A lot of guys on teams are nothing but scrubs who wait for their chance to contribute to the team. Over the years, many of these guys were favorites of mime simply because when they did get in a game, they played their hardest. I will attempt to give some examples here, starting with a guy who drove Lasorda bananas. Derrell Thomas On November 14th, 1978, the Los Angeles Dodgers…
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has given us a keyhole view towards the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy, where a dazzling array of stars reside. Most of the view of our galaxy is obscured by dust. Hubble peered into the Sagittarius Star Cloud, a narrow, dust-free region, providing this spectacular glimpse of a treasure chest full of stars. Some of these gems are among the oldest inhabitants of our…
I was watching the HBO miniseries, The Pacific. In the next to last chapter, the Marines are engaged in the battle for Okinawa. It was a horrific fight, and the US suffered the highest casualties of any battle in the Pacific. It got me thinking about one of the people responsible for me loving the Dodgers and the game as much as I do. In June of 1958, about a…
What does this game we love really need? Interesting question. More action? More runs? Shorter games? MLB has tried numerous things to get all of these in play. And in reality, I believe some of all of these would be a good thing. I also think the game could use a few more personalities.. Players who are just a little bit out there. I would have loved to have a…
LA DODGER TALK is not your normal Dodger blog site. Even Ray Charles can see that no other Dodger site has a Dodger historian like Michael Norris. Michael or “Bear” as we know him, is a National Dodger Treasure! What he lays down is not available anywhere else! Then we have 2Demeter2, who has committed to trying to write one blog a week wherein he will give his “opinion from…
Mark did such a great job in his tribute to Lasorda. It was moving and fitting. And as usual, it got me thinking of how many of those who influenced us in our lives have passed on over the last few years. I remember how sad I was when Duke Snider passed in 2011. He was 84 at the time, but I was glad that Duke had been alive to…
I have had over the years many favorite comedians. Red Skelton, Robin Williams, Richard Prior, George Carlin, just to name a few. But there have been some people connected to baseball who I found to be very funny also. Probably the first I remember was Joe Garagiola. As most of us know, Joe played for the Cardinals and Pirates. He was a decent catcher, but not as good as his…
As fans, we all know the stars of our teams, and today with the internet and all the media coverage, we know the rookies, the scrub beanies, and just about everyone else in the organization. Growing up, and learning the game, that was not the case. We found out in box scores, and those of us lucky enough to have a subscription, in the Sporting News. But for every star player, there was…
Most of us can remember where we were when important events occur in our lives. On Nov 22, 1963, I was at choir practice in our auditorium when I heard about JFK’s assassination. 9-11-2001, I was in South Gate at the JB Hunt terminal when the planes hit the twin towers. But the day I fell in love with the game… That actual date escapes me. And since my love…
Monday was a bittersweet day for me. On the positive side, it was my wife’s and my 46th wedding anniversary. It also marked the 16th anniversary of Andy’s MLB debut. However, it also marked our first anniversary without our son Kris. Kris was a nomad, but no matter wherever he was, he would ALWAYS call his mother on May 25 and wish her a Happy Anniversary. Never failed. I have…