If you didn’t see this yesterday, here is a very insightful comment from Vinny’s Ghost: “The baseball playoffs are like choosing the 100-meter finalist in the Olympics from marathon runners.” That actually sums it up, Vinny! That is a very good analogy. However, if this format sticks, then the Dodgers, along with the Braves and the Orioles, are going to have to adjust. The Dodgers sat out for a week…
Texas Ranger Style – Right about now, every Dodger fan wants Bruce Bochy as their “Flavor of the Week Manager.” He has been managing for 26 years and has made the playoffs in five seasons. He has won three World Series, so he must be great, right? Monday was Bochy’s 13th managerial win in a postseason game when facing elimination after he notched his 12th such win in Game 6….
Yesterday, Bill Russell turned 75 years old. To me, Russell was one of those steady, but sometimes unappreciated and underrated players. He spent his entire playing career with the Dodgers. He would also coach for the team and took over as manager when Lasorda had his heart attack. I did a profile on Bill last December. But it got me to thinking, just how many of our Dodgers that we…
Quite often, I publish blogs to stimulate conversation. It doesn’t bother me if you hate what I say… or even hate me. I don’t hate anyone, but today, I am going to tell you exactly what I believe needs to happen this offseason, and it starts with not signing Shohei Ohtani. Oh, Andrew Friedman will be “all in” and will say as much, but it’s a dope-fiend move to sign…
Do the Dodgers need Shohei Ohtani?? Good question. I am of a mind that most of the Dodger fans would love to see this guy play at Dodger Stadium. Can you imagine a 1-2-3 punch featuring Betts, Freeman and Ohtani? Would be hard not to love that combo. Three thirty homer guys at the top of the lineup. But if the Dodgers do jump in with both feet and sign…
All of the teams who cruised to 100+ wins in 2023 were bounced from the playoffs in short order. Now, you can believe that there are no excuses, but you have to have your head someone dark to believe that sitting out a week for the Wild Card Round has no effect. I don’t believe in excuses either, but there are reasons, and we would be foolish not to consider…
The Dodgers this season saw two of the best in the major’s bat back-to-back all year. Both put up excellent seasons. Both have had stellar careers to this point. Both Freeman and Betts will get some serious Hall consideration. Where do they rank with the hitters of the past? That would mostly be based on one’s personal preference and just how many years do they have to play for the…
On September 29th, 1976, Walter Alston, who had been the Dodgers manager since 1954, stepped down and retired. He was replaced by third base coach, Thomas Charles Lasorda. Tommy had been a part of the Dodger organization on and off since 1949 when the Dodgers drafted him from his original, and favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies. He had quite a career at AAA, but never reached those heights in the…
If you have been around baseball for as long as I have (and many of you have been around it longer), if a team won the NL or AL Pennant, they played the winner of the opposite league in the World Series. Then, if they won four games in that series, they were declared World Champion. Simple! They were the best team in baseball that season. It was simple. It…
Well, in a couple of weeks, after the dust settles and a new Champion is crowned, if the Astro holes don’t win, we can all put on our GM caps and begin making our fantasy selections on just who the Dodgers might target via trade, free agency or dipping into the Asian free agent pool and plucking a Nipponese pitcher. I expect some changes, maybe even one or two in…