The most disturbing news this week has been the Trevor Bauer story. Myself, I reserve judgement on guilt or innocence until all of the facts are in, and are presented. But it brings to the forefront once again that pro athletes are nothing more than talented human beings with the same failings we all have. Some take their celebrity and do wonderful things. Others shy away from the spotlight and…
While I’m at it, let’s talk about Friedman for a bit. Where’s that vaunted depth I’ve heard so much about? Anybody with just a little bit of baseball knowledge could have seen that Dustin May would go down for the year, Gonsolin would miss significant time and that your number one prospect, Josiah Gray would get injured. Now’s the time to see that depth.
I had the great pleasure of spending my birthday in Seattle with my sons, Eric and Joel, and my 7-year-old grandson Arie. We spent my birthday and the following day attending the Dodgers vs Mariners games. Seattle blessed us with two breathtakingly beautiful days of sunshine. Having snow-capped Mt. Ranier in the background as the city’s crown jewel adds to the splendor. Having that environment was nice, but watching Dodgers…
“Baseball flows with the rhythm of life. Comes forth in the spring, lives in the summer, goes in the fall, plays in shitty Latin American ballparks in the winter” – Walt Whitman I have to admit that I’m conflicted about MLB’s decision to move the All-Star game from Atlanta. I’m not conflicted about their decision. Simply put, I disagree with the MLB’s action. Why I disagree is not important. I’ll…
By the way, if it’s any consolation to those of you who are worried, Clayton Kershaw gave up 15 runs in 14 2/3 innings in spring training of 2014. Fans were wringing their hands. He then went out and won the MVP.
Spring Training stats can be so deceiving: Last week Garrett Cleavinger was the flavor of the week, an almost certain lock to make the team. Sunday, maybe not so much. Last week, it appeared that Dennis Santana had pitched his way off the opening roster. Sunday, he sort of, kind of, maybe, redeemed himself. But then again, “it’s spring and the statistics don’t matter!”
One of the things I enjoy most about spring training is the opportunity to watch the kids play. Even though there is little chance of them breaking camp with the Dodgers, how exciting it must be for them to be able to pitch and play alongside the veterans. In no particular order, Jo Jo Gray, Bobby Miller, Landon Knack, Andre Jackson, Michael Grove, Miguel Vargas, Jacob Amaya, Michael Busch, Kody Hoese, James Outman, Andy Pages, Devin Mann, Omar Estevez, Nick Robertson, Ryan Pepiot, Gus Varland, Kendall Williams and Geraldo Carillo, I’m excited to see all of you perform and I truly hope that this experience gives you the confidence to take the next step in your careers and that you ultimately make it to the show.
The Spring is three games in, and to draw any conclusions would be foolhardy. But I still have some observations from what I have seen thus far. For the first three games, the pitching has been outstanding. Albeit, without Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, Oakland’s offense is just north of woeful, as is Colorado without Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon. The Giants did not play but a couple of regulars….
A little premature to know if AF is finished yet, but the Dodger bullpen has already been overhauled some. Knebel, Cleavenger, Kahnle, the new kids on the block. Kahnle will not pitch this season, and Cleavenger has never pitched above AA. Wood and Baez have gone to SF and Houston respectively, and McGee so far has not been signed anywhere. And the roster sits at 40. There are all sorts…
Hi gang! I thought I would lighten the mood around the morgue and talk about a subject I know a little about. Beards. As I was looking through my baseball cards, I noticed the obvious. There is a lot more facial hair in the game today than when I first started watching the game. Clean faces were the thing. Back in the 1800’s, a lot of players favored wearing a…