Have you ever been to an auction where one party was “hell-bent-for-leather” to win whatever the auction target was. The guy who wants to win at all costs is not called a “winner” where I am from. He usually overpays and regrets it later. My wife has won auctions costing thousands of dollars, only to regret it later. The winner of an auction is often really “The Loser.” Winning an…
Dodgers Minor League Hitting Coaches
Last week we had a look at the pitching coaches in the Dodgers minor league system. Today we get a glimpse of the hitting coaches down on the farm. Being a hitting coach must be one of the most difficult jobs in all of professional sports simply because hitting a baseball in full flight is the most difficult task in all of professional sports. At what other task in the…
If Bryce Harper Wants to be a Dodger… he WILL be!
The real question is “Does he want to be a Dodger?” The Dodgers will want him if he truly wants that. I am not sure what a deal looks like, but between Borasssss and Friedman, they can figure it out. While I am not a big Bryce Harper fan, I believe that Bryce Harper could go down in history as one of the All-Time Great Dodgers… if not THE All-Time…
Rant & Rave Monday
RVS gets all the glory… (10 runs a game average) at least until tomorrow. The Dodgers are undefeated! Print the tickets! If you listened to the Andrew Friedman interview, you should never say the Dodgers want to be an “all or nothing” team. Why no MRI on Kershaw? Because you don’t want to know… “La, La, La, La, La, La, La” <fingers in ears> DJ Peters has added bulk and…
NL West First Look – SF Giants
Yesterday I wrote about the Padres because of the late signing of Manny Machado. The Padres have suffered mightily for many years, but appear to be on the verge of not only being respectable, but also a contender in a year or two, depending on their pitching progress. Today I suffer because I am writing about the hated Giants. The best thing about the Giants is that they are projected…
NL West First Look – Padres
Finally, ST has arrived, and the first ST game is today against the ChiSox. The 7-man scheduled pitching rotation for Saturday’s game is Daniel Corcino, Jaime Schultz, Kevin Quackenbush, Josh Sborz, Stetson Allie, Josh Smoker and Joe Broussard. Sunday’s game 7 man scheduled rotation will be Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brock Stewart, Dennis Santana, Adam McCreery, Tony Gonsolin, Mitchell White, and Dustin May. I had already written a lengthy response to Mark’s…
Going on the Offensive
I often border on the offensive… however, that picture is pretty cool: Orel Hershiser and Russ Martin. How many teams have two starting catchers who can play several other positions? Russ Martin is a catcher who can also play LF, 3B, SS and 2B… probably 1B as well. Austin Barnes, who is also a catcher, can also play 2B or 3B. Now, I am not saying they are Gold Glove…
The Breakout Year for Julio
Some twenty months removed from surgery on his shoulder, Julio Urias is ready to contribute in a mighty way to the Dodgers’ pitching staff… ultimately as a starter. Last September and October we saw that his shoulder was healthy. The surgeon said that there was no internal damage in his shoulder, which is common in older pitchers who have some “miles” on their shoulders. A full recovery was predicted and…
Dodgers Minor League Pitching Coaches
We all follow the Dodgers minor league players with special interest as they move up the mountain towards MLB. It is a most difficult climb as the terrain is littered with land mines of various kinds. The task of the parent organization, in its own special interest and in the interest of the young men with whom they have been entrusted, is to smooth out the path up the mountain…
Let’s Play Twenty Questions
So, since Bruce Bochy has announced he will retire AFTER this season, will Bill Hanselman be hired now or wait until the next off-season? That is, if he really will be the next Giants manager and I have heard he will be. I guess you never know, but it makes sense. Andrew Toles has been his own worst enemy in the past with getting kicked off teams, etc. Is this what is happening again or is it really something…