This spring, we will witness the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). I call it Bud Selig’s attempt to copy soccer’s World Cup. It’s an interesting concept, and the idea is noble. We’d like to see the game globalized and allow amazing athletes on the other side of the globe to prove their abilities as “baseball” players instead of soccer, basketball, or rugby, or cricket. But there are…
It’s always frustrating losing good, home-grown players to free agency especially when they’re well-liked and have put up huge numbers for the club. Cody Bellinger meets this criteria for some and doesn’t for others. He burst onto the scene in 2017 while arriving a year early by most accounts. He didn’t disappoint. He crushed 39 homers that year and on the way to winning the Rookie of the Year award,…
Now that the smoke has cleared, we can see pretty clearly that things have changed. Let’s consider what has happened or likely will happen: Craig Kimbrel is gone (YAY); Justin Turner’s option was not picked up; Andrew Heaney is likely gone; David Price allegedly retired; Danny Duffy is likely gone; Jimmy Nelson is likely gone; Blake Treinen is not a factor in 2023; Chris Martin is on the market and…
Every Dodger fan has their own idea of how to “fix” the Dodgers or how to build them for the playoffs. First of all, the Dodgers don’t need “fixed” – they won 111 games and picked a horrible time to turn cold. After leading MLB in hitting with RISP with a .272 BA (Houston was 2nd with a .270 BA), the Dodgers proceeded to hit .147 during their short time…
Note: Bulldogs & Penguins has persuaded me that I should post once a week, so that is what I am going to do. It was a good idea. Thanks, B & P! Sunday will be my day to post… except for this week (since today is Saturday). Before someone tries and put words in my mouth, I do not think Andrew Friedman is perfect. I wish he had not traded…
First of all, the keyword is “Don’t Panic.” OK, it’s two words, but you get my drift. In both games against the Padres, the Dodgers have played like a team that has had a number of off days and is not sharp, and does not feel a sense of urgency. Actually, here are the four things the Dodgers need to do to beat the Padres. The Stars Need to Come…
Dave Robert’s selection to start Julio Urias in Game one of the NLDS was a landmark decision that essentially told the world that he had supplanted Clayton Kershaw as the ace of the staff. This was no slight to Kershaw, who continues to thrive as a Dodger starter and will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after retiring. Urias’ durability is primarily the reason for the decision, as he…
This is a few days old, but the latest player discrediting the Dodgers championship in 2020 is none other than former teammate Alex Verdugo. His quote: “A 60-game season, it’s still hard to judge to this day. Like yeah, it’s a World Series, right? Yeah, they got a ring. But they didn’t play any games at their home field. They didn’t. There weren’t any fans there. It was 60 games….
In 2004, the first season under new owner Frank McCourt, the Dodgers won their first division title in 8 years. The 1995 Dodgers won the division after the strike was over in a shortened season. But they were ousted out of the playoffs in the NLDS. The new GM was Paul DePodesta, a strong advocate of analytics when teams were just starting to use that kind of data. He traded…
If you ain’t failing… you ain’t trying! Well, Andrew Friedman has failed a lot! It all started with Brett Anderson, Scott Kazmir, and Brandon McCarthy. Maybe they weren’t an absolute failure – maybe they were a “bridge,” but most people view it as a failure. He tried… Good on Andrew. Seth Godin (one of my favorite writers) writes about the “Lizard Brain. Some people call it the “resistance.” Seth Godin…