The Mookie and Price Dilemma

January 6, 2020

I know that many are afraid of a Betts/Price trade because of the financial concerns for David Price, and I can understand that.  So I went back and looked at the Nick Punto trade (I know Mark’s favorite subject); a previous time when the Dodgers assumed a huge financial obligation for a perceived benefit.  I pulled the below article: https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2018/3/29/17104518/gonzalez-beckett-crawford-red-sox-dodgers-trade-retrospective One of the lines that caught my eye was when…

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Winners and Losers

October 1, 2019

As we are getting ready to see who the Dodgers first opponent will be in the post season, it is extremely difficult for me to consume any negativity ascribed to the Dodgers after this season. No conditional statements…they were great. The best team in LA Dodgers history. I say LA Dodgers because the 1953 team that 105, did so with 8 less games. I still read from some how bad…

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The Will Smith Era

July 28, 2019

The Will Smith era has officially begun.  In his first game as the primary catcher for the LAD, he caught Clayton Kershaw.  There were no noticeable miscommunications between the two.  Kersh got off to a rough start, but settled in nicely for still another QS.  Offensively, you could not ask for a better game.  3-3 with 2 doubles, a HR, sac fly, and 6 RBIs.  This new offensive threat for…

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Who Do You Believe In?

May 27, 2019

Let me start this by saying that very little surprises me anymore. I would not be surprised if Joc Pederson hit 40 HR, nor would I be surprised if he hit .190. It would not surprise me if Kike Hernandez hit 25 HR and batted .290. I also would not be surprised if he hit .240 with 12 HR. CT3? It could be boom or bust. I don’t have my…

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The Bullpen: Fact & Fiction

May 24, 2019

It has been suggested by some that Craig Kimbrel is the solution to the Dodger’s bullpen woes. Just to be sure that I understand it, this is the Craig Kimbrel that Boston (who needed a closer) parted ways with and 28 other teams have passed on? No one wants him for a reason, but the Dodgers should sign him anyway with some silly “knee-jerk” reaction because he just happens to…

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Heartbreak & Hairballs at Petco

May 6, 2019

If the Dodgers had beat the Padres on Sunday, that would have likely crushed the Padres… maybe even ruined their season…and the win was within reach until Kenley Jansen snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. If you are a Padre fan, it was like Kirk Gibson hitting the home run in the 1988 World Series, but if you are a Dodger fan it was worse than death itself! That…

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Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw

April 27, 2019

I wanted Chris Sale at the 2016 trade deadline when he was burning bridges with the ChiSox. I cannot fault management because he was not traded until the Winter, and I have no idea as to who Chicago was demanding. We can speculate all we want, but nobody here knows. I was a strong advocate for Justin Verlander at the 2017 trade deadline, but understood why the Dodgers did not…

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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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Potpourri and Minor League Report

April 7, 2019

I wrote about the possibility of a slow start for the Dodgers but did not predict one. I know Mark liked to chide me with that after the first two series. But 5-2 against arguably two of the worst 3 teams in the NL was nothing to brag about. The Padres played the same two teams and went 4-3. And now LAD gets to face the Rockies without having to…

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Contract Extensions The New Free Agency?

March 30, 2019

It must have been painful for some of these free agents going through contract negotiations the last couple of years. Led by AF, most teams are not all that keen on signing over age players/pitchers to long term $100MM + deals, and the players’ agents are having a rough time talking their clientele into accepting a deal much less than what they originally believed would be available, but probably closer…

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