WINNING UGLY, LOSING UGLY – WHO CARES?

September 15, 2020

Who the heck were those players wearing Dodger uniforms in the Rockies’ and D-backs’ series?   Whoever they were, they certainly did not perform like a playoff caliber team.   They struggled with pitching, struggled with hitting, and couldn’t play defense.  My, my, my, that’s typically a recipe for baseball disaster!!   Heaven forbid that team should have to play the mighty Padres in the playoffs.   The Dodgers may as well go home…

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We The Fans

September 11, 2020

As baseball aficionados we all know who should play, who should play where, what the best batting lineup should be, how to “correct” batting stances, etc.  We are all more knowledgeable than the Presidents of Baseball Operations, or the managers, or the pitching coaches, or the hitting coaches.  We have all played the game, some at advanced levels. But to my knowledge, nobody on this site has ever climbed the…

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Reggie Smith

September 10, 2020

One of the better mid-season trades that the Dodgers ever made was acquiring Reggie Smith from the Cardinals for Freddie Tisdale, Bob Detherage and Joe Ferguson in June 1976.   While many Dodger fans were heartbroken to see Tisdale leave the Dodger family, getting Smith more than made up for that loss. After joining the Dodgers, Smith hit .280 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in the 65 games following the…

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The Dodgers and 2B

September 4, 2020

Second base has been an enigma for the Dodgers for the last two decades.  The concern does predate AF, but he has not found the remedy for the position.  The opening day 2B for LAD during the AF era has been Kike’ (2 years), Logan Forsythe (2 years), Chase Utley and Howie Kendrick 1 year each.  The best bWAR during the AF era was Kike’ last year at 2.2.  It…

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Where Have All the Captains Gone

September 2, 2020

This is to follow up on Bear’s excellent piece on Pee Wee Reese. That is, Captain Pee Wee Reese. It is written in the present tense as I wrote it back when there were still three MLB team captains on July 12, 2013. So, I am again digging through the archives. I thought it might be appropriate as a number of the official or unofficial duties of  the now defunct…

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Trade Deadlines

August 30, 2020

It was suggested that what the Dodgers need is a dominant closer and a dominant setup man.  No mention as to who those players should be.  But they better not allow a base runner as that is what is expected for Dodger relief pitchers.  Below is the pitching line for the top closers (in terms of # of saves) in MLB for 2020.  I dare say that if LAD fans…

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Dodgers Suffer Loss on Jackie Robinson Night

August 29, 2020

Tough night for the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson night.  The team got in late from San Francisco and did not look ready to play.  These games happen. Forget about it, get some sleep, and come back tomorrow. It would be easy to pick apart the game, but no team can play on all cylinders each and every game.  The Dodgers started out well enough with a pair of singles by…

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Bad Night in SF

August 26, 2020

Nothing comes easy when the Dodgers play the Giants.  And I guess that is how it should be. LA goes to SF and we go into extra innings for Game 1 of a 3 game series.  Things started out great for the Dodgers as they get a pair of one out singles from Seager and JT.  After a Belli fly out, Muncy gets a three run jack in the first…

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Dodgers and Top Prospects

August 22, 2020

As was discussed quite a bit earlier in the week, the Dodgers have a very prolific MiLB system even as far down the draft they have been picking from because of the continued success of the ML team.  That is true when also taking into consideration a few of the early draft pick busts they currently have.  2015: 1 – Walker Buehler – Starting rotation 1b – Kyle Funkhouser –…

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The Clan of the KayBear

August 17, 2020

One of my all-time favorite books is Jean Auel’s “Clan of the Cave Bear.” After Keibert Ruiz hit a home run in his first MLB at bat, I thought it only appropriate to call this blog the Clan of the Kaybear. By the way, if you have never read that book and the “Earth Children” series, I strongly recommend it. First of all, while everyone was in love with Will…

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