Wallace Wade Moon, born 4/3/1930 in Bay Arkansas, was the son of Henry Albert Moon and the former Margie Leona Vernon. He was the second of their three children. Bay is a swampy hamlet by some railroad tracks. Henry was a factory worker who later became mayor of Bay. Henry would read every sports page he could get his hands on. Wally was named after Alabama football coach, Wallace Wade. Alabama had won the Rose Bowl. In his early childhood, Moon was called ” Booger “, because he was afraid of the ” Booger Man”.
Wally and his brother, David, would use an empty Pet milk can as a ball and hit it with a bat made by their father. They helped pick cotton on the family farm and hired themselves out to neighbors for other chores at a quarter a day. They did however charge 50 cents to clean an outhouse.
His high school did not have enough boys to field a baseball team, but Wally played guard in basketball and excelled in American Legion baseball. Pirates scout Ziggy Sears offered him 1000 dollars to sign, but his dad preached the value of an education. Sears helped arrange a scholarship to Texas A&M. Half for baseball and half for basketball. He was not only the first of his family to go to college, he was the first from his high school.
From Bay, Arkansas, population 400, to A&M, with its 8,000 students, was a much longer trip than a 600-mile train ride. Living in a house with no indoor plumbing, Moon had never seen a shower. And despite the pedigree of his given name, he had never seen a football game. A definite disadvantage for the freshman Aggie.
Wally was an all-Southwest Conference outfielder, and as such, he attracted the attention of major league scouts. After his junior year, he was offered 18,000$ by the Tigers. His dad though did not want him to spend his time on the bench as a bonus baby. Bert studied the rosters of the interested teams and determined that the Cardinals had few left-handed batters like his son. He steered Wally to St. Louis for a $6,000 bonus. That was ok with Wally since he had grown up listening to Cardinal games with his grandfather. The team agreed to let him play ball part-time while he finished his degree.
When the 49-50 school year ended, he began his professional career with a brief time at AA Houston, before he was sent to Class-A Omaha. After hitting .315, he went back to school for his senior year. When he graduated in June of 51, the Cardinals refused to raise his 300$ a month salary. He became a holdout. He found a better-paying job as the Aggie’s freshman baseball coach, and he began work on his master’s degree in educational administration. He also met, Bettye Knowles, a fellow student who would become his wife.
He reported to Omaha for the last 16 games of the season and then headed back to classes. Master’s degree in hand, he was back on the same ballfield in June of 52. He was now a full-time ballplayer. Sent to AAA Rochester the following year he slashed .307/382/504. But that was not enough for a promotion. He was slated to return to AAA in 1954.
Moon had had enough of the minors, he showed up uninvited at the Cardinal’s spring camp. Manager, Eddie Stanky did not kick him out. Instead, he gave him ample playing time. Wally had a head start on most of his teammates because he had played winter ball in Venezuela. “I gambled on everything,” he said. “If I hit a single, I’d try for two. If I had two, I would go for three. I tried to catch everything I had the slightest chance for in the outfield. I ran everywhere.”
He played several games in right field, and one writer suggested he was being groomed to replace Enos Slaughter eventually. One day Slaughter stopped at Moon’s locker. “Don’t worry“, the veteran said. “You are not going to take my job.” But eventually turned out to be now, Slaughter was traded to the Yankees just before opening day, and Moon became a starter as a rookie.
The 54 Cardinals, led by Musial, scored the most runs in the National League, but weak pitching found them in sixth place. Playing CF and leading off, Wally had a pair of 5 hit games and a 13-game hitting streak. He had a great July and it boosted his average as high as .343. He was contending for the batting title until he was derailed by a September swoon. He finished in the top 10 in runs, hits, triples, and steals. He got 17 of 24 votes for Rookie of the Year. Banks got four and Aaron received one. Gene Conley got the other two.
Over the next three years, the Cardinals were over .500 only once, when they finished second to the Braves in 57. Wally established himself as a productive hitter and a hustler in the Slaughter tradition. He was the cover photo of Sports Illustrated in April of 57. His manager, Fred Hutchinson, said he wished all of his players were like Moon. A 24-game hitting streak and the publicity led to his first All-Star game selection.
In May of 58, Moon injured his elbow when he collided with Joe Cunningham chasing an Orlando Cepeda flyball. Cunningham, who usually was the first baseman, was playing the outfield so the aging Musial could play first. Moon’s elbow was injured when Cunningham fell on him. He never regained his batting stroke or his regular job, finishing at .238.
The front office blamed Moon and the fading Del Ennis for the team’s fall to fifth place. Moon still admired his manager. He said if you can’t play for Fred, you can’t play for anyone. The Cardinals traded Moon to the Dodgers that December and Wally was not happy. He and his wife had purchased a home in St. Louis so he could be closer to family.
He was also insulted when he found out it was not even a straight-up swap. The Dodgers sent Gino Cimoli, who in their eyes was a disappointment to the Cardinals for Moon and Pitcher Phil Paine. Fresco Thompson explained the trade this way, ” Moon has 80% ability, but gives you 90%. Cimoli has 90% ability but gives you 75%. For the record, the trade was grand larceny by the Dodgers. Cimoli spent one season in St. Louis and did not even come close to the year Wally had in L.A. He was in the majors until 1965. But never reached the potential he showed in Brooklyn in 57. He finished with 44 HRs in his career.
Moon came to a team that had gotten old overnight and a crowded outfield. But there were questions for sure. Snider had a bad knee, Furillo, who was now 37, could not play every day, Don Demeter had not really come into his own, and rookie, Ron Fairly, was barely a year away from having led USC to a win in the college world series. Bavasi had promised to revamp the team, but Moon was his only significant acquisition.
The club was really struggling to stay above .500 in June when Bavasi delivered the overhaul, from his own vast farm system. He called up Roger Craig, whose dead arm had made him a forgotten man, Larry Sherry, who had a very mediocre minor league record. In desperation, he gave a nine-year minor-league veteran a chance to take over at SS for the struggling Don Zimmer, Maury Wills.
All three reinvented themselves. Craig, after losing his fastball became a sinker-slider pitcher. Sherry learned the slider from his brother Norm, who was a catcher in the Dodger system, and Wills, encouraged by AAA manager, Bobby Bragan, had become a switch-hitter. In 59 they held two All-Star games and Moon started both. The only time in his career he did so. Moon, Neal, and Gilliam were the only everyday starters. Alston platooned everywhere else, mixing the infirm with the flawed. The Dodgers hung in a three-way race with the Braves and the young Giants. On August 30, the Giants were in first with the Braves and Dodgers three games back.
The Giants and Dodgers met in L.A. The Giants were leading, 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth. Neal was aboard on an error, and then Moon lined one off of the LF screen that caromed around with Neal scoring and Moon getting to third. The Dodgers then won on a walk-off error by Willie McCovey.
The next night, a glimpse of things to come was seen when wild young lefty, Sandy Koufax, struck out 18 Giants, tying Bob Feller’s MLB mark. ( side note, I was listening to this game on my transistor radio.). The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth. L.A. got two men on base, and before he came to the plate, Moon turned to Norm Larker, who was on deck, and said ” You can take a seat Norm, I have got this game won, Man, I am going to hit one out of here.” Moon then lofted one over the left-field screen for the walk-off win. It was as Vinny said, “A Moon shot!”. The Dodgers were now only one game back. Moon later would credit former teammate, Stan Musial for telling him to learn that inside-out swing and take advantage of the short LF wall.
Calling his own shot was completely out of character for the normally humble Moon. As the race tightened in September, Moon seemed to be in the middle of every Dodger rally. He hit three homers in a doubleheader sweep of the Pirates. In the next game, he hit another towards the screen. The Russians had just landed the first unmanned probe on the Moon, and this is where Vinny coined the phrase, It’s another Moon shot! Over a six-game stretch, he hit six homers.
Because of Moon, who had an OPS of 1.081 with 8 homers in the last 25 games of the season, and Maury Wills, who was hitting .215 going into September, but turned it on the last two weeks, slashing .453/.482/.547. Craig posted a 1.01 ERA the final month, and Sherry a 1.78. The Dodgers passed the Giants and finished tied with the Braves. They then won a 2-game playoff, the second game in the 12th inning on a walk-off single by forgotten man, Carl Furillo.
Moon slashed .302//.394/.495, the best season of his career to that time. He also said Alston did the best job of managing he had ever seen. Alston said the win was a team effort, but Wally was by far the most consistent Dodger. He added 19 HRs and 11 triples to his resume. He tied Neal for the league lead in triples. He finished 4th in the MVP vote behind Banks, Mathews, and Aaron.
The Dodgers would win the series in six. But a pivotable moment happened in game two in Chicago. With the Dodgers leading 4-2 in the 8th inning. Chicago had two runners on board when Al Smith hit a shot to LF, Moon faked a catch as the ball hit the outfield wall, and that froze the runners, Moon then retrieved the ball, and fired it into Wills, whose relay to Roseboro, cut down Lollar, who was the tying run.
Moon used his 11,000-dollar World Series share to purchase a home on two acres in the San Fernando Valley where his neighbors were teammate, Duke Snider, and another famous Duke, John Wayne. Singing cowboy, Tex Ritter lived there also. Moon’s son, Wally Joe, became friends with Ritter’s son, John. He would go on to star in “Three’s Company” on T.V. Moons kids were given a cocker spaniel by Sandy Koufax named, Dr. Pepper.
Wally started a baseball camp for boys and invested in a sporting goods store. And like many of the Dodgers, he had his turn in front of a camera playing a sheriff in a Wagon Train episode. He was very active in his church. Baseball was still his main job, and he was very determined to do it well. He would take a long time to unwind after games, and sometimes his wife would serve him dinner at 3 AM. He had two more very good seasons, winning a gold glove in 1960, and having a .434 OBP in 61 while batting .328. The Dodgers moved to Dodger Stadium in 1962. Today, the 11th of April, 2022, is the 60th anniversary of the first game played there. Moon was glad to leave. Even though he had been very successful there, he had changed his batting stance and fielding habits and had never played the way he was trained to.
The Dodgers now had a young outfield in 62 with T. Davis in left, Willie Davis in center, and Howard in right. Moon, moving to first base, tripped over his glove fielding a grounder and he joined Duke Snider on the bench. Bavasi said he could not afford to have two high-priced players on the bench, Moon was making 42,000 and Snider 38,000. So in April, 63, he sold Snider, a 16-year Dodger, to the Mets. Moon said he should have been the one to leave.
In 65, after four years as a part-time player, Wally was an afterthought at age 35. Asked if he was unhappy with his role he replied, ” You have to admit, it beats picking cotton.” Moon ended his career in the sixth game of the 65 series, grounding out as a pinch hitter. Bavasi had offered to let him go to Japan where a lucrative contract was waiting. But he declined.
Moon was a team representative to the players union, which in those days was pretty toothless. Playing two all-star games for a couple of years was a way of boosting the pension fund, which for a 10-year man amounted to around 100 dollars a month. Wally had discovered that when the teams began using air travel exclusively, the team took out insurance policy’s on the players. But the team was the beneficiary, not the family.
After Moon retired, the union hired Marvin Miller, who had worked as a Steelworkers economist, as the first full-time Executive Director. Miller was never one to avoid a confrontation and turned the union into one of the most successful unions in the history of the US. Moon admired Millers’ accomplishments, but not his style. ” I am not a Marvin Miller fan,” he said, ” the thought of a strike never entered my mind.”
Now retired, Wally went to work as head baseball coach and athletic director of John Brown University, a small Christian school in Siloam Springs Arkansas. The school is named for a preacher, not the abolitionist. Bettye was delighted to move closer to home, although the older children were not. She put her teaching degree to use teaching at Siloam Springs High School.
Moon spent 10 seasons as the coach, with one detour, he spent the 69 season as hitting coach for the expansion San Diego Padres, where Buzzie Bavasi was part-owner. He wanted to get back into professional baseball as a manager, but he quit after one year since he disliked being away from his family.
Even though John Brown could not entice high-end recruits because of its location and strict bible doctrine, Moon still managed to put together winning teams. Seven of his players went pro, none made the majors. He was active in Democratic politics in the state and served as statewide chairman to modernize Arkansas county governments.
In the fall of 1976, Bobby Bragan, former Dodger, and now president of the Texas League, called Moon out of the blue with a proposition. He wanted Moon to buy the leagues San Antonio franchise. Wally told him that college coaches do not get rich. But Bragan put on the hard sell. The team was a Dodgers affiliate, had an experienced GM in place, and the city was going to build a new ballpark. All this could be had for 50,000 dollars.
Moon bought the gold mine, and just like Jerry Reed’s song, he got the shaft. The GM quit before the 77 season. Moon had planned on being an absentee owner but now had to take over to protect his investment. He installed his 23-year-old son, Wally Joe as GM, and learned his way around San Antonio hawking tickets. There weren’t many takes as his attendance the first year was only 53,000. The San Antonio Spurs, who had just joined the NBA were soaking up sponsorship dollars and the city did not build the ballpark.
He was forced to share a field with a college team in a sketchy neighborhood. After some fan’s tires were slashed, Moon hired a teenage gang to guard the parking lot and the vandalism mysteriously stopped. Moon figured he lost $100,000 by the time he sold the team three years later.
Moon had moved his family to Bryan Texas. He worked in real estate in the 80s, but he still yearned to get back into professional baseball. Roland Hemond hired him to manage a Yankee farm team in 87. But he was fired midway through his second season. He went to the Orioles organization when Hemond moved there. He managed the Frederick team for a while. He served as a hitting instructor for the O’s until 1995 when he finally retired because his wife had contracted Parkinson’s disease. ” The Lord has blessed us.” He said. Wally passed away on February 9, 2018, in Bryan Texas.
Thanks, Bear for bringing Wally Moon back to life for me.
I became a Dodger fan in 1963 when I was 9 years old, and Wally Moon was running on fumes. He was a sub in 63 and in 64 and 65 he was ready to retire.
Thanks for the memories…
You are welcome Mark. I remember listening to Vin call games on my transistor in my bedroom. Magical year 59 was. Sorry you missed Wally in his prime.
Moon shots at the Coliseum. That’s the one thing I remember most about Wally Moon. Great article Bear. Very informative! Yesterday’s ideas on this site on numerous topics were well written ,debated fair ,balanced ,and respectful to all The way it should be.
Happy Easter to all! Enjoy precious time with family and friends on this Special Day!
I wish I could have found a video of the fake he put on the White Sox in the Series. It basically saved that game. Lollar was slow, so his holding up because he thought Moon caught the ball cost the Sox a run. It was one of the smartest plays during a World Series I have ever seen.
After May 1, rosters will have 26 players from May 2 through Aug. 31, which will allow teams to have 13 position players and 13 pitchers. The Dodgers will have multiple decisions to make. They will have to add one position player possibly not on the 40 man roster from the minors. They will have cut more than 3 pitchers at least 5 from the current 16 man pitching staff to make room for Bickford and Kahnle who will return shortly.
Any thoughts from people here what the 26 man roster will look like after May 1?
Certainly, Zach McKinstry and Jake Lamb have to be in the equation as well as Kevin Pillar for position players… I guess Jason Martin and Eddy Alvarez have to get some consideration and what has Ryan Noda done wrong?
I would guess it is Lamb because he can opt-out. Pillar probably can too.
Tommy Kahnle will likely be activated so that means 3 pitchers must come off. My guess:
White
Cleavinger
Price (trade)
If not Price, then Phillips…. maybe all 4 if Bickford is ready!
Maybe Bauer gets traded.
Well, it is possible… but I do not believe it is likely.
I could see a trade of 3 or 4 arms for a couple of young arms (think A+)
So what will happen if TB shows up today??
I guess we will have to see… if it happens. I doubt it will.
Well, he certainly won’t be the starter for today’s game. But, would be extra funny if he was. Maybe he “piggy backs” Heaney for a while and they send down White to make room on the 26-man and cut 29 year old Nunez who has a 7.71 ERA so far in AAA to make room on the 40. Amaya is second place on my death pool.
I get a good hard laugh.
I saw a couple Moon shots in person. The crowds loved them. I loved them.
‘59 was a very special year for me. Though my first game and first team was the Kansas City A’s, I was 10 when we left KC for Southern California and the Dodgers had just arrived. What a fit that was for me. Baseball stars I could go see several times a year with my grandfather. Moon was a part of that. Thanks Bear. Well done, again.
I admit I have no clue regarding roster spots. No matter what we should remain deep. I would guess the most versatile bench player and Bickford/Kahnle.
I saw one. But I heard Vinny call a few. But he could take the ball to left at the coliseum at will it seemed.
As far as roster decisions go, I’m with Mark in that something is going to have to be done with all the pitching they’ve compiled, eventually. However, most of the guys on the team have minor league options which is why you see so many on the IL with return dates pushed into the distant future. They need to make sure guys like Bickford, Ferguson, V-Gone are right as rain before activating them for a long season. All three of them have options remaining, so they don’t HAVE to put them on the 26 man.
They obviously don’t need an army of old lefties to be swing men, so yeah David Price, Tyler Anderson and maybe Andrew Heaney will see another uniform this year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see IL trips for any of them, but lefty starters are good to have, so it isn’t guaranteed that they’ll jettison any of the them without a clear need. Maybe they just wait it out until the trade deadline when everyone is desperate for pitching.
And yes, the team has surprisingly few position players on the 40 man, and several of them are taken up by guys that aren’t going to see any significant time on the roster this year, like Leonard, Amaya and Vivas. Lamb is no longer doing well. The best hitters to date at AAA are Noda, Alvarez, Pillar and Z-Mack. Z-Mack is the most versatile of the bunch and is the only one of them that’s currently on the 40. So, he’s the best bet to called up if things remain the same. That said, I could see them adding another position player to the 40 at some point in time. Alvarez is a middle infielder capable of playing SS, 2B and 3B and is a switchy. Noda plays OF, 1B and is a left handed bat. Pillar is / was Cody insurance, a very good defensive CF with a borderline bat. That point is moot now as Cody is outhitting Pillar’s career numbers in the early going. I would say an addition from any of those three would be based on injury and a need at the time.
The elephant in the room will need a roster spot if and when he’s finally activated. He’ll also need a tune up in the Minors, I would expect. When that decision is finally made, my best guess would be to cut bait on Nunez (because they have so many left handed relievers), or Amaya (because he just isn’t good enough to play this year and slick fielding no hit shortstops are littered throughout the minor leagues). Until then, Price is auditioning as a lefty reliever and Heaney and Anderson and pretty redundant swingmen / long relievers. Who knows, it may just be the Catman that ends up in the pen. It’s kind of a coin flip between him and Heaney for that last rotation spot for me.
My prediction. When the rosters get chopped, Bauer will not be activated immediately since he’ll still be in limbo or on a rehab assignment. White, Cleavinger, Bruhil get sent down and McKinstry is added. Kahnle will be added shortly after and at that time Vesia gets sent down.
The 13 man staff will be…
Rotation Bueller, Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Heaney
Lefty Bullpen Price, Anderson, Vesia
Righty Bullpen Phillips, Hudson, Graterol, Treinen, Kimbrel
Barring injuries or trades…
When Kahnle comes up, Vesia is sent down.
When Bauer is activated, Graterol gets a vacation and Gonsolin joins the pen.
Ferguson, Bruhil, White, Vesia, Cleavinger, Bickford, Ferguson, V-Gone, Graterol, Grove, Jackson all have minor league options so there is no “Need” to have them on the 26 man roster, so they will be called up when others get “injured” and need a rest.
It’s funny how perfect everything fits together. The genius of AF is on full display.
No way Graterol gets a vacation.
Apparently you didn’t read this very closely. It’s a numbers game. Ultimately, here are the pitchers that won’t get sent down…
Rotation Buller, Urias, Kershaw, Heaney, Bauer
Lefty bullpen Price, Anderson
Righty bullpen Phillips, Hudson, Graterol, Treinen, Kimbrel
That leaves Gonsolin over Graterol as the two guys with options remaining. So you’re vote is Gonsolin getting sent down? More experience, better ERA, K rate, etc.? Please defend your bold claim.
Or, you imagine a trade after one month or so, or a straight DFA of a guy making millions?
Gonsolin walks to many. Rather have Graterol in relief and have Gonsolin work on his control. Haven’t seen to much of Graterol so far this season though.
Do you really think either Graterol or Gonsolin are going to be sent down? I thought Graterol is the next closer?
Yes, I do think either Graterol or Gonsolin will be sent down, or someone else will go to the IL. I thought this out pretty thoroughly and that’s the result I came up with. I don’t think sending Graterol to the minors and him being the next closer are mutually exclusive events. Gonsolin can work on not throwing as many pitches just the same as Graterol working on swing and miss.
You can trade someone to make room, but April and May trades are rare for a reason. You have supply, but demand is less, so the price will be less. That doesn’t sound like AF to me. I think he would want to hold onto guys as long as possible, control the workload of the guys he wants at the end of the season in the minors. Then extract the most he can at the deadline unless he gets a strong offer beforehand. I just think that’s less likely due to the lack of trades historically in April and May.
Once Kahnle and Bauer are activated, Graterol and Gonso are the only remaining pitchers that have options. So, if Phillips is doing well, high strikeouts, high velo, low ERA / WHIP / AveAgainst, they’ll keep him since he’s pre-arb and out of options.
I highly doubt they cut Anderson or Heaney because if they continue to pitch well, they might return a solid prospect or a lower lever lottery ticket. Price is in the same boat.
No one currently is pitching bad enough to just cut. Of course, that could change over the next few weeks since Bauer won’t be ready to join the rotation by then even under a best case scenario. You already have to cut someone from the 40 just to get Bauer on the roster. I don’t think they’ll cut two guys when capable options exist that aren’t far off from the guys that don’t have options.
What’s your plan? I’m all ears.
You are assuming Bauer will be back. Until there is definitive proof, that is not happening. You are also keeping two long men. Price and Anderson. I think Gonsolin will remain in the rotation until some decision comes down on Bauer, and even then, Bauer is not just going to step into the rotation. Bold claim? No, opinion. That kid is effective in his role. Gonsolin cannot do his role.
That Greene kid has some gas. More than a couple pitches hit 103. 39 pitches over 100. Turner finally timed on and boom, 2-0. Cody hit a couple of real hard shots to right. Muncy still does not look like Muncy.
OK, we offer Gonsolin, Lamb and five other guys for Hunter Greene….
Seriously, the Reds have an awful lineup, especially with the ROY India hurt.
Often I look at box scores and wonder which guy on the other side could crack the Dodgers lineup. Usually only one or two. Maybe another about equal. Reds do have Votto, who had a good year last year, but this may be his last year.
It’s very nice to Heaney and Urias have such good games–a six-game winning streak!–but competition is always a factor.
You might get the Reds GM to laugh out loud before he hangs up, but that’s about all you’d get out of that offer.
SP Andrew Heaney L
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Turner R
C Will Smith R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF Chris Taylor R
2B Gavin Lux L
0% Rain
71° Wind 8 mph Out
Deadspin is generally terrible. It’s politically slanted and has a political agenda, and it attempts to politicize sports, and this article used the usual tropes of appealing to racial and gender grievances to make unfounded accusations.
However …
Even recognizing its bias, the article made an interesting point and gave some additional evidence. Apparently there is another accuser who has a similar story from 2017. I’m not sure if this accusation emerged before or after the incident last summer, but if it was out there before, then that’s a problem for Bauer.
If he’s suspended, it might be just as much for this old incident as it is for the one that happened with the Dodgers.
https://deadspin.com/mlb-please-don-t-reinstate-trevor-bauer-anytime-soon-1848802613?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=_twitter
Anyone see the Joe Maddon galaxy brain move to walk Cory Seager with the bases loaded? I actually feel bad for the Angels and their fans. I should be one. I was born and raised a few minutes from the Big A. They should be my team, and they have a great stadium with great fans and a great atmosphere. It’s a pity Trout and Ohtani and Rendon are wasted because ownership gets in its own way.
Dodger fans no all to well how bad ownership can ruin a team. Still can’t believe Moreno nixed the Stripling/Pages/Pederson trade.
Because Artie Moreno is a MORON!!
If that trade had gone through it would have been considered the worst trade of Friedman’s tenure. That Rengifo guy hasn’t really panned out. AF needs to send Arte a thank you card.
Mushers, it was so ridiculously one-sided, it probably wasn’t reported correctly. Stripling/Pages/Pederson for just Renjifo makes it hard to believe that AF made that offer. I almost crapped my pants thinking that Pages would be traded in that deal, much less Stripling and Pederson.
The one in 2017 was most likely an extortion attempt. I have that from someone close to the case
Trout’s reaction to the Seager bases loaded walk last night.
Non verbal communications.
https://twitter.com/yebscore/status/1515356726106759169?s=21&t=NR5r6k1RjgPMJcWMFXVZDA
So you read Deadspin patch. Yeah, me too. Love their Good Writering Award. That’s a good writering piece on Bauer. I think he should show up for work and if denied he should slap a lawsuit on them.
Of course not. I don’t really care for being spoon fed propaganda, but I did try to read this article with an open mind. Most of its arguments were undermined by its own bias and bath faith, but I did find the evidence about the previous victim, as presented, to be at least worthy of consideration, and, if true, to be a compelling new wrinkle.
Critical thinking is a great thing.
We’re all spoon fed propaganda. You really believe you have the handle on what’s true?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn3IG2U827g
Dennis Leary is dead!
Do you?
To accuse others of being “on the wrong side of History” is a pretty bold position to take if you’re also saying that we are all subject to propaganda.
One would think that realization would make you a little more circumspect and less likely to label and mischaracterize others.
Ya know! Open minded!
Just my opinion patch.
If we are all subject to propaganda and our own biases, what if I told you that everything you ever believed, assumed to be true or been told is, in fact, all a lie? …
https://images.app.goo.gl/mZsWMBDew3M7jgGd7
Well, the mystics tell us it’s all illusion. I believe them.
This is an example of an owner with an ego and need for control getting in the way of his GM. It’s a Steinbrenner complex. I mean Arte Moreno’s story is inspiring – son of Mexican immigrants, fought in Vietnam, started with really nothing and worked his way up in a company that sold billboards and made a fortune. He needs to let smart baseball people just build a baseball organization.
Despite being a Dodger fan, I had Angels season tickets for several years in the late 90s through 2001 (yes, I gave them up the year before they made the WS). They were simply vastly cheaper than Dodgers and Anaheim is much closer (with a fraction of the traffic).
Disney ownership was not popular. They did make investments in the stadium which were needed. But they weren’t popular. But they did bring the Angels their only WS championship. They did built one of the best minor league systems in baseball over the next decade under his ownership. And proceeded to not do a damn thing with it. In the past decade or so they haven’t invested in the farm system. Haven’t been terribly active in the international market.
I know from people in the org that he interferes with every aspect of the team. I also know for a fact that the Pujols signing (while popular with fans at the time) was 100% Arte. He was negotiating a new TV deal with Fox sports at the time. The sides were very far apart ($500m or so). The team had no major star at the time (Trout was still just a prospect). The Pujols signing got Arte the number he wanted. $250m for Pujols over 10 got him $500m+ over 20. So Pujols more than paid for his own contract. And Arte is sitting on an unrealized gain of somewhere around $1.75 billion on his initial investment. Yet he has tied the hands of his baseball operations year after year.
An example of interference. My buddy works in their farm system. Arte has forbidden any minor league team from using the likeness of any players on the Angels 40 man roster. So while the Dodger farm teams give away Mookie or Urias bobbleheads, Angels fans get the likes of David Eckstien.
One playoff win in a decade.
I don’t believe the Angels will be a consistent contender until he sells the team. Sad for Angels fans. Happy to be a Dodger fan.
*I wonder if Doc sent a memo to Rios last week – “Hey Edwin, I’d like to get you into the lineup Saturday Night against the Reds. I know you haven’t played in a week but you need AB’s. By the way you’ll be facing Shane Greene so turn the BP machine up to 103 to get ready. Good luck”
* Top 5 – Stephenson hits a laser to Muncy with overspin. Muncy makes a quick business decision to ole that baby for self preservation. I can hear my dad somewhere up there saying “you gotta get in front of that ball. Move your feet. Knock it down!” Yup take 100 off the ole chest. And old painful way to get outs.
* The depth of the pen these days amazes me. Phillips come in and his first pitch is an 86 mph, Mr. Snappy, slider. To be followed with 96, then a sweeping curve. Ho hum. Just another guy with stuff.
* Greene comes out in the 6th with less fastball. Instead of 102 it’s 99 middle down to Barnes who slaps a single to right, then it’s 99 in to Trea, who hits it out. So it’s the 3 mph plus the fact that big league hitters have amazing ability to time bullets and adjust to a pitcher the 2nd time through.
* Bellinger’s timing is getting better and better. So good to see him not rushed and tardy. Getting better and bless his ass for staying with it thru the frustration.
I hope you were listening closely when Joe Davis was explaining why the National League stayed with the DH for 42 years. The 40 year Fishing Trip. Great piece of baseball’s forgotten history.
DODGERS RECALL PHIL BICKFORD
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford and optioned left-handed pitcher Garrett Cleavinger.
Bickford, 26, appeared in four games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA (1 ER/3.0 IP) with three strikeouts and .100 batting average against. Last season, he went 4-2 with a 2.50 ERA (14 ER/50.1 IP) and 59 strikeouts with the Dodgers. The Southern California native was originally drafted by the Giants with the 18th overall pick in the 2015 First Year Player Draft.
Cleavinger, 28, appeared in one game for the Dodgers this season, allowing one run on two hits in 0.2 innings. He has spent parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues with Philadelphia (2020) and Los Angeles (2021-22) and he is combined 2-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 24 games (one start). The southpaw was acquired by the Dodgers on December 29, 2020 in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.
What was AF thinking when he signed Heaney and Anderson and resigning Kershaw! He’s just throwing money around and away! Farhan was the real brains behind Dodger acquisitions and talent evaluator!
Resigning Kershaw was a no-brainer but it took some thinking with Heaney and Anderson. I think luck is the biggest factor with Farhan but have to admit he did field the best Giants team ever. As much as I hate giving props there.
Considering how thin the starting pitching is, and the fact that their best starting prospects are at least a year away, it makes sense. Heaney has been fine in his two starts and Anderson has been nails out of the pen. He is more like a fall back option now in case of injury. Let AF do the brainstorming. He knows what he is doing.
Whoever it was in the in the Dodgers organization who recognized that Heaney is fixable must be working with some serious black magic. What is going on?
It’s like I have said several times. His stuff did not match his record. I think the Dodgers had scoped him out and figured there were just a few tweaks that would make him worth the risk. So far, it has worked, but the league will adjust… can he? This is why you don’t get too high or too low when you see some success… You have to let it play out.
I think the one of the other prospects from the Angels – Stripling trade has been identified. I just forget whom.
Can you imagine this happening in baseball?
https://twitter.com/timandfriends/status/1515551832189419520
Well, the mystics tell us it’s all illusion. I believe them.
I think that was said already.
Yep. Illusion.
I think it was Marsh
It now appears Dodgers share division lead only with Giants for at least one more day. Hopefully that changes soon and Dodgers won’t be looking back after. These Dodgers look to have the strongest lineup ever and I don’t see their equal in either league. Health seems the only possible thing that could get in the way of a 2022 championship through my lens and so far is no visible issue. Knock on wood everybody and then……Amen! Cheers!!!!
Comment in jail. Help!
It was just a throwaway post poking the badger, but still.
Wonder if the new Legal Eagle VP the Dodgers hired was brought on board to handle Bauer? It could be one lawsuit after another from TB unless someone stands up to him.
Bear, thanks for the great story on Wally Moon. He was my first favorite Dodger when I became a fan in 1959. Such a magical year!