Tough night for the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson night. The team got in late from San Francisco and did not look ready to play. These games happen. Forget about it, get some sleep, and come back tomorrow. It would be easy to pick apart the game, but no team can play on all cylinders each and every game. The Dodgers started out well enough with a pair of singles by…
The Fans
I am a people watcher. I have been for years. I used to do it from onstage when I was performing. I did it in airports when I was flying somewhere, and I did it from the cab of my rig when I was on a run. I always do it when I go to a ballpark. It started when I first went to the coliseum to watch a Dodger…
Remembering Aaron Miller
It is strange how the mind works. Yesterday, while doing some harvesting in our garden, I was thinking a bit about baseball and how much I miss minor league baseball. Several things ran through my mind such as the conversations AC and I had during the Loons championship year in 2016, the personal relationship I had with then Loons play-by-play announcer Chris Vosters, several players in the Dodgers minor league…
Bad Night in SF
Nothing comes easy when the Dodgers play the Giants. And I guess that is how it should be. LA goes to SF and we go into extra innings for Game 1 of a 3 game series. Things started out great for the Dodgers as they get a pair of one out singles from Seager and JT. After a Belli fly out, Muncy gets a three run jack in the first…
Halfway… To A Parade ?
Halfway through the year and some things are clear, while others, not so much. The Dodgers are clearly the class of the NL if not all of MLB. The Dodgers are 3.5 games better than the Cubs and 4.0 games better than the Padres. If the season were to end today, the three division champions would be: Dodgers Cubs Braves 2nd Place Teams would be: Padres Cardinals Marlins Current Wild…
Old School – Analytics
I am old school. Never have claimed to be anything but. Baseball has been a part of my life, a big part, for over 60 years. LA was a minor league city until the Dodgers moved here in 1958. We played the game anywhere we could, usually on our school playground. Some played little league, others did not. I never really had any coaching until I played little league. Then…
THE MID-SEASON REPORT CARD ON THE DODGERS
Here we are(this is being written Saturday morning), almost half-way through the season. Where has the time gone? It seems like the season just started. In any event, I thought I would take a shot at handing out some mid-season grades for the Dodgers. Some of the grades might seem a little harsh, but I didn’t grade on a curve. Nor did I hand out participation awards. TEAM – B…
Dodgers and Top Prospects
As was discussed quite a bit earlier in the week, the Dodgers have a very prolific MiLB system even as far down the draft they have been picking from because of the continued success of the ML team. That is true when also taking into consideration a few of the early draft pick busts they currently have. 2015: 1 – Walker Buehler – Starting rotation 1b – Kyle Funkhouser –…
FRANK “HONDO” HOWARD – THE GENTLE GIANT (Friday)
In 1999 Nike came out with a clever commercial featuring Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mark McGwire and Heather Locklear. Rather than pay attention to the Cy Young award winning pitchers, Glavine and Maddux, Heather swooned over Mark McGuire and his ability to hit the ball over the fence. After a stringent work out regiment, Glavine and Maddux hit some out in batting practice and, for the first time, Heather Locklear…
Andrew Freidman Genius or Not?
On October 14th, 2014, the Dodgers announced the hiring of Andrew Friedman. Former Tampa Bay GM and Vice President of baseball operations as President of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His contract was for 5 years and 35 million dollars. Friedman was born in Houston Texas and attended Tulane University on a baseball scholarship. His college career was derailed by a couple of injuries. He earned a B.A….