The Los Angeles Dodgers have reported to Dodger Stadium; or at least some of them have. There are some who have apparently tested positive for the coronavirus, while others (so far only David Price) has opted to sit out the 2020 season. I am perfectly comfortable with any player or management personnel deciding that it is in their best interests to opt out for the season. I just hope that…
With Summer Training (you can’t call it Spring) right around the corner, I thought we might take a look at the two rosters: The 30 man roster they open the season with and the COVID-19 Emergency Squad (because that is what it is).
Well…MLB players are expected to report July 1 to their home fields for COVID-19 testing and to initiate ST 2.0. Camp is due to begin July 3. As is usually the case with “normal” ST, pitchers and catchers will report first, with position players due to follow. It is expected that the players will report to ST on a staggered basis, and that they would be on the field at…
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…
Well, if MLB and the MLBPA can get together about health and finances, we figure to have an abbreviated 2020 season. But that is still a BIG IF. What has been surprising to me is the number of players who are in the demographic of underlying health issues and immunocompromised, and are still willing to play. The most extreme is David Dahl who had his spleen removed after an accident…
Much has been said and written about the Dodgers depth and how that makes them a very dangerous team. I do not think that there is a question (at least not for me), that the premier builder of the 40 man roster is Andrew Friedman. During his tenure, over the last five years in a 162 game season, the Dodgers have 485 wins, more than any other team in MLB. …
Game 1 is in the books. Behind the solid pitching of Clayton Kershaw and a trio of relievers, the Dodgers shutout the Giants, and the Dodger batters crushed Johnny Cueto 15-0. LAD fell short of their 8 home runs hit in last year’s opener, but they did manage 6, including a grand slam by Joc Pederson. Corey Seager, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger (2), and Will Smith all hit 4-baggers. Besides…
There’s not much to do with the MLB season on hold, the NBA season on hold, the NCAA Tournament canceled, High School Tournaments in limbo, schools closed, and restaurants and theaters are persona non-Grotta. My youngest son and I spent the day plumbing his house, the house he has had since he was 18 (he’s almost 21 now) and has totally gutted and rebuilt it. It was built in 1900…
For years, Dodgers blogs have been a sacred place where Dodger fans went to lament their fate, cry in their beer, pontificate how bad the team, coaches, managers, general managers, and owners were, and generally write about how they could do a better job than whoever happened to be in charge. When Andrew Friedman was hired by the Dodgers as President of Baseball Operations, he was greeted with jeers, smears,…
KayBear Ruiz was signed at the tender age of 16 for $140,000 on his birthday, July 20, 2014. In 2015, he hit .300 for the Dominican Dodgers at age 16. In 2016, he split time between Ogden and Arizona, hitting a combined .374 with a .412 OB%. He was still just 17. Before the 2017 season, and still just 18 years old, Ruiz was named the #20 prospect in the…