Well, here we go. The deadline has passed. Which teams improved their lot the most, and who fanned? The Dodgers, after their initial flurry of activity last week, were expected to be in on just about every good starting pitcher out there. What ended up happening was not what the fans wanted. The Astros get Verlander from the Mets. Although the Dodgers were thought to be in on Verlander, I…
Over the course of time, the makeup of a baseball team’s bullpen has changed dramatically. Back in the beginning of the game, a pitcher who started a game was expected to finish it. If you look back at pitchers like Cy Young, their complete game totals are dramatically higher than those of pitchers who pitched after the early 1900s. For example, the only true modern-day pitcher who appears in the…
I like going back and looking at old baseball cards I have. Sometimes you see one and go, oh yeah, I remember seeing that guy play a time or two. We remember the stars and the fringe guys are often just not even thought about. Even though they might contribute at a critical moment to the team’s success. Beyond their moving to LA, I do not have many memories of…
Russell Nathan Coltrane Jeanson Martin Jr. Born 2/15/1983 in East York, Ontario Canada. He is biracial. His father, Russell Martin Sr., is Black Canadian, his mother, Suzanne Jeanson, is Franco-Manitoban. He was named after his father, his grandfather, John Coltrane, whom his father admired and his mother’s family. When he was two, his parents separated. His father used to play saxophone in Montreal’s metro station to make money to pay…
Andre Everett Ethier was born on April 10th, 1982, in Phoenix, Arizona. He is one of seven children. He has three brothers, Adam, Devon and Steven, and three sisters, Catherine, Belinda, and Shaye. His father, Byron, has Cherokee and French-Canadian ancestry. His mother, Pricilla, is Mexican American. His father played ball under Gary Ward at Yavapai Junior College and was part of the JC National title winning team. His grandfather,…
June 28th, 2008. Chad Billingsly faced off against Jered Weaver of the Angels on a Saturday afternoon. What followed has happened only 5 times in Major League history. The Dodgers would eke out a 1-0 win while being no-hit. The 2008 team would go on to win the division with an 84-78 record. They would beat the Cubs 3-0 in the NLDS, but then lose to the Phillies in the…
Ever have a player from another team that you wished was a Dodger? I have. Some ended up playing a year or two in LA. Some never did. But the list is fairly long going back to when the Dodgers first came to LA. Willie Mays: Willie was simply the best player I ever saw play the game. He could do it all, and he made it look so easy….
Once more before I die. Yes, that is my wish. I am 75 now, and I have been alive for every single Dodger Championship, and I dearly want to see another. None of us, except those who take their own lives, choose when it is time to go. As Brooklynites would say We Wuz Robbed, in 2017, out played in 18 and missed some very good chances to advance in…
Roger Craig did not invent the split finger fastball, but he was probably it’s most prolific teacher. Perfected by Bruce Sutter, Craig picked the pitch up and learned how to teach it to his pitchers. Mike Scott and Jack Morris were two of his prized pupils. The splitter is held like a forkball basically but thrown like a fastball. Craig taught the pitch wherever he coached or managed. His name…
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,…