

Michael "Bear" Norris
Canon City, CO · 378 posts
Site historian. Born June 14, 1948, in Los Angeles. US Army veteran, professional country music performer, who was very honored to sing the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium on September 9th, 1981. Awaiting the arrival of his second great-granddaughter. Takes Dodger fans on walks down memory lane.
Latest from Michael


It's that time of year again
Playoff Baseball is Here.

dodger lefties not named Koufax or Kershaw
LA has had some good ones.

Before the success: there were some downers
Since 1908, no team in any season in the history of this franchise has lost 100 games. There were a few in the Brooklyn days that came close. The 09-team lost…

is Brooklyn still in the league? 1934 the year the Dodgers broke the giants hearts
Bill Terry's quip came back to haunt him

1958: remembering the first season in Los Angeles
Bad Start to L.A. tenure

is it time for a philosophy change towards hitting?
The System in Place is Not Hitting on All Cylinders

Best season ever by a dodger hitter: poll
make your choice.

the language of baseball
Phrases you don't hear everyday.

the first basemen: anchors of the dodger's infield
We Have Had Some Good Ones



Best Dodger rotations Part One
How Does the 26 Staff Match Up?

Records no player wants
Career and Seasonal Records Players Would Rather Not Hold.

Single season records least likely to be passed
Top This!

unbreakables: Dodger records that won't be broken
Records that have no chance of being surpassed


LA's best
A Starting Lineup of the Best to Play in LA Since 1958 by Position

The Heartbreak Seasons: When victory turned into defeat Part 1: Brooklyn
A tale of the seasons that could have been


Austin Barnes: Underrated Leader
Barnsie Was a Perfect Backup

Best of Their Times: Top 5 Dodgers of Each Decade Part 1
After my post about the top 24 players in Dodger history, Phil suggested that I break them down by the era in which they played. He opined that it would be…

The Top 24 Players in Dodger History
An overview of the best Dodger players... ever!

Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…

Most Exciting Play in Baseball?
I watched the video Jeff posted of Zack Erhard hitting an inside the park homer yesterday. And I was thinking that although many say the triple is the most exciting play in baseball, I tend to think hitting an inside the park homer is a little more exciting. I would bet many of us have no clue who hit the first one at Dodger Stadium. We know who hit the…

Evolution of the Lead-off Hitter
The image of a prototypical lead-off hitter has changed dramatically over the last several years. When I first started watching baseball in the 50’s, most lead of hitters were players with high OBP’s and some speed. Of course, players in the 50’s were evaluated a lot differently than players are today. Pee Wee Reese was actually hit second more than he led off. As a leadoff man, Pee Wee hit…

Versatility Was Their Forte
Since he took over as President of Baseball Operations in November of 2014, one thing that Andrew Freidman has valued in his players is versatility. Players capable of playing multiple positions have made this team very versatile and to have the ability to replace stars who are injured with players who can capably play well until the star returns. This was shown over the last couple of years especially when…

Justin Turner: Ned Colletti’s Free Agent Gem
In 2004, Frank McCourt became the owner of the Dodgers. He hired Paul DePodesta as his GM in February of 2004. One of his first trades sent Jason Frasor to the Jays for Jason Werth. In April, DePodesta traded Franklin Gutierrez to the Indians for Milton Bradley. At the deadline, he traded Paul lo Duca, Juan Encarnacion and Guillermo Mota to the Marlins for Brad Penny, Bill Murphy and He…

Historic Moments in Dodger History
The Dodgers throughout their long history, have been involved in many historic baseball moments. Not only their own history, but major league baseballs as well. Their first was winning the pennant in the first year of the National Leagues existence. There was no World Series as we know it now back then. Manager Bill McGunnigle had some pretty good players on his team. Some really great baseball names too. Back…

1916: The First World Series for Brooklyn
The National League as we know it, began in 1890. The Brooklyn team had been part of the American Association from 1884-89. The new rules for the new league stipulated that in order to have a team in the National League, a city must have 75,000 in population. The eight original NL teams were the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Chicago Colts, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Boston, (no nickname yet), New York Giants,…
