19 posts
It is time for a little Devil’s Advocacy. I have been an unapologetic fan of Andrew Friedman and what he has accomplished, and just as critical as to what he has NOT accomplished. I was critical when AF did not beat out the Astros offer for Gerrit Cole before the 2018 season. The Astros traded a #5 SP in Joe Musgrove, a decent but unceremonious 3B, Colin Moran, a RHRP
I know many of you out there in LADT land have been “calmly” discussing your varied opinions on AF. Some think he is the best President Baseball Operations/GM in the history of baseball, while others believe he is very much overrated. I do not know what is wrong with the latter group. Aren’t those of you who are in that group just glad to be the 2nd best team in
I wrote about the possibility of a slow start for the Dodgers but did not predict one. I know Mark liked to chide me with that after the first two series. But 5-2 against arguably two of the worst 3 teams in the NL was nothing to brag about. The Padres played the same two teams and went 4-3. And now LAD gets to face the Rockies without having to
As we are winding down to less than 2 weeks before pitchers and catchers report, I was having a tough time trying to find a single topic to write a novel on. So I am going to just give some of my thoughts on a few topics. 1. Yes, Stan Kasten stuck his massive foot square in his mouth at the FanFest, and for no good reason. I am by
Well now that the Dodgers have signed AJ Pollock, what comes next? Maybe something. Maybe nothing. Is JT Realmuto on the horizon. Apparently, the Pads are very much in on JTR, but they are insisting on extension talks before they consummate the deal. Obviously, either Francisco Mejia or Austin Hedges will be going back in a package. The Pads have ML OF’s available as well a bucket load of high-level
There has been a lot of discussion on the state of free agency. Many consider the system broke. Very few teams can be considered as realistic in offering the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. But the problem is that many of the non “generational” type players wait until the top players sign and then hope that those that miss out on the Harper’s and Machado’s may be in
Yesterday I looked at what might the team be looking at/for in 2019 with pitching (starting and relief) and catchers. Today I am looking at the infielders and outfielders. Infielders: Much of this will be determined by how Corey Seager rehabs. Will he be able to play SS as well…
I hope you all bear with me. I would like to somewhat continue the FAZ discussion from yesterday. And then to give one last autopsy report on the 2018 WS. As Mark indicated, FAZ took over a team that had a payroll in excess of $250MM. One would think that a team with that…
Did Alex Cora make a mistake by staying with ERod in the 6th? As a Dodger fan, I say absolutely not. A 3 run jack by Puig put the Dodgers up 4-0. And the Dodgers have not lost with a 4 run lead all year long. 54-0. But what will Boston fans say? Well now they could care less because of the lack of a bullpen by the Dodgers. And
WHAT A GAME!!! 18 innings – 7 ½ hours. My nine-year-old granddaughter picked a great game to see her 1st ML baseball game. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter were decked out in Dodger gear, while my son was non-committal. They stayed all 18 innings. He just texted me (1:35 AM) and said UNBELIEVABLE! Max Muncy comes close in the 15th, and then unloads going oppo in the 18th for the
This is what I was thinking as Game 1 approached. The game we have been waiting for since November 1, 2017 and the opportunity to wipe away all the anguish of a 30-year drought. I have had a busy day and have discovered I am not as nervous about this series as I was the one with the Brew Crew. I don’t think it is because I feel the
WELCOME TO THE FALL CLASSIC 2018!! By the time the Dodgers and Red Sox square off in Game 1 of the 2018 World Series, it will have been 356 days since the Dodgers went down in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. It will be 30 year s this month since the last Dodgers WS victory. This year’s WS can make all of those bad memories go away (at least
It took 174 games, but the Dodgers are heading back to the World Series. As I stated yesterday, it seems like this team needs to have their backs against the wall before they kick it in gear. From the shouts that we are going to single them to death to come back to getting a 2 run HR and a 3 run HR to beat the Brewers in Game 7 .
I don’t know how to react to last night’s game. There was so much bad that happened and a lot of good. It is easy to concentrate on the 2-out walk to the pitcher followed by a grand slam HR. However, Buehler followed that by retiring the next 10 batters, including 4 strikeouts. It is entirely plausible that without that walk to Newcomb, the Dodgers shutout the Braves for third
Sean Newcomb is left-handed and almost no-hit the Dodgers once this year. The other time the Dodgers faced him, they lit him up. Which Newcomb will they face today? Maybe it s not which pitcher they face maybe it s what approach the hitters take and you will see a different approach because there will be different hitters tonight. Most likely this will be the lineup: C Grandal (You don t take
Now that the regular season is through, we can begin to speculate as to what will make up the NLDS roster. It really shouldn’t be that difficult for 23 of the 25 players, but those last two will surely draw some scrutiny. IMO the givens: Starting Pitching (4): Clayton Kershaw Hyun-jin Ryu Walker Buehler Rich Hill Bullpen (8): Kenley Jansen Kenta Maeda Alex Wood Pedro Baez Scott Alexander
Last night had a happy ending, but it looked bad for a while as Rich Hill gave up 4 runs in the first three innings. He threw 103 pitches. 75 of which were strikes, and his curveball was amazing. It really was a good outing and the two HR were (in my opinion) just one of those things. Hill pitched a strong 6 innings and kept the Dodgers in the
OK, you all likely know what happened last night: Joc Pederson drove in the first run against Zack Greinke. Hyun-Jin Ryu had pitched 7 strong innings when Roberts pinch-hit for him with Kike Hernandez. On a 2-2 pitch from Greinke, Kike jacked the ball out of the stadium to tie the game at 2-2. Next, Dylan Floro played the role of set-up man and shut down the D-Bags in the
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
