pick off throws and him diving back into the bag, and then finally taking off at the perfect moment and stealing it. He wasn’t the fastest runner on the team. I believe that was Willie Davis. But Wills knew how to read a pitcher like no one else. Of course, as a kid you had no idea of how he was sacrificing his body, or what an SOB O’Malley was. I just remember how disappointed I was when Koufax retired and then before long Wills was gone, too. I had no idea until your post about his drug use or Doris Day. He was larger than life but also obviously very human. He and Doris Day were really taking a risk in that era. You wonder what their relationship meant to them, and how they felt about breaking it off.
By all rights the Dodgers should pound Alex Wood tonight, but he does have a knack for coming up big once in a while. He was quoted the other day as saying that the Dodgers know him so well he was sure that they are ready with a good game plan against him. He is surely right, but the players need to execute it. If Max has indeed made some mechanical adjustments and we get some timely hitting, we should be alright.
I don’t begrudge the success that Joc and Kike are having in the post-season. I always liked them (except for Kike’s over-exuberance dislocating Belli’s shoulder). I wish them both well, except against us!
I cannot remember where, but many years ago I saw a photograph that showed what Maury’s legs looked like during the 62 season. It was not pretty. I too had to listen under the covers in my room. Vin was the best at painting the picture of the game for you. And he knew when to just let the crowd reaction tell the story. I had a photo of Wills stealing second against the Giants in the playoff for years. Long gone now. Topps only put out a couple of cards of Maury from 59 until he left in 67. After that, there was one every year until he retired. For the longest time, the only Wills cards I had were the 62 that is shown here, and a 1962 Bell Brand card.
Joc, wow! 3 run pinch hit dinger to give the Braves a 3-0 lead. Guy is amazing in how he seems to come threw all the time in the playoffs.
him and Kike are tearing it up.
Go Dodgers!
He is 2-2 in the series, both PH homers.
3-3. He hit a single in between the 2 home runs.
Tonights line up. Betts RF, Turner, 2B, Seager, SS, Turner, 3B, Taylor, CF, Pollock, LF, Pujols, 1B, Smith, C, Scherzer, P.
Thank you Bear for the write up on Maury even though I never had a favorite player he was one of my favorites along with big D and 3 dog.
I know Koufax turned out to be the better pitcher, but I always like Drysdales attitude on the mound. He used to say why should I waste four pitches when I can plunk the guy and put him on with one
Maury was always one of my favorite players. No one worked harder or got more out of his talent than he did. And he WAS the offense in ’65 – ’66. As good as Koufax and Drysdale were, someone had to score at least 1 run to win. The ’65 Dodgers played 60 (!) 1 run games and 53 of them in ’66. Wills was the catalyst. Without him they don’t win the pennant in either year.
Agree dodgerrick. Tommy D broke his ankle in 65 and played in less than 20 games. Then in 66 he missed a third of the season. So without Maury we never would’ve won the series in 65 or the pennant in 66
And then there was the added plus of how much fun it was to watch him
Thanks Bear, for the write up on Wills. Living in Jersey, I just couldn’t get a lot of the details on the games. I knew nothing about his drug problems. I’m glad to hear that Newk and others helped him out .
I’m really looking forward to tonight’s game. I’m hoping to see the Dodgers win a lopsided victory tonight. Of course, any win will do.
Anytime Hodges. Newk helped people because he went through it himself. I also remember them reaching out to Willie Davis when he was out of the game. He had some issues too. It is the family type atmosphere the Dodgers have used for years. Just like them reaching out to Toles and his family and continuing to pay his salary even though he is on the restricted list and most likely will never play ball again.
https://mobile.twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1447660573924073473/photo/1
Just about three hours until game time. It’s been a slow workday, but at least I got to watch some of the Braves v. Brewers game. Congrats to Joc for his second pinch hit homer! After a year of trying to become a full time player, it looks like he’s back to a familiar role. At least he’s very good at it. This series is a bit of a tossup for me. I would rather play against Braves pitching and the Brewers hitting. Is that an option?
Catching up on the news, I ran across this…
https://dodgerblue.com/sportsnet-la-set-dodgers-ratings-all-time-high-during-2021-season/2021/10/11/
It seems that LA SportsNet made a big jump in the ratings, for the games, pregame and postgame shows alike. I wonder how much of this has to do with the Direct TV deal which is why I can finally watch Dodgers games in restaurants and bars. It was a rough couple of years when I made sure I was home and wouldn’t leave during the games. At least now, we can get out of the house to watch it out from time to time.
I also noticed a couple of weeks back that the Dodgers led the MLB in attendance. No surprise here, they just about always do. This year they led home and road, and of course overall as a result. The surprise in this category was the ridiculous gap between the next best team. A 500,000 butts in seats gap. I think the next biggest gap was between Atlanta with a new stadium and the Padres who won the offseason in 2nd and 3rd place overall with a 109,000 difference between attendance figures.
That WS victory plus spending on big names seems to have paid dividends. 500,000 more butts in the seats that the next team at $100 per butt is a cool $50M. That’s not overall, that’s just more than the next team.
I looked into going to a game a couple of times this season. I check the secondary market sites for upcoming games, mid week and no promotion, even against crappy teams like the Pirates. The seats I usually buy for about $35 on the Loge level half way up the lines were going for $135. I can only imagine how much money the Dodgers are raking in compared to other teams right now with unbelievable attendance, increased ratings, new hot dog contract, fully owned and paid for stadium, this franchise is a Golden Goose.
Fortunately for us, our owners are sharing their riches by “Blowing Past the CBA”, a phrase I coined while arguing with Mark, 2D2 and AC a few years ago under my old, retired moniker. Keep this in mind this offseason when you think they can’t afford to keep spending money. The good thing is that we have a full roster of position players and a stockpile of bullpen arms, especially in the lefty department. They’ll have to reinforce that staff, but Bueller and Urias is great start and dare I say Bauer is still under contract. Let’s hope Scherzer is having the time of his life in la la land and that Kershaw takes a sweetheart deal and a rehab that puts him back on track to regain some of his mojo back.
Molly Knight, at Dodger Stadium, says it’s as windy as she’s ever seen it out there.
Says the wind is blowing from left to right.
We have 8 guys in our lineup who will probably be hitting the ball into that wind tonight.
Hopefully we don’t need to depend on homers to win this game.
Giants have 4 left handed batters facing Scherzer, a fly ball pitcher.
Maybe the wind direction will change.
I thought somebody posted a comment about how much the Dodgers were making because of their attendance and how much the ratings for Sportsnet LA have gone up. Now I can’t find it? Seems like there was a link posted and I wanted to check that out. Am I losing my mind or did I see it on another site?
I wrote it and wondered the same thing. It’s happened to me before and to others.
Whew !! Thanks for responding I would’ve been wondering about that all night
Part of me is surprised Barnes isn’t starting today with Scherzer being on the mound. Plus, he seems to get key hits in October.
Hero Time. Who gonna step ? Pollock or Cody? LUX???
Absolute Devil magic going the Giants way tonight. Crazy stuff.
Bit of an unlucky loss tonight.
Key players gone cold at the wrong time.
Well played game on both sides. Great defense, excellent pitching.
Umpire was terrible but didn’t favor one side over the other.
Somebody had to lose the game of inches too bad it was us.
Whoever threw a cookie in this game was going to lose it, unfortunately it was Scherzer, in a 0-2 count, who did it and paid for it very dearly, that’s baseball, tomorrow another game, another opportunity, a game never it looks like another.
Lux would have also gotten a HR on a normal day but the wind stopped the ball.
Gavin’s face said it all. We are indeed cursed!
Cursed, some might say blessed. The two best teams in baseball playing an incredibly well played game, one team needs to lose one must win. I hardly think the Dodgers are
“cursed “, last night only slightly outplayed.
Let’s win tonight.
Dodger runners were moved with singles last night, the curse if any was trying to move the runner from second to home with a ball hit out rather than with another single. We had a couple opportunities but failed to capitalize.
You are not going to win many games when the top 4 hitters in the lineup are a combined 1-15 and the top 6 1-22. Betts is hitting .250, T Turner .077 Seager .167 JT .077 Taylor .286 Pollock .200 for the series so far. Pujols had 2 hits, Souza a PH single, JT had a single and so did Smith. They had some fly balls knocked down by the wind, but otherwise, they were totally inept at the plate. Too many weak grounders. It looked like Mookie was going to tie the game, but Crawford made a great play. Scherzer made one bad pitch and it cost him. Second time the Dodgers have lost a 1-0 game in the post season. 1959 they lost 1-0 to the White Sox in the World Series. Time to suck it up and show what you are made of. Back to the wall, Gonsolin was supposed to start, and DeSclafani for the Giants. They have owned him all year and need to do it again. Bobo, they really never had but one real scoring chance. Yeah, Pujols was on third with two outs in the second, and Souza and Smith on with 2 outs later in the game was about as close as they got. I do not think anyone was trying to hit a HR early in the game with that wind.