Dodger Fans Melt Under Pressure More Than the Team Does

May 16, 2022

Dodger fans as a whole are an emotional lot. They do tend to go off of the rails when the team slumps. I am guilty of this myself sometimes. But let the team hit a cold streak and the boo birds and naysayers emerge from the depths of one’s psyche, and the bad vibes begin. No player or front office person is immune. The finger-pointing and name-calling begin. The blame…

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Player Profile: Claude Osteen

May 10, 2022

Game 3 of the 1965 World Series at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are down 2 games to none to the powerful Twins. Their vaunted 1-2 punch of Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax had lost the first two games by scores of 8-2 and 5-1. Koufax had refused to pitch game one because it fell on Yom Kippur. The flight back to L.A. was tense. Claude Osteen, the Dodgers # 3…

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Player Profile: Manny Mota

May 5, 2022

It was said, and I do not remember who exactly said it, that Manny Mota could wake up on a cold December morning, get out of bed, and hit a line drive. He was that kind of hitter. Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo was born in the Dominican Republic on February 18, 1938. He was the sixth of eight children in a blended family. His mother, Fredesvinda, had four children with…

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Player Profile: Don Demeter

May 3, 2022

Donald Lee Demeter, born June 25, 1935 in Oklahoma City. He was a tall, 6’4″ gangly man who played in the majors for 11 years. He was a man who had a deep faith and was a member of the fellowship of Christian Athletes. His father was a painting contractor, and his mother a housewife. When he was about 10, his family moved to Denver. But soon after, his mom…

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Player Profile: Johnny Podres

May 1, 2022

At the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, there is a statue of Johnny Podres releasing a ball. 60 feet 6 inches away is a statue of Roy Campanella. They commemorate the Brooklyn Dodgers winning their first World Series in 1955 over the Yankees. John Joseph Podres was born on September 30th in Witherbee, NY. His father was Joe Podres. Joe was a miner. His mom, Anna, worked in…

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Player Profile: Eddie Stanky

April 27, 2022

Born Edward Raymond Stankiewicz on Sept. 3rd, 1915, Eddie “The Brat” Stanky was a hard-nosed player, who made up for what baseball skills he lacked with a burning desire to win. His father, Frank, and his mother shortened their name to Stanky while Eddie was a child. They lived in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. A blue-collar section of the city. It was there that he developed his belligerent, enthusiastic,…

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Player Profiles: George Shuba

April 23, 2022

George Thomas Shuba was born on December 13, 1924, in Youngstown Ohio. His story is that of a typical average ballplayer. In parts of seven seasons, he appeared in 355 games, hit .259, and never played more than 94 games in any of those years. Nearly a third of his at-bats were as a pinch hitter. He played just long enough to collect an MLB pension, he actually counted down…

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Player Profile: Billy Grabarkewitz

April 20, 2022

Billy Cordell Grabarkewitz was born on January 18th, 1946 in Lockhart Texas. He is the second child of Adolph Charlie and Helen Grabarkewitz. Lockhart, for those of you not familiar with the Lone Star state, is about 30 miles south of Austin. He was of Irish descent on his mother’s side. His paternal grandparents were Polish immigrants who came to central Texas in the last half of the 19th century….

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Player Profiles: Wally Moon

April 17, 2022

Wallace Wade Moon, born 4/3/1930 in Bay Arkansas, was the son of Henry Albert Moon and the former Margie Leona Vernon. He was the second of their three children. Bay is a swampy hamlet by some railroad tracks. Henry was a factory worker who later became mayor of Bay. Henry would read every sports page he could get his hands on. Wally was named after Alabama football coach, Wallace Wade….

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Player Profile: Frank Howard

April 15, 2022

Frank Oliver Howard was born on August 8, 1936 in Columbus, Ohio to John and Erma Howard. His dad was a large man, 6’4″ over 200 pounds. He worked as a machinist for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in Columbus. His mother was a homemaker. Frank was the third of six children. The family lived in a modest frame house. “There was always lots of food on the table” Howard…

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