Monday was a bittersweet day for me. On the positive side, it was my wife’s and my 46th wedding anniversary. It also marked the 16th anniversary of Andy’s MLB debut. However, it also marked our first anniversary without our son Kris. Kris was a nomad, but no matter wherever he was, he would ALWAYS call his mother on May 25 and wish her a Happy Anniversary. Never failed. I have…
Much has been said and written about the Dodgers depth and how that makes them a very dangerous team. I do not think that there is a question (at least not for me), that the premier builder of the 40 man roster is Andrew Friedman. During his tenure, over the last five years in a 162 game season, the Dodgers have 485 wins, more than any other team in MLB. …
There’s not much to do with the MLB season on hold, the NBA season on hold, the NCAA Tournament canceled, High School Tournaments in limbo, schools closed, and restaurants and theaters are persona non-Grotta. My youngest son and I spent the day plumbing his house, the house he has had since he was 18 (he’s almost 21 now) and has totally gutted and rebuilt it. It was built in 1900…
One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn” starring Sidney Poitier. In it, Poitier plays Noah Dearborn, a 91‑year old carpenter who lives a simple life and existence, detached from modern life. His only interest is woodworking, at which he is very gifted. In his hands, woodworking tools are not just tools, they become instruments for creating works of art. Poitier, who is also a…
I have been away for a bit due to some unexpected personal family matters, but I have continued to read the blog everyday. Last week when Mark proclaimed, “This could not only be the best Dodger bullpen of All-Time, but it could also be one of the best in the game… maybe ever!”, many unsurprisingly jumped on that testament. I have been a huge critic of the bullpen makeup, and…
Count this as my latest of the “Dodger Codger” series. The older I get, the more I look at myself and realize that I sound like an old man. And then I realize, “I am an old man.” I’m nearing 60. I have followed the Dodgers for 55 years., and I could cite to you incidents from every Dodger season back to my years as a young child. We are…
Time for Dodger Baseball. I like the sound of that as we begin Spring Training games today against the hated Giants. We all know ST games are meaningless in wins and losses, but I still want to see a win in every game. If you compete, compete to win. Before I get into ST, I want to offer my response to the apparent skepticism about the Dodger pitching. Are there…
While I favor LAD farmhands and follow them closely, I am a fan of MiLB baseball period. I scour through the top publications to see what prospects the Dodgers might have some interest in, or in my opinion should have interest in. The top three baseball publications have all reported their top 100 prospects and the Dodgers are prominent in all three. Their least representative publication is MLB Pipeline (MLB)…
Despite the frustrating end to this past season, the Dodgers provided me with some memorable moments in 2019. Opening day with the 8 home runs was a nice start to the season. Bellinger just going insane for the first 2-3 months of the year. Ryu going 6-0 in May. Buehler’s 16K complete game against the Rockies. The rookies’ 3 successive walk-off homerun weekends. Will Smith’s first major league home…
So many of us have been looking at FA possibilities and trade possibilities that most have not paid any attention to the first date that will impact the 2020 Dodgers roster. The 40 man roster needs to be set by November 20, 2019 with all Rule 5 eligible prospects protected. The actual Rule 5 draft will take place on Thursday, December 12, 2019. That gives AF and his staff less…