Let’s the Reign Begin

September 11, 2019

The LA Dodgers as a whole were a pretty subdued group, save the rookies and AJ Pollock, as they celebrated their 7th consecutive NL West Championship. AJ Pollock could only watch the last six. He was part of this one. The rest of the team was subdued because they have been here before… several times and they know that winning the NL West is just another step in their quest…

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It’s ALMOST Time!

September 10, 2019

Yesterday someone wrote this: I would want to see us put together rosters which are the best in baseball, at least in some of the seasons. Why should a franchise with this large and fervent fan base, and the second largest media network in the country, not have that? Well, they don’t have that because as we have repeatedly seen, over 70% of these big, fat contracts become boat anchors….

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Player Development (Part 1)

September 9, 2019

I have always had a fascination with the development of baseball players.   It started when coaching youth ball, and continued on to high school baseball.  But what happens after a player gets drafted and signs that contract?  Are these young men receiving the best possible instruction? Are the teams creating an environment for those players to maximize their abilities? How exactly do you accomplish that?   Strictly through Sabermetrics?   Is it…

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This Ain’t My First Rodeo

September 8, 2019

After being the best team in baseball for quite some time, the Dodgers are now playing second fiddle to the Yankees and Astros who both have one more win than the Dodgers. The surging Braves are just three games behind the Dodgers for the best record in the NL, having won nine games in a row. In their last 10 games, the Dodgers are .500 while the Braves are 9-1,…

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Everyone’s Got One

September 6, 2019

“Opinions are like…” Well, you know the rest, but here’s the difference. Opinions are welcome here, A-Holes are not. At the company I run (US Water Systems), we have 10 “Core Values” ranging from “We Don’t Panic” to “We are fair… but not suckers” to our 10th Core Value which is “We do not tolerate Assholes.” Pardon our French, but there is no better way to say it. Snarky, divisive…

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What Do You Like?

September 2, 2019

I wish that the Dodgers had traded for Nicholas Castellanos who has been “transformational” for the Cubs since being traded to them. He is hitting .336 with a .373 OB% and a 1.062 OPS to go with 9 Doubles and 11 HR in 119 AB’s. However, to be fair, I have to wonder how he would do in LA. AC pitched DJ LeMahieu as the Dodgers 2B and he is…

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Legends of the Fall

August 30, 2019

I love the movie, Legends of the Fall and so with the kickoff of the Arizona Fall League, I always use this as an excuse to play this Ending Scene from the movie: The Arizona Fall League begins play this year on September 18, and there are a plethora of Top Prospects invited to play. Here is the Dodger list so far (it could be added to) for the Glendale…

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Rant & Rave Friday

August 23, 2019

I will start off by saying that Jeff Dominique (AC) and his family are in all of our thought’s and prayers. I have scanned the obituaries for Kristopher Stephen Dominique because I was going to send flowers from everyone at LA DODGER TALK, but all I can send are thoughts because I could not find it. Godspeed! At the All-Star Break, the Dodgers and Houston were rated the best defensive…

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Watch Those Knee-Jerk Reactions

August 20, 2019

It seems to me that just about every time a Dodger player has a bad play, bad game, bad inning, bad pitch, error, blunder or just a mistake, some fans have this automatic knee jerk reaction which often involves one of the following: Get rid of the bum Send him back to the minors Make him a reliever He has no business starting He can’t play that position He should…

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A Case For Ross Stripling

August 18, 2019

Let me preface this by unequivocally stipulating that I believe that Dustin May has a much higher ceiling than does Ross Stripling. Dustin May has had a great start, but has not yet faced any good offensive teams to establish his 2019 bona fides. May is a career starting pitcher and a sudden move to the bullpen could prove to be as problematic as it was for Walker Buehler. I…

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