82 posts
I love the Giants! Right! OK, that’s a damn lie! Gavin Stone has exceeded my expectations. I have always liked him but did not envision him in the rotation. He’s there and he’s good! JP Feyereisen is a Godsend and the bullpen remains outstanding. The offense generally rolls and…
Miguel Vargas, Gavin Stone, Diego Cartaya, Gavin Lux, James Outman and many other prospects prove that the old adage, “ Progress in not Linear” is so true. Miguel Vargas had succeeded and mastered every level where he played… except on the MLB Level. Of course, he could play the…
Well, as much as I like Gavin Stone (and I like him a lot), I confess that I mostly saw him as a high-leverage bullpen piece… until yesterday. 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. OK, yes, he was a bit lucky, but he went seven innings and allowed one earned run ! WOW! JUST WOW! In my…
The Dodgers are 8-3, and Yoshi Yamamoto just won his first win while striking out 8. Tyler Glasnow has looked like an Ace since Spring Training, and Striker Buehler, a past Ace, went 4.2 innings for OKC yesterday, allowing just two hits, walking none, and striking out six! He…
A glass containing water to the half-way point is often used to point out the difference between optimists and pessimists: The optimist sees the glass as half full. They focus on what is there. “ So much that can be done with half a glass of water.” The pessimist sees the glass…
You’ve never heard that before! Ha, Ha! Nowhere do we see evidence of that more than with Gavin Stone. In 2022, he was the Dodgers Minor League Pitcher of the year and looked ready to take the next step. Then, after looking good in Spring Training in 2023, he laid an egg and put…
While it is clear that Yamamoto has some very filthy stuff, he finished Spring Training with a 8.38 ERA. In 9.2 IP, he allowed 15 Hits and 9 ER. He walked 4 and struck out 14. It also has been rumored that he is tipping pitches. I heard someone say, “ It doesn’t matter if he ‘s…
We learned a lot about Tyler Glasnow yesterday and why he is unquestionably now the Dodgers’ Ace. Lest we forget, he has had a singular injury problem, not plural problems. He has had just one injury that was undiagnosed for four years. It was fixed and he now looks healthy as a…
No, not for the Dodgers, but rather for me. I wrote this column last night after the game and I plan to write another one tomorrow, but it has been a whirlwind the past few days. Here’s a re-cap going back to last October: October – Had a cardioversion which was successful in…
So many times, we read things that are written where the writer’s only objective is to try and prove some point. As an example (and I am not going to be labor this point), I read a piece in the Washington Post called The zombie CVS, a late-capitalism horror story . It starts out…
The next big thing for the LA Dodgers occurs on Thursday, February 16, 2024. That’s when the pitchers and catchers report. The position players report by Monday, February 20, 2024. If the Dodgers have a big signing or trade between now and then, I will be surprised… but not…
My definition of “ Mixed Emotions ” is “ seeing your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Rolls Royce.” If you had told me a couple of months ago that the Dodgers would spend $1.1 BILLION DOLLARS on two players this Winter, I would have said that you were out of your…
We know what we know – that’s the easy part, but what about what we don’t know about what we don’t know? That’s the hard part. So, let’s just stick with what we know or maybe think we know. We know that Will Smith will be the starting catcher . That’s good. He’s likely one of…
“Miguel Vargas only hit .195 and was a colossal failure in 2023. Michael Busch did even worse. The Dodgers need to do better in 2024 than Vargas and Busch!” — Actual Quote from an Actual Moron! DISCLAIMER: No Morons were injured during the production of this blog! I was…
Many… or at least some Dodger fans believe that this Winter, the Dodgers will do something they never have under Andrew Friedman and sign two or maybe even three starting pitchers to long-term deals. Let’s get this over with right now: It is not happening! If you look at Andrew…
Today is when the 40-man roster must be set. It is also the deadline for Free Agents to accept or reject the qualifying offers. Players with the requisite service time will be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft if not protected. There are five open roster spots: I would protect: Hunter…
No one has ever seen a 30-year-old Shoehei Ohtani play because Shohei will not be 30 years old until July 5th, 2024. However, we did see a 29-year-old Ohtani play, and we saw him tear his UCL and then go on the IL with an oblique strain, which would have likely kept him out of…
There is no way to sugarcoat this, so I will just say it: “ Andrew Friedman failed the Dodgers by not having starters stacked at least twelve deep.” At the start of the season, the Dodgers had Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, and Noah Syndergaard…
… at least he is THIS year. Next year, he will have to contend with Walker Buehler for that role, assuming that Striker can come back strong from his Tommy John Surgery. Bobby Miller is having an excellent rookie season, but in all likelihood, it may be better than the…
Jim Bowden, you know, the former failed GM of the Reds who is now a talk show host on MLB and a writer for The Athletic, went on record with this about the trade that brought Amed Rosario to the Dodgers: “ The Dodgers trading righty Noah Syndergaard and his 7.16 ERA (at the time…
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…
A year ago, on his way to becoming the Dodgers Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Gavin Stone went from Great Lakes – A Ball, to Tulsa – AA Ball, to OKC – AAA Ball.. all in one season and put up a 1.48 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He struck out 168 batters in 121 innings. He was on his…
The bad news is that the Dodgers lost to the Yankees, setting up today as the rubber match. The Good News is that last night was a “breakout” game for Michael Grove. In his best-pitched game so far in his young career, he was dominant… except for two bad pitches to the same…
Some players burst onto the MLB scene and seem to be ready to play in the Show in their first game. Witness one James Outman! With other players, it’s a process. I watched Miguel Vargas struggle for a month or six weeks every time he went up a level. Gavin Stone flew through…
If you have been a fan anytime at all, you have to know that pitching wins championships. You look at any of the Dodgers 7 World Series winners, and there are outstanding games pitched in each. The Dodger system is loaded with young arms who have lightning in them. Flame…
Since becoming a Dodgers fan at age 9, sixty years ago, I have seen this story so many times that I laugh instead of panic. Most years, the Dodgers had no chance, but I rooted for them anyway. In 1988, they had no chance, but the impossible happened! Over the past ten years…
If you happen to think “this” is what Clayton Kershaw happens to be right about now, then you might as well pack it all up and go home. It’s hopeless. In April, Clayton was named the NL Pitcher of the month. Clayton had a great month, going 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. He…
Yesterday, I wrote that it all starts with Freddie and Mookie, and right on cue, after that segue, Mookie and Freddie were both 3-5! They don’t have to do it all, but when they are doing well, the team seems to follow. I have been waiting for David Peralta to catch fire… and we…
Unconventional thinking is the ability to imagine new possibilities and solve complex problems that have eluded other people . Being unconventional is an essential element in doing original work or creating original ideas. Right now, the Dodgers could use a heavy dose of…
