Averages Lie!

July 11, 2021

A statistician had one foot in a bucket of ice water and one foot in a bucket of boiling water. He said, “My feet feel great, on average.” He meant that the average temperature of the water in the two buckets was comfortable. This may be true, but the average temperature doesn’t tell the entire story. If you put one foot in ice water and the other in boiling water, on…

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MiLB Odds and Ends

July 10, 2021

Another rainy day and not great results in the minor league system yesterday.  Well, that isn’t quite true. The nature of the day is not always decided by wins and losses. It is an individual game played in the context of a team game. Here is a bit about some individuals. Jake Vogel In Rancho Cucamonga 19-year-old Jake Vogel seems to have shaken off his early injury woes while having…

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The New Rotation

July 9, 2021

With Dustin May, Trevor Bauer, and Clayton Kershaw all out of the picture, at least for the time being, the Dodger starting rotation after the All-Star Break looks like this: Striker Buehler Julio Urias Tony Gonsolin David Price JoJo Gary Yes, I said JoJo Gray. He will get another start… or maybe two at OKC, and hopefully, be built up to at least four innings by then (hey, it’s better…

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Momma Said There’d be Days Like This…

July 8, 2021

Rants & Raves What happened the past three games is unexplicable! This is baseball. We have seen this movie before. We can’t explain it… but it happens. I am just along for the ride. This is baseball. This is life. Everything is not always puppys and bunnys! Morality clauses have generally been held to be valid and enforceable as applied to high-profile figures, such as Trevor Bauer (California may be softer on this…

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Remembering 1992

July 6, 2021

Over the last several years, we Dodger fans have been very lucky to have a winning franchise. 8 consecutive division titles, 3 trips to the World Series, and a World Championship. Cy Young award winners, MVPs. A couple of ROY winners and a lot of exciting baseball. For most seasons, the Dodgers have been very successful in Los Angeles. Oh, there have been some losing seasons, like 1958, their first…

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Sight Versus Vision

July 5, 2021

These two things wrestle with one another constantly: Sight absorbs the visual elements of this world.Vision unveils a world that can exist. Sight reveals boundaries in our path.Vision sees beyond boundaries. Sight shows you what you do not have.Vision gives hope to weary eyes. Sight is present.Vision is future. Do you remember when the Dodgers were no-hit by the Cubs and I wrote: “Getting No-Hit May be the Best Thing That has Happened to This Team.” I guess…

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Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio?

July 4, 2021

Unless they know something about the history of the game, many younger folks would simply think Joe DiMaggio was the Mr. Coffee guy. But to more than a generation of Yankee fans, he was one of the best that ever wore the pinstripes. Players like that are few and far between in today’s game. His type of player would be a dinosaur. He struck out only 369 times in his…

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The Dodger Players Spoke

July 3, 2021

Last night the Dodger players spoke without saying a word. Their four errors showed that they might have been somewhat distracted… and understandably so. But they maintained their composure until they got Max Scherzer out of the game and proceeded to destroy the Nationals bullpen. The Dodger players were laughing and having a great time for the most part… except for the defensive lapses. I can understand it. The White…

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Phil Bickford – Riding the Simple Train

July 1, 2021

Right-hander Phil Bickford was claimed off waivers from the Brewers by the Dodgers on May 3, 2021. I expect the move was questioned by more than  a few Dodger faithful since the 25-year-old Bickford had previously pitched just two innings at the MLB level – both with the Brewers – resulting in four and two runs scored against him respectively and a Brewer ERA of 27.00. He debuted with the…

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MiLB – Just Bumming Around

June 30, 2021

Just a few notes regarding MiLB, Dodger style. There is no significance to the order of presentation.  Only one Dodger minor league game on Monday so I was really just bumming around looking for tidbits of MiLB. Dodger Minor League Affiliate Standings: Monday, June 28 Great Lakes Loons are  in second place 2.5 games back of the Dayton Dragons. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes  are in first place 1.5 games up on …

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