I was listening to a conversation a couple of days ago where Person A was arguing that it was “crazy that baseball was making all these changes. The game is just fine – Don’t go changing everything!” Person B had a different take, “Other than the DH and lowering the mound, baseball is the last sport that has changed, and it’s way past time!” What was most interesting about this…
Nap Rucker: Dead Ball Era Lefty
If you go to the Dodgers baseball reference page, you will see photos of the top 24 Dodger players, according to WAR. Of those 24, nine played only in LA, and six played in Brooklyn and LA. The rest played exclusively in Brooklyn. Number 12 on the list with a career WAR of 47.2 is George Napoleon Rucker. Better known as Nat. For ten seasons, he was one of the…
Ron Cey: Portrait of a Penguin
What comes to mind when you think about Ron Cey? To me, it is his trot around the bases after he hit a homer and his solid play as one of the anchors of ” The Infield.” Cey was born on the 15th of February 1948 in Tacoma, Washington. He was a multi-sport athlete at Mount Tacoma High School. He was the first athlete to receive nine varsity letters. Upon…
What are the “Chance’s?”
Back in 1999, the Dodger organization used to have these various contests for fans during a celebratory home stand that they called “Think Blue Week.” They had a series of essay contests to win various prizes. The prizes included being able to take batting practice in the Stadium and raking the infield with the grounds crew during an inning of the game. You could even be the P.A. announcer for…
“Get It Out of the Grandstand!”
On a night when no other Dodgers drove in any runs, Max Muncy and Joey Gallo, the true “Live by the HR, Die By the Strikeout Guys,” went yard three times and drove in all six Dodger runs. They didn’t have to get the Home Runs out of the ocean as Max did to Baumgarner, but they did have to get them in the grandstand. Don’t you dare say the…
What About Next Year?
I had already started this blog post when Whistling Ranger (welcome to LADT) posted this: “I look for the Dodgers to concentrate on roster management in the offseason. There is extreme competition for the 40-man roster. Look for them to trade older players for younger, promising players that they don’t have to protect. If they don’t, they will lose some through the rule 5 draft or have to DFA them.”…
Bullpen Makeup in the Championship Years
I thought it would be interesting and appropriate to look at the Dodger bullpens in the seasons they won the World Series. This is simply because so much of what I have read lately on our site pertains to the makeup for the post-season of our relief staff. For the record, the 1955 team used 15 pitchers during the season. Five were primarily starters, Newcombe, Erskine, Podres, Meyer, and Loes….
Wake Me Up When September Ends
There’s not a lot to play for right about now… except pride, and hopefully, the Dodgers have learned that trying to win the division or having the best record is not the path to a World Championship. The Dodgers are resting players and peppering the IL with pitchers so as to have them rested come October, so wake me up when September ends. There’s nothing to see here, folks; move…
Hope for the Best – Prepare for the Worst
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear, and you might be just as close to the truth as anyone. I don’t believe Doc when he tells us about Tony Gonsolin. Some of you prefer to think it’s because he’s stupid because that fits your worldview. I think Andrew Friedman and the Front Office have carefully constructed a narrative, and Doc gets to deliver the “punch…
The Mahatma: Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was born in a small Ohio town on Dec 20, 1881. His father was a farmer. He had an older brother, Orla, {B 1875} and a younger brother, Frank {B 1888}. His father, Jacob, was a very religious man, and the household was your typical pious Methodist family. Rickey finished grade school, but then labor on the farm called. He got help from a retired educator who…