Let’s Talk Dodger Baseball

Posted By on March 12, 2020

It’s not possible to address ANYTHING about the coronavirus without getting political and I won’t even explain that. We simply are not going to go there. PERIOD! This country has never been more divided politically than right about now and we are all here for Dodger baseball, so that is all we will talk about: the one thing that unites us.

That thing has been put on hold and we don’t know when it will be back, so what can we talk about in the meantime? I have an idea: Dodger Baseball.

Let’s go!

This article has 138 Comments

  1. Thank you.

    The last thing this place this needs is the rapid spread of the toxic political virus. It was starting to flare up in the last article.

    The ban needs to be enforced because some simply can’t help themselves. It’s a compulsion…like conjuring
    up hare brained trade scenarios.

    1. Not blaming anyone. We all are in this together… It’s just starting later than we imagined.

    2. Let’s trade Joc Pederson, Luke Raley, Kike Hernandez, Tyler White, Zach Reks, Yadier Alvarez, Yasiel Sierra, and AJ Pollock for Gerrit Cole.

  2. OK, I say May 3rd is the day the season will start..Do you have the over or under?

  3. Sorry, I have been tied up all day.

    A Water Quality convention in Orlando was canceled.

    A Cannabis Convention in Michigan was canceled.

    A Craft Beer Convention in San Antonio was canceled.

    We had more than $100K involved, so I was involved heavily. Thankfully, it was all refunded!

    We were also making Company plans for the Coronavirus if it hits our company.

    Just another day at the office….

  4. I never see any responses except from Mark, but I am a big Tony Gonsolin fan.
    When I watch him pitch I wonder every time whether he can keep this up. I just see excellence.
    There have been great articles recently on Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus
    Baseball America
    Topps Top 100: Who Has The Best Pitch Among The Top 100 Pitchers?
    Kyle Glaser: I might be going a little off the board here, but give me RHP Tony Gonsolin’s split-changeup. It’s a true 70-grade pitch that batters know is coming and still can’t do a thing about it. It comes in hard like a splitter, fades like a changeup and he commands it exceptionally to make it virtually unhittable. How unhittable? According to Statcast, major league batters hit just .182/.224/.250 against Gonsolin’s split-change last year with a 39 percent swing-and-miss rate. As he moves into his first full season, expect the legend of Gonsolin’s split-change to grow as more and more major league batters experience it.
    Baseball America
    Fifteen Players Turning Scouts’ Heads At 2020 Spring Training
    Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers
    Scout’s Take: “I really like him, even if it’s in a (Ross) Stripling type of role. I do think he’s going to be an impact guy for them. He’s going to bridge the gap that they’ll need because they’re going to go basically fourth and fifth starter by committee during the year. It’s really good stuff. He showed four pitches that he can throw for strikes that are all at least average to above average. The velo is there, he’s on the attack, the changeup looked really good. It’s all there.”
    And this is a rather long article from Baseball Prospectus
    PECOTA 2020: The Best Rookie Projections
    I like the way he pitches

    1. I have a subscription to BA and I think it’s well worth it. I never really checked out BP. Is it worth it?

      1. BA is excellent. BP is a notch below… but different.

        I subscribe to both and will continue to do so.

        The Athletic is also one I will continue.

        1. I love the Athletic. I pimp it on discussion boards all the time. It’s what ESPN should be. I dropped my ESPN subscription because it is so much better.

    2. I love Gonsolin.

      Maybe as a starter, but he could be great THIS YEAR out of the pen.

      1. I also like Gonsolin. Love is reserved for my wife. 🙂

        Like Bear said, he seems more ready than May and he’s good in both roles, starter and relief. He should take the Maeda role this year, if there will be one, and become the #5 starter and move to the bullpen in the latter part of the season. I am not an Alex Wood believer. I think he can be used as a trading chip later in the year towards the deadline. With Urias and Gonsolin rounding out the pitching rotation, we can bring Gonsolin along and groom him for whatever his ultimate role will be with the team. Or, if we move to a 6 man rotation, if Wood is healthy, Gonsolin could get the #6 spot.

    3. I agree with you Ray, I am very impressed with Tony Gonsolin. I truly hope he makes the opening day roster and think he will be an big asset to the Dodgers pitching staff. Besides, he loves cats as I do.

  5. I think Gonsolin is more MLB ready than May. I felt that way last year too. Roberts has said that most of the players have elected to stay in camp and work on keeping sharp and getting ready for when the season does start. I think we will only find that out when they get enough data on how bad this is going to be. But even if it is mid June, they could get in close to a 140 game season.

    1. Agree on Gonsolin last year. I was surprised May made the postseason roster rather than him.

  6. Thank you for focusing on Dodger Baseball.

    It’s a drag that we have to wait… but don’t let it drag s down.

    LA Dodger Talk is Family!

    1. I figure the wait will just give us more time to be super ready and Joc will have a chance to heal better. Wondering two things. Do the minor league players keep getting paid and will they make the season shorter? I hope so.

  8. Mark,

    Just wanted to commend you on how you are handling this virus situation on this blog. I had to quit a basketball blog because the political and off topic posts far outnumbered the basketball related ones. When I complained, I was called out by many posters as being a troll and who was I to dictate what people could talk about on a basketball blog.

    If people want or need info on topics not baseball related, there’s a whole world of web sites that can fill you in on the facts. No need to be lazy. Everyone must do their own homework.

  9. I have subscriptions to BA, BP, ESPN Plus or whatever it is and The Athletic.
    The problem is that one will have a great article but you can’t read it unless you subscribe.
    I just hit the subscribe button.
    I do read them all and it’s worth the few bucks I spend
    Being a Dodger fan since my first transistor radio (Thanks to Vin, 1962 or so)
    I love them all….sometimes

      1. Tony graduated from a school where my daughter got her BA, St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Ca. So, between cats, colleges and his extreme talent, he is near the top of my cheering list. This probably will not make sense to anyone but me, lol.

    1. Yes. Players are paid. They are under contract. The strike years were different. This is a non baseball issue problem so they have to be paid. Teams have insurance for precisely this kind of thing.

    3. The mlb players under contract will get paid, although their season may actually get extended. I would guess that they are treated like a salaried employee and receive weekly/monthly paychecks.
      However, I am not sure on the minor league players. They have a different contract, and my understanding is that Minor league players do not get paid during spring training. With the current situation resembling an extended spring training, I am not sure that minor league players will start getting paid until their seasons start. In any event, there will be hardships for minor leaguers because their housing arrangements in Arizona will be ending, and some may have already committed to housing in their minor league destinations. As usual the minor league players have it much tougher than the MLB players. Hopefully, the dodgers are accommodating the minor leaguers in this situation.

  11. I agree on Tony Gonsolin. He is major league ready regardless what role they assign him.

    Ruiz has a lot of work ahead of him. He needs at least one year of AAA.

    I hope Lux is the starting second baseman. He has done all he can at AAA.

  12. There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said.

    Maybe we can figure out some new stuff…

    1. I was just reading a historical survey of the dumbest presidents of all time and since that topic is off limits here I turned to the dumbest baseball players of all time. There’s actually a list. I figure that topic is probably not on the banned list here. It’s from BR. Without looking want to take a guess at who got voted the dumbest motherf*&$#$@ in the history of baseball? A few former Dodgers are on the list.

          2. Well Bobby Puig does seem to handle technology and social media better than the rest of us so i am not sure if he is that dumb . Might be crazy and inmature but i am not sure if he is dumb. I would also include Verdugo in that category. I did heard a story that one time Pedro Guerrero was in a trial for some felony and his wife told the judge that her husband was so dumb he could not handle money or had an idea what he was doing on a drug transaction. Not sure if that is true but i read it somewhere.

          4. Carlos, Pedro was implicated for trying to buy drugs in an undercover sting operation, the defense, no doubt clued to his lack of education by his wife, argued that Pedro did not understand the implications of the deal, since he could not handle simple daily tasks. He was acquitted. A few years ago he suffered a near fatal stroke.

        2. Shoeless Joe was not dumb, Shoeless Joe was an illiterate. Big difference. He did not have an education, and could not even write. That does not make him dumb by any stretch of the imagination. He was more influenced by pressure from his team mates and the fact that his best friend on the team was in on the throwing of the series than by being dumb. And I doubt he made many dumb plays when on the field, because he was one of the best who ever played the game. Just check his stats. Now dumb? Yasiel Puig is not dumb. His gaffs were simply because he did not go along with coaching. He though his way was the only way to play, and that is what he did, which is why he remains unsigned. But dumb, that is someone who makes blunders that affect the team over and over. Babe Herman comes to mind. Herman once tripled into a double play. The two runners ahead of him made mistakes of the own. The lead runner, who should have scored easily went back to 3rd and the second runner, not watching the lead runner went steaming into 3rd and stopped. Herman, who was not watching what was happening in front of him ran all the way to 3rd also. Now all 3 were at 3rd base. The throw to the third baseman and he tagged all 3 just to make sure. The ump called 2 of them out. Now that is dumb.

          1. Let me get this straight…. Herman beat the throw to third base and because the two base runners in front of him were standing there HE’s the idiot?

            I find a rather large hole in your theory.

          2. Herman was an idiot for not seeing what was happening in front of him. The other 2 players were idiots for not checking the flight of the ball and seeing the situation. Herman had a reputation as sort of a goof ball. But the guy could hit. Still owns the Dodger record for BA in a season at .393. in 1930. I just rechecked the game situation, The Dodgers had 3 men on base in the bottom of the 7th inning at Ebbets field against the Braves in 1926. Herman hit a ball off of the RF fence scoring the lead runner, Dazzy Vance who had been on 2nd was caught in a rundown but made it back to 3rd safely, meanwhile Chick Fewster who was on first kept right on going to 3rd, and right behind him with a full head of steam was Herman. They all ended up standing on the bag and were all tagged by the 3rd baseman, Eddie Taylor. Since Vance had occupied the base first, he was ok, but Herman and Fewster were tagged out ending the inning. I should have said he doubled into a double play. Odd note is that he drove in the winning run.

          3. Ok. You’re right. Dumb move.

            First Dodger fan: “The Dodgers have three men on base!”

            Second Dodger fan: “Oh yeah?…Which base?”

      2. I think a lot of the people being listed as dumb: Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Steve Howe, Milton Bradley, …Puig. I think for many of them, it’s less an issue of intellectual stupidity, but rather emotional stupidity. Believe it or not, there’s a difference.

        I think Puig is probably intelligent. I think one of his parents was a computer science professor in Cuba, so unless the apple fell far away from the tree, I don’t think he’s an idiot. Emotionally, he’s a complete effing retard to use a non-politically correct description.

        His lack of emotional intelligence does make for entertaining baseball, however, especially in base clearing brawls or the bat licking. I liked Puig as a personality. AF absolutely robbed the Reds with that trade, and all the naysayers on that other site really ought to be eating crow – but they won’t.

        Steve Howe was just a tragic figure, and there’s a difference between dumb and someone who is susceptible to addiction. He was just an addict. Same to some extent Straw and Gooden. I tend to wonder if coming from a disadvantaged background and the exposure to that cohort just makes making smart decisions as an adult harder. ….or is it really like Trading Places.

        I tend to think Shoeless, in addition to being illiterate, lacked the intelligence, or at least confidence, to be able to say no to the pressure, and also defend himself more vigorously.

        But….if you truly want to know, hands down, an MLB player who was actually dumb, it has to be this recent former Dodger (unless you cynically think it a ploy by his attorney 😉 ) …. He was able to learn English as a second language pretty ably when he came the States, so ..hmmm.. I also remember he didn’t care for playing 3rd, preferring left field because it allowed him to be able to think about his last at bat and analyze. Dumb people don’t do that.

        https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-01-sp-36291-story.html

        1. Oh….and just looking at that dopey expression on his face and hearing him give interviews, I get a sense that Mike Trout is probably dumber than a bag of hammers. Lunkhead.

  13. Just kind of curious how the Dodgers or for that matter all the MLB teams will handle their pitching staffs during this time. Do you rest your guys every other day, do you keep building up their pitch count, do you have sim games to keep them sharp? How much is too much throwing before the season starts? Also, do you stay in spring training as a team or everybody go home for a few weeks? Going to be real interesting to see how this plays out. Knowing the track record of the front office, I bet they have about 3 or 4 different plans in place. Freidman rarely gets caught with his guard down.

    1. My guess. for a couple of weeks the teams continue with regular routines, both pitching and hitting. Inter-squad games, or perhaps with fields that are shared (like Chisox and Dodgers at Camelback) they play each other on the main field. If the suspension of games extends much past April 1 then players will likely go home and stay in shape. Once MLB decides to start season there will be a short “spring training” before opening day.

    1. Good pick. I will also include Steve Howe for ruining his baseball career and life by using cocaine. Manny Ramirez brain never seemed to be fully engaged.

      1. Manny was a great player and very smart knowing pitchers and understanding the art of hitting. So very smart player who also avoided injury and knew what pitchers were trying to do.

        1. Who was a PED abuser who was caught twice. Throws 64 year old, Red Sox traveling secretary to the clubhouse floor over ticket dispute. DUMB and DUMBER!

          1. What about Pedro Martinez who threw at batter’s heads ? Who Threw Don Zimmer on the ground ? and is a hall of famer ?? Does he really deserves that ?. Or David Ortiz who also did PEDS as well as Mike Piazza ?? Manny Ramirez Took Dodgers to another level in 2008 and 2009 and took Matt Kemp and Andre Either and Martin to another level as well. Same as puig in 2013. If Puig was not on that team Dodgers do not win Division at all.

        2. Oh Carlos,
          Did you miss Mark’s non-political request and stated policy on today’s post or were there too many big words for you to understand? I’ve always felt that denigrating someone because of the color of their skin was about as low as whale poop at the bottom of the ocean. I would like to believe that this is not why you made the political commentary you did, but you’ve managed to set off my outrage for such insensitivity.

  15. Milton Bradley had anger issues. That does not make him dumb. Steve Howe had an addiction he could not ever get a handle on, does not make him dumb. A lot of people do dumb things, including me. I have had a couple of lulu’s. Smart people do dumb shit all the time. You could have included many players in that list who had addictions that cost them good careers. Pete Rose for example. His addiction to gambling has for the time being cost him his place in the Hall. No doubt, as a player, he belongs there. But his unwillingness to follow a very old rule was dumb. Bonds, Clemens, Palmiero, Giambi, all made dumb choices, and Bonds and Clemens are down to their last 2 shots for enshrinement. Giambi did not get enough support to stay on the ballot, and Palmiero , much like McGwire, shot himself in the foot with his vehement denials when the proof was right there in front of him. Dumb. Darryl Strawberry would be another example. You can go on and on. As Forrest Gump said, Stupid is as stupid does. Weirdly, that makes a ton of sense.

    1. Well the list I read was more or less based on Mother Gump’s declaration. Bradley, Strawberry and Manny were on the list. Gooden was #1. Interestingly enough, the Party of the most intelligent President in history? Democratic-Republican. Ironic, don’t you think?

      1. I read a list about that a couple of years ago. Do not remember the exact order, but I do know Kennedy was near the top. Baseball is a game, players are going to do something stupid at one point or another, famous one was Steve Lyon’s pulling down his pants while standing on first to get dirt out after a slide into the bag. Me, I knocked a Xacto knife off of my table that I use to build my models and it went deep into my legs. I was lucky it missed anything vital. DUMB.

          1. Once a Marine, always a Marine..Semper Fi, and OOOHRAH Dodger farm hand Roy Gleason was drafted, went to Nam, was wounded and his career ended.

      2. Jeffeson was a true polymath. Our country was very lucky to have him, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin and Washington at it’s beginning.

  16. As a retiree on a limited income, I cannot afford to subscribe to any of those site. I thought about doing The Atlantic and then changed my mind. Instead, I read as much as I can, listen to different analyst’s and media types, and try to sift through their takes. In the old days, I would just read the Sporting News, which had some great writers by the way, and get my stuff there. I realize there are many ways to expand ones knowledge and understanding of the game. And for those who can do so, I applaud you

    1. I used to read the Sporting News in print. Their website was good for a while. I stopped going there because it wasn’t mobile friendly. There was another daily sports newspaper that I used to read. I think it was called Sport? I don’t think it lasted that long.

      I would be happy to gift you a year of the Athletic. I would need an email address.

      1. Sport magazine was a great place, not sure about a website, I used to buy USA Today’s weekly Sports paper, but cannot find one in this small town. I loved the Sporting News, First one I ever got was in Jr high from my home room teacher who recognized my love of baseball. He also was a former Red Sox farm hand after WWII> was blocked by a couple of pretty good players, so he decided to teach. I would appreciate that very much Jon. email is azdodgerfan@yahoo.com. Simply because I was living in Az when I got my first computer.

        2. I resent it. It doesn’t give me the option to change message. If you don’t get it, I’ll manually download and email the code.

        1. I’m a big believer in paying it forward. I hurt my back in a train wreck and if it wasn’t for my friends generosity, I wouldn’t have made it through.

    1. Bumgarmer does seem like a dumb hill billie if anyone has heard him speak in interviews. The guy can barely talk. Milton Bradley ??

  18. I was set to go to the final week of Spring Training. Do you know if they are still going to let the fans in to watch the players that are staying at Camel Back?

  19. Has anyone here noticed that when Dodgers Brilliant Manager Mr Dave Roberts is being interview about anything for example Astros Cheating, Season being postponed or whatever topic this guy never says anything straight forward or clear answer he is always being so diplomatic and just goes in circles and does not says anything clear. He just seems he does not want to offend anyone . Dodgers need straight forward leadership not this politically correctness. Dave YES MAN Roberts

    1. He knows how to manage the clubhouse. That is important in today’s game. His only issue is some of the late game decisions he has made. I don’t see being diplomatic during interviews as problematic.

    2. Yes, and it hurts my ears. I hate listening to him. He sounds like a generic corporate PR spokesman/lackey

      Since we’re on the subject, I wouldn’t say that Robert’s is dumb. I would say he’s not particularly intelligent, however.

      1. You should say that in a politically correct fashion:

        “I’m not saying he is dumb – he just has bad luck when it comes to thinking.”

        1. Ah Mark., politically correct is something I will never be. Not a sheep to follow blindly. But there are probably better ways to say it.

          1. Roberts dumb?

            I don’t think where he finds himself suggests he’s dumb. He went to UCLA. You don’t get in there if you’re dumb. He’s made over $25 million in the game of baseball. Wish I could say that about my career. Does he spew the corporate line? Well, yeah. He currently works for a corporation. It’s probably wise he keeps it vanilla.

            For me it always comes down to this: don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do. I don’t give a rat’s ass what Dave Roberts says. I care more about what I consider gaffs on the field. Even with that said, I look up and we keep winning. He’s doing something right. It’s my opinion he at times overthinks it. If it’s me,I would just put the guys in the game management has given me to do the job. Management didn’t give me Kershaw to relieve in the 7th and Joe Kelly should not be asked to go 2. Put the guys in there that are there for those innings and if they fail… hey, don’t look at me. YOU are the people who hired these guys!

            And that’s not Monday morning quarterbacking. I was screaming “wtf are you doing!” each time he did it. Now do I think he would do it again.? Yeah, probably. Which might make me stupid because I said I don’t think Dave is stupid I just think he does stupid things. And now I’m reading what I’m writing and am about to scream at my iPad “wtf are you talking about”.

            This might be the longest few months I’ve had in several years.

  20. Now what happens to the minor league players who did get sent down to AAA if that was where they were destined to go? Do they remain with the big club to work out at Camel-back, go to AAA or go home. Is it up to them?

    1. Minor leagues will be under the same restrictions. Not sure how they are going to handle the players. But I am pretty sure all of the teams will schedule organized workouts. You have to remember that nothing of this proportion has been faced by the sport or the nation before.

  21. As a few of you have indicated, there is a big difference between a lack of intelligence and doing stupid things (eg. Mr. Puig).
    Hey Badger, we need a clue.

    1. Answered above. I guessed Damon and Dykstra, and they were on the list. Rocker was on the list. Bonds was on it too. You can google the question and view the entire list. Baseball isn’t known for its keen minds, though obviously there have been a few.

  22. You know that old adage, If a bear farts in the woods, does anyone hear it.. Thank God it holds true for Carlos on LADT.

          1. I am glad he cleared that up. I was getting worried that he was dissing my lavatory choices.

  23. Just think of the opportunities the youngsters who were slated to go to AAA & AA will get if they stay at Camelback and get ab’s against our top starters.. Damn good for the resume..

  24. Richie F – re:Billy Loes

    As for losing the grounder in the sun, Loes’s explanation was backed up by his fellow Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine, who told Peter Golenbock in his 2000 oral history “Bums” that the sun peeked through from between the two decks behind home plate for a few minutes on October afternoons at Ebbets Field.

    “When Loes said he lost it in the sun everybody laughed, and the fact is, if you ever pitched in Ebbets Field, you know that’s possible in October with a ball that’s hit with a little bounce on it,” Erskine said.

    1. Thanks DC I appreciate it. I am one of the original Brooklyn Dodger fans and visited Ebbets Field many times and was even on Happy Feltons Knot hole gang once.
      My favorite player was Gil Hodges and why #14 wasn’t semi-retired like #19 was by the Dodgers, I’ll never understand.

      1. Even a bigger travesty is that Gil is not in the hall. I got the Hodges bobble head. At least they did that for him. Gilliam died in season, I think it was the gut reaction to the loss of a very popular Dodger both in the clubhouse and out.

  25. Oh yeah, welcome back Badger. You add another layer to the juggernaut that MT has created here at LADT.
    I’m trying to come up with a replacement for March Madness,ST and Opening Day..

    1. Try golf. By the time you’re finished with 18 holes, you’ve seen a couple hundred swings at a ball, got angry, got some exercise, had some laughs, blown a lot of money and at the end somebody won and somebody lost. Kind of like a day at the ol’ ball yard. As for what you watch on tv now……. I got nothin. Still trying to figure that one out. Just finished a Vonnegut book. I’ve only read it once before.

  26. I just can’t do that regarding Carlos, especially when stupidity in baseball is being discussed. Being stupid has less to do with intelligence than it does with refusing to believe that societal norms are around to help us protect ourselves from ourselves.

  28. So there is one silver lining for a shortened season. The Dodgers’ young pitchers may not bounce up against any innings limit placed on them. It could help Nelson and Woods too. They are coming back from injury and I’m sure their workload will be managed.

  31. This is not aimed at anybody. It’s just topically relevant in here today.

    Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt.

    No one knows who was the first to say some version of it but Quote Investigator includes this:

    There is a biblical proverb that expresses a similar idea, namely Proverbs 17:28. Here is the New International Version followed by the King James Version of this verse: 1

    Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

    Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

  32. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

    Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools speak because they have to say something.

    1. I like this one:

      Eat a live toad first thing in the morning and chances are nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

      As for wisdom, I believe the secret to it is knowing what to overlook. Sometimes you must speak up. Sometimes it’s better to just say nothing.

    2. That is not mandatory. It is a suggestion. All teams have shut down their facilities for the weekend, and will reopen on Monday. The league is encouraging players to go home. But is not insisting they do so. The ones really affected by all of this are the minor league players, especially those from other countries who depend on the food and lodging they get from camp.

  34. “Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.”
    – D. H. Lawrence

  35. The President just declared a National Emergency releasing $50 Billion in Federal Funds.

    Here we go…

    Will baseball be back in June with a 100 games season?

  36. For the record, Carlos’ political comment was deleted.

    There is simply no way a blog like this can remain successful without certain rules.

    No religion, no politics and let’s be respectful.

    Also, you can disagree with me all you want… but just have a take and do not suck!

          2. Decent color, misspelled Dodgers

            Dodgers is might be correct. It is only one team being referred to that happens to end with a s.

          3. You may be right, but I am not so sure -it depends upon how it is used… I think.

            If you are speaking of a single team…

    2. Bravo.

      Even someone with half a gnat’s brain can understand that, and I mean that respectfully of course.

  37. Predictions for opening day:

    1. Betts will be food poison symptom free.
    2. Joc’s hip will not be sore.
    3. Nelson will be available.

  38. Thanks for enforcing the no politics rule. Since there is literally nothing going on in any media other than corona politics, it’s nice that there is some place to go to get away from all that.

    My kids start Spring Break Monday. I expect that it will be extended, possibly for several weeks more. My 12 year old has been looking forward to March and April (we all have) for half a year.

    No MLB baseball.
    No MiLB baseball.
    No NBA
    No March Madness
    No CA League Fan Fests
    We have opening weekend tickets for the Angeles (against Houston. He was really looking forward to that).
    All his PONY League games and practices have been postponed.

    And, Southern CA weather forecast is for 10 strait days of rain. No playing basketball or riding bikes with his friends.

    I’m less scared of the virus than I am that the internet will crash, hitting max capacity and my kid turning full Lord of the Flies because he went insane from mind numbing boredom.

    Any predictions on what ESPN is going to be doing? Maybe 30 for 30 marathons for a couple months? And what is Stephen A Smith going to have to yell about? This is uncharted territory.

    Stay healthy everyone.

    2. I am not scared either, but I’m in the age range where the trouble starts. I am very healthy… except for arthritis and take no medication, but I do have difficulty with respiratory infections. I had the regular flu in December and it turned into pneumonia. I kicked it pretty quick, but the cough persisted for a month. So, I just try and be smart.

  39. On a more somber note, Trey Mancini, the Orioles outfielder had surgery today to remove a malignant tumor….prayers for a speedy recovery….

  40. I understand that the health of our citizens has to be our main concern. It’s going to take some time to get testing setup and treatments organized. But I have confidence the owners will find a way to bring baseball back this summer. There will likely be changes to seating to move fans further away from the field and dugouts. Release of liability by fans and players. IR changes to accommodate those players who get the virus.
    Yes it’s a dangerous world But make this as safe as possible. Take everyone’s temperature before they enter the park.This will take some time to set up and everyone can make there own choices about attending. I think by July 1 the short season will start.

  41. Discussing why we don’t want to discuss politics here seems to be good for traffic Mark. More than the average amount of comments today.
    Wow, if you caught pneumonia from the regular flu my friend, you need to be very careful about COVID-19. Let me assure you that I’m at least six feet away from you as I write this.

    1. Well, you don’t catch it, it just overwhelms your lungs and causes them to produce too much fluid and your lungs drown.

      I stayed home that day and about 3:00 I took my temperature and it was 104, so I drove to the ER and they pumped me full of antibiotics. Two days later, I was good…

      Check this out:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1CKPsNKJqg

  43. Was that a political comment made by Carlos ? I thought he was giving an example of dumb verses a lack of common sense.
    I thought he expressed both effectively.

    1. There was a pitcher, in the late 50s and the early 60s. He was a member of the Baltimore Orioles organization. He was a living legend, but he never made the major leagues. His nickname was “white lightening”, and his name was Steve Dalkowski.
      He threw the ball well over 100 miles an hour. Now this of course is prior to the use of radar measurement for pitchers, but some experts believed he could hit 110 mph.
      The problem was he was wild.
      Wild to the point of leading the leagues of class D, C, B, and A in both strikeouts and walks. For instance, one year he K’d 262, walked 262, in 161 innings. Another year he pitched 61 innings, struck out 123, and walked 129. Thus he only won one game. He threw a one-hitter and lost 9-8. His wildness in that game included six wild pitches.
      Earl Weaver was his minor league manager. One year he gave all his players an IQ test. Dalkowski tested below normal. So Weaver simplified his pitches and signs. He just had him throw his fastball and a slider. It worked, his control improved, as long as Weaver was around.
      He was eventually cut by the Orioles, and was picked up by another team, I believe the Phillies. Later he was with the LA Angels of Chavez Ravine system.
      Tim Robbins character in “Bull Durham” is based on Steve Dalkowski. He suffered from alcoholism. After his baseball career was over he lived in Bakersfield for awhile. I read once that he would hang out behind the fence at Sam Lynn Park and the coaches would bring him beers.
      He suffered from dementia later and couldn’t recall his glory days.
      I read the list of “stupidest” baseball players. I did not recognize any ballplayer as cognitively deficient, but as guys with issues. Besides having “issues”
      Dalkowski definitely lacked “normal” intellect.
      I’ve read about this man periodically, as far back as when the Angels played at Chavez Ravine (they did not call it Dodger Stadium). That was about the time I fell in love with everything baseball and everything Dodgers. The Angels were my AL go to.
      I skimmed the Wikipedia page before I wrote this post, so I hope I got the stats right.

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