Believe it or not, there was a time when singing cowboys roamed the silver screen. Most were pretty talented singers. The first, John Wayne, was not. His voice was dubbed for his part as Singing Sandy. Some did songs for movie tracks we have never forgotten, such as Tex Ritter’s “Do Not Forsake Me” in High Noon. That tune won an Oscar. One of them, Gene Autry, recorded one of the most played Christmas songs ever, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But Autry was not just a singing cowboy. He was an entrepreneur. He had many varied investments and interests. And he did well in all of them. Well, almost all. He also, at one time, owned a baseball team. The Los Angeles Angels, who then became the California Angels… and then the Anaheim Angels.
Orvon Grover Autry was born in Tioga, Texas, on September 29, 1907. He was the first child of Delbert and Elnora Autry. He rarely spoke of his childhood because he wanted to forget most of it. His dad was mostly absent. His mom and her four kids had to rely on help from relatives in Texas and Oklahoma to get by. Ormon dropped out of high school to help the family and got a job as a railroad telegraph operator. At age 12, he had saved 8 dollars and bought a guitar out of a Sears-Roebuck catalog. He liked to tell of the time when Oklahoma’s most famous citizen at the time, Will Rogers, walked into the station while he was playing and encouraged him to pursue his musical dreams. It might be pure press agent stuff; the first document appeared after Roger’s death.
When he turned 20, he went to New York in search of a recording contract. He was turned away but came back with a new name, Gene Autry. He probably got the name from Gene Austin. a popular crooner he met on the way. He got his first radio gig at KVOO in Tulsa. He was billed as “The Yodeling Cowboy” and imitated Jimmy Rogers, the country star. His first hit record, “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine” sent him to the big time on Chicago’s WSM Barn Dance. It was the model for Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
During a trip home to Oklahoma, Gene met Ina Mae Spivey and married her four months later, on April 1, 1932. It all happened so quickly that most of his friends thought it was an April Fools prank. But they were married for 48 years. When his mother died that spring, his two sisters and brother moved in with the newlyweds. Ina, just 21, became their surrogate mother. The Autrys never had children.
In July of 1934, Ina, Gene, and his comic sidekick, Smiley Burnette, loaded up his Buick and headed for Hollywood. He felt the motion pictures would help him sell more records. His debut was a singing cameo in, In Old Sante Fe. It starred Ken Maynard. He was stiff and awkward on screen and was going to go back to radio, but Maynard was supportive and got him a role in the serial Mystery Mountain. He was more singer than cowboy, and stuntmen had to take his place more often than not.
His big break came when Maynard was fired for his drunken tantrums. He took over the lead in a bizarre 12-part serial that had him as a singing cowboy battling robots and mad scientists. Years later, when Maynard was living in a trailer park, Autry sent him monthly checks. He did the same with many other early benefactors who were down on their luck in their declining years.
Within three years of arriving in Hollywood, he was declared to be the #1 star of action melodrama’s in 1937. His Republic films followed the same formula for wholesome, if bland family entertainment. The good guy defeats the bad guy but never shoots first and never kills anyone. The good guy gets the girl but never kisses her. Kissing was allowed in these movies, but when the studio realized that Autry’s core audience was pre-teen boys, who did not care for the mushy stuff. They would much rather see him with his horse, Champion.
In 1937, he was making about $6,000 dollars a picture but was vastly underpaid for his popularity. So, he went on strike. During his absence, the studio replaced him with a new singing cowboy named Roy Rogers. Born Leonard Slye in Ohio, he had several bit parts in Autry films. They became rivals, albeit friendly ones. From his earliest days, Autry used every avenue to turn his fame into money. Sears sold Gene Autry guitars, and he was said to be one of the first to have his name on comics, lunchboxes, jeans, and over 100 other products. He did refuse to endorse cigarettes. With personal appearances, songbooks, and records, his outside income exceeded his movie income. Personal note: I had a Roy Rogers lunchbox. He was my favorite.
In 1939, Autry took his show on the road to England and Ireland. It was a smash. His biographer likened it to the Beatles’ first American tour. A reported 250,000 people jammed the streets of Dublin to have a look at the cowboy. In the streets, that day was another American tourist, P.K. Wrigley, the owner of the chewing gum company. When he returned to Chicago, he ordered his ad agency to hire Autry for a weekly CBS radio show to be sponsored by Doublemint gum. That added another profit center to Autry’s empire, which now had a foothold in all entertainment media.
Gene’s career reached its pinnacle when theater owners voted him the #4 cinema star behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy. That is quite an achievement for a B actor whose core audience comes from the small towns and not the big cities. His income in 1941 approached a half million dollars. Autry’s reign as the #1 western star ended while he was serving in the Army Air Corps in WWII. When he sued Republic to get out of his contract, the studio retaliated by promoting Roy Rogers, who was found unfit for duty due to a bad back. Rogers climbed to #1 in 1943, a spot Autry never regained. Life magazine headlined a cover story on Rogers, “King of the Cowboys.”
Seeing harsh evidence that stardom was temporary, Autry turned his energy towards business. After the war, he bought radio and television stations and hotels and invested in oil wells and real estate. When the California Supreme Court finally freed him from his Republic contract, he formed his own production company to make movies in a partnership with Columbia. The arrangement gave him control of his work as well as a tax shelter.
He also resumed his radio show and personal appearances. He enjoyed six top-10 records in 1947. In the fall, he recorded and released “Here Comes Santa Claus,” a song he co-wrote after hearing a child’s exuberant shout at a Christmas parade. It became a holiday standard, but nothing like his next Christmas song. In 1949, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” sold 2 million copies and carried Autry to the top of the Billboards country and pop charts for the first time. “Rudolph” would sell millions more over the years. It has been said that it is the second bestselling Christmas song of all time behind Crosby’s “White Christmas.” But the Guinness Book of World Records has it third behind another Crosby classic, “Silent Night.”
He also became one of the first stars to make the move to television. William Boyd, who Autry considered a third-rate actor, ran watered-down versions of his movies and ignited a crazy for Hopalong Cassidy merchandise. Autry starred in weekly half-hour shows for CBS-TV. His company also produces three other series for the station. One of those was ” Annie Oakley,” starring his sometime girlfriend, Gail Davis. But Autry’s career was going downhill. His new records were not selling. Television killed many of the small-town theaters where his movies were shown. Adult westerns like High Noon and TV’s Gunsmoke made singing cowboys seem campy. He released his last feature film in 1953.
Autry had begun drinking heavily during the war, and as time wore on, it began affecting his work. After missing a number of shows, his sponsor, Wrigley, canceled the show in 1956. Out of radio and TV, his public appearances suffered too. As his entertainment career went into the tank, his business empire was hitting on all cylinders. One of his best money makers was the radio station KMPC in Los Angeles. KMPC began broadcasting Dodger games in 1958 when they moved west. But its signal was too weak to reach O’Malley’s home in Lake Arrowhead, and he moved it to a more powerful station he could hear.
KMPC needed a new anchor for its summer schedule. Autry thought he had found it when Hank Greenburg, the Hall of Fame slugger, came calling. Greenburg, now a baseball executive, had secretly received permission from the American League to place an expansion team in LA for the 1961 season.
Walter O’ Malley did not want to share the LA market. He leaned on commissioner Ford Frick and Frick declared that he deserved compensation for allowing a competing team into” his” territory. Upon hearing that, Greenburg pulled out. The AL was thrown into a frenzy. They had already announced the expansion team for Washington DC. For those of you not old enough to remember, the original Senators were allowed to relocate to Minnesota in 1961, becoming the Twins. The story often told is that Autry went to the meetings to secure the radio rights for the new team and ended up owning it.
The truth is he became interested as soon as Greenburg dropped out. When he found out it was not all Greenburg, he immediately thought, “I would like to own that franchise.” He took his choice for GM, Fred Haney, a LA resident who had led the Milwaukee Braves to two pennants. AL owners were facing ridicule for the bungled expansion when they met in St. Louis in December. Just like in the movies, the hero in the white hat rode to the rescue. The owners welcomed him with open arms. Why not, he was rich, and he wanted to own a ball club.
But O’Malley exacted a high price. The new team would pay him 350 thousand dollars for a ticket to enter the Los Angeles market. Instead of sharing the 90,000-seat coliseum with the Dodgers, the new team would play its home games in 22,000-seat Wrigley Field. Wrigley Field was the minor league home of the PCL’s Los Angeles Angels. And when the Dodgers moved into their new home, Dodger Stadium, the new team would play its home games there in 1962 and pay the Dodgers a minimum of 200 thousand, or 7.5% of the gate receipts. O’Malley would keep all the parking and some of the concessions. All told, the deal was worth about 750 thousand to the Dodgers. O’Malley also did not want TV competition from the new team. Since the Dodgers only broadcasted 11 games on TV a year ( all of their away games with the Giants), the new team would be limited to that number. After a meeting that lasted almost all night with O’Malley, Autry agreed to pay. After all, it was the price of doing business.
For Autry, getting the franchise was the answer to a boyhood dream. He had once been part owner of the Hollywood Stars PCL franchise. Now on track, the new team adopted the other PCL team’s name and became the Los Angeles Angels. They also had to find a manager and had only ten days to get ready for the expansion draft. After Stengel and Durocher turned them down, they settled on Durocher’s successor with the Giants, Bill Rigney. Most teams were allowed to protect their best players, so most of the players were over-the-hill vets or young kids who had not established themselves.
Ted Kluzewski, Bob Cerv, Eddie Yost, and Ned Garver were supposed to give the fans the idea that the new team was trying to win. All of those guys had their 34th birthdays in the rear-view mirror. But Haney plucked a couple of youngsters, Jim Fregosi and Buck Rogers, who would become team cornerstones. He also acquired pitching prospect Dean Chance after the draft. The 1961 team also had players like Albie Pearson, the diminutive, 5’4″ center fielder, and Leon “Daddy” Wagner. They drew only 600,000 fans but rallied to a 70-91 record. That was the most victories by an expansion team. They trained in Palm Springs and were put up in Autry’s hotels. He would lead them every morning on a bike ride to the ballpark.
The Angels shocked everyone in their first year at Dodger Stadium, which they referred to as Chavez Ravine. They charged into the pennant race, and on the 4th of July, they were in 1st place. They finished 3rd with 86 wins. Autry began to look for ways to climb out of the Ravine. He vented his complaints in uncharacteristically blunt language, “Chavez Ravine is an expensive venue to operate. Walter O’Malley is a difficult landlord. The Angels are treated as a stepchild by the Dodgers…we are playing in the shadow of the Dodgers and must build our own fan following elsewhere.”
On August 31, 1964, he broke ground for a new stadium to be built in Anaheim, 30 miles south. It would be paid for by the city. In 1966, renamed the California Angels, they moved into the new stadium. But attendance still trailed the Dodgers by a lot. And they languished in the second division most of the time. Autry really wanted a championship. But he was a hands-off owner, preferring to leave the baseball side to his GM and baseball people.
Gene was a people person, and he knew the names of all of his players, their children, and their wives. He would often travel with the team. He was more of a friend than an owner. He was always asking, is there anything you need? His one big star in the 1970s was Nolan Ryan. Ryan threw four of his seven no-hitters as an Angel. He had been an Autry fan since he was a kid. He said, ” Autry was one of the finest men I have ever known.”
With the advent of free agency, Autry saw a way to improve his team. All it would take was money. And he and his minority partner, Signal Company, had plenty. So they signed three of the biggest free agents on the market, Joe Rudi, Don Baylor, and Bobby Grich, to long-term contracts totaling 5.25 million. The equivalent of 22 million in 2017. It might not seem like much now, but his fellow owners were really upset. “This is bad for baseball.”
While Gene was counting on the free agents to help win games, he was also working with an old Hollywood axiom: stars sell tickets. Three years later, when the team signed Rod Carew, ticket sales doubled. The Angels won their first division title in 1979, then again in 1982 and 1986. Each time they lost the ALCS, Autry’s wife Ina passed in 1980. Although they were outwardly devoted, her husband spent a large portion of their 48-year marriage on the road. Either for movie shoots or personal appearances. There had been numerous liaisons with leading ladies or in some cases, groupies. Ina turned a blind eye to all of that. She even nursed him through uncontrollable bouts of drinking and unsuccessful attempts to quit.
Autry’s family life was always a mess. He supported his ex-convict father and his family for decades. His brother, Dudley, was a chip off of the old block, an alcoholic who tried and failed to ride the family name to a singing career. He was often on Gene’s payroll. Eighteen months after Ina’s passing, 73-year-old Autry married Jaqueline Ellam, 34 years his junior. A former bank executive, she took over the administration of his business.
Gene became one of the leading philanthropists in Southern California in his later years. He spent 100 million dollars on building the Autry Museum of the American West. Now the Autry National Center. To those of you who live in So-Cal who have never been, you should go. They rotate exhibits, and there are some very interesting memorabilia there, especially if you are a film buff. He gave 5 million to build a wing on the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he and Jackie lived. He turned over control of the Angels to Jackie in 1990. “Owning a baseball team has been one of the most exciting and frustrating experiences of my life,” he said. His team had never won a World Series, nor had they been in one. The 1986 team was within one out of making the dream come true when Donnie Moore gave up a home run to Dave Henderson of the Red Sox. Even though they were still up, 3-2 in games, they lost the next two games in Boston. Moore would eventually take his own life. Many owed that to his failure in that pivotal game.
In 1995, Autry announced a deal to sell the Angels to Disney Corp. The team rallied to be in first place in the AL west with the rallying cry, “win one for the cowboy.” But the team faded at the end and lost a one-game playoff to the Mariners. The sale went through in 1996. And Autry’s active participation with the team ended. He still attended games when he could. Disney acquired 25% of the Angels with the option to purchase the rest upon his passing. Gene contracted lymphoma and died at age 91 on October 2, 1998.
Autry considered himself a personality, not an actor or a singer. “When I started, some said I couldn’t act, and others said I couldn’t sing. But I sure could count.” After his death, he was mourned as a good man, an American success story, and for many, the memories of a good childhood. Four years after he passed, the Angels won the 2002 AL Pennant and defeated the Giants in the World Series. Manager Mike Scioscia raised a bottle of champagne in a toast to the Cowboy. One of the business’s Autry owned was Flying A Gas Stations. I had almost forgotten those.
Quick Notes From Vegas (MT)
- I was able to watch the game in a bar in the casino. I lost my $20 (which is all I bet), and my gambling is done.
- Last night’s game was a big step for the Catman to win the Cy Young Award. It’s his to win if he can keep it up.
- Tony Gonsolin may be Cy Young, but Julio Urias is Ace.
- Maybe CT3 is waking up.
- It’s a
goodawesome time to be a Dodger fan. - Carry on!
Wow, Bear! What a great piece – you put a lot of research into that!
Thanks Mark. One of the posters asked if I would do a piece on Gene. There was a ton of information about him available.
Thanks Bear. Great piece on Autry and perfect timing with Arte selling the Angels. And speaking of the Angels, who needs Ohtani when we have Alberto! He may not have his power but I think he has a better era!
Bear – that was a great piece you wrote on Gene Autry. I’ve enjoyed your countless articles you have written so far, but this one was my favorite. I learned so much about Mr. Autry in this one article you wrote that I never knew before. Thank you for starting my day off with all this new information on a man I have admired for many years.
Very nice, Bear. Great writing and a wonderful walk down memory lane! Thanks.
Epic! Thx
OldBear, I echo the previous statements. I felt like I got to know “The Cowboy” while reading this article. Good timing as the Angels are about to embark on a new owner. The “Billboard Salesman” is setup nicely for a big payday. Not as bad as “The Parking Lot Attendant”, but not good either. You can’t argue with either as being able to suck money out of the franchise and still setup a pot of gold in the end.
The Dodgers put on a clinic last night against Corbin Burns right after doing the same with Alcantara. In the process, the offense did as much to propel Gonsolin into the Cy Young conversation as Gonsolin did on the hill by limiting the Brew Crew to just 1 run, but only lasted 5 innings on 77 pitches. 77 pitches? I guess with a big lead, a short and easy night was warranted. But, it isn’t doing him any favors for the Cy Young. But, the club benefits by trying to keep his work load a little lighter heading into the playoffs.
Just when you think Trea needs a day, bam! He says “I’m Good” with a couple of knocks and a single. Freddie pitched in with 3 of his own to go with 4 ribbies. Then, you need to go all the way to the end of the lineup to see Trayce’s 3 run bomb in route to 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. Relentless!
Is Chris Martin the best reliever acquired at the deadline? He’s on a roll allowing just 2 runs in 9.2 innings with 12 K’s, no Walks and a measly .414 WHIP and a perfect 3-0 record.
David Price keeps making a case for a roster spot in the post season. 1.2 innings of work last night on 25 pitches allowing nothing more than a single.
The pitching is so good, even Hanser Alberto has a sub 2 ERA across 4 appearances.
The Catman showed strong presence on the mound last night. He kept the Brewers off balance most the time. A timely double play and awesome catch by Mookie and Bellie helped keep traffic on base to a minimum. We have a solid pitcher in Tony for many years to come.
Loosing Walker will be hard going into the playoffs and next year as well. It will likely mean trying to sign Anderson for next year. I think when the roster expands we will see a Stone and Miller show. Whoever rises to the top will be on playoff roster. It’s a fantastic thing May is pitching so well now.
Thompson has been playing out of his mind. Somehow he has played his way into a pivotal role going forward. A real happy story!
Thanks, OldBear, for the good write up on Gene Autry. I learned a lot about Gene that I didn’t know. You really took me back in time, as I used to watch the Gene Autry Show. I can still hear Pat Buttram (sidekick) saying “How ’bout some more Doublemint Gene” In their commercials. I also watched your favorite, The Roy Rogers Show. He also had a sidekick name Pat. That would be Pat Brady along with his jeep Nellybelle.
Thanks Hodges. His Melody Ranch shows were pretty good. I watched Roy’s show almost every day it was on. His ranch is still there. When I came out to LA on the train last year, we went right by it.
‘Hide the women – the cowboys are coming to town.’
Give us more Bear! Elon Musk has nothing on these old Hollywood singing cowboys.
Thank you very much guys, I really appreciate it and it makes one feel good that the writing they are doing is being appreciated. I met Roy Rogers twice, never met Gene. The first time I met Rogers was at Paradise Cove where he would take his speed boat out. The second time was at his museum in Apple Valley when it was there. He was great with kids. I had friends who had met Autry and they said he was the same. Pat Brady, Roy’s TV show sidekick, was a WWII vet and was at the Battle of the Bulge. One singing cowboy I did meet and get to perform with was Eddie Dean. He was in his seventy’s when he came to the club I was working at in Carson. His voice was strong and so smooth. He did mostly what some would call, Cowboy tunes. Stuff like Old Sante Fe Trail. Roy’s sidekick in the movies was many times George “Gabby” Hayes. One of my favorite character actors of all time. Right up there with another classic cowboy actor, Slim Pickens, who is also in the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame, which is in Colorado Springs. I am working on some more trips down memory lane. Hope you will enjoy them.
Bear, do you remember ‘The Smokey Rogers Show’? His performing instrument was the banjo and was friends with Tex Williams and Merle Travis. Anyways he had a short lived TV show featuring western music in the 50’s in the LA area? Well now smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette.
And we can’t forget Chill Wills. Well I guess we did.
Wills was a great character actor as was Walter Brennen. Wills was not exclusively in westerns. Pickens and Hayes in the early stages of their careers were.
No, I sure do not remember Smokey Rogers. Actually, I have never heard of him. I know Merle Travis and Tex Williams. I checked Rogers Wikipedia page and he got his start playing in Spade Cooley’s band. His TV show originated from a place he bought in San Diego, and probably did not get much air time in LA. That show started in 1958 by which time I was living in a home for kids in Highland Park and did not really have control of the TV. My mother used to sing with Cooley’s band when he had the Red Barn in Redondo Beach. My uncle also played with his band now and then. Cooley was convicted of murdering his second wife in 1961.
My aunt Shirley owned the business bar ‘The Branding Iron’ in Apple Valley. She lived with Smokey and I lived in their house for a short period sharing room with my cousin. Tex Williams showed up at that house in his 57 Fairlane Continental, And of coarse we all know Merle Travis. Great song writer and singer but even more so a great guitarist who played, you know it, Travis style. There would be no Chet Atkins if there was no Merle Travis…….well……
I asked you before and I didn’t get a reply, but did you know Bill Blair from Torrance?
Shootings in Baltimore, up to 3 injured, no deaths, which is strange, but good
No offense Jorge, but if we start chronicling shootings we’ll be doing that until the cows come home.
There are too many.
Huh?? Gene Autry? And a bio? Alright. You really did a great job Bear. The one thing missing though is was his tough side, which there’s probably some who try to hide that side of him. That could of been Autry himself. He had been in a few brawls…….and won. Up next maybe Branch Rickey? I bet you’d give a fun read with that guy as well. Cool Bear. Thanks!
I will have to check, but I am pretty sure I did one on Branch not too long ago.
Wow, I don’t know how I missed it. Sorry.
Nope, looked back and I did not do one on Branch. I will start researching that for you.
Probably single handedly contributed more for the game of baseball than anybody. But he ‘d not likely of brought the Dodgers to LA if it were up to him.
Thank you in advance for Branch Rickey. Good call Quasimodo!
Good stuff Bear on Gene. While not my favorite as a kid, I watched all the cowboy shows. I still enjoy them when I find them especially Gene Autry and Hoppy Cassidy. Super corny but good old fashion entertainment. You did a great job Bear.
Joe and Orel are sometimes hard to listen to in blow-outs. Orel tries to explain all of Dieter’s clever organ selections and Joe recites lyrics to songs I’ve never heard of. And never will. I need a break so it’s the Brewer’s game cast tonight for me.
I’m not a Kirsten Watson fan but they might actually give her more meaty stuff to do. The last 2 games her opening contained the exact same information as the 3 guy panel and later the intro with Orel and Joe, had just mentioned. Last night she opened by reporting Buehler’s TJ surgery. It was the third time I heard that the first 5 minutes. She stinks but at least give her something original.
Loved Hopalong Cassidy. Even had a Cassidy gun set when I was a kid. I loved Boyd’s laugh. Joe and Orel in blowouts are awful. I am pretty much over Orel anymore anyway. Watson brings zip to the broadcast. I understand why they are doing it, but having a woman in the dugout all the time is meaningless to me unless they actually know what the hell they are doing. I knew Rizzo’s work from when she was working for the Rockies.
Alanna was great!! Kirsten….not so much…..
Love JOREL, if we cant have Vin thats the next best thing. I do like Nomar as well….
I can live with Joe, but Orel is just a little too much for me.
There was a Hopalong Cassidy bicycle that had rope painted lines and his name. I didn’t have one but a neighbor kid had one. Black with white piping.
Really enjoyed reading this. Once again took me back to a better time. Thanks Michael.
The 23 schedule is out with some very interesting tweaks. Not so many games against SF or SD…only 13 – down from 19.
Have a look
https://www.mlb.com/news/2023-mlb-schedule
I thought it was 14. But looks like you are right. It is a balanced schedule with each team playing all the teams in the majors.
Enjoy this Dodgers team y’all. And enjoy this organization.
I do hope we put a bow on this season and win the 22 World Series, but I have never been a WS or bust fan. I enjoy rooting for this team day in and day out.
I do think we have the best team top to bottom, for me, if we hit in the playoffs with timely hitting we win it all.
Cheers!!
Really enjoyed the post today Michael. Took me back to a better place as always.
Thank you.
The 23 schedule is out with a few tweaks.
Play everyone and only 13 games against your own division instead of 19.
Have a look..
https://www.mlb.com/news/2023-mlb-schedule
Thank you Watford Dodger for that link. I like it because it’s closer to what I think it should be, and that is every team play the same amount of games against each other.
14 games against teams in your division ,not 13.
Nope, 13. I just checked. 2 home and 2 away series against division opponents and 13 games against each. It is right there in the link.
This was an especially good one, Bear. I really knew very little about Autry and how he came to be the owner of the Angels aside from the “Back in the Saddle Again” tune that rattles around in my head.
I’m not sure about Gonzo’s chances for the Cy Young, In any traditional year I think he would be a lock. As more sportswriters and those who vote for the CYA become more enamored with modern metrics, the more a Gonso is going to be overlooked. That, and also his innings pitched going to hurt him, too. He currently leads the league in wins with 15, and is an impressive 15-1, and leads the NL in ERA. In spite of that he’s 25th in pitching WAR. The sabre nerds don’t like his FIP, which is a result of his low BABIP and his lower strikeout rate. It will probably be Alcantra, and Gonso might be a 20 game winner who gets snubbed – just like Urias didn’t get it last year. I’d prefer he be fresh and pitch well in the playoffs.
16-1 now
Ill take a WS title over a CY. But he should win both. He’s been phenomenal
More innings = more WAR. At least part of it. I totally agree that Gonzo might get jobbed here. We’ll see how it works out. Alcantara doesn’t get a whole lot of K’s and gets way more ground balls, so naturally, FIP will lower even if his ERA isn’t. Toney’s not giving up runs and is picking up wins, but Alcantara is a better pitcher?
I’d rather he be fresh for the playoffs as well.
9:05 PM ET
Brewers (65-57)
Dodgers (85-37)
SP Adrian Houser R
4-8 4.72 ERA 76.1IP ,57K ,40BB
SP Andrew Heaney L
1-1 1.77 ERA 35,2IP 52K 11BB
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
2B Max Muncy L
3B J. Turner R
LF Joey Gallo L
DH Chris Taylor R
CF C. Bellinger L
C A. Barnes R
Clear-day
0% Rain
80° Wind 7 mph Out
Wednesday Minor League Schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Carlos Duran) vs. Fort Wayne (Efraín Contreras)
4:35 p.m.: Tulsa (Nick Nastrini) at Arkansas (Prelander Berroa)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Andre Jackson) vs. El Paso (Matt Waldron)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Peter Heubeck) at Visalia (Ryan Day)
Thompson currently has a 1.074 OPS against RHB and he’s not starting. Injury or bad management decision? Actually the offense is so good it probably doesn’t matter but still.
RHP not RHB.
It is sheer lunacy. Trace is hitting righties better than just about everyone on the team.. Should be in the lineup instead of Taylor or Gallo. Geez.
In his entire career, Thompson has never hit RH like now… and he has never hit LH’ers either. This is a small sampling that means very little.
Totally agree here. This is Doc doing Doc things. Can’t ever go with the hot hand.
Everyone likes to throw around “Small Sample Size”. This season, he has 118 AB’s out of a career of 695 ABs. The sample size is almost 17% of his career. That’s not a small sample. That’s about 20% of a season. I would define it as a trend. So, go with the trend until it doesn’t work anymore.
Well, CT3 did get 2 hits last night, wonder what Trayce is thinking?
Well, CTaylor is DH. If CCounsell bring the jerky lefty, Trayce will Pinch hit for Gallo.
I was happy to see CT3 just hit the baseball let alone get 2 hits. Trayce has been better lately as he got some opportunities against RHP. He now is hitting .338 vs RHP. CT3 .238, Belli .205 and Joey Gallo .192.
As I mentioned before, there’s a dilemma in left field based on splits. For my money Trayce should start against all RHP, either in left or DH. He only has 71 AB’s vs RHP, but until it’s broken, don’t fix it.
All 3 of these guys plus Belling basically stink against LHP. CT3 .211, Belli .203, Trayce .180 and Joey .098. There is no clear platoon opportunities that I see against RHP. Trayce should hit. Appears we have no good match ups for LHP.
It should be interesting to see if somebody can win the job against LHP in left the last month.
I LOVE that people are still 2nd and 3rd guessing Dodger lineups!
Yep, it is rather humorous. Pretty sure at this point Doc knows his players better than we do. Len Dawson passed away.
Yeah, it only took him two months to figure out that Trea should be batting second.
And it only took you 5 months to realize Kimbrel sucks donkey balls.
Rope
https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1562494560655118341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1562494560655118341%7Ctwgr%5E971f91d3bc9ae3688c3649c876bcb079f96c7b06%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2F
That sound.
Another Dodger prospect.
Walkin’ highlight show.
Damn, that ball came off the wall fast. Acuna looked like he turned and it was on him.
Ytube version:
https://youtu.be/nnG4gNNVNaU
Meanwhile back in DR:
https://apple.news/At0sy09XERMenNCmtee6jPw
Next game we need to make this a fair fight and start Alberto!
Naw! what I am hoping we go down to the bottom of Florida whoop some Marlins 3 times. And then head on up to Queens and beat them up as well.
They play four in Miami.
“Give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above…”
One of the enduring memories of my late mother was how she’d sing that while washing the dishes. I wish I had remembered that for the eulogy. I wish we had played it.
Another Autry memory: Back in the ’90s, my favorite radio station was KSCA, which often featured live studio performances by artists promoting a local gig. I was impressed the DJ introduced Willie Nelson and Leon Russell, and more so when she mentioned that KSCA’s owner, Gene Autry, had dropped for a visit.
When the DJ asked if they played any Autry, Willie tunefully responded: “I’m back in the saddle again, out where a friend is a friend…..”
By the way, The Autry is a pretty cool museum.
It would be great if Arte Moreno finds some billionaire who is as public spirited as Autry. My hopes for an October Freeway Series need a boost. ,,,
So The Athletic is reporting that the Trashtros scandal is worse than we thought.
Consider:
“According to people with knowledge of the league’s investigation, the GM of the Astros had wiped every back-up from his phone, besides one, and other data was missing as well. Yet, MLB found Luhnow had deleted source data on the phone as well, people with knowledge of the investigation said. Investigators found that Luhnow’s phone had no standard call logs, even though Luhnow had known phone calls with A.J. Hinch that should have been there. MLB also could not locate known email exchanges that should have been on his phone that were found on others’ devices.”
Obviously, this could mean any number of things that people will no doubt make assumptions on. Dodgers fans will obviously have some things to say, and you should drop them down into the comments if you have a thought about it.
But we might never know what that information was that Luhnow had taken off of his phone. The Astros GM was banned from baseball for a year, and manager AJ Hinch also got a season off because of it. He would also receive a lifetime ban if he had another violation of this magnitude. ”
Just the usual sort of coverup when you know you are guilty, guilty, guilty….
Did Luhnow think he was part of the Secret Service or something?
Bit odd – seems a few comments were deleted
Yes my comment to Watford regarding 14 games against each team in the division in 2023 was deleted.