Had a great wedding yesterday. A photo of my son giving the couple their vows is below. We were staying at the hotel (Courtyard by Marriott) in Ft Wayne, Indiana, which overlooked the Tin Caps field. (Padres A+ Affiliate). I am most certainly staying here next year for the six-game series with the Loons! Downtown Ft Wayne is beautiful, not sketchy, and has no homeless camps. My daughter lives about…
It’s Not Important That You Stumble… It’s Getting Back Up That Counts!
Or I Could Say, It’s Not How You Start… It’s How You Finish! Heather Dorniden (now Heather Kampf) is an American middle-distance runner best known for her grit and determination on the track. She competed for the University of Minnesota, where she was an NCAA champion in the 800 meters. Her most famous moment came during the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Track Championships. In the 600-meter final, Dorniden tripped and…
It All Starts in September
Andy Pages is OK in CF, but Teo is a below-average RF, and Conforto is a below-average LF’er. As players start to get healthy, I think the Dodgers’ defensive realignment will change, and NO, MOOKIE IS NOT GOING BACK TO RF. SS is the most important defensive position, and Mookie is now one of the best. Francisco Lindor has a .977 Fielding Percentage. Mookie is at .984. Lindor has 11…
Beautiful or Ugly – Just Win, Baby!
The Dodgers still aren’t hitting, but the Dodgers’ starters outpitched the Padres’ starters, and the bullpen did just enough to win. The Padres did get some lucky hits… that’s for sure. Additionally, the Dodgers played fundamentally sound baseball and (for the most part) let the Padres beat themselves. Mookie Betts is BACK for the stretch run, and the Dodgers took the season series from the Padres regardless of what happens…
Why Having the #1 Farm System is a Big Deal
Several Dodgers fans have seemingly mocked Andrew Friedman, who has been the architect of the most amazing ten-year run in baseball history. They saw the San Diego Padres trade for Mason Miller, JP Sears (since sent to the minors), Ryan O’Hearn, and Ramon Laureano. Miller and Laureano have made an impact with Ramon batting .333 with a 1.000 OPS. Ryan O’Hearn is struggling mightily (.185 BA), and JP Sears is…
Time to Go to the Whip and Ax
The Dodger players saw the team cut Jason Heyward in 2024 when he was hitting .208 with a .682 OPS. Next, they saw the Dodgers cut Chris Taylor, who played all over the field and, like Heyward, was beloved by his teammates. Finally, the Dodgers cut ties with Austin Barnes (The Captain) when he was hitting .214. Yet, Michael Conforto, who is statistically worse than all three of the players…
Sometimes an Example Needs to be Made
I initially said the Dodgers should stick with Michael Conforto, but I’ve changed my mind. Sometimes, you have to make an example of someone, and Conforto is the scapegoat, but very deserving! It didn’t work, it’s over. Move on… there’s nothing to see here, folks. The pitching situation will fix itself, with Scott, Kopech, Graterol, Hurt, Stewart, Miller, et al due back… and if it doesn’t, then it was never…
Who is Phil Bert?
I get some crazy e-mails on a weekly basis. Some are unworthy or unreadable, but yesterday, I got this e-mail with the above graphic attached (which was neither unworthy or unreadable): “I was researching the Brooklyn Bum and came across your site/recent post (good luck with the wedding and surgery). The bum I am researching is the one shown below with the signature Phil Bert. I know the famous bum…
A Little Outta Kilter
Contrary to popular belief, I am still here. However, I have a lot going on at 72 years old: … and I watch every Dodger game. I just don’t have a lot of time to post. I am not shutting the blog down, but I am considering a few options…. stay tuned. Last night’s game was great. I loved it when Clayton blew Scherzer a kiss and waved bye-bye to…