I was 11 when the Dodgers won their first World Series in L.A. Living in Highland Park at a home for kids. I had gone to my first games at the coliseum in 1958. We went to about 5 games during the 1959 season. The Dodgers had replaced long-time retiring SS Pee Wee Reese with Don Zimmer. Zim had some success in previous seasons with the Dodgers and it was…
When the Dodgers moved west, they were a mixture of the old and the new. Some of the stars from Brooklyn remained. Some had retired or in Campy’s case, been injured. Jackie Robinson refused the trade to the Giants and retired after the 1956 season. Campy was injured in a car wreck in his hometown. Pee Wee, Duke, Gil Hodges were all still there. As baseball dawned in Los Angeles,…
A while ago there was a pretty hot debate about Roberts resting players as we go down the stretch still chasing the Giants. And it got me thinking about today’s players and how much time during the season they get off. Rarely do you see a player on the field for all 162 games. It is even rarer to see a player play all of the regular season games and…
Okay, do not confuse these streaks with the stuff pulled in the ’70s by drunken idiots. These are the best streaks in Dodger history. I love this kind of stuff. Scoreless Innings 59 innings: Orel Hershiser, 1988. In the midst of his best season as a major leaguer, the Bulldog went on an impressive run of…
Revered or reviled? Loved or hated? Steve Garvey generated a lot of different emotions in players and fans. Steven Patrick Garvey, born December 22, 1948, in Tampa, Florida. His parents, Joseph and Mildred, had recently relocated to Tampa from Long Island, NY. Joe passed on his love of baseball, especially the Dodgers, to his son Steve. Steve used to hit old grapefruits with a broomstick because there were 11 of…
You go back over the years and there have been players who were on Dodger winning teams, made a contribution, and never were heard from again. This one will take some research! Off the top of my head though, I can name 3 easily. 1959, Chuck Churn, 1963, Dick Nen, and Dick Calmus. Chuck Churn Churn was born on February 1, 1930, in Bridgetown Virginia. He was signed as an…
It is time to go down the list of Dodger managers over the years and see how they stack up against each other. We will start in the 1900’s since none of the managers before then were with the team for extended periods of time. First up is Hall of Famer, Wilbert Robinson. Wilbert Robinson Wilbert Robinson started his baseball life in 1886 with the Philadelphia franchise of the American…
There sometimes comes a player who might not be the best on the team, but his contributions are admirable, The perennial bench guy… and not some super-sub like Kike, but a guy who has the ability to keep the team lose, and make some positive impact on the team. Mickey Hatcher was one of those guys. Michael Vaughn Hatcher was born on March 15th, 1955 in Cleveland Ohio. He played…
The last time we saw a Dodger hit 3 Home Runs in a game was last season when Mookie went deep against the Padres 3 times at Dodger Stadium last August. And there we no fans out there to catch them. Twenty-seven times in Dodger history, a player has hit 3 or more in a game. Only two players, Shawn Green and Gil Hodges ever hit four. I saw four…
Well, it is now early September. Dodgers 2 games back with 22 to play, and none of them with the Giants. So, what do they need to do? First off, they need to take care of their own business and not get too involved in scoreboard watching. Some players now have a short time to get back on track and play like they were earlier in the season. Smith and…