The Dodger Players Spoke

Posted By on July 3, 2021

Last night the Dodger players spoke without saying a word. Their four errors showed that they might have been somewhat distracted… and understandably so. But they maintained their composure until they got Max Scherzer out of the game and proceeded to destroy the Nationals bullpen. The Dodger players were laughing and having a great time for the most part… except for the defensive lapses. I can understand it. The White House, the Bauer Debacle and everything in-between. All things considered, the Dodgers have said: “Let’s Roll!“

I was going to address some of the stupid things that are being said about the Trevor Bauer Debacle, but I am not going to waste time debating idiots who think he is guilty or think he is innocent… without all the facts. I have no opinion. He will either be convicted or exonerated or something in-between. I don’t know what I don’t know… and neither do you, so I am just going to assume that Trevor Bauer’s Dodger Career and maybe his MLB career is over. Maybe it’s worse than we think. Maybe it’s a sham! WE SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW!

Now the police allegedly say that “this bigger than we thought!” Of course, we can take that to mean that there are more allegations OR could it be a part of a bigger shakedown? Again, I have no opinion. There is just so much we do not know that it is a waste of time and air to speculate. From a baseball standpoint, I have moved on from Trevor Bauer. I was never all in with his signing, but of course, I never envisioned this.

The Dodgers can trade for another starter – there is no question about that. Do they need to? Probably… but not today! Let the dust settle – let the facts be compiled and if he is arrested, no matter what the outcome, his Dodger career is over. That’s all I have to say about it. Even if he is not guilty, the Dodgers do not need the Trevor Bauer Three-Ring Circus. Too much distraction.

There are lots of possibilities of pitchers to take Bauers’ spot in the rotation. Let’s look at them:

  • David Price – It would seem that he could be “built up” rather quickly and since has has been a starter his whole career, that is a possibility. However, as I said yesterday, I do not think we know the whole story about David Price. I think there is some underlying issue we do not know about… by design and if the Dodgers do not try this option, then they are hiding something. That said, I think Price starts Sunday and sees haw long he can go.
  • Mike Kickham – He is still at OKC and has a 3.19 ERA. Last night, he went 5 innings and allowed 1 ER, on 8 hits, 3 K’s and 0 Walks. He doesn’t miss many bats, but he could be a temporary fix.
  • Andre Jackson – His stats don’t really warrant it, but he is on the 40-man roster. His ERA is 3.91 at Tulsa, but his WHIP is 1.07. I could see him making a start, if for only being on the roster.
  • Gerardo Carrillo – He is of course on the 40-man roster and in fact, pitched 4 scoreless innings for Tulsa last night.
  • Edwin Uceta – The same is true with Edwin. He’s on the roster. Otherwise, there would be no reason.
  • Mitch White – I guess I have to list him as a possibility, even though I see him as a reliever.
  • Ryan Pepiot – The Dodgers are bringing him along slowly, although he will be 24 next month. He is just a few months younger than Julio Urias. His stats are eye-popping: 34 IP/46 K’s/17 Hits/17 BB. He has a 2.08 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP and the league is hitting .148 against him. I do not think they will call him up right now, but he is tantalizing!

No one jumps out at you, but I suppose they could ask three pitchers to try and go 3 innings each and then shuttle them back to the minors the next day. There is no Fernando Valenzeula sitting at AA ready to take the NL by storm and like him or not, you could count on Trevor Bauer to pitch deep into games. That whole dynamic has changed. Maybe they take a flyer on Ryan Pepiot?

I do not see Max Scherzer coming to LA because I cannot see Andrew Friedman signing him to another 2 or 3 year deal which is what he wants. There are lots of pitchers that will be available, including John Means of the Orioles, but the Dodgers would have to give up a package of players including Ruiz or Cartaya. Jose Berrios is a possibility, but the Twins will ask for the moon. I am sure there are lots of ptchers that could be available, but at what price?

Is it time to say “It just wasn’t meant to be this year and play the hand you are dealt?” I am not ready to concede that and I doubt that the Dodgers are either. The choices are to run and hide or stay and fight. Last night, I think the Dodgers bats spoke as to what they intend to do…

Dodgers Minor League News

  • Mark Washington pitched 1.2 innings for Tulsa last night and his ERA now sits at 1.38.
  • Brandon Lewis hit his 1st High-A HR last night and was 3-5.
  • Scott Alexander is ready at OKC after another scoreless inning (1.93 ERA) and 2 K’s.

Wondering Where the Lions aAre

This article has 123 Comments

  1. Looks like Pepiot is averaging 4 walks per 9 innings. I think he still needs to work on his control.

  2. I have faith in Andrew Friedman and still believe he is an excellent baseball executive. We all make mistakes and the Bauer signing was made in reaction to what the Padres did in the off season and also not to allow him to sign with the Mets who would team up with DeGrom and form an awesome one two punch. Yes an extensive background check on Bauer should have been conducted, but you knew what you were signing because of his antics in Cleveland with the ball throwing over the center field fence in the middle of the game and his overzealous social media platform. You can not get into someone’s mind and heart and sexual preferences.IF the allegations are true, Bauer will never wear a Dodger uniform or will wear a SO(Sexual Offender) on his chest if another team chooses to sign him after a possible prison term or a plea bargaining deal..We all have to wait and see what the TRUE facts are in the case and the upcoming court date in July. Luckily this happened before the trading deadline and gives Andrew enough time to do the right thing to make up for this previous blunder. He will come through as he always has.

  3. Hey, everybody has lots of opinions. Best to wait for the all of the “facts” to come out.

    Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times wrote a pretty scathing column, ripping the Dodgers for signing Trevor Bauer in the first place, given some of his history on social media, antics and comments made.

    Fair point since Hernandez questioned the Bauer signing after it was announced.

    But honestly, I thought the Bauer signing was a good one, given the term and the dollars involved. I’m sure the Dodgers regret the deal now, given the distractions and in hindsight would have moved in a different direction. But that’s not what happened.

    If you believe what legal experts said in a recent LA Times story, this is more likely to end up as a civil case than a criminal one.

    So distractions, regrets and image all considered, the Dodgers probably try to move forward. No they won’t just release him and eat the money and trading him probably isn’t an option.

    Ryan Pepiot seems like the best option out of the minors, but I think they will look outside for another starting pitcher, regardless of the Bauer situation. Anyone missing Ross Stripling now?

    I agree with Mark on David Price, something there. Dave Roberts, when asked about the possibility of Price stepping in, quickly shot it down.

    But this I do know. The circus is in town and it’s not leaving anytime soon.

    It is what it is … whatever this is.

    1. No, I don’t miss Ross Stripling and his 4.27 ERA while averaging 5.5 innings per start and his sub 500 record. I kinda miss Ryu though.

      1. Ryu had a great run with us. I don’t bemoan losing him to free agency.

        Still wish we had signed another low-risk high-reward SP in addition to Bauer. Kind of put all our eggs in getting a Game 3 starter for the postseason.

        That’s all I wanted him for.

  4. I’m really looking forward to the next seven days of speculation and Bauer drama. I really enjoy learning everyone’s opinions about this situation. **sarcasm**

    In reality, I have little confidence that this situation is or will be handled fairly. Sadly, that is what the world is becoming. The Astros got caught cheating and got no punishment. Bill Cosby is free. Everyone that has dirt on the Clintons “kill themselves”. And a guy that doesn’t know where he’s at, or who he is, runs the country.

    At this point, I’m just thinking about what happens if he is found at fault. What kind of suspension could he receive? Will it be a 30 game suspension like Chapman, or a 50 game suspension like Reyes?

    I don’t know if I believe that his Dodger’s career is over. It’s very hard to speculate about this and I can’t point to an example to lead me to believe there has already been a set precedence. Would they just cut bait and void, or eat the contract? I’m still holding out hope that this doesn’t blow up completely.

    It’s easy to see that without Bauer, we are going to need another starter and Kershaw, Bauer and Urias isn’t enough for a deep post season run. I don’t know what the deal is with Price, I saw an interview with him where he says fine with however the Dodgers what to use him. That doesn’t sound like there’s a physical limitation.

    Regarding Scherzer, his agent says he wants an extension. We don’t know if that extension is one year plus an option based on incentives, or if he’ll say he doesn’t care if it’s to play with the Dodgers for a chance to get another ring.

    Beyond Scherzer the list of starting pitchers on expiring contracts is not very impressive. Would the Dodgers dare to turn to Pepiot to fill this void like they did with Santana a few years back? Is Jo-jo Gray ever going to pitch this year?

    Yesterday Bear made an argument that Orel wasn’t that great after BacchusB called him a Dodgers legend. First off, you don’t have to have a great career to be a Dodgers legend. First, I would like to point out that Don Sutton is in the hall of fame with just 10 more career war than Orel and he pitched 5 more years than Orel and it took Sutton 2000 more innings to pick up that additional 10 WAR.

    Jim Gilliam is a Dodgers Legend and a Hall of Famer. He has a career OPS+ of 93 and his number is on the wall.

    Fernando Valenzuela is a Dodgers Legend and his career stats almost mirrors Orel’s perfectly in IP, Ks and ERA.

    The reason Orel is one of my all time favorite Dodgers is not because he’s a Hall of Famer, not because he threw 100 mph, and not because he was striking out opponents at a record rate. It’s because of the legend of Orel.

    He looked like an unassuming man, an accountant or a professor. He didn’t have the gifts that other dominant pitchers had, but he did have more fight, more moxy, that he should have. He accomplished what he wasn’t supposed to based on his skills. He was better than he was supposed to be and for that one magical season, he was better than anyone before him for a couple of months when it counted most.

    He broke a record held by another Dodger’s great that had the fastball to justify it. Yet, Orel not only broke the record, he did it during a pennant race on a team full of overachievers, who just like him, weren’t great enough to win a World Championship, but did it anyways because they believed in themselves and willed it to happen. That is exactly what makes a legend. That’s why he’s one of my favorite Dodgers ever.

    Bear also mentioned his favorites and one guy really stands out for me. I really wish I could have seen Campy play. I can only imagine what he was like. He was such an offensive force. He hit for power and hit for average and threw out baserunners at a record pace. He blocked the plate and was tough as nails before the Buster Pussy rule when catchers regularly endoured football like contact at the plate. I imagine him as the bat of Piazza, the toughness of Yeager and the arm of Pudge all wrapped up into the same player. But, I’m not as long in the tooth as those who were fortunate enough to watch him play. On the bright side, I will hopefully see the next generation of Dodger Legends.

    1. “And a guy that doesn’t know where he’s at, or who he is, runs the country”. Giuliani’s running the country?

        1. I think you watch Fox News and OAN way to much. Suggest you stop following QAnon as well.

          1. QAnon is almost as crazy as CNN, I have no idea what channel OAN is on and I don’t ever turn my TV to Fox. But, I notice that you didn’t deny watching CCN. One of the few remaining loyal customers.

          2. Free thinkers do not “watch” anything. We do RESEARCH. That is what I like about here. People do research ….. daily. Keeps both mind and opinions sharp.

      3. Love him or hate him, Trump did it his way and frequently did not listen to his people, unlike Joe who is afraid he “might get into trouble again.”

        One of Trump’s stupidest moves was hiring Rudy!

        1. He called, and got others to call, election officials to try to “find”; i.e., make up, votes, or stop the count. He and his people are undermining the entire fabric of this democracy, perhaps never to be put together again. All his bluster and comical statements obscure this fact. If a Democrat running for President, much less the President, ever called an election official and told him to find 11,780 votes, his execution for treason would be certain. One day, people are going to wake up and realize that they are living in a totalitarian state. They aren’t just yet, but they’re quickly heading that way. Trump is going around claiming that the election was invalid, that Biden is an illegitimate President. This goes around the world, and helps certain world leaders, but not any of the democratically elected ones.

          Here, we can sit around and wait for the next insurrection, which Trump is trying his best to foment. The step after that, the one which Trump wanted to take, was to invoke martial law, suspend the election certification, and remain dictatorial leader, like his idol in 1930’s Germany. It can happen here. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Mexico is burning, a precursor to the horrors to come because Republicans absolutely refused to take climate change seriously, concerned that it might cut into corporate profits , or make them look like those handwringing libs who kept warning about it.

          Biden is a good and caring person who has all his faculties, but is not a good speaker, and has some problems reading the teleprompter. In comparison to TFG, he is a paragon. In comparison to some other Presidents, not so much, but this is the relevant comparison right now.

          1. Insurrection – a violent uprising against an authority or government. No weapons at the Capital “Peaceful Protest”, but weapons at all these other “Peaceful Protests” where the cities are up in flames. But, they call the one at the Capitol an “Insurrection”. Grape or Cherry?

          2. I’m not going to expend the energy here, but that whole claim of Trump demanding election officials “find” votes turned out to be a complete lie. The willingness of people to create their own realities is the most destructive thing about this politically insane era we’re living in,.

            And no. Simply because I said that doesn’t mean that I’m QAnon, whatever that is, or am in league with Putin.

        2. Also the ONLY prez I remember in my lifetime that actually TRIED to do pretty much everything he campaigned on. And I was not a fan at the beginning, I was just mostly about NOT ANOTHER CLINTON.

    2. BP… That is some good stuff! Thanks!
      Wearing my “SOCIALism DISTANCING” tank top today in honor of your first few paragraphs.

  5. Probably best to assume him gone. How does the never was differ from the never to be?

  6. “I was going to address some of the stupid things that are being said about the Trevor Bauer Debacle, but I am not going to waste time debating idiots who think he is guilty or think he is innocent… without all the facts. ”

    I have to say, this site has been refreshingly free of idiots on this subject (and most others). Whether I agree or disagree with some of the points made here, I often get something out of them, they might give me a different perspective – and they’re usually intelligent and, most importantly, above all, they are respectful. I think Mark and the writers here deserve credit for cultivating that culture here.

    Trust me, it ain’t like that on other blogs. It’s been pretty eye opening for me to read up on this subject elsewhere.

    Dodger’s Nation: I actually kind of like Doug McKain’s YouTube channel. I think they work really hard in putting content out there on multiple channels. The commenters over there read mostly like 20-something bros who think it’s all a setup and she’s a honeypot. Nothing particularly insightful.

    Dodgers Digest: This is a good example of all that is wrong with abusive Woke echo chambers and the propensity to attack anyone who disagrees. It’s just awful. For kicks, I brought up points that I thought were valid – the importance of due process as a check on mob justice and the potential difficulty of having clear legal and moral distinctions about sexual assault when sexual assault is actually a fetish practiced by consenting parties. My post lasted about 5 minutes before Nosler told me to “fuck off”, called me a “piece of shit”, deleted my post and banned me. Other dissenters are routinely abused and called “incels” Oh well. Hey Dustin. If you happen to read this blog and see this, your site is completely toxic, the commenters there have nothing to say, and that’s all on you.

    TrueBlue: Pretty heterogenous mix of people . Eric Stephen is actually good, but OMG. I was blown away by how much power the people are willing to give one poster who was a completely unhinged, abusive, emotionally unstable lunatic. Even if you happen to be angry and upset about TB’s behavior … even if perhaps you were a victim of sexual assault and this topic hits close to home, that is not license to be abusive, to post how you want to cut yourself, to wish TB was “in the ground” ..and then demand moderator status to ban people who might trigger her.

    We have it pretty good, here.

    1. LOL – I commented that Nolser and Moriyama were not only part of the Mob, they lead it. I can’t stand that site, I only go there when someone here mentions something that’s going on over there. The crowd over there reminds me of South Park’s World of Warcraft episode.

      I love Eric Stephen and regularly listen to his podcast.

      Wear your ban like a badge of honor. I got banned by Petriello when he was there. It’s all a bunch of soy-boys and betas.

      1. Eric Stephen is the best Dodger writer out there. But his site has gone to hell.

        I can’t deal with the groupthink on those other sites.

        I don’t always agree with Mark but he’s right more often than he’s wrong and he knows the limits of his knowledge which is a sign of intelligence.

      3. For a couple of stoners who make a cartoon, Stone and Parker are actually brilliant.

    2. Well said. I too visit TBLA and about two years ago tried to insert some levity when a new blogger commented about how some posters seemed arrogant. I jokingly said you’ll be fine if you post glowingly about Auburn football, recipes, food preparation etc. because that seemed to be all that was discussed and I was then summarily banned. I still visit and read some of the posts at that site, and I can honestly say I’m worried about one poster in particular.

      Her posts are quite alarming and she is having very serious issues with the TB situation. She can’t cope, wants to “lash out” can’t sleep, can’t eat and is talking about vomiting violently, and being manic over the TB story. For someone to have such a visceral response to an event for which she does not know the accused or the accuser seems in need of some immediate help.

      I like this blog so much more. While we don’t always agree, and there are at times some very spirited debate, it seems LADT posters are more measured, responsible and willing to wait on the facts and evidence to become clear before convicting TB in the court of public opinion. I’m not an apologist for TB, he very well may soon find himself out of baseball, but as for me I’m willing to wait and let justice runs its course…..and yes TB also gets justice.

      1. All very well said.

        I’m starting to think Trevor Bauer’s issues are not baseball issues anymore and therefore I’m not interested in them.

        Sucks for us to depend on a guy though and have him not able to report to his post. That would piss me off as a teammate.

      2. I think I see a little more maturity here. Glad I found this blog. I think when you get a little more time under your belt, there are more of us that realize living in the past typically brings grief, and trying to live in the future is impossible. So you live in the day and wait to see what tomorrow brings & deal with it then. Speculate for a day ……. fine. Make speculating about what is going to happen or should happen in the future is just a waste of time & keeps you from living this day the way you should. IMO
        Cheers

  7. Kenta Maeda
    It seems that Twins will be sellers, and Maeda would be a cheap option, and he knows LA, he loves LA and LA loves him, he has playoff experience, and I think he has good numbers in the postseason, plus he knows how to come from the bullpen if necessary, I think that Raley and some other player would be enough, Berrios is supposed to be better, and therefore it will be more expensive, Dodgers do not need another ace, only a 4th starter to ensure the season

    2. Good thought about Maeda, but I got the impression that he wasn’t happy that the Dodgers wouldn’t commit to him as a starter. He seemed frustrated by the time he left, and then put up a Cy Young award-like season with Minnesota, something he never achieved with the Dodgers. I personally liked him, but would he want to come back?

      1. I think you should check this year’s stats and you’ll see why the Dodgers were reluctant.

  8. I have also been impressed by the respectful tone of the discussion about TB on this blog. It is certainly true that we don’t know the facts and anything we say about what happened is mere speculation. Neverthless, I think that, whether he was set up or not, we can agree that TB showed a lack of judgement that is appalling. That is at a minimum. He let his team down, and us fans down, and frankly, himself down. Shooting himself in the foot doesn’t even begin to describe it. Of course, if he is guilty of the kind of brutal assault that has been reported, he is an offender plain and simple, and should be treated like one. On an emotional level, I am pissed off with him. I can also understand that there are other people out there who have strong reactions. The fact that this has become politicized in some forums is only too predictable. It is just another sad sign of our times. At this point, we just need to move on, let justice be done, and go back to baseball. It’s a shame that this nonsense has to be there in the mix, but that is reality. It is a game played by imperfect human beings, and once in a while one of them really messes up. Sometimes reality bites, and this is an example.

    1. I liked his slider [cutter?] And when he’d locate his fastball with velocity for a strikeout.

      But he gave away too many at-bats and threw too many pitches at times.

    2. “Red is the color of passion and power. You should give your preference to this color if you are going to persuade or impress somebody”, says Kenny Frimpong, the manager of the brand of Italian menswear, Eredi Pisano.

      Any bright shades of red draw attention to the person wearing them. People tend to associate the vibrant color with energy, movement, and excitement. Psychologists from the University of Rochester found that men are more attracted to women wearing a ruby tint. “Red is a stimulant for men,” says Abby Calisch, a psychology professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia.

      Those who often wear red are bright, easily excitable, slightly self-centered and also addiction-prone.

  10. Trevor Bauer is a fine pitcher duh stating the obvious. He is a different cat than some more conservative people like myself duh again. He should fit in well with the LA woke lifestyle. As usual those same hypocrites who say they are loving, accepting, and support the Hollywood lifestyle are ready to cancel TB before he has his day in court. I was in favor of getting TB because I thought it would help the Dodgers win. AF has got to vet them. LA took the high road on Chapmen but the Cubs took him via trade I think and won the World Series. Lebrun James run his mouth but when it come down to freedom , China and his paycheck, China and his paycheck won. LA has embraced him I suppose. So let the hypocrites have their day.

    I don’t want to comment on Bauer until I hear the whole story. I doubt he will play again for the Dodgers but somebody will pick him up. What does AF do? Well if all goes south for Bauer LA might be able to void his contract and gain some financial leverage. Mb scherzer could come into play. It seems likely there is an underlying issue with price but mb not. I think u have to give guys on the 40 man a chance first. Jackson, Uceta, Carillo , plus bullpen first before I would get swindled. At some point Gray could come into play. Keep shuffling the bp guys to keep fresh arms. Then go to kickham etc. btw I generally agree with B and P post.

  11. I am disappointed with Gavin Lux. As of now, he is just not the offensive player many people thought he would be. He is trying to pull everything. I remember in the past he would go opposite field often and was rewarded for it. If I remember correctly, he tried to hit to left early in this season but the results ended in fly outs. I think he just got frustrated and has been trying to pull the ball ever since then. I looked at his stats and McKinstry’s stats for this year and here’s what I found:
    AB H HR RBI Avg. OBP
    Lux 268 54 6 32 .227 .306
    McKinstry 112 29 5 26 .259 .315

    Starting today, I think Lux Should sit and McKinstry should start at 2B.

  12. Well, this situation just shows, in baseball as in life, we need to keep BOTH EYES OPEN.

  13. It is also important, in life as well as baseball,. to ask pertinent questions. For example when Bauer threw the ball over the center field fence in Cleveland, the great Terry Francona asked him , ” What the f**k is wrong with you???!!!”.

  14. On Hernandez, Nosler and Stephen.: If you mixed them together, you still would not have a full person. I used to troll them by posting what they wrote and then destroying it when they commented. But I go over that long ago… maybe a week or more!

    Stephen adds some value although he (like most writers) can’ run anything. Hernandez and Nosler are particularly dumb. They can wordsmith the hell out of words and so yet eloquently say nothing.

    I believe this was my lost response to him:

    You are swine you vulgar little maggot. Don’t you know that you are pathetic? You worthless bag of filth. As we say in California, I’ll bet you couldn’t pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel. You are a canker. A sore that won’t go away. A zit on the butt of society. I would rather kiss a lawyer than be seen with you.

    You are a fiend and a coward, and you have bad breath. You are degenerate, noxious and depraved. I feel debased just for knowing you exist. I despise everything about you. You are a bloody nardless newbie twit protohominid chromosomally aberrant caricature of a coprophagic cloacal parasitic pond scum and I wish you would go away.

    You’re a putrescence mass, a walking vomit. You are a spineless little worm deserving nothing but the profoundest contempt. You are a jerk, a cad, a weasel. Your life is a monument to stupidity. You are a stench, a revulsion, a big suck on a sour lemon.

    You are a bleating fool, a curdled staggering mutant dwarf smeared richly with the effluvia and offal accompanying your alleged birth into this world. An insensate, blinking calf, meaningful to nobody, abandoned by the puke-drooling, giggling beasts who sired you and then killed themselves in recognition of what they had done.

    I will never get over the embarrassment of belonging to the same species as you. You are a monster, an ogre, a malformity. I barf at the very thought of you. You have all the appeal of a paper cut. Lepers avoid you. Because off your face the rabbit population actually decreased. You are vile, worthless, less than nothing. You are a weed, a fungus, the dregs of this earth. And did I mention you smell?

    If you aren’t an idiot, you made a world-class effort at simulating one.

    You snail-skulled little rabbit. Would that a hawk pick you up, drive its beak into your brain, and upon finding it rancid set you loose to fly briefly before spattering the ocean rocks with the frothy pink shame of your ignoble blood. May you choke on the queasy, convulsing nausea of your own trite, foolish beliefs.

    You are weary, stale, flat and unprofitable. You are grimy, squalid, nasty and profane. You are foul and disgusting. You’re a fool, an ignoramus. Monkeys look down on you. Even sheep won’t have sex with you. You are unreservedly pathetic, starved for attention, and lost in a land that reality forgot.

    You are a waste of flesh. You have no rhythm. You are ridiculous and obnoxious. You are the moral equivalent of a leech. You are a living emptiness, a meaningless void. You are sour and senile. You are a disease, you puerile one-handed slack-jawed drooling meatslapper.

    On a good day you’re a half-wit. You remind me of drool. You are deficient in all that lends character. You have the personality of wallpaper. You are dank and filthy. You are asinine and benighted. You are the source of all unpleasantness. You spread misery and sorrow wherever you go.

    I cannot believe how incredibly stupid you are. I mean rock-hard stupid. Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid so stupid that it goes way beyond the stupid we know into a whole different dimension of stupid. You are trans-stupid stupid. Meta-stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so far that even the neutrons have collapsed. Stupid gotten so dense that no intellect can escape. Singularity stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. You emit more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a year. Quasar stupid. Your writing has to be a troll. Nothing in our universe can really be this stupid. Perhaps this is some primordial fragment from the original big bang of stupid. Some pure essence of a stupid so uncontaminated by anything else as to be beyond the laws of physics that we know. I’m sorry. I can’t go on. This is an epiphany of stupid for me. After this, you may not hear from me again for a while. I don’t have enough strength left to deride your ignorant questions and half baked comments about unimportant trivia, or any of the rest of this drivel. Duh.

    Maybe later in life, after you have learned to read, write, spell, and count, you will have more success. True, these are rudimentary skills that many of us “normal” people take for granted that everyone has an easy time of mastering. But we sometimes forget that there are “challenged” persons in this world who find these things more difficult. I wish you the best of luck in the emotional, and social struggles that seem to be placing such a demand on you.

    P.S.: You are hypocritical, greedy, violent, malevolent, vengeful, cowardly, deadly, mendacious, meretricious, loathsome, despicable, belligerent, opportunistic, barratrous, contemptible, criminal, fascistic, bigoted, racist, sexist, avaricious, tasteless, idiotic, brain-damaged, imbecilic, insane, arrogant, deceitful, demented, lame, self-righteous, byzantine, conspiratorial, satanic, fraudulent, libelous, bilious, splenetic, spastic, ignorant, clueless, illegitimate, harmful, destructive, dumb, evasive, double-talking, devious, revisionist, narrow, manipulative, paternalistic, fundamentalist,dogmatic, idolatrous, unethical, cultic, diseased, suppressive, controlling, restrictive, malignant, deceptive, dim, crazy, weird, dystopic, stifling, uncaring, plantigrade, grim, unsympathetic, jargon-spouting, censorious, secretive, aggressive, mind-numbing, arassive, poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, socially-retarded, puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good.

    2. That’s like reading a book on psychology: I know I’m in there somewhere.

  15. Cmon Mark don’t sugar coat it! So I guess they’re not invited to the suite at Dodger Stadium this year

    1. Oh, I checked last week on suites. $9K for 15 people.

      I like you guys…but not that much. Better idea: Come to Indy and I’ll entertain you at a table for four in the Elements Club:

      https://www.milb.com/indianapolis/tickets/club

      $300 Bux for a Table for four… includes food and beer. Not a bad deal. I have two tables tonight… and it’s the best ticket in town.

      I might go up to Ft. Wayne on Monday to see the GLL.

  16. I agree that we need to let the facts come out on the Bauer situation and we have primarily heard from only one side. But at a minimum, Bauer’s actions are a distraction to the team and exhibited poor judgement, if not criminal acts.
    I never liked the idea of paying Bauer $85 million guaranteed for two years given his spotty history on the field. And coming off of a championship title, it just did not seem right to pay Bauer $42 million per year while paying Buehler $4 million and Urias $3.6 million. As I recall, at the press conference announcing Bauer signing, Friedman said that we should trust him and the front office given their track record. On the field, Bauer has been solid and reliable although nowhere near a $40 million pitcher. And even if Bauer is cleared of wrongdoing in this matter, in my opinion, the Dodgers and Friedman have lost some of that trust.

    1. It’s funny because it’s well known that if you are handing out a monster deal you have to factor in character. But because of the short term we kind of glossed over that part. Lesson learned.

      1. Not saying I agree with this reasoning, but I think it might been that it was a “monster deal”, but a comparatively short one. I.E…. not a Mookie type deal.

  17. I enjoy reading all of the opinions and information about the Trevor Bauer situation. I have said my piece about not rushing to judgement without all the facts. Mark has stated that perfectly and I have no more to add until there is new news.
    I will confess that I was all in on Bauer’s signing and had no problem with his mad scientist approach to pitching. I’m not blaming AF for not knowing what the future would hold for this guy.
    So on to baseball
    Scherzer is a craftsman. Very Maddux like with more juice. He works the edges like few can do. Seldom makes a mistake by missing in the middle of the plate. Players sort of motivate themselves by believing that they will see at least one hittable pitch per at bat. But with Max, that’s not the case. He’s a guy that you would think back on your 0 for 4 game and think there wasn’t a single pitch you really wanted to swing at.
    It sounds like some knowledgeable folks here think him coming to the Dodgers is highly unlikely or impossible. I wonder? Maybe an extension isn’t a bad idea and it’s not like we haven’t blown by the salary cap (I know, there is NO salary cap) with Bauer’s signing. Maybe Max is tired of pitching his ass off for a 500 team with a bullpen that pisses away his outings. I know nothing about it but I wouldn’t count AF out of trying. Maybe Bauer’s money won’t have to be paid. Who Knows?

    I know Gavin Lux has only 112 Major League games under his belt and 376 MLB at bats, hitting .221. For many, that’s too small a sample size to make long term judgements. But at some point, some performance in the present has to be considered. How long until Lux will run out of time? I think he has been given every opportunity, starting in Spring Training, to be the everyday second baseman. With Seager out, he became the everyday shortstop. It could have been Taylor instead. They stuck with Lux. But this is a performance business and Gavin is hitting .145, with a .427 OPS versus LHP. I would think that as we push to win the division again, after the break, Gavin will be a platoon guy at short with CT3. And when Seager is back, I would make CT3 the everyday guy second base. Lux’s role will be as a pinch hitter against RHP and spot starts at SS and 2nd. I’m not giving up on the kid but we need to put the best team on the field. At some point it won’t be a small sample size and maybe he just can’t hit lefties.
    I think Lux is better at SS than 2nd defensively. More comfortable and smoother. But while some Seager Bashers think Gavin is an improvement at SS, I don’t. I don’t see significantly greater range and the fielding % is very similar. In 47 games at SS Lux’s fielding % is .963. His MiLB fielding at SS was a mediocre .937. Seager is a career .967 guy at SS. Not otherworldly but combined with his bat, he’s invaluable to our stretch drive.
    It was nice to see Mookie get a couple of knocks last night. But just once I’d like to see him get a hack at one of those “get me over” 1st pitch fastballs. It’s meat and he takes it every single time. Ambush one of those.
    Can’t wait for more days of this Soap Opera we are living through these days.

    1. I enjoy the commentary by Phil Jones and generally agree with his comments. And everyone is entitled to their opinion.
      Phil commented about the Bauer matter and out of the blue singled out Adrian Dantley as an example of a selfish athlete. I am sure no else on this site cares about Dantley and most have never heard of him. But I have followed his career for almost 50 years. Sure he had an ego but he was also an Olympic champ, all American, and hall of fame pro basketball player. As best I can tell, he married his high school girlfriend, had three kids and has never had any run in with the law. He was soft spoken and played in the era of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas and Dr J. Even with nowhere near their talent or personality, he managed to compete and become an all star. He was not close to their level of player, but still led the league in scoring and was voted to the hall of fame. He later became an assistant coach to George Karl of the Nuggets. Recently he has worked as a school crossing guard and a youth basketball referee. He refs games for $35 to stay in shape and get out of the house. It seems that his ego is not too big to help out young people now.
      Here is a great article from a few years ago. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/03/30/from-nba-to-moco-rec-league-hall-of-famer-adrian-dantley-wont-change-his-stripes/

      Maybe you know much more about Adrian Dantley, his character, and some of his weaknesses. But to me he was a great basketball player and Brought years of enjoyment to many fans.
      Yes, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but bringing up Adrian Dantley in a discussion about this Trevor Bauer situation is an interesting one.
      Just one Adrian Dantley fan with an alternative view.
      Now back to Dodgers!

      1. RC, I mentioned Dantley because of my ego conversation, and only because I was friends with Frank Layton, Jerry Sloan, Hot Rod Huntley, Rich Kelly and Mark Eaton. I was close enough to them to have some insight into Adrian’s ego. which was huge at that time. Again that’s what drove him to be great. No doubt he was a tremendous scorer, listed at 6’8″ but actually 6’4″. He had a knack and drive to score. Sloan thought he was the most selfish player and would never be a good teammate. Dantley had a very ugly parting with the Jazz over a contract and other matters. Sloan was eventually wrong and Adrian relinquished his need to be the scoring champ and became a sub at the end with a loaded Piston team. You are right that he’s been a good citizen. My point was most people never meet somebody with that big of an ego. You can’t relate. But it worked for AD.

        1. Thanks for the info Phil. I appreciate your insights and the views of the former Jazz players. Very well stated!

    2. Lux might have SLIGHTLY better range, but he always seems to me to have a problem with his throws. Was even more evident on the shorter ones when he was playing 2nd. Too many first baseman having to jump or stretch way out in my book.
      Cheers

  18. Thinking back there were people in the media who rang alarm bells about Bauer. Sports radio host Mike Francesa in New York was vehemently outspoken in his opposition to Bauer coming to the Mets. I distinctly remember him calling Bauer a nutcase and saying no way would he want Bauer on the Mets. Course I thought Francesa I was full of s*** and thought it was great when the Dodgers signed him.

  19. Scherzer to the Dodgers? All depends on how the Nats play over the next few weeks. They play SD and SF for a total of 10 games before their schedule gets easier. Their minor leagues are not well stocked so moving him is very possible. I could easily see AF going for him.

  20. You know after watching the entire Astros fiasco, and the TOO BIG TO NAIL response from MLB , I’ve come expect MLB to take care of business at the expense of any true justice. And because that’s the bottom line I fully expect to see Bauer piitch again someday. Probably not this year but he will pitch again.

  21. Bauer is in my rear view mirror. His problems are his and not mine. He is in the public eye, so the whole thing is going to be not only a shit show, but a circus. Although I doubt they will, Scherzer, if DC is selling, makes some sense. A 2 year extension would take him to age 38. Verlander was 34 when he left the Tigers for Houston, and he pitched great after that. Who’s to say that Mad Max would not shine with an offense that can put up runs in bunches? What ever happens you can bet that AF is already looking for solutions. Joseph Kelly stole the show at the White House yesterday with his Mariachi jacket. I only read two blogs regularly, this one and Think Blue Planning Committee. Dennis is a good writer and we have become friends. He sends me rookie cards once in a while, and he has a lot of knowledge about the Dodgers for a guy who lives in Pennsylvania. I think Lux will still be the starting second baseman once Seager is back simply because it allows them to use Taylor in his utility role. But I like his bat in there every night myself.

  22. Seven in a row going into tonight with our ace on the mound.

    I think we keep the ball rolling and are officially out of our offensive doldrums.

    Pen is fairly rested too.

  23. If LA wins the next two, when they leave DC the Nats will be a sub .500 team. I thought during the winter that the Dodgers should kick the tires on Tajuan Walker. He is currently 6-3 and today he is throwing a no hitter through 5 at the Yankees. Yankees are reeling. Ohtani hit 2 more dingers last night in the Angels walk off win and scored the winning run. He now has 30, a new Angel high before the All Star break. Lots of minor trades going on right now. The Rays have been really active making another with the Marlins today.

  24. Well Matt Kemp did not make the Olympic team, but 2 exe Dodgers did, Scott Kazmir and Edwin Jackson. Todd Frazier made the team too. It is being managed by old friend Mike Scioscia.

  25. Tonight’s winning lineup:

    RF Mookie
    2B Max
    3B Justin
    CF Cody
    C Will
    1B Albert
    SS Gavin
    LF AJ
    P Clayton

    1. McKinstry has an .812 OPS against righthanders while Pujols has a .367 OPS. Go figure why Pujols over McKinstry.

      This Bauer stuff sucks, MLB takes forever to come to a conclusion.

      One thing I’ve learned is that you gotta give up something to get something especially if you want a difference maker. Which makes the Bauer stuff suck even more.

      1. It’s not my money so we’re just down a starter.

        I guarantee AF is kicking some tires. We have some players who might be interesting to another team.

        Peters, Jackson & Carson Taylor for ???

  26. Alanna Rizzo has been named to the board of directors for the Roberto Clemente Museum. Congrats on that. They really need a new girl to replace Watson. She is a terrible interviewer and bland as they come.

    1. Not to be sexist but I don’t understand hiring someone for their beauty and then never show her?

      1. Well we have different tastes. I do not think Watson is all that attractive, felt the same way about Rizzo. But Alanna had good interview skills, and a lot more knowledge of the game than Watson does. News services and people like ESPN are more into the beauty thing on the female side. Some of the NFL sideline reporters are pretty nice looking but lack skills.

        1. Not sexist at all, just my opinion. I always liked the women I dated to be classy and have some brains. I dated a few who were pretty good looking, but that was never the main reason.

  27. A couple of days ago, I was suggesting the Dodgers trade Barnes to try to parlay him into a reliever. A lot changes in a week, eh?

    Bauer is in Limbo, Gonsolin is injured for the second time in 3 years, Kershaw is on an expiring contract, Gray is injured, May won’t be back until half way through next year, apparently Price is no longer a starter, most think that Urias is fading. This pitching staff has more question marks than The Riddler’s onesie.

    Regardless of the Bauer situation, Scherzer would be a coup de gras if we were able to acquire him. A two year extension seems reasonable for a guy that’s pitching the way his is but, he’ll be 39 at the end of those two years. He’s also had some health issues as recent as last year.

    Beyond Scherzer, there’s no other obvious ace types on expiring deals. In fact, it’s hard to imagine there will be many if any pitchers that have the upside of our own David Price, who coincidentally is pegged to start that bullpen game tomorrow.

    Washington seems to very thin in the catching department at the minor league level making them a good trading partner.

    Personally, I have always loved Scherzer and his crazy eyes are just the icing on top. He’s cut out of the Curt Schilling mold, a tough and vicious competitor. Like PJ says, he’s has immaculate control and has wicked movement to go along with it and enough heat to get the job done. I would trade for him in a heartbeat regardless of Bauer’s future and I’m sure AF has already spoken to the Nats about him.

    Now we just need to keep sweeping them into sub 500 territory to nudge them into the seller column at the deadline.

          1. A lot of it has to do with shoulder fatigue. It was never stated he was injured per se. No, he does not look 100 % yet, but he has not been stretched out a lot yet either.

    2. Why do you think that so many think Urias is wearing down? Just because he is in uncharted territory as far as inning pitched in a season? I mean, last night he was up against a guy everyone is drooling over right on this thread. He gave up the same ER, one less hit, had almost an inning less pitches & very close on strike %. I at least do not think you could use last night as an example. He buckled down, even though his mates almost blew it for him via sloppy play. REALLY glad he got the win, the way he hung in there.
      Cheers!

      1. I think so many think Urias is wearing down because it is suggested by many on this site as well as on the broadcasts during the games. Personally, I’m looking at 2+2=4 in the sense that we aren’t halfway through the season, and he’s already eclipsed his most innings pitched in a season. It just stands to reason that he’ll wear down.

          1. My only point is we can use another starter, I prefer to reach for the stuff on the top shelf. 😉

            If you have too many, Urias is deadly in the pen.

  28. Allana had personality. She also had a rapport with the players
    I thought Allana was attractive, she just didn’t always present herself that way

  29. I don’t know why so many of you dump on Watson and think Alanna is so great. I watch High Heat some and I think Alanna is subpar at best. Her replacement, the few times I’ve seen her, seems to be poised and vibrant. By the way, I have enjoyed Tim Neverette the last few games. A lot of background about the players and his Maxwell with the Silver Bat comment was great.
    For $40,000,000 per year, you’d think your employee would have a fair amount of common sense relative to their behavior away from work. Apparently not!

    1. Bauer’s been in the league for 10 years. He was quirky but who could’ve imagined something like this could occur OBTW according to Allanas career a lot of people think she’s pretty great

    2. Mainly because Alanna sounded like she knew what she was talking about and her delivery was more serious and to the point. Watson seems very sweet, but her high pitched voice fluctuations grind like fingernails on a chalkboard. She’s not very convincing that she knows what she’s saying. Kinda like Joe Biden, but obviously not THAT bad.

      I think Watson is more attractive and charismatic. She’s likeable despite her flaws and her looks keep you distracted enough to find her a sub-par but acceptable replacement.

      2. I thought Alanna was great at her job. She looked good to me but that’s not my main concern with that job. Watson looks fine but is paid to talk and she’s no good at it. One long, monotone, run-on sentence with no pauses or voice inflections. I want to take a breath for her. It’s like she’s reading a script as fast as she can while mumbling down her shirt. And her choice of words and phrases indicated she doesn’t know baseball. The beauty queens are great, like Heidi Watney, but I prefer folks who know their business and can talk. Holly Rowe is awesome but didn’t get her position by winning the Miss America Pageant, no offense intended to her. Yoo often, the Network folks think looks matter more than skill,

      1. Christopher Russo is the most obnoxious person on the planet and never has anything intelligent to say. He’s an East Coast Dodger hater and his views are completely skewed by his East Coast bias.

  30. She might have great career stats but I still don’t enjoy watching her. Sorta like Barry Bonds for example.
    Just my opinion; I’m not trying to alter her career or change anyone’s mind.

    2. Strange comparison, but to each his own
      Last comment got caught up in moderation

  31. Schwarber has a significant strain. Dontrelle was asked who’s gonna win, he says the Dodgers pay him so he’s picking the Dodgers. Maybe the Dodgers should make a donation to the Pasadena police dept. **Kidding**

    Game is on Fox. Don’t go to SportsnetLA.

  35. Looks like Kershaw was upset with Smith, you can read his lips he said I can’t hear you with a pissed off look on his face

      1. I’m sorry I just don’t remember Kershaw, looking into home plate and growling like that. I thought someone else might have a take on it

  38. Cameron Gibbens just now pitched 2 scoreless innings to close the game for Great Lakes Loons. Out of the 6 outs he got 5 of them were strike outs.

    Coming into the game he had a 1.03 WHIP and a 17.7 K/9 rate. This guy needs to be promoted to AA or AAA. I’m high on this guy.

  39. Bucks and Suns in the NBA finals….. Gotta admire Pujols hustle. Had he just loafed down the line, they might not have taken the lead.Tony Cingrani purchased and activated by the Cubs, Pads lose to Phillies again.

  40. Polllock just can’t hit that down and away slider from a right hander
    Or should I say he can’t lay off of it makes him a bad every time

    1. Can’t hit up and in either. Great win for Dodgers tonight!! Joe Kelly and Bickford didn’t look as sharp tonight but got it done. Kelly threw 25 pitches. Our bullpen is doing it but it could be getting weary. Bad time to have a delay game with bullpen game tomorrow. Kershaw was pitching well but umpire squeezed him in Gomes bat. The bullpen has been doing well because the names have changed but tomorrow we may b back to the Ucetas. However, hopefully we sweep but to come in with a hot national team and win 3 is darn good.

      1. Might be, but he drove in the go ahead run even if it was a dribbler down the line. Looks like a line drive in the scorebook. Jansen was not sharp to start either, but he finished with a flurry. Game is at 8:05 in the morning Pacific time, 9:05 here. No pitchers announced for LA yet, Ross going for the Nats. Giants got the win late, so we are still 1/2 game back, but the Pads lost and now are 4 games back of LA.

  42. I was amused by the comments about Alanna and Kirsten. Alanna seems more professional, more knowledgeable, better prepared. Kirsten seems to have trouble balancing the looks requirements and trying to learn baseball on the fly (didn’t she come from a football assignment?). I just think she’s out of place. It’s a shame the role is so limited by the powers-that-be. I wish they’d hire someone with an athletic background who can do meaningful analysis. I’d settle for someone who looks like Nomar!

    1. I prefer Nomar to Orel any day, I think Hershiser talks way too much. And he over analyzes ball movement and pitchers tendency’s,, Davis has grown on me a little, but not much. I know he had an impossible task of replacing a legend. But he still is too much of a Joe Buck clone to me, and I cannot stand Buck. Kirsten seems like a nice person, but she also is totally out of her league. She has zero baseball knowledge, and her interviews with players are strained. Alanna had a good rapport with players, and since she spoke Spanish, she could interview the ones who are not so good in English in their own language. ESPN uses women’s softball players on some of their broadcasts and they at least know the game some.

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