Thirty years ago, the San Francisco Giants were in the midst of making their biggest free agent signing in franchise history. Barry Bonds, then 28 years old and coming off his second MVP season, would be signed to a then-massive $44 million, six-year contract that brought him to his hometown San Francisco Giants. It was a somewhat similar situation that they are going through now as they court Yankee superstar…
When I was a kid, Wes Parker was definitely one of my favorites. The guy was absolutely the best defensive first baseman in the game, (Gold gloves for six consecutive years, 1967-1972). In 1970 he came into his own and hit .319 and knocked in 111 runs. He was popular, had movie star looks, and was public relations minded. Heck, he even played the teacher’s boyfriend in an episode…
I was all ready to post this piece and then came to realize that I miscalculated a major portion of it, which goes to show you, always do your research “before” writing. Initially I believed that Trevor Bauer’s suspension of 324 games would be retroactive to the date of his suspension of July 2, 2021, which would mean he would be back in action by the end of June this…
With the Dodgers looking to possibly lower payroll to be under the competitive balance threshold for the coming season, there are those that believe that the system is stacked enough with solid prospects to revamp the roster with talent that would keep the ball club competitive and allow them let go of the dead weight of some heavy-laden contracts. In a few days we will probably have an idea which direction…
With the recent attention to Justin Turner being awarded the Roberto Clemente Award, I felt the need to discuss a bit of the background regarding the Hall of Famer who gave his life to a humanitarian cause for whom the award is named. Justin and his wife Kourtney have been instrumental in aiding homeless veterans, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Boys and Girls Clubs, various food banks, and more….
After a lot of seriousness in the playoff chase maybe it’s time for a little levity, and you can easily do that by bringing up former Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda. With the Phillies in the World Series, I was thinking back at the rivalries the Dodgers had with that ballclub. We faced them in the playoffs in ’77, ’78, ’83, ’08 and ’09. There is history between us. There were…
That name above is one that few have even discussed, but they should. This pitcher from Japan’s NPB has formally announced he intends to exercise his international signing rights and move to America in the MLB for 2023. At six foot two, 198 lbs., he is a right-handed starter. He has a five-pitch repertoire made up of a fastball that averages 96 MPH, (topping at 100 MPH), a cutter, slider,…
It took me a full week to get off the mat and write after the San Diego debacle. Sorry about that. I have always found that the most difficult post to write is the first one after being eliminated. Multiply that fact by about ten and that has been my mindset for a week. Usually, when the Dodger season ends prematurely, I go through that mourning period that most loyal…
Dave Robert’s selection to start Julio Urias in Game one of the NLDS was a landmark decision that essentially told the world that he had supplanted Clayton Kershaw as the ace of the staff. This was no slight to Kershaw, who continues to thrive as a Dodger starter and will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after retiring. Urias’ durability is primarily the reason for the decision, as he…
This is a few days old, but the latest player discrediting the Dodgers championship in 2020 is none other than former teammate Alex Verdugo. His quote: “A 60-game season, it’s still hard to judge to this day. Like yeah, it’s a World Series, right? Yeah, they got a ring. But they didn’t play any games at their home field. They didn’t. There weren’t any fans there. It was 60 games….