Could the Dodgers Stand Pat?

July 16, 2023

Gavin Stone’s last outing was a resounding success. Ryan Pepiot FINALLY went two innings in his 2023 debut. They will ramp him up over the next two weeks. Even Noah Syndergaard showed signs of life last night as he went five innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out six and walking nary a batter. Add in Clayton Kershaw, and in early August, Pepiot, Syndergaard, and Kershaw…

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Ohtani or Bust!

July 15, 2023

Let me start this by telling you that I am not generally in favor of trading or signing Shohei Ohtani. He will be 30 years old next season, and the pure truth about pitchers is that in 2022, 51% of all MLB pitchers went on the IL for varying times. So, there is a pretty good chance that Ohtani, due to his age and due to being a pitcher, spends…

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Miguel Vargas, Pavlov’s Dog, and the Trade Deadline

July 14, 2023

Over the years, I have made plenty of blunders with predictions. I once predicted that Andy LaRoche would be a superstar, and that never came close to working out. I plead insanity on that one. I also predicted great things for Frank McCourt as the owner of the Dodgers – I was looking at it as a small business owner, and I felt that he was in a position where…

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Captain Clutch: Andre Ethier

July 13, 2023

Andre Everett Ethier was born on April 10th, 1982, in Phoenix, Arizona. He is one of seven children. He has three brothers, Adam, Devon and Steven, and three sisters, Catherine, Belinda, and Shaye. His father, Byron, has Cherokee and French-Canadian ancestry. His mother, Pricilla, is Mexican American. His father played ball under Gary Ward at Yavapai Junior College and was part of the JC National title winning team. His grandfather,…

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The Rest of the Story…

July 12, 2023

As most of us old guys remember, Paul Harvey was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. From 1951 to 2008, his programs reached as many as 24 million people per week. He broadcast News and Comments each morning and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays. His famous “The Rest of the Story” segments were amazing! Here’s one in case you don’t remember: Well, now I am…

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My Coverage of the 2023 MLB Draft

July 10, 2023

Here’s what I have to say: It’s happened and is happening! Beyond the first 3-5 players, I think it’s a crapshoot. I used to follow it to the extreme, but now I really start paying attention when they hit Rancho and GL. Baseball America has excellent coverage of it. Feel free to discuss whatever! That’s all folks! There are lots of places who discuss the draft and in their spare…

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Rant & Rave Sunday

July 9, 2023

In 2021, 51% of all MLB Pitchers went on the IL. Let that sink in a little. Now, what pitcher do you want to trade for? Lane Thomas of the Nats is the latest “flavor of the week,” but a 27-year-old outfielder who is hitting over .300 with a .851 OPS and two more years of control is going to cost a lot… a whole lot! Is this his breakout…

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The Day the Dodgers Won Without a Hit

July 8, 2023

June 28th, 2008. Chad Billingsly faced off against Jered Weaver of the Angels on a Saturday afternoon. What followed has happened only 5 times in Major League history. The Dodgers would eke out a 1-0 win while being no-hit. The 2008 team would go on to win the division with an 84-78 record. They would beat the Cubs 3-0 in the NLDS, but then lose to the Phillies in the…

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The New Paradigm

July 7, 2023

I am not going to belabor this point, but most of us grew up in an era where batting average was king. Von Joshua, who was a Dodger for a few years, had a ten-year major league career with a .273 Batting Average (BA), which is not too bad. However, his On-Base Percentage (OBP) was .306, and his On Base Plus Slugging (OPS) was .686. Actually, a new stat that…

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Define “Pornography”

July 6, 2023

Potter Stewart was an American lawyer and judge who served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1958 to 1981. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, court access, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. In 1964, Justice Stewart was asked to describe his test for obscenity, and he responded: “I know it when I see it.“ I write this in response…

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