I am not going to belabor this point, but I am going to address it since it is a real thing: In the past, I have let too many bad actors and passive-aggressive commenters into this blog. No names will be mentioned, but I think we all know who they are/were. Passive-aggressive commenters are like cancer – it spreads! Passive-aggressive behavior is a pattern of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them. There’s a disconnect between what a person who exhibits passive-aggressive behavior says and what he or she does. Subtle digs or negative comments are a common form of passive aggression.
Typically, I let it slide because I am confident in my own skin and my abilities. I know they don’t define me, BUT day-after-day of this wears at me and finally, i just let them have it! It’s like when your little brother keeps deviling you and finally (after the 100th time) you punch him, just as your mother walks in. Yes, it happened to me. My little brother was the worst, but we are now great brothers. He works for me and is my “Guy Friday” and always has my back. He is a sevelte 299 and is strong as an ox. He will break someone in half if I give him the signal. 😉 Here’s a photo of him and I at my son’s 21st birthday party.
BTW, I have never “given him the signal” but he is waiting for it. 😉 But, I digress. The point that I am going to make is that certain behavior and certain people are not welcome here. Check yourself on passive-agressive behavior before you come in. Feel free to disagree with me as I am frequently wrong. I am also frequently right and I am not afraid to articulate why.
This is my blog and you do not have to be here, but I am honored that you are. I will treat you with the respect you give me. It’s easy to get up, read a blog and give a flip answer in a passive-aggresive way. It’s hard to write a blog every day. I don’t want your pity – I do it because I want to. I do demand your respect! This blog is not for passive-aggressive fans. I can steer you to one if you need directions.
I never got out of line at LADC because it’s not my blog, but others did toward me. It’s amazing the control I still have over them, even after I am gone. I love Bear (Michael Norris) and count him a friend. If he needed something,I would fly to Colorado in an instant. He is family. However, I have too much to manage in my life. Maybe I just don’t play well with others. Michael is always welcome here, but I will write here and I will read LA Dodger Chronicles. I love his stories. Hopefully, I have had a hand in helping Jeff and Bear in their writing careers.
Most of the Dodger Fans who are irrate with me are irrate because of the following:
- I have said that James Outman can’t hit LHP;
- I have said that Gavin Lux cannot play SS; and
- I think that Migual Vargas will be pretty good.
So far, I have been right on #1 and #2 and wrong on #3. That’s a .667 BA – I’m a Hall-of-Famer! 🙂 It do want to thank the dozens of peope who reached out to me on Messenger, E-Mail and Facebook, You are the reason I am back. As Jim Rome says, “Have a take, but do not suck!” Do I have as much confidence that Miguel Vargas will be pretty good? No, my confidence is shaken, but I cannot see how he will not figure it out. At this point, unless a miracle happens, he is destined for AAA.
Takeaways From Yesterdays Game
Gavin Lux – This is very sad and I hate that it is happening to him (again). I excpected a slip up a time or two, but you can see it is in his head. To say, “He will be fine” is based on facts not in evidence and a wing and a prayer. I did not like Lux when he was drafted, but I have watched him grow and I now like him a lot. I continue to say he is not a SS. I still predict a Adames for Lux and Rojas trade. The Dodgers need a top defensive SS THIS YEAR. He will strengthen the defense and his hitting will be OK at the bottom of the lineup. They can resign him or not in 2025 and then Sweeney and Miller are in the wings.
Teoscar Hernandez – I think we are going to love this guy. This is a great signing. He looks to be in great shape and is a very thoughtful and team-centric guy. I am always impressed when a foreign-born player speaks perfect English with only a hint of an accent. He is a quiet leader in the clubhouse.
Kirstin Watson – Man, this girl has elevated her game and she even beat Mookie in a footrace. She speaks with confidence and the players respect her. Allana who?
Austin Gauthier – This guy is a baller and I would expect the Dodgers to move him around the diamond and see some time in the OF this year. He could settle into one position, but I see him as a great utilityman!
Gus Varland – Great stuff but pitching himself off the roster.
TJ McFarland – LHP are in demand and he has been great in his 3 IP. He is in the mix.
Kevin Gowdy, the non-roster invitee is very interesting. He has been in the Dodger System for a year, and with the Tulsa Drillers in 2023. A lanky RHP, he was converted from a starter to a reliever 100% in 2023. His fours seamer hits the high 90s, and he has a plus slider. He is working on a cutter and if he masters it, he could be a high-leverage reliever. The Dodgers have a ton of these guys.
The Dodgers are mum on J.P. Feyereisen – I have no clue what is happening there.
Thanks for coming back!! Just happened to click on your site to see if anything had changed. Love you content.
Mark: Just wanted to let you know I am thrilled you are back and really happy you wrote what you did today. I don’t post much but read every day. I have watched from the sidelines you getting attacked violently for having opinions that differ from the opinions of your attackers. They seem to think having a different opinion is a personal attack on them, which is absolutely absurd.
Yes you have attacked back, but only after months of stuff coming your way. I, for one, admire your restraint. I would have attacked back much sooner and used words much more descriptive than morons. I watched this stuff follow you over to LADC and just shook my head at the unbelievable egos and meanness for some of these people.
Even the other day on this site, Dodger Horse asked a very attacking question about what you would do if someone kept saying things like Outman as a 4th outfielder, etc to you. What I would have said back to him (and all the others) is that is my opinion, which I am very much entitled to. I would then say to all of them they only needed to say they disagree for the following reasons.
I felt compelled to respond to your post today. Keep up the excellent work.
I was not bothered by the question. I answered, and even if he didn’t agree, he was agreeable. That’s all I ask.
You are wrong jayb, my question was never offensive, at LADT I have never offended anyone!!!
I have been reading your site for years and felt lost when it was shut down. I am so glad it is back.
This is the first time I have posted
Thank You
Thank you, Diane. We need more women in here.
Over the years, we have had a few, but two of the most beloved died.
I really miss them.
I am also very glad you’re back. I have always enjoyed your opinions and the colorful way you express yourself. I never thought your use of the word moron was an effort to be mean or vindictive, but just the way you talk. It never bothered me.
Jeff has a great site as well and we are blessed to have 2 great places to go everyday.
Looking forward to a fantastic season and a successful post season.
Thanks for being here.
As a lifelong Dodger fan this years biggest issues for me:
Lux is not a shortstop.
Outman- great defender but he might lead the majors in strikeouts if Taylor don’t.
Vargas- has he ever hit a ball hard?
Barnes- I hope LA is looking
I love the Dodger offseason. So exciting to be a Dodger fan. No team is perfect but the Dodgers if healthy are obviously very good.
Mark and his opinions are always an interesting and thought provoking read.
I am glad your back
Here’s something I would like your opinion on …….. Will Smith is out for an extended period of time. For sure increasing Barnes usage cannot be the answer to fill that hole. Where does the team turn ?
Well, right now, it would be Chris Okey and Diego Cartaya, as well as Austin Barnes.
We may see Cartaya and his rebuilt swing soon. Rushing is further away. Fernandez could be a possibility, and Liranzo is at least another year or two away… so if Smith were to be out an extended period of time, then the Dodgers could seek a trade, but by my way of thinking, you want to have good defense and game calling behind the plate and Barnes delivers that.
He also might hot better if he played every day.
I’m hoping everytime Ohtani gets a day off Smith is the DH.
This had become my favorite Dodgers blog to visit over the years and I was saddened when it was taken offline. Really happy to see it back in action. This is my first post ever here and I wanted it to be a post of thanks. I plan on posting more this season. Let’s Go Dodgers!
Mark –
My previous post from a few days ago was never posted and I dont think I said anything out of place.
That said – AGREED welcome back!! and THANKS as i really missed this site except for the days leading up to you shutting down the blog.
My wife is a Marriage / Family Therapist and the one thing we never tolerated in raising our kids or in our interaction with friends and family is “Passive-aggressive behavior”. It is a cancer that leads to a a lot of miss understandings and other issues.
Unfortunately Lux is making your case against him gain traction and like you I hope he turns it around and proves you wrong! 🙂
Agree on Teo – very good interview by both parties.
Keith Law was on a Dodgers podcast I am unfamiliar with, Locked On. I’m so unfamiliar with it, I didn’t even know it had a simulcast on YouTube.
It’s a good discussion which delves into Rushing’s concussion, River Ryan’s upside, Cartaya’s plight, Andy Pages and more….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTlSD0cpMlc
I like Keith Law above most talent Evaluators because he explains his rankings.
Thanks for posting it.
In these weeks that there was no LADT I felt something like a withdrawal syndrome. Now that I have returned, to following the Dodgers, throughout the year, it is better with LADT, the journey of the season is better with LADT.
In March of 2020, Mark asked if I would like to do some writing for the blog. He said I was good at the history of the team, so that has always been my main theme. I continue to do that on Jeff’s site. Once in a while I stray from that when I see a topic that piques my interest. I think in the almost four years of doing this now that I have grown more and more comfortable in my writing and have improved as a contributor. I also consider Mark as a close friend. We have met and shared stories a couple of times. And this all started as a mutual dislike relationship. We disagreed about the trade for Yasmani Grandal, and it got pretty heated. Now, we kid each other about that. My only regret is that when he shut down the site, all of the stories I wrote were gone. Thanks Mark, I treasure the friendship we have and the opportunity you gave me to write about my love of baseball and the Dodgers. As for the haters,,,,,,,,,,ef em.
I love your articles Bear, thanks for your efforts and prospective.
Between you ,Jeff and Mark we generally get a very consistent commentary on all things Dodgers.
You have mentioned that you are always looking for new topics. In 1959 there were 2 all star games. Big D started the first one in Pittsburgh and the second one was at the Colosseum in L A.
Anything you can find out about the games would be interesting to me. I was 13 and living in Highland Park. I bought a ticket to the game when I was at the Colosseum for a previous Dodger game. I was excited to see the National League players in their home uniforms. My seat was in left field and late in the game Teddy Ballgame played left field and when he took his position all the fans cheered him and he smiled and waved to the crowd. Very Cool!
I was 11 and living in Highland Park. I lived in a home for kids on N. Ave 66. Larry Sherry and his brother Norm bought houses there in 1960. They played two All-Star games for two years. I will definitely do some research on those and post a story on Jeff’s site. I sat in left field behind the screen just once, in 1960 The coliseum was a cool place to watch a game, but from the knothole seats down the right field line, the players looked like ants.
When Miguel Vargas was a highly touted prospect, did he also have that “slap swing” ?
Serious or joke?
Watch for yourself. This was last year when he sucked:
Here was his first MLB PA:
First HR:
I don’t know what is going on with Miguel… maybe, like Lux, it is in his head!
That swing hasn’t been there since June of last year, that swing hasn’t existed since then, what’s wrong with Miguel Vargas?
Lux has not played SS for more than a year and it is understood that he is very rusty and out of time playing defense, he will improve day by day but what is wrong with Miguel?
8:05 PM ET
Guardians (2-4)
Dodgers (5-2-1)
SP Carlos Carrasco R
0-0 .00 ERA
SP Tyler Glasnow R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
CF E. Hernandez R
RF J. Heyward L
C A. Barnes R
SS Miguel Rojas R
LF M. Vargas R
3B Chris Owings R
76° Wind 6 mph Out
Feyerhausen also on the slate to pitch.
Do you mean Feyereisen? if so, cool I’m interested in seeing if he’s back to as good as he pitched before the injury.
This week, Hernández revealed on the Foul Territory show that he chose the Dodgers over the New York Yankees in free agency.
“It came down to Dodgers or Yankees. Big market only. I chose the Dodgers because they have a lot of left-handed hitters. Obviously I have familiarity, I was already late to spring, I didn’t have to pack my bags and fly to Florida and all that and then move my family across the country. Dodgers being here in Arizona was convenient. Also they have a lot of left-handed hitters in the lineup. I think main reason was, they were able least guarantee me at least to start against left-handed pitchers.”
Per Kiké Hernández via Foul Territory
Being comfortable with the Dodgers’ system played a major role in Hernández’s decision. After last year’s disappointing first-round postseason exit, he wants to help the team finish what it started.
You have to love and respect that!
I looked up the definition of passive-aggressive and I don’t understand it. I hope I’m not passive-aggressive. I’m trying to be better about my posts though and post less.
I’m glad you’re back here Mark.
Nice to be back.
Eric, is Glasnow out of your doghouse after tonight?
Oh hell he wasn’t in my doghouse. Way too small of a sample when I posted yesterday and for that matter still a small sample. The only thing I’m concerned about him is the injury history. He did great today.
Man, Vargas is looking really bad. The difference between a contact hitter with little power like Vargas, and a semi/fair/contact hitter with power is when the batting average goes down the guy with power will hit a home run here and there and that’s not the case for the other guy, example Vargas.
Gauthier home run. I think he will be a fantastic utility guy.