80 posts
NOTE: This is an update of a blog I published in 2017. Evan B wrote about Vero Beach and said there was no place like it. I totally agree. I have been to Vero Beach over a dozen times maybe 20, I really can t say. The year before the Dodgers moved to Arizona, we were looking at condos in that area. Fortunately, we could not afford it at the time .
Over the last eight seasons, no team has won as many games as Dave Robert’s Dodgers. 753. His teams have won seven division titles, three NL pennants, and a World Series. Lasorda and Alston, probably the two most celebrated managers in Dodger history, never came close to that…
On September 29th, 1976, Walter Alston, who had been the Dodgers manager since 1954, stepped down and retired. He was replaced by third base coach, Thomas Charles Lasorda. Tommy had been a part of the Dodger organization on and off since 1949 when the Dodgers drafted him from…
Two men in the long history of the Dodgers managed for 20 seasons or more. Walter Alston, and Tom Lasorda. Manny Mota and Jim Gilliam had careers of more than ten years with LA and then coached for several more years. Vin Scully was the voice of the Dodgers for 67 years. Most…
In the NBA, they change coaches more than some of you change your underwear. The other day, someone asked me, “ Do you wear boxers or briefs? ” I said, “ Depends …” It also might depend on when you ask about Dave Roberts’s shelf life. This is Doc’s 8th year as the Dodger…
Buckner Rookie Card Gamer. that single word fits Bill Buckner like a glove. In all the years he played, the guy played at full speed all the time. He played hard, and he wanted to win. He was ostracized for years over an error made in a World Series loss. He endured it all and…
… and that, my friends, is a good thing! Expectations were sky-high for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, as everyone in baseball believed they were a powerhouse! Yes, they did win 111 games, but a lot (and I mean A LOT) went wrong. I won’t list every little thing, but…
Bill Russell #18 William Ellis Russell was born Oct 21, 1948, in Pittsburgh, Kansas. He would spend his entire career as a Dodger. Eighteen years, 2,181 games, four pennant winners, and one World Series Championship. He took over as manager in 1996 after Lasorda had his heart…
After a lot of seriousness in the playoff chase maybe it’s time for a little levity, and you can easily do that by bringing up former Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda. With the Phillies in the World Series, I was thinking back at the rivalries the Dodgers had with that ballclub. We…
We Win!!! Orel Leonard Hershiser. Tommy called him “Bulldog.” Born in Buffalo, N.Y., on September 16, 1958. His name is etched in Dodger history alongside many of their greatest pitchers. Most of that praise comes from one magical season when the stars aligned, and he was the…
We are going to take a look back at all the former owners of the Dodgers. Not in depth, but just a glimpse at the evolvement of the team. Most of them, you know at least something about; others, not so much. Ferdinand Abell Ferdinand Abell and Charles Byrne were the two main…
A lot of guys on teams are nothing but scrubs who wait for their chance to contribute to the team. Over the years, many of these guys were favorites of mime simply because when they did get in a game, they played their hardest. I will attempt to give some examples here, starting…
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…
Scioscia and Roy Campanella Mike Scioscia. Many images come to mind, and moments also. Like when he took Dwight Gooden deep late in game 4 to tie the Mets. Gibby would eventually win the contest with a homer of his own in the 8th. The other would be the number of bone-jarring…
#41 Jerry Reuss Jerry Reuss was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 19, 1949. His father worked for RC Cola and drove a truck. His mom worked in real estate and also as an interior decorator. The big baseball fan in the family was his grandfather on his mom’s side, Alfred…
I watched at least three near-future Dodgers last night and one recent past Dodger Hero. I watched the near-future Dodgers, Mike Busch, Jacob Amaya, and Bobby Miller with great elation. Let me tell you about that before I tell you about an old friend whom I felt a great sadness…
Coach Mota It was said, and I do not remember who exactly said it, that Manny Mota could wake up on a cold December morning, get out of bed, and hit a line drive. He was that kind of hitter. Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo was born in the Dominican Republic on February 18, 1938. He…
Earlier in the week I had a dialogue with MT and Bluto regarding the lack of confidence I have in RVS as a competent MLB Team Batting Coach. I have no doubts that his methodology can and does work for some, but each batter is different and needs a different approach. At least…
Believe it or not, this topic can generate some hot debate. Which players deserve the honor? And that is where the debate begins. The Yankees have by far the most retired numbers, 21. Number 8 and 42 are retired honoring two different players. 42 for Robinson and Rivera. 8 for…
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…
I know some of you are saying, “Please not another Dave Roberts post” I understand. But if you have ideas, write a post and get it to Mark and he will gladly post it. I was going to respond yesterday to Mark’s reference to Bill Shaiken’s article and some of the comments, but…
It is time to go down the list of Dodger managers over the years and see how they stack up against each other. We will start in the 1900’s since none of the managers before then were with the team for extended periods of time. First up is Hall of Famer, Wilbert Robinson. Wilbert…
Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have had some very good seasons, some bad ones, some simply good, and one God awful season. 1992. What happened to this team to make it lose 99 games? That is by far, the most in LA Dodger history. The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost 90 games or more twice, 92, and 2005. Brooklyn lost 100 or more twice. LA also
Since the deadline is just a few days away, I thought it might be fun to look back on some of the trades the Dodgers have made over the years. Some were significant in helping the team win, others, well they just were not all that good or popular. Winter: 1958 On the 4th of December, the Dodgers sent Gino Cimoli to the Cardinals for OF Wally Moon and P
Occasionally, I have a little more information than some of you (at times), but it s not nearly as much as it used to be when I had several members of the Dodgers Organization on Speed dial. Jeff probably has a lot more inside connections than I do now. Since Andrew Friedman became President of Baseball Operations for the Dodgers, I have very little inside information and that is by Andrew s
What does this game we love really need? Interesting question. More action? More runs? Shorter games? MLB has tried numerous things to get all of these in play. And in reality, I believe some of all of these would be a good thing. I also think the game could use a few more personalities.. Players who are just a little bit out there. I would have loved to have a
For as long as Julio Urias has been in the Dodger system, there seem to have been rumors of trading him away. I railed against it! I was OK with losing De Leon, Oakes, Sborz, Montas, Holmes, and Cotton, but I felt that Julio Urias had something special. After all, he had at least four pitches and could control them very well. His curve was knee-buckling and his upper 90 s
Then in early April in San Diego, Malone went after a fan who was verbally abusing Gary Sheffield. He resigned a few days later, and Dave Wallace, former pitching coach was named interim GM. They traded for outfielder McKay Christenson in July. In July they also traded for Mike Twombley, Terry Mullholland, and James Baldwin in separate deals Usually for minor leaguers.
Gibson, Hatcher, Dempsey, Samuel, and Valenzuela all became free agents in November, but on the 8th of November, Claire signed FA outfielder Darryl Strawberry. He signed Kevin Gross and Brett Butler. Traded Vizcaino to the Cubs for Greg Smith. Then he sent Brooks to the Mets for Greg Hansell and Bob Ojeda. They also re-signed Samuel, Valenzuela and Hatcher. They traded Holmes to the Brewers for a minor leaguer and did the same with Poole.
