Attention, Peter Seidler and his band of wannabes, never-weres, and just plain punks, the Dragon up the Freeway is alive and well and it just smoked your ass, you bunch of disrespectful reform-school dropouts! Clayton Kershaew’s Mother, Marianne Tombaugh, died Saturday. Up until now, we know very little about her life and death. Perhaps, Clayton will keep it that way… perhaps not. We learned very little about his father, who…
There were a lot of “firsts” last night: The first walk-off win was the kind of thing that can galvanize a team. Mike Grove pitched his first great game, and (someone else said this), “Looked like Buehler.” Not bad for a guy who is just trade bait. Disclaimer: I don’t think that, and most baseball people don’t think that. Watch his interview after the game. Shelby Miller, who has been…
It’s always nice to beat SD, but yesterday’s game meant nothing. The Dodgers have to beat them when it counts, and this does not! Noah Syndergaard and Dustin May looked like the best #4 and #5 Starters in baseball, but it was only three innings each. Still, it was encouraging! Gavin Stone saw his first action and struck out 2 in his one-inning pitched. I keep telling everyone… Will Smith…
I have always wondered about the predictability of having a closer and why teams have simply gone in the direction of having a 9th inning man, no matter what the situation was. If you really think about it, throwing that “stopper” out there for the final three outs night after night is probably not the best managerial strategy. It may be for teams with limited bullpen resources, but not with…
I received an E-Mail yesterday from the Dodgers PR staff about getting media credentials for the NLDS. I used to get them but have not done that for about nine or ten years. Anyway, towards the bottom, it said this: “All individuals must be both vaccinated and boosted to receive access to restricted areas (clubhouse, field, interview room, photography wells) at Dodger Stadium in alignment with rules set forth by…
So, all season Dodger fans have ragged the Dodgers’ “Botton-of-the Batting Order.” Specifically, they have been critical of Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and Joey Gallo; however, that team they have been so critical of is poised to set a team record for wins. They are getting close, and the record should fall by next weekend. The question remains, “How much does it hurt the Dodgers to have Gallo, Bellinger, and…
As the season nears its end, I think we have to take a large dose of reality. The reality is that the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. Houston is making a late run, but if they try and catch LA to invoke “Home Field Advantage,” then they are likely to “flame out” in the playoffs. The reality also is that any team can get hot in the playoffs…
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished the year 68-64 and will miss the playoffs for the first time (not due to COVID-19) since 2014. Scott Hennessey could be in trouble as the manager. The Great Lakes Loon’s season finale was rained out and will not be made up. They finished the season 75-55. On Thursday, they start the playoffs against Lake County in Eastlake, Ohio. If they end up playing Ft….
I was listening to a conversation a couple of days ago where Person A was arguing that it was “crazy that baseball was making all these changes. The game is just fine – Don’t go changing everything!” Person B had a different take, “Other than the DH and lowering the mound, baseball is the last sport that has changed, and it’s way past time!” What was most interesting about this…
I had already started this blog post when Whistling Ranger (welcome to LADT) posted this: “I look for the Dodgers to concentrate on roster management in the offseason. There is extreme competition for the 40-man roster. Look for them to trade older players for younger, promising players that they don’t have to protect. If they don’t, they will lose some through the rule 5 draft or have to DFA them.”…