Luxury Tax Concerns

December 1, 2017

I continue to read that Dodger Ownership/Management wants to get under the luxury tax threshold THIS year.  That is certainly a laudable goal, and under normal circumstances I can see why that should always be the goal.  But is 2018 the year to draw the line?   Sometimes you need to spend money to make money.  In home building, finishes are upgraded to get buyers to sign. Buyers are visual…bling…

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Oh What A Relief It Is

November 6, 2017

Over the last few years, we Dodger fans have become accustomed to botched relief in post season appearances.  Which is why I have included one of my favorite images of reliever Steve Howe and catcher Steve Yeager following the final out  of the 1981 WS.  I have been fascinated with relievers since my first Dodger hero, Larry Sherry.  From Clem Labine, Ron Perranoski, Phil Regan, and Bob Miller to Eric…

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2017-2018 Hot Stove

November 4, 2017

One of the positives about getting to the WS and extending it to 7 games, is that there is only 5 weeks before the Winter Meetings in Orlando.  We are going to have to pack in a lot of thought and suggestions about the restructuring of a 104 win team into a WS champion.  We are all so much smarter than Friedman and Zaidi sitting in front of a computer…

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Sometimes You Have to Lose Some Battles To Win A War

September 3, 2017

All over the Dodger Baseball Blogs, fans are losing their minds about the lineups Dave Roberts is rolling out there.  They are questioning his batting orders, substitutions, resting players and use of minor leaguers. Let me remind you that Dave Roberts was the NL Manager of the Year in 2016 and is the odds-on favorite to win it this year.  So, is is likely that Dave Roberts has suddenly lost…

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I Am No Kool-Aid Drinker

July 25, 2017

I am an unabashed and unapologetic supporter of FAZ.  They have built a tremendous team and know how to utilize a full 40 man roster to their advantage because they have the depth to do so.  I also believe that a winning TEAM is greater than the sum of the individual players.  Clayton Kershaw is special.  There is no question of that.  But he is one of 40, and I…

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ANDREW FRIEDMAN and HIS 3-YEAR PLAN

July 18, 2017

Make no mistake…this IS Andrew Friedman’s team.  This is not to take anything away from the immense talents of Farhan Zaidi, Josh Byrnes, Alex Anthopoulos, Gabe Kapler, or Billy Gasparino.  They help put Friedman’s vision into motion.  The Dodgers caught a lot of flak from fans because of the high FO cost.  But these are all outstanding baseball people, and why is it a problem having superior FO talent?  It…

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International Signings Two Years Later

June 5, 2017

There has been a lot of discussion about the state of the Cuban players the Dodgers signed in 2015. It has been nearly two years since the Dodgers embarked on a $43,874,000 spending spree on 11 international players, but only three are Cuban.  There were also five from the Dominican Republic, one from Venezuela, and one from Nicaragua.  Eight of the players are still remain in the organization with 7…

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