Three-Homer Games

August 12, 2023

Early this year, Dodger outfielder, Trayce Thompson, started the season with a bang as he had a three-homer game. Unfortunately for Trayce, that was pretty much the highlight of his year, and he was traded prior to the deadline back to the White Sox. The first three-homer game by a Dodger came in 1926 when Jack Fournier against the Cardinals. He drove in 5 runs in a 12-10 Brooklyn loss…

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Player Profile: Ron Fairly

January 21, 2023

The Forgotten Man Before Justin Turner, the Dodgers had another redhead. He played 1st and the outfield and spent 12 years of his 21-year MLB career as a Dodger. And in the overall scheme of things, he is somewhat of a forgotten man. Ronald Ray Fairly was born on July 12, 1938, in Macon, Georgia. He was the son of Carl and Marjorie Fairly. Ron’s dad had a 10-year career…

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Player Profile: Don Demeter

May 3, 2022

Donald Lee Demeter, born June 25, 1935 in Oklahoma City. He was a tall, 6’4″ gangly man who played in the majors for 11 years. He was a man who had a deep faith and was a member of the fellowship of Christian Athletes. His father was a painting contractor, and his mother a housewife. When he was about 10, his family moved to Denver. But soon after, his mom…

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Player Profiles: Wally Moon

April 17, 2022

Wallace Wade Moon, born 4/3/1930 in Bay Arkansas, was the son of Henry Albert Moon and the former Margie Leona Vernon. He was the second of their three children. Bay is a swampy hamlet by some railroad tracks. Henry was a factory worker who later became mayor of Bay. Henry would read every sports page he could get his hands on. Wally was named after Alabama football coach, Wallace Wade….

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What Might Have Been

December 21, 2020

This season, our long drought ended, and the Dodgers brought home the trophy. What a great feeling. And over the last few years we have come close, and just fell short. But in the days before the present system was set up and league expansion, there were only 2 winners. No second chance at a title. Just two teams battling it out for MLB supremacy. Four times in their history,…

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Smokey

December 16, 2020

Today’s post is about the longest tenured Dodger manager. Walter Emmons Alston. Smokey to his friends. Alston was the manager when the team moved from Brooklyn. He was just 3 years removed from guiding them to their only World Championship in their long history. His team was a mixture of old Brooklyn stars, Reese, Hodges, Snider, Furillo, Erskine, and some new blood just beginning to make some noise on the…

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All Time Dodger Team 25 Man Roster

December 8, 2020

This is a follow up to the best that have ever played in my estimation. Some I never saw. Others I saw many times. It will consist of the starting 8, a pitching staff of 12 and the bench players. Not an easy thing to do. Starters 1st Base Easiest pick for me. Gil Hodges. 370 lifetime homers as a Dodger First to win the Gold Glove when they were…

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WILLIE DAVIS – THE 3-DOG!

May 25, 2020

In 1961, 21 year old local boy, Willie Davis became the Dodger’s starting center fielder.  He was to become the replacement for the great Duke Snider, beating out among others the legendary Don Demeter :-).   I was 10 years old at the time.  Being the gawky string bean kid that I was, I had no real idea of the concept of “cool.”   Even though I didn’t know what “cool” was,…

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Odds and Ends – Bits and Pieces

April 1, 2020

About a year ago I posted a column on the remaining Brooklyn Dodgers. The current list includes any player who put on a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, even for one game. In the last year, we have lost Don Newcombe, Randy Jackson, and Glenn Mickens. This is the link to the previous article.  https://ladodgertalk.com/2019/01/06/the-oldest-living-dodger/ And this is the present list. Eddie Basinski (97): November 4, 1922        1944-45 Tim Thompson (96): March…

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I Was, and Remain, a Fan of Don Demeter

November 18, 2019

I was 8 or 9 when my neighbor, Tony Silva, took me to my first-ever Dodger baseball game at the L. A. Coliseum.   I can still conjure up in my mind, the images of the bright lights, the smell of the Dodger dogs, and the sound of Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett traveling throughout the stadium over the ever-present transistor radios.   My most vivid memory, however, was that of a…

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