• I miss baseball!!! I miss hockey and March Madness too, but mostly I miss baseball!
• It took me a while to come to grips with it, but I’m now absolutely convinced that the coronavirus hysteria and panic has been perpetrated by the Boston Red Sox so that the Dodgers might never have Mookie Betts play a game for them. Think about it, it is plausible. Stinking Red Sox!!!
• It has occurred to me, while I have had some extra time to ponder things, I spend a lot of time watching baseball, reading about baseball and thinking about baseball. I have tried thinking about other things, but they’re just not as satisfying as baseball. Don’t know why, but reading that Gavin Lux went 3 for 4, with a triple and a home run is a lot more fun than watching Jeopardy!
• I have found some more time to read about other things, mostly fiction. I’m currently on a Michael Connelly kick. A year or two back, I was introduced to the Amazon Prime Series, “Bosch” and became quickly hooked. It’s one of the best cop/detective genre series I have seen. Connelly’s books are also fun.
• I feel for the minor league players that may have missed their chance of ever making it to the show because this season was canceled. It’s my opinion that no games will be played, I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my opinion. Once the “Shelter in Home” order was put in place, I felt that the chances of a baseball season occurring this year were slim to none. My experience with our government is that if they take something from you, typically they’re not inclined to give it back. Whatever our civil liberties and constitutional rights meant 3 weeks ago have been rendered meaningless today, without so much of a whimper of protest.
• I also feel for those minor league players who are not getting paid because everything has been canceled. There are certainly millions of others across this great land who are suffering because their place of business has been shut down, and my heart is broken for them as well. I just find the plight of the minor league player to be particularly compelling and sad.
• I’ve read that Rob Manfred is considering not having this year’s MLB Player draft. I hope that is not the case. Whether the draft is held or not, I wonder, has there ever been a worse Commissioner than Manfred? I thought no one could be worse than Bud Selig, but Manfred has left him in the dust with his ineptness.
• What player are you most disappointed in not being able to see play this year? Why?
• What are you doing to spend your time without baseball?
• I also miss the entertaining back and forth that took place on this blog on a daily basis. Even though we didn’t always agree, I truly enjoyed reading your insights and thoughts about all things Dodgers.
• My song for the day, with apologies to Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood:
Dear Mr. Manfred, let’s play some games
Something to make us all happen
Do anything, to take us out of this gloom
the crack of the bat, the cheers in the crowd, make it snappy
You are the one who can make this happen
By not doing that we break out in tears
Please don’t make us sad.
If only a straight mind you had
We wouldn’t have to be without baseball this year
Dear Mr. Manfred, let’s play some games
Something to make us all happy
Do anything, to take us out of this gloom
the crack of the bat, the cheers in the crowd, make it snappy
Dear Mr. Manfred, let’s play some games
Something to make us all happy
Do anything, to take us out of this gloom
the crack of the bat, the cheers in the crowd, make it snappy
You are the one who can make this happy
By not doing that we break out in tears
Please don’t make us sad.
If only a straight mind you had
We wouldn’t have to be without baseball this year
Discussion (55)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Olympic games have been postponed until 2021 dues to the Virus.
He who learns but does not think, is lost!
He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.
Confucius
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Alvin Toffler
To Be Or Not To Be–Shakespeare
I Think Therefore I am–Descartes
Do Be Do Be Do–Sinatra
Okay, I’m done.
I’ve told several writers this, and, again, I get back to it, but if you want to make God smile, tell him your plans. –
Vin Scully
I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” –
Jackie Robinson
‘Pressure’ is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it’s because you’ve started to think of failure.
About the only problem with success is that it does not teach you how to deal with failure.
Tommy Lasorda
Oh wait! We knew that!
Mark Twain captured my thoughts on politics and religion best with this:
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.
It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
MARK TWAIN
This just in:
RED SOX Are CHEATERS!
“I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician”
― Charlie Chaplin
Three important things to remember:
“Politics have no relation to morals.” ——————Machiavelli
“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” ——————Sir John Dalberg Acton
Red Sox announce they have acquired minor league catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Cubs —- MLB Trade Rumors
Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. That is an ideal long sense forgotten. We can blame the politicians but when the attitude of many is self centered and the belief in entitlement-the system rots from the inside out
Since it was brought up I figure it’s now ok for me to comment on it.
I grew up in a Republican home, raised by a WWII Marine Corps Master Sergeant step father. I joined the Marines instead of playing Division I baseball or possibly being drafted by the Dodgers. They were interested. (a story for another time) I joined the Marines to fight the communist menace. Biggest mistake of my life. I learned quickly and painfully that the government was lying to me and to the American people. The Vietnam war was not what the politicians said it was. After contacting malaria and nearly dying in a Da Nang hospital, being wounded in action, and receiving at last count 11 meritorious combat awards my political opinions have been cemented. I am no longer a Republican and the Democrats are just the opposite side of the same coin. We need an overhaul and it won’t happen in my lifetime.
The government continues to lie to us, war is about one thing and that one thing is profit. Here’s something else I know as fact, regarding our current crisis – our for profit medical system is not equipped to handle pandemics. We have more prison beds (yet another unconscionable industry) than we do hospital beds. We will quickly be overrun by this thing as our current inept government is in way over it’s head.
To the payout Mark mentions, this money needs to go NOT to businesses as the last bailout did and was used to buy back shares of their own corporations, making those at the top even richer, this payout needs to go to the people who are suffering. This payout must be a bottom up process and if Barrons isn’t saying that then they are as bad as government that just continues to lie.
I have a gut feeling this virus won’t ebb until everyone gets it. Remember the measles? You either got it or you got immunized for it. If you can avoid it until a vaccine shows up, well, good for you. In the mean time don’t listen to the politicians, listen to the scientists. And good luck to everyone.
For those of you that subscribe to The Athletic, here’s a link to an article about my 2 minutes of fame or should I say shame, that was published today.
Please don’t feel obligated.
https://theathletic.com/1606270/2020/03/23/pierre-issa-watford-stretcher-unwritten/?source=shared-article
I was asked for some recollections recently, and this is the resulting article.
We got the job because my mate was the Physio – my brother Pete and I did it for over 10 years and was a great way to feel involved in the game we love.
Until that fateful night lol.
Some great posts during this difficult time,
Hope everyone is safe and well.
Business of baseball goes on for some. Angels just added lefty Ryan Buchter and cut Taylor Cole. Mariners parted ways with Sam Tuivailala citing his lingering shoulder weakness. He Man Choi is flying back to his native Korea and will self isolate for 14 days and then begin workouts at a facility his brother runs there. Toronto’s GM estimates it will take at least 4 weeks of training before the season can begin.
2D2, I have every Bosch novel on my Kindle. As soon as the next in the series is announced to be released, I get a notification from Amazon that I can pre-order…which I do. Great series.
I’d like to hear why Manfred, in your opinion, is such a bad commissioner. I’m not for or against that idea, I just, in general, don’t pay much attn to people in ivory towers and I’m not knowledgeable enough to compare him to other commissioners.
Thanks for always providing stimulating and thoughtful articles.
Williams was in a couple of movies. One of them was W.W. And the Dixie Dance kings. Pretty funny movie. Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed were in it to. A couple of my favorites were ” I’m Just a Country Boy” and Some Broken Hearts Never Mend. Great tunes.
Yes, I’m a Don Williams fan also. I loved the tone of his voice. Very prolific song writer too. A couple of my Don William favs were I Believe In you and Till The Rivers All Run Dry.
Great post. I would go ahead with the draft. We’re still teaching at our college, on-line or using alternative methods. Holding the draft would give people a reason to think and talk baseball, a nice diversion at this point. The question, how long can we really sustain the self isolation, eight to 10 weeks, before we collapse the entire economy. Hopefully John Hopkins is right and warming temps will slow this, the therapeutics work and we move forward.
I too posted this late in the last thread.
Bear, your music was outstanding. In an industry where so many untalented rise to stardom, it is unfortunate that someone with talent such as yours is overlooked. I am certain that it happens in all industries (especially music and sports), but it is still a shame when it goes unnoticed.
I grew up during the Viet Nam era, and had a couple of friends not make it back. And many others who did make it back, but not really. I fully expected to be drafted (in 1971), and was ready to go if called, but fortunately I was never called, even though my birth date was called. I later had someone connected to the draft said that “too many” were being selected from the North Hollywood Draft Board which I believe had the most registered in the country. I grew up idolizing the military, and I was no different in that era. I got into fights because I was supportive of the soldiers fighting in Viet Nam. So thank you and to Badger and anyone else who served during that time (or any other time). Your service will always be appreciated by most. I hate getting political, but your song Don’t Look Down On Me brought back memories of the mid to late 60’s and early 70’s when the political animosity was at least as bad as it is today, and may have been worse. We will eventually get past this current animosity as we did in that era. But it is painful, and our veterans should never have been treated as they were.
At my daughter’s wedding, since I was paying, I asked if I could have a dance with her mother akin to her first dance with her new husband. She said yes, and I had previously arranged with the DJ to queue up “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers for that dance. It was then, and it remains today, my favorite Kenny Rogers song. And that is for someone who has just about everything he ever recorded on my iTunes. Kenny, RIP. While you may be gone, your music will last forever.
I consider Barron’s as one of the best sources for information. On the front page today, they said this:
As Covid-19 rages across the globe, people are dying and economies are grinding to a halt. Washington must act in unity and take Covid-19 as seriously as an attack on the nation itself. Huge resources must be directed to the health-care system so that it is not overwhelmed. Empty buildings must be converted into hospitals, and idle factories need to ramp up the production of ventilators and other crucial medical equipment. The global financial system must be shored up or risk collapse. Governments must ensure that businesses large and small can survive a shutdown until the battle is won. Our lives depend on it. Investors are watching closely, but ultimately history will judge our actions.
Maybe you didn’t miss it, but I did. I just read this article about Rob Hill today. Pretty cool stuff:
https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/the-24-year-old-who-could-help-optimize-dodger-all-stars-fcc967f604eb
Your article brought so many thoughts, 2D2. First of all, I very much miss Baseball, hockey and Kenny Rogers too. Watch Jeopardy and Wheel, but no substitute for my games. I also enjoyed the Connelly books. Right now am reading Louise Penny’s Gamache mystery novels. Hope the minor league players get some help. The players I am disappointed in not seeing play this year are everyone but in particular, Thomas, McKindrick and Moseley.
Hey 2D2. I got a bid in on a 1960 Demeter on EBAY. First time his actual photo is on one of his cards. The 58 and 59 used the same painted portrait. I have about 15 or 16 of the Volpe portraits that Union 76 gave out years ago. My most prized one is a Koufax. I also have a set of those kinds of portraits that celebrated great moments in LA Dodger history. Big D’s 6 straight shutouts . Campy’s night at the Coliseum, Willie D’s 31 game hitting streak, no hitters by Ruess and Singer, All the World Championships. Fernando’s rookie year, the infield, Manny Mota’s pinch hit record, Wills 62 MVP season, the first team with 4 30 homer hitters. One celebrating the fans as the 10th man. Welch’s dramatic confrontation with Jackson in the series, Just some cool things to have. But one of my most prized pieces of memorabilia is a player book that Union used to give out. There were these little books, about maybe 14 pages long that had a player bio and his stats. The one I have is from 1960 and it is my all time favorite Dodger. Duke Snider.
Same with me. I posted this late on yesterday’s sight and there was no opportunity if someone wished to comment. I’ll repost if that’s okay?
To fill my time. I’m enjoying reruns of old baseball games on MLB channel. The older, the better. I would love to see an old black and white of a Koufax game. I recently watch a Yankee @ Detroit game from June of 1976 featuring a complete game by Mark Fidrych. I remember he was way quirky but but seeing him again reminded me of how quirky and how refreshing he was. I loved it. In those days anything perceived to be showing somebody up drew ire. I guess Thurman Munson especially took issue with Fidrych’s animated behavior. It would be extreme today but in 1976 talking to the ball, manicuring the mound with his hand, and talking to himself was never seen before. And wonderful. He was very much a victim of the times as well. With just 2 seasons in MiLB he became a sensation in Detroit in 76 at age 21, going 19 and 9 and winning ROY. He also logged 250 innings on that young arm something that would never happen today, thankfully. In 77 he tore cartilage in his knee shagging in BP. It’s claimed that the knee caused arm trouble but I bet the 250 innings didn’t help. It was later discovered in 85, he had a torn rotator cuff. After 76, he was 10 and 10 his last 4 years. What a shame. With today’s medical technology and innings restrictions who knows how long Mark and many others like Koufax could have pitched?
Fidrych had a darting arm side running fastball at 93 (big stuff in 76 and average for today) and and a snappy slider with great control. I guess he had a change but i didn’t see it. That 2 pitch combo, along with his funk, would have made him a devastating closer in today’s game.
I’m glad to have a chance to watch any baseball right now. I can’t believe how we hit back then. Lots of stride, weight shift and front foot hitting. You never saw foul balls off the ankles and feet. No ankle and elbow guards. And far fewer baseballs used.
I’m glad to have had the chance to watch Fidrych once again. He was a treat.
I just started to post this comment in the last thread, and was told that the comments were closed – so here goes again
Bear – I echo the sentiments expressed by others on here, your songs were great!! “Don’t Look Down on Me” particularly resonated with me on so many different levels. 58,315 of the young men who were taken from their friends and family to fight in the Vietnam War never came home. Of those that did return, it is believed that as many 150,000 to 200,000 committed suicide. Of all homeless veterans, 47% served in Vietnam. It was a war that we were not allowed to win, and it has had severe and devastating impact on so many.
Thank you for your songs Bear!
Also, “happen” in the above song should read “happy” My proof reader was in a hurry yesterday.