What’s In A Name?

Posted By on June 16, 2023

Not too long ago, there was a minor movement to rename the Dodgers. Not sure who started it, but it died pretty quickly. I think some wanted the name to reflect in some ways, the city in which they now play. I did not see any suggestions online. And at this point I could only speculate who started all of this.

As most fans who follow the team already know, the Dodgers have had several names in their history. They were first formed in 1883 and were called the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, they joined the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantic’s. For a while in the late 1880’s they were called the Bridegrooms since six of their players got married during the 1888 season. In 1890, they joined the NL and won the Championship. And that is the year the MLB history of the Dodgers truly begins.

In the late 1890’s they got players from the defunct Baltimore franchise and were nicknamed the Superbas. This was after a famous traveling troupe of the times, Hanlon’s Superba. A circus act. They were for a while referred to as the Trolley Dodgers. This was because the borough’s street cars had recently went from horse drawn to electric power and were considered more dangerous. There were some other names used, Ward’s Wonders, when they were managed by John Montgomery Ward. None of these were official.

During the management reign of Wilbert Robinson, they were called the Robins. They stayed that way until he left after the 1931 season. Then the nickname Dodgers was first used. The teams legal name was the Brooklyn Baseball Club. Since 31 the name has stuck. And the franchises history and following has grown.

To the fans in Flatbush, they were affectionately called, Dem Bums. They were devastated when the team moved west. So, just for giggles, if you were going to change the name of the Los Angeles Dodgers, what would you call them? Can’t use Angelinos. Too close to the Angels. If I were choosing a name that reflected the city’s history, it might be Rancheros because of all of the rancheros that were in the area back in the late 1700’s up until statehood. Fire away!

This article has 160 Comments

  2. Conquistadors.

    Good come from behind win yesterday with outstanding work from the bullpen. Badly needed.
    Grove has good stuff but is too much in the zone when ahead in the count.

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. The Dodgers name is more than fine, as it honors the roots and history of baseball’s most noble franchise.
      But can we please get rid of that nonsensical name “the Lakers.” There is no great lore that connects the LA Lakers to George Mikan’s team.
      Seriously, can’t LA and Salt Lake City work out a swap? They can be the Lakers and LA can be the Jazz.

  3. After tonight there could be several options:

    1. Catholic Haters
    2. Muslim Bashers
    3. Jew Maligners
    4. Hindu Haters

    … I could go on and on, but let’s give all the religions equal hate time – and be sure to honor the haters! Let’s mock all the diverse religions equally.

    I think tonight at Dodger Stadium has the potential to be a debacle.

    Of course, the usual suspects will say, “let it go!” NO, YOU LET IT GO!

    I am not going to ignore what the mainstream media won’t discuss. Remember when you would get kicked off social media for saying COVID stated in a lab, that the vaccine had side effects and would not prevent COVID, or any number of things that did not go with their narrative? Well, most of it was BS and were just attempts to control our minds. MLB had BLM Night – one of the most corrupt organizations ever.

    Tonight is just another insidious way to get you to accept that you should believe a certain way and fall “lock-step” behind the beliefs you are told to obey. I have no problem with LGBT and fiercely defend their rights, but their rights do not trump mine and others. This is going to be a hugely divisive night and has the potential for a disaster.

    Anyone inciting violence should be dealt with quickly and decisively, but when you mock people’s beliefs, you are courting violence. I hope they have thought about this and have plenty of security on hand. Ignoring this will not make it go away. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have an absolute right to do whatever they want and mock whoever they want… they just should not be honored for it.

    End of Rant!

    1. Agree 100% with you, Mark.
      And don´t forget the climate debate. This is an even bigger hoax then Corona . Here in Germany the people are being bombarded 24/7 with doom and gloom agenda of the apocalyptical horsemen .

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. Turns out this is all just deploy to get rid of their aging Bud Light stock.
        Cheers

      2. For the sake of the world’s health we must take control.
        For the sake of the world’s climate we must take control.
        For the sake of the world’s
        inclusion and equity we must take control.
        For the sake of the worlds
        ……. we must take control.
        The powers to be want to control what we think, say and do! It’s a new day!

        1. I was SO close to posting a response to dodgerram with something to the effect, “And Bluto will enter the chat with his characteristic condescending snark in 3…2…1.” I figured that would have been unnecessarily snarky.

        2. Ah no, but human made climate change denier.
          Climate on this planet has always been changing-long before mankind took over, and will so until the sun explodes.
          I recommend the followoing documentary
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYhCQv5tNsQ
          among others about this topic.

          Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          1. I’ll stick to settled science, but enjoy YouTube. Its awesome! I get lost on table making videos and DIY repair.

          2. To say any science is settled is about the most unscientific thing anyone could say. LOL

    4. Well said Mark – I wonder what percentage of the population now knows of the Sisters when they had never heard of them before. Certainly me – Front page advertising you could never buy. I don’t care what other beliefs people have, just don’t ram them down my throat.

      I really enjoyed your “Fix’ column the other day – that was a lot to digest – just carry on and fun how things even out. Personally I am a Dodger fan and also just a sports fan so I think it is really refreshing that the D-Backs are operating on all eight cylinders, would be sporting if they win the West. But of course lose in the playoffs.

      Thanks for all the great posts to everyone

    5. So there is a report on TrueBlueLA that the street thugs who call themselves the Proud Boys will gather at Lot 13.
      They are not in the “live and let live” camp. They do not turn the other cheek. They will be, presumably, standing back and standing by, but eager to jump into action. (I assume the LAPD will be on hand too.)
      Meanwhile, there are also news reports that America’s neo-Nazis are planning a “day of action” tomorrow, eager to promote their bigotry as a reaction to the gay pride events and Monday’s Juneteeth observance.

  4. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”
    As a Christian, I am called to replace anger and violence, with prayer!

    1. Unfortunately, the people who oppose you and your sentiment are becoming more and more comfortable with using violence and intimidation.

      I’m not Christian, but I believe that Christianity has been, on a whole, good for civilization exactly because of sentiment like this.

      1. I’m not Christian, but I respect all religious viewpoints that coincide with what Cassidy just quoted.

        All faiths have very similar mantras; this is why I’ve always liked Cassidy (well this and the fact that he gets under Bear’s skin)

        1. Aww cmon Bobby, he does not get under my skin. He just is like a small skin rash, irritating at times. I actually like Cassidy.

    2. Emmit Sheehan, come on up!
      Whew, big day. I wish the pitching staff wasn’t so fragile, but it’s exciting that the young talent gets these opportunities. A bit surprised Sheehan was picked ahead of Knack.
      I hope one of these minor league starters get a chance to pitch relief in the majors. This used to be a common approach, but the Dodgers now seem to groom pitchers for one role or the other at an early stage.
      Meanwhile, I’m glad the Dodgers are being patient with Outman’s struggles. Amid all those Ks lately he came up with a key single to set Taylor’s slam.
      Looking forward to Bobby Miller’s next gem….
      Also hoping that DeLuca sees more action soon.

      1. Outman is not going to get better at AAA and neither is Vargas.

        Outman has a lot of work to do as does Vargas but this si where they should be.

    1. i think it could happen. Announced attendance (which includes season pass holders) is never as high as physical attendance.

  7. Emmet Sheehan will be added to the 40-man roster and will start tonight’s game.

      1. Not the way you want to see the farm implemented (injury’s). But i love see the kids brought up.

    2. Love it!!! Keep them coming!!! Let’s see what the Dodger future looks like.

  8. Los Angeles Shit holes…….Because that’s what the city (state) has turned into….a giant shit hole

      1. You guys crack me up. How many of you actually live here?

        SoCal rocks.

        We have same issues as Podunk, Iowa – just in larger quantities. And too much media.

        1. Lots of older and crankier people on this site, Blunderfull.

          Stay for the baseball stuff, and take the other stuff with a smile is my (unsolicited) attitude.

        2. I was born there in LA> Lived there for most of my life. I also drove long haul trucks so I have visited almost every major large city in this country, including LA-SF-NY-Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati and many others. So Cal does not rock. Hasn’t in years. The traffic is brutal, the politics extremely left wing. You have homeless camping on the streets almost all over the place. Trust me when I say, LA of the 60’s was a much nicer place to live. Even into the early 90’s you could go a lot of places and it was at least clean. Now, it is a dump. Trash everywhere, graffiti on overpasses and buildings. And some of the most obnoxious people you ever want to meet. So don’t tell me how great it is. I lived there, and left. I know the difference. Detroit, LA , Chicago and New York, would not live in any of them ever. Even Denver, which used to be a cool place to live, has become so much like LA people are leaving.

          1. Much of what you say is true about big cities. While living on East Coast when potholes or homeless issues flared up the ‘New York is a wasteland’ or ‘ Boston is too provincial’ or ‘too many poor Irish’ talk fired up.

            These ‘sisters’ are just typical west side drag queens looking to bug people & flame out for cameras. I’m surprised so many are taking them seriously.

        3. I do live in southern CA. And I’ve seen it decline considerably in the last decade. A buddy of mine was assaulted (sucker punched in the face) by a transient last month. The POS was let out of jail, despite having outstanding warrants, in a few hours.

          A mentally deranged drug addict with multiple prior arrests is now stalking my buddy and threatening him at his business on a daily basis. Police say they can’t do anything about it and to only call if he assaults him again. He can’t take out a restraining order because the POS has no known address for the courts to send out a process server. So he just has a chronic felon harassing him everyday and there isn’t a damn thing he can do about it. Unless he assaults him with a weapon, he won’t even spend a night in jail.

          That did not happen 10 years ago. Chronic, violent individuals went to jail.

          Sorry, CA deserved much if the criticism it’s been receiving.

          1. My sis works at the Star Clinic in downtown LA. There are homeless and druggies everywhere. The only reason I do not worry a lot about her safety is because they have a security guard and secure parking. The clinic serves the transients and the addicted. She is an RN, and she used to work at Harbor General Hospital in Carson. It too is a dump, but it is the only county hospital in the area and it serves all of the underprivileged and homeless. You want to see a real dump, just check out Pelosi’s district in SF, which she does not live in, and Maxine Waters district in LA, which she does not live in either. I even dislike going to Dodger Stadium anymore when I am out there because the traffic, and getting out of the ballpark after the game are brutal. I would rather go to Rancho and see a game where it is a whole lot less expensive and a lot more fan friendly. I actually enjoy going to games at Coors. Seats are cheaper, and it is fun ragging on Rockies fans.

          1. If you never leave your gated neighborhood, it does look that way in So CA. Many people can just be blissfully dismissive. But spent anytime in any downtown, even the smaller cities, and the crap is everywhere. My city has 75k people. Walk the 4 blocks of the old downtown on any random day and you will run into at least half a dozen insane transients. Talking to themselves. Yelling. Sleeping next to dumpsters. Smoking drugs. It’s become so bad!

          2. And to Bears point. Yes, that’s why my son and I have gone to so many Rancho games. That is a clean, safe place. Rancho Cucamonga is one of the few cities that really does a good job.

  9. Sheesh Timmons, we want to talk baseball not your extreme beliefs. And YES THEY ARE.

    1. Judging by the sentiment here in the comments I think it’s pretty apparent that you’re beliefs are in the distinct minority.

  10. The now Inland Empire 66ers, who are an Angels affiliate, once held a contest to choose their new name in the late 80s. I remember one of the contestants was the Smog Dogs. It stuck with me. I’ll go with that one, although, since they introduced the catalytic converter in cars, the smog that was a huge problem when I was a kid is not nearly as bad anymore.

    Anyone remember 2nd and even 3rd stage smog alerts?

    1. Everything gets better.

      We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice

      1. The law of entropy disagrees.

        “They can be read no more forever. They were a fortress of strength; but, what invading foeman could never do, the silent artillery of time has done; the leveling of its walls.”

      2. Are you an observer of human history? Everything gets better? How can an inanimate universe have a moral law?

        1. Joke or serious Cassidy?

          If the former, I really have no interest in discussing here. But Pinker (the non-language stuff, but that’s great too), Rawls, Rorty, many others. King, obviously.

  11. Heck I remember climbing under your desk at school for the nuclear alerts! And running behind the mosquito DDT trucks taking in all the “fog!” Ahh, the good ole days!

    1. If you’ve ever suffered bedbugs you likely developed at least some respect for DDT. If ypu’ve not had that bad experience DDT is the reason you didn’t. Evil creatures. I went nearly 70 years not knowing what a bedbug was.

        1. Who would know that better than you.
          Mr.”I believe in settled science”.Lol. Is that the same “settled science” as in the Corona thing ?
          That “settled science” that was wrong on almost every single point ?

          It is men and women like you that makes it so easy for government , NGOs , big business, big pharma etc. to take control of everything , taking away our freedom and our money.

          Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          P.S. Science is never settled. It is an ongoing process . And there is no such thing as “The” science.

          1. I think its safe to say that if you view Pharma, business, and government as antagonists then you are in a vastly different headspace than I.

            Going back to where i was, i the science settled on the Dinosaurs existing? The world being round?

          2. “I think its safe to say that if you view Pharma, business, and government as antagonists then you are in a vastly different headspace than I.”

            Which, to me, is the most amazing thing about our current state of politics.

            Is wasn’t that long ago that left leaning people were skeptical of huge corporations, that they had an innate mistrust of government power, especially the intelligence community. They supported free speech and free expression. They fiercely opposed anything they perceived as censorship. I remember when “Question Authority” was a t-shirt slogan popular among liberals. Their identity was rooted in being non-conformist.

            Above all, left leaning people were anti-war. You could ALWAYS count on that.

            Now, if you voice any skepticism or concern that the war in Ukraine and our support of it could escalate into something cataclysmically destructive you get called a “Putin lover.” “You’re doing the bidding of Putin!” LOL.

            The total inversion is actually quite amazing to witness. It wasn’t that long ago that Ralph Nader was a revered figure on the left, that Dennis Kucinich was potential nominee for the Democratic ticket. True liberals from even 10-15 years ago would be deeply appalled and shocked that a Democratic administration was even attempting attempting to create a “Disinformation Governance Board,” or that the FBI was working with social media companies to throttle certain kinds of speech.

            Left leaning sentiment is now deeply authoritarian and conformist.

  13. Technical question regarding mlb.tv
    Since yesterday the games will not start when I use Firefox. Starts and runs well with other browsers . Thought it was only temporary or something wrong with my Firefox but I emptied the cache and cookies.
    Anybody else with the same bug ?

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. I haven’t used Firefox in a decade. So can’t help you.

      I use Brave (Chrome engine, I believe) without problem.

      1. Call the mlb.tv customer service. Those tech folks are actually really helpful and will get it figured out for you.

  15. LOL this has basically become a far right political sight at this point. You people are bonkers.

    1. Bingo !! Sad actually considering how liberal So. Cal is. Strange that some here are even fans of a team from a city you all seem to hate.

      2. Things:
        1. This blog and its participants are what? 20 people? 30? (regular contributors)
        2. That’s nothing
        3. The great thing about the Internet is that allows and facilitates self-sorting. Some see this as a major negative. But my point is, it’s easy for like minded people (even in relative small #s) to find common-cause.
        4. Most of the conversation doesn’t go into these moral outrage areas.
        5. Most of the conversation is pretty high-level, IMO.

          1. I guess it depends on your threshold and definition.

            To make it more clear, I would not vote for Trump or Biden. Both should be in prison.

            … and Science is not always “settled.” It is always “evolving.”

      5. I was a 10 year old when the Dodgers moved to my home town, LA. I was a fan of the team a couple of years before that. When I became an adult, and joined the Army, I followed them all the time. I have never lost my loyalty for the team. The city of Los Angeles and the state, which I used to defend and get offended if someone tried to put down, I no longer do that. It is not the city or state I grew up loving. The cost of living is through the roof, taxes are too high, politicians too radical, and the people have changed a lot. Used to be you didn’t lock your doors in LA,, now they have bars on the windows. I rode the train with my sis to go to Oregon to visit my daughter. We went through almost all of the cities heading north except SF> Homeless camps right next to the tracks, Sacramento was as bad as Portland, which is a total dump. I don’t hate the city or the state, I despise what they have become.

    2. I have zero issue with Pride Night. None. I am also an atheist who is highly critical of most organized religions. But critical does not equal disrespectful. It does not equal vulgar. And being disrespectful and vulgar towards any religion has NO place in baseball.

      Believing that this group has no business at a ballgame full of families is far right?

      That is insane.

      https://twitter.com/SFSisters/status/1511042141195317266?s=20

      1. I agree. My dislike is simply because they are a hate group. I am not religious, haven’t been in years. But targeting a specific religion then dressing up totally in drag as nuns? That kind of group has no business being paraded in front of kids. Let alone being given an award.

        1. 100%. I’ve previously made the comparison to George Carlin. I was a huge fan. But his act had no business at a MLB game. No business in front of young children. I’m a free speech absolutists. This group of people have a right to do whatever they want. But for the Dodgers to give them an award? Entirely inappropriate. I don’t think that is political. Or at least it wasn’t.

  16. Hot left, cold right and shit don’t run uphill. Energy equals mass times the speed of light times the speed of light. AND Dodgers have the coolest team name in all of sports

  17. So, who do we have pitching tonight? I don’t see anyone listed yet? I assume another bullpen day….another frustrating day…..probably another loss.

    Hard to believe we don’t have anyone in the minors who can step up to the plate and fill in. I mean Thor set a low bar….4 innings, 5 runs. Surely someone in the minors, besides Grove who pitched last night, could at least do that. I thought we had a great minor league system….is Bobby Miller the only one?

  18. * I will quietly skip tonight’s game and festivities for personal reasons and watch the College World Series and golf. My reason is pretty simple. It’s Bullshit.
    * Dylan Cease is tough. I love that short little arm circle. Great porno statch too. Second runner up in the Freddie Mercury look alike contest.
    * It’s pretty comforting to having Freeman up with the bases juiced, 0 outs, in the bottom of the 11th.
    * Great job by the bullpen to put up donuts for the final 7 innings.Nice to see that after the tough stretch they’ve been through.
    * The ESPN crew tagged Jake Burger with the “Burger King” monikered . They whiffed on the fact that early this season, the Sox also had Oscar Colas, in the line up. They only needed Pete Fries, who played in 1883, to have lunch.
    * Joe was stunned when Rojas tried to bunt bottom 11. “you don’t often see that” and “desperate times”., as Joe described the 1 fouled off, bunt attempt.
    I did not realize that The Dodgers have zero sac bunts on the year. So all the times I’ve lobbied for a sac bunt in this situation to move the winning run to 3rd for the top of the order, I was wasting my breath.
    But it didn’t matter, Grandal did the job for us.
    * I was thinking how difficult it is to maintain a fresh bullpen these days. So the mission is to ask starter to go deep into the game, now days 6 or 7 innings. All the while to limiting their pitch counts, to under 100, to maintain arm health throughout the season (especially with all the injuries to starting pitchers). All while trying to get ahead in a count so they can nibble around the edges and not throw strikes when ahead in the count. 2 or 3 chase pitches are normal. Throwing “balls” is an art form.
    And that’s all necessary to save the bullpen from overwork.
    Added together, that’s impossible to do.
    I couldn’t find the stats on Baseball Reference or StatCast, so I figure this out myself. I looked at the outings by our 8 starting pitchers for the season so far, including May, Urias, CK, Gonsolin, Thor, Grove, Miller and Stone. They have averaged 5 innings per start and 83 pitches per start. That includes “quality starts” and starts that ended early due to ineffectiveness.
    It’s no wonder a bullpen gets stressed.
    The highest pitch countCK=105,May=104,Miller=104,Urias=100,Thor=96,Gonzo=94, Grove=92 and Stone=79.
    And most of the higher pitch counts happened in April and early May. That’s counterintuitive to me. I would expect pitch counts to increase over the season as arm strength builds. It appears teams now take the opposite approach, choosing to keep pitch counts down to prevent wear and tear.
    So pitchers were expected to go 125 pitches safely just a few years ago. Then, the magic number was 100. Now we are at 83 pitches per game. That is 2.5 innings more per game now then when 125 was the magic number. 2.5 more innings per game that have been turned over to a bullpen. No wonder they wear out.
    By the way, if anyone smarter than me know how to sort this stuff out on StatCast or Baseball Reference, please coach me up.

    1. Not sure I follow Phil, I don’t think the Dodgers expect their pitchers to only get to 83 pitches. That’s just what they’ve experienced this year.

      As for what the actual # is for amount of innings expected, it must vary by pitcher, situation and other metrics we aren’t privy to.

      BUT, they should and do expect more than 83 pitches in my silly perspective.

    2. If our number is 83, can anyone tell me what the MLB average is? What about the team with the highest number?

      I agree that the fewer innings a starter goes, the more stress on the bullpen. Maybe it’s time for MLB and the union to decide they need to add another roster spot for next year, to be used on a pitcher.

      1. I think they are going the OTHER way STB.

        There are interviews with Theo Epstein to limit the # of pitchers a team can carry to what I believe is one fewer than the current average. Don’t hold me to that.

        1. If you’re correct, Bluto, then obviously MLB is getting kickbacks from docs who do TJ surgeries.

          1. This quote alludes to and illuminates the basis of his thinking:

            “Fans have indicated through survey data and anecdotally that they really like when the starting pitcher is a protagonist in the game,” Epstein says. “The starting pitcher is the one player on the field enough over the course of the game that you can really get to know. You can follow his ups and downs, his triumphs and frustrations. You see the outcome of every pitch on his face—how he reacts and grows and suffers and overcomes. The starting pitcher is the main character. You can buy your tickets on the day he’s pitching and know he’s gonna be out there for a couple hours and experience that performance. Now, if you blink, there’s someone up in the pen in the fifth inning because you’re getting close to third time through.”

            The tenuous balance between efficiency and entertainment is the story of modern sports, and striking it takes immense rigor. Baseball has tilted too far toward pure dopamine hits: strikeouts, home runs, velocity, spin. A few palate-cleansing groundballs to second base surely would make the sugar bombs taste better—and make the game move faster.

            There’s an elegant solution to fix it, one that Epstein espouses to anyone in the commissioner’s office, ownership circles and front offices who will listen: limit pitchers on the active roster to 11. The upshot is clear. Starters would be duty-bound to go deeper into games. Organizations would require starters to throw more pitches in the minors, and even nonstarters would be pushed to throw multiple innings or else find themselves out of luck in a bullpen where it’s obligatory. The max-effort credo would fade away because only the most skilled can marry it with extended outings. Less max-effort pitching would mean easier-to-hit pitches—not to mention a newfound desire to induce contact from pitchers—and that would lead to quicker outs, more balls in play, a better pace and increased action.

          2. It will be interested to see if any real evidence can be put together over the next couple of years that increased velo coupled with less time between pitches is leading to more pitcher injuries.

            I agree with Theo’s basic premise, but not if it leads to most pitcher’s careers going the way of deGrom’s.

            And for what it’s worth, I’d love to see Theo replace Manfred tomorrow.

      2. STB, I did find a way to sort through information on Fan Graphs and come up with this 2023 information on starting pitching, league wide. 8761 innings in 1633 games. That’s 5.36 innings per start. Couldn’t find the pitch numbers but using an economical 16 pitches per inning, that’s optimistically, 86 pitches per start.

        1. Thanks, Phil. Looks like we’re probably right around league average, which is somewhat surprising considering the state of our starting rotation so far this year. Or maybe the difference between 86 and 83 is larger than I’m making it out to be.

    3. The general velocity today is much higher than it was in the past. I assume this puts more strain on the arms and leads to more injuries, more TJ surgeries, etc. And so the pitch count limits go down, down, down.
      It would be interesting to see a deep-dive study on this topic. Probably out there somewhere.
      A few months back, YouTube led me to an old Game of the Week broadcast. One of the pitchers was Todd Stottlemye. The announcer said he threw 90 and could reach 92. “So he brings the heat.”
      A generation later, those velocities apply to control, finesse pitchers.
      It’s surprising to me that, with the higher velocity, we don’t see more contact hitters like Arraez, Yoshida and Steven Kwan. I wonder to what degree Van Scoyoc and the other batting coaches are trying to get guys like Outman and Max and Taylor to hit more like Freddie. Easy to say, of course.

  20. Bluto, I don’t think I said “the Dodgers expect their pitchers to only get to 83 pitchers”. I think they expect 100. But there have been a number of times that they have pulled the plug on a pitcher who appeared to have an inning of two inning left in their arm. The early hook is likely based on not overextending the guy despite him cruising. Another is analytics as a determining factor. In the past guys got the hook when they got in trouble. You knew a pitcher was done when the hitters showed it. Now days guys get pulled because the stats say the guy shouldn’t go a 3rd time through the order or because the computer predicts the pitcher will struggle with the hitters coming up the next inning. So, whether it’s 83 or 100, it can tax a bullpen at least an extra inning.

    1. My bad, I guess I misread this:
      So pitchers were expected to go 125 pitches safely just a few years ago. Then, the magic number was 100. Now we are at 83 pitches per game.

  21. At first, the Dodgers did the right thing and told the Sisters of yada, yada to pound sand. Then, the Dodgers cupcaked and allowed this group to attend what promised to be a nice evening. I hope the night will be incident free. The Dodgers could look back on this absolute terrible decision and say that is when we lost the great Clayton Kershaw to the Texas Rangers.

    1. “The Dodgers could look back on this absolute terrible decision and say that is when we lost the great Clayton Kershaw to the Texas Rangers.”

      A month ago I would have said “no way” to this. Now my hunch is he’s gone. Texas is actually good now so he’d be going to a contender. That, and he’s likely come to the realization that his belief system is alien to the city in which he currently lives.

      1. I am not of the ilk that believes we all have to believe a certain way. Freedom of religion and other freedoms should be an absolute right in America. You have the right to marry who you want or not get married. You have the right to believe what you want to believe, but if I do not agree and you call me a bigot, it probably means that you are. I would not go to a Pride Parade, but neither would I picket it. Live and let live is my mantra, but you need to treat me the same way. I am not going to tell you you should be X Religion or should not be gay, but you can’t tell me that I have to embrace it as you do. RESPECT me and cut the BS. I will respect you. That’s a pretty middle-of-the-road viewpoint.

        1. I agree with you, Mark. I have my beliefs and others may be polar opposite. That is their right and I respect that. However, my beliefs should be respected in the same way. And, in today’s world, respect is lacking in many ways, and it is effecting our country in a negative way,

        2. Live and let live is a great philosophy.
          But it has it limits– because that is absolutely not what many religions and ideologies preach.
          They prefer that certain groups don’t exist. They prefer that these groups be exterminated, either literally or culturally
          So if you say, “live and let live,” do you step up to defend those who are seige? Or do you back away and say it’s not my fight?

          1. I hate seeing people get taken advantage of.

            I’m not the guy filming a mugging. I’m the guy mashing the mugger in the mouth.

  22. Bluto,

    In reply to your question about who I might vote for:

    1. Dem: RFK
    2. Rep.: Vivet Ramaswamy

    1. Thanks.

      I didn’t mean to be limited amongst declared candidates…

      But let’s leave it here. And get back to rosters and AA pitcher discussions!

  24. I am excited to see Sheehan.

    I am somewhat surprised to see him picked over Knack.

  25. To those of you who wonder how many people read this blog:

    For the past 6 months, the average is 6.3K a day.

    1. Impressive number!
      No doubt AF and Roberts are among the readers, trying to crowdsource some wisdom.

      1. It’s really not that impressive… when you compare it to our other websites.

        You may be surprised, but the Dodger PR staff puts together a dossier before every game of blogs and we are frequently represented. I am sure they are pissed at me.

  26. Thursday scores
    Oklahoma City vs. Salt Lake, canceled
    Springfield 4, Tulsa 1
    Great Lakes 3, Wisconsin 2
    San Jose 11, Rancho Cucamonga 4

    Friday schedule
    4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Maddux Bruns) vs. Wisconsin (Stiven Cruz)
    5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Stone) vs. Salt Lake (TBD)
    5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Nick Frasso) at Springfield (Logan Gragg)
    7 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chris Campos) at San Jose (Hayden Wynja)

  27. Greetings, oh brothers/sisters of perpetual Dodger fandom….hope all is well

    Quick request if I may: can anyone provide a Cliff notes version of a scouting report for Sheehan….I searched for some online but I prefer to hear from Mr. Timmons, Bear or philjones if any of these gentlemen have some info….thanks….

      1. Thank you for that link MT….I remember that post but didn’t watch the video….time constraints.

        Four pitches; because of the the increased velo on his fastball (with some run- nice), I would hope his change up becomes a plus pitch…..

        Thanks again….

  28. 10:10 PM ET

    Giants (36-32)
    Dodgers (39-30)

    SP Emmet Sheehan R
    0-0 .00 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    RF Mookie Betts R
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    DH J. Martinez R
    LF D. Peralta L
    2B M. Vargas R
    3B Chris Taylor R
    CF Jonny DeLuca R
    SS Miguel Rojas R

  29. I’ll bet we have more players on our roster whose uniform number is in the 80’s than any team in MLB history. (might have to take September out) Almost like watching a spring training game. You might throw the 70’s uniform numbers also.

  30. DODGERS SELECT EMMET SHEEHAN, RECALL MICHAEL BUSCH

    LOS ANGELES– The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan, recalled infielder Michael Busch, optioned right-handed pitcher Michael Grove to Triple-A and placed infielder Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to June 13.

    Sheehan, 23, will make his Major League debut tonight against the Giants. The right-hander was 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA (11 ER/53.1 IP) and 88 strikeouts in 12 starts for Double-A Tulsa. He led the Texas League in ERA, strikeouts, batting average against (.131) and WHIP (0.88). Last season, he split the season between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa, going a combined 7-2 with a 2.91 ERA (22 ER/68.0 IP) and 106 strikeouts. He appeared in the Arizona Fall League in 2022, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.54 ERA (8 ER/20.1 IP) and 24 strikeouts for the Glendale Desert Dogs. He was named the AFL Pitcher of the Week in Week 6 after going 1-0 with 10 strikeouts in five innings of work against the Peoria Javelinas. He has been in the Dodgers’ organization three years since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 First Year Player Draft out of Boston College and he is a combined 14-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 137 innings.

    Busch, 25, returns for his second stint with the Dodgers after going 4-for-19 with two RBI in seven games the first time. On Monday, he was named the Triple-A Player of the Week after slashing .500/.533/1.077 while going 13-for-26 in six games for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has appeared in 45 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, hitting .313 (55-for-176) with 15 doubles, seven homers and 38 RBI. He has been with the Dodgers organization since being drafted in the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 First Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina. In four minor league seasons, he has a hit a combined .274 (318-for-1161) with 80 doubles, 59 homers and 215 RBI.

    Grove, 26, pitched last night, tossing five innings, allowing four runs and striking out seven in the no decision. On the season, he is 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA (27 ER/30.0 IP) and 30 strikeouts. He has been with the Dodgers two seasons, and he is a combined 1-2 with a 6.37 ERA (42 ER/59.1 IP) and 54 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of West Virginia University.

    Muncy, 31, heads to the injured list for the first time this season and the fourth time in his career. He has appeared in 60 games for the Dodgers, hitting .191 with 18 homers and 45 RBI. He has been in the Majors parts of eight seasons with Oakland (2015-16) and Los Angeles (2018-2023) and has amassed 162 homers and 429 RBI in 772 career games. He was a signed as a minor league free agent by the Dodgers on April 28, 2017.

  31. Let’s hope Busch’s 3rd base skills have markedly improved since his last call up.

    1. They knew Manaea was coming in later so it would have been felony stupid to take him out so early.

  34. Sheehan living on borrowed time. He either better start throwing his secondaries for strikes, or throw all his pitches lower in the zone, ..or he’ll soon get tagged.

  35. for those of you that say they are not Christian. I assume that means that you do not believe in Jesus. I respect your right to believe whatever you want. I would, however, invite you to read the book by Lee Strobel titled “A Case For Christ.”. The consequences for being wrong are significant.

    1. Seen to much to believe there is any kind of super natural entity controlling our destiny, Never seen a ghost either. But I do believe people should be allowed to make their own life choices. I have.

  36. Our young bats lagging way behind our young arms. Love to see more of Sheehan’s slider. How far can he go with his no hitter?

    2. Agreed. The bullpen is doo doo. But of more concern is how bad are the injuries to Peralta and Taylor. The rooks need their chances, but I am not sure the team stays competitive if Peralta and Taylor and Muncy are out for any length of time.

  45. I have had seen enough of both Gaterol and Thor. From what I saw of Sheehan tonight, I want to see is the Dodgers bring up the entire Tulsa pitching staff that averages 95+ mph over the next few months to start and/or relieve….

  46. What a crying shame. These are the kind of things that have caused dissension for some teams in the past (Bullpen). Things can start to fester
    Roberts’ is known for being a players manager and handling the clubhouse well. But he’s never had a situation like this before.
    That last play was just unbelievable , they try to give it away and we just don’t take it.

  48. The Dodgers have become creative in finding different ways to lose games. The fact this team is somehow 8 games over .500 in no way reflects who they’ve really been over the last 26 games.

    1. And they lost a game in the standings to both the Giants and the Dirtbags. Could this bullpen be any worse? Vesia and Gonzalez to me have pitched their way back to the minors. Graterol made one bad pitch. But he did not lose the game, that is on Gonzalez and Vesia. Outman with two hits to left field, great. That is an improvement. Freddie is officially slumping. Vargas hasn’t hit a ball hard in two weeks. Rojas is showing why they signed him. Barnes has no business hitting for anyone. Peralta and Taylor with injuries at the worst possible time.

  51. Just woke to read and watch highlights of last night’s game.

    I’m speechless…..

    Who is Emmit Sheehan? I’ve not read much about him from you guys. I did not most of the outs were fly balls, not ground balls. It seems like his pitches are up a bit. Anyone else concerned about this for the long run? Nevertheless, I don’t mean to rob him of his glory…congrats to him for doing what he did…6 hitless innings is amazing. Too bad arguably the worst bullpen in baseball had to rob him of his first win.

    And now I see Taylor, Perralta, and Muncy are all out with injuries. It looks like it’s time to bring up 5 more guys from the farm and let’s just consider this year a stepping stone year and don’t fret about making the playoffs. What will be will be. Just keep trying with our youth….hopefully 20 year olds are stronger than 30 year olds.

Comments are closed.