This may not have the Hollywood ending that many would have liked to have seen, but this story does have Hollywood roots. The saga begins March 2008. Francisco “Chico” Herrera was an 18 year old high school baseball player from Hollywood High School when he was hired to be a ball boy for his Los Angeles Dodgers. Job Description: If a player needs something, he gets it. It is thankless,…
Outside the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, a statue depicting southpaw Johnny Podres after a pitch release stands 60 feet, six inches from a statue of catcher Roy Campanella. They commemorate the Brooklyn Dodgers winning the 1955 World Series over the New York Yankees, one of the most iconic moments in Dodger history! The photo of the elated Podres leaping into the arms of Roy Campanella, with Don…
First of all, thanks for putting words in my mouth Bums. What you apparently read into what I wrote is that I think COVID-19 is a hoax. Never said those words. Never hinted those words. But believe what you want. COVID-19 is very personal to me. My son and granddaughter are both considered high risk, as am I having had two significant bouts with pneumonia. Last weekend both my son…
Players are expected to report to camp beginning today and there are a couple of topics that have caught my attention. It has been close to 50 years since MLB moved from a four man rotation into the current five man rotation. However for 2020, in an abbreviated season, the six man rotation is being considered. There are now a couple of teams coming out indicating that they are going…
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).
Media Questions for AF and Doc – The first several minutes were spent with respect to COVID-19. The Dodgers are still trying to understand all of the protocols. It is a brand new scenario, and they are all learning. A question with respect to how many Dodgers and staff have tested positive for COVID-19. AF indicated that there have been some, but none were considered serious, and that they will…
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…
I want to be clear from the start. I am now, and I always have been on the side of the players when it comes to salary. They are entitled to whatever they can get. Scott Boras and Gerrit Cole can convince NYY that Cole should be paid $324MM, and that becomes his Fair Market Value (FMV). But Scott has no right to dictate to the owners as a group…
With the 60th pick in the MLB player draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers select Landon Knack, a 5th year senior right-handed pitcher out Eastern Tennessee State University, where he majored in accounting. Knack comes from Dodgers area scout Marty Lamb’s territory, joining Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, Will Smith, and Matt Beaty as recent notable draft picks Lamb scouted. Lamb was also responsible for scouting Clayton Beeter. When I first read…
Right-hander Gavin Stone was selected by the Dodgers in the fifth and final round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. He was the penultimate selection in the draft at No.159 one pick before the 160th and final selection. He was rated the 303rd best-prospect in the draft by Baseball America. He is third-highest Central Arkansas MLB draftee in school history, and highest since 1992. He is the 23rd Bear to…