30 posts
When I was a kid, Wes Parker was definitely one of my favorites. The guy was absolutely the best defensive first baseman in the game, (Gold gloves for six consecutive years, 1967-1972). In 1970 he came into his own and hit .319 and knocked in 111 runs. He was popular, had movie…
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…
Cey and Lasorda What comes to mind when you think about Ron Cey? To me, it is his trot around the bases after he hit a homer and his solid play as one of the anchors of ” The Infield.” Cey was born on the 15th of February 1948 in Tacoma, Washington. He was a multi-sport athlete…
Billy Cordell Grabarkewitz was born on January 18th, 1946 in Lockhart Texas. He is the second child of Adolph Charlie and Helen Grabarkewitz. Lockhart, for those of you not familiar with the Lone Star state, is about 30 miles south of Austin. He was of Irish descent on his…
Most of us who have been Dodger fans for years have loved the classic look of the Dodger uniform. Next to the Yankee pinstripes, it is probably one of the more iconic uniforms in sports. Football uniforms and basketball uniforms have morphed a lot over the years, but baseball…
https://www.milb.com/fans/2021-organization-all-stars On Monday MiLB released the 2021 Organization All-Star list for the Dodgers. The list was developed by Michael Avallone who apparently had some discussions with Will Rhymes, the Dodgers Director of Player Development. These…
When the Dodgers moved west, they were a mixture of the old and the new. Some of the stars from Brooklyn remained. Some had retired or in Campy’s case, been injured. Jackie Robinson refused the trade to the Giants and retired after the 1956 season. Campy was injured in a car…
Revered or reviled? Loved or hated? Steve Garvey generated a lot of different emotions in players and fans. Steven Patrick Garvey, born December 22, 1948, in Tampa, Florida. His parents, Joseph and Mildred, had recently relocated to Tampa from Long Island, NY. Joe passed on his…
Hope everyone is well. I was just perusing the 2021 Media Guide. A really good source of information for fans. Unfortunately, they no longer sell them. So Mark got me the download site and now all that info is on my computer right at my fingertips. And the first subject I…
On April 3rd, 1974, the Dodgers traded pitcher Bruce Ellingsen to the Cleveland Indians for 17-year-old Pedro Guerrero. The Indians were desperate for pitching. It would turn out to be one of the most lopsided one-for-one trades ever. Guerrero went to Orangeburg in the Western Carolina League to start and played 19 games there before moving on to low A Bellingham where in 82 games he hit .316. Over the
As Vinny so memorably said, and a child shall lead them. The kid from Navajoa definitely did that. Oh yeah, the kid could hit a little too. He finished with a .250 average in 81. Also knocked in 7. His only extra-base hit was a triple. But over his Dodger career, he hit 9 HR s 3 of which came in 1984.
Last week, Joc Pederson left the Dodgers as a free agent to join the Chicago Cubs, and prior to that, Kike’ Hernandez signed with the Red Sox. Both were very popular with Dodger fans. Kike’, the Banana Man to many, and a versatile player, had enthralled fans with his energy, and his sometimes flair for the dramatic. His best day as a Dodger was in game 5 of the 2017
Today s post is about the longest tenured Dodger manager. Walter Emmons Alston. Smokey to his friends. Alston was the manager when the team moved from Brooklyn. He was just 3 years removed from guiding them to their only World Championship in their long history. His team was a mixture of old Brooklyn stars, Reese, Hodges, Snider, Furillo, Erskine, and some new blood just beginning to make some noise on the
This is a follow up to the best that have ever played in my estimation. Some I never saw. Others I saw many times. It will consist of the starting 8, a pitching staff of 12 and the bench players. Not an easy thing to do. Starters 1st Base Easiest pick for me. Gil Hodges. 370 lifetime homers as a Dodger First to win the Gold Glove when they were
If you want a sure fire way to start an argument, just pick the best players ever for your team. Everyone has their own ideas of who are the greatest players in a team s history. And the Dodgers have a long and colorful past. 67 years in Brooklyn as a part of MLB, and 62 in LA. So, choosing the best ever is a hard task. In this case, I
Peter O Malley was born on the 12th of December 1937 in Brooklyn, New York. We all know who his parents were. He spent his childhood as a child of privilege. His dad s success allowing the family comforts many of the citizens did not enjoy due to the depression. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. And then from the Wharton School of Business in 1960. Peter s first job with the
One thing I have learned is that AF is tight lipped more than anyone in MLB, and so are his co-working baseball personnel. So for someone like Jim Bowden to intimate that he has spoken with Dodgers personnel who have advised him that AF has been engaged in talks with Rockies GM, Jeff Bridich, about Nolan Arenado, I have my doubts. He did not stop there. He said that Nolan
NOTE: I told you Rob Schelling aka/2demter2 would be back little did I know how soon! Mark Timmons Gamer: A player who approaches the game with a tenacious, spirited attack and continues to play even when hurt; a competitor; a player who doesn’t make excuses. The term is a compliment, most especially when it comes from another player. Goat: one blamed for causing a failure or defeat, esp. in
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
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
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
In 1961, 21 year old local boy, Willie Davis became the Dodger’s starting center fielder. He was to become the replacement for the great Duke Snider, beating out among others the legendary Don Demeter :-). I was 10 years old at the time. Being the gawky string bean kid that I was, I had no real idea of the concept of “cool.” Even though I didn’t know what “cool” was,
On June 23, 1973, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, the Dodgers had a lineup that included Steve Garvey at 1st base, Davey Lopes at 2nd, Ron Cey at 3rd and Bill Russell at shortstop. They stayed together for 9 consecutive years, until August 18, 1981. It was the year of Fernandomania when, Lopes was placed laced on the disabled list with a groin injury.
Puppies . . . who doesn’t love them? Part of the charm of puppies is training them and teaching them to help them along the way in their growth to dogs. “Raising a puppy is not necessarily easy, but it’s an adventure that s full of rewards as you develop a deep bond with your pup that will last throughout his life. A lot of patience and a little extra effort
Last Wednesday, I wrote an article on Rube Walker the Father of the Five-Man Rotation which drew some comments for which I was grateful. Presently, I am not in mourning over the Dodgers untimely exit from post-season play. It happened, it is over, and life goes on. With my ninth decade now staring me in the face each year without one more WS victory is a bit problematic,
It has been widely published that the Dodgers are 31 years between World Series Championships. All Dodger fans want to forget that, but what if…I know it sounds like the Kratt Brothers. For those with small children or grandchildren you probably know Wild Kratts. Brooklyn was nine World Series and lost their first seven: 1916 and 1920 (as The Robins – managed by Wilbert Robinson) and did not return for
Sunday was an off-day in the Dodgers pursuit of a World Series championship. Among other things I took a few moments to see what I could remember from each of the Dodgers 12 appearances in the World Series during my time as a Dodger fanatic. For some I don’t recall much, but for all I have a moment or two that I do. I became a Dodger fan on April
Last week DC discussed a Dodger reliever from every level in the organization. Every reliever on that list has the potential to be at least a MLB middle reliever. Some may become high leverage relievers. Zach Pop was certainly drafted last year for just that reason. One other that I started to follow last year in the DSL was Elio Serrano, who could be special. But at 19 he has
I would like to take a different approach for this post. Sometimes we need a little levity. Bumsrap has been a strong fan/advocate for Joc Pederson, and Mark has been a huge fan/advocate for Yasmani Grandal. I am not the biggest fan of either (other than being a fan because they are Dodgers), but I am a big Alex Wood fan. I was also an unapologetic fan of Zach Lee .
While I love to read Dodgerrick’s comments, I think that he and I look at the state of the Dodgers in different prisms, but he asked some questions earlier that got me to thinking. While I may have initially taken exception to the tone (my perception, not his intent) of the questions, they are nonetheless legitimate and fair. Anyone betting on which starting pitcher goes on the DL 1st? Now
