The Best Way to Kill a Team

May 3, 2019

DISCLAIMER: I‘m writing this very slowly for those of you who are not stupid, but just have bad luck when it comes to thinking. For the ones who just have an irrational hatred of Andrew Friedman, I suggest that you seek professional help. I can’t help you. Why AJ Pollock? First of all, I was not someone who really wanted AJ Pollock. He was way down on my list. but…

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Patience is a Virtue

April 28, 2019

It’s amazing to me that after 25 games, fans can pronounce a certain player or players as “failures.” If they are really that good, they should be making millions helping teams make those decisions. If they happen to not be making millions for those decisions, then maybe they really aren’t as qualified as they believe. If they bench guys like Taylor, Hernandez, Barnes, et al, how are they ever going…

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Random Thoughts

April 25, 2019

Mark goes with Rants and Raves, and DC now has his Bites and Bits, so I might as well come up with my own…Random Thoughts. I cannot get too excited about the last two losses. It really was to be expected in April, at least by me. Admittedly, I am having a tough time getting excited about this early part of the season. It is going better than I thought…

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The Dodgers Need to Start Looking for a New Closer

April 22, 2019

The sky is not falling and the end is not near, but I think the Dodger Brass should have a new “End Game” and that end is to figure out who to close games instead of Kenley Jansen… and before we even get started, don’t say “Craig Kimbrel” because he could be a step down from Kenley. Kenley’s latest blown save and subsequent win is a microcosm of his last…

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Fair or Fowl?

April 15, 2019

Sunday afternoon Ross Stripling was not fair – he was just very good, so since his nickname is Chicken Strip, he is fowl and this should be a reminder of how very good he was before the All-Star Break last season. I would say his pitch tipping is behind him and he could be a very solid piece in the rotation all season. His ERA dropped to 2.92 as he…

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After the First Two Weeks

April 13, 2019

I wrote a post on slow starts by the Dodgers, and while I did not predict there would be a slow start, history tells us to expect it. When the team got off to such a fast start (8-2), comments like “What slow start” were readily made. I indicated that I was happy with the fast first 10 games, but I also cautioned that it could not last because: a)…

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The Dodgers Miss Yasmani Grandal

April 12, 2019

Well… at least the pitchers do! All that most Dodger fans remember about Yasmani Grandal were the passed balls.  He was regaled, reviled and ridiculed by many fans.  “Sure he hit a lot of home runs, but they were in streaks and he struck out too much even though he had a good on base percentage.  And on top of that he just disappeared in the playoffs last year”.  He…

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It’s a Long Season

April 11, 2019

I told you a few days ago that there would be peaks and valleys. That was not some genius idea I had… that’s just baseball. One day, no one can beat you… a week later, everyone can beat you. It happens, it’s maddening, fans hate it, but it is just reality. I don’t get caught up in the “the game.” I look at the big picture and in the BIG…

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Life Isn’t Fair

April 8, 2019

We all know that life isn’t fair and it especially is not fair that Joc has to sit against four straight lefties simply because he can’t hit them. However, it’s unfair to the rest of the team to have Joc hitting against the lefty. So, Joc loses… while the team wins. Simple math… It’s way too early to pronounce that Robert Van Socyoc’s new age hitting direction a resounding success,…

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Positional Gaps in the Organization

April 6, 2019

The strength of the Farm system is unquestionably the pitching. It is not even close. The breakdown of the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects is: 12 – RHP 2 – LHP 4 – Catchers 5 – SS/2B 4 – 3B/1B 3 – OF Baseball America pretty much resembles MLB Pipeline’s prospect list except BA includes reliever Josh Sborz, and OF Carlos Rincon, replacing Braydon Fisher, Marshall Kasowski, and Leonel Valera….

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