The last time out we perused players who between 1958 and 1970 who were first year players and had some or little impact on the season. The 1970’s was the dawn of a new era of Dodger baseball. Before they were over, Walter Alston would retire, and a ball of fire named Tommy Lasorda would inject a new philosophy into the managers chair. It would also usher in the longest…
I was perusing the Dodger roster and looking for players who would be possible call ups this year, and who might impact the Dodgers season. There are some interesting kids on this team. But before we get into that discussion, I thought I would go back over the years since their arrival in Los Angeles and see which first year players made some impression on the team. Some…
No, we are not talking about a couple of games, we are talking about a double post. Michael Norris (aka/Bear) has the first half on Lou Gehrig and Mark Timmons has the second half on last night’s debacle. June 2. Now Lou Gehrig Day–Bear When I was a boy, back in the day, my baseball hero was not Babe Ruth or Duke Snider. It was Lou Gehrig. Why? Well, I…
Well, spring training is here. Right now it is dominated by the sound of balls hitting mitts with amazing velocity. There is plenty of optimism, and from each camp, you hear that this guy looks amazing, and his pitches are jumping out of his hand. All that will change in the next few days when the rest of the squad reports and soon the crack of the bat will join…
Now some think they are really going to miss Kike and Joc. Possibly, they both had memorable moments as Dodgers. But neither was a starter. Joc’s inability to hit LH pitching relegated him to platoon duty of sorts. Although his glove is excellent, Kike could not hold the starting second base job when it was given to him. Twice.
I thought today I would write about fans. Go to any ballpark on any day and you will find a cross-section of America. Fans of all sizes, shapes, races, and religions. Big, small, short, tall. They all come to the ballpark. Some are laid back, some are knowledgeable, some barely know the game, others can quote the rule book. Some know stats, some do not. Some come for the game,…
Well, here we are approaching spring training again. And as has been the case over the last two years, there are some things that are still not settled between the players and ownership. The Universal DH has not been approved, but according to some sources it is still on the table. Ownership, players, managers and coaches all like it. But what MLB wants as a trade off for implementation so…
Last week, Joc Pederson left the Dodgers as a free agent to join the Chicago Cubs, and prior to that, Kike’ Hernandez signed with the Red Sox. Both were very popular with Dodger fans. Kike’, the Banana Man to many, and a versatile player, had enthralled fans with his energy, and his sometimes flair for the dramatic. His best day as a Dodger was in game 5 of the 2017…
On Monday, the Cardinals and Rockies finally completed a trade that sends All Star and Gold Glove winner, Nolan Arenado and 50 million dollars to the Cardinals for 5 players, only one who has MLB experience, LHP Austin Gomber. None of the other 4 players played baseball last year due to the shutdown of the minor leagues. Reaction to the trade by the fan base has been almost entirely negative….
Last week baseball lost another legend. Henry Aaron. Though he never played for the Dodgers, I had a deep respect for him as a man, and a ballplayer. I cannot imagine how it was for him growing up a black kid in the south. Nor can I imagine the hate directed at him when he was closing in on breaking the all-time HR mark set by Babe Ruth. He had…