299 posts
If Trayce Thompson can produce the same kind of year he did last year, then I’m OK with him, but he can’t! A player has to get about 150-200 ABs before you can really make a determination as to how well they may perform. Small samplings mean very little because of the “luck…
Dave Robert’s selection to start Julio Urias in Game one of the NLDS was a landmark decision that essentially told the world that he had supplanted Clayton Kershaw as the ace of the staff. This was no slight to Kershaw, who continues to thrive as a Dodger starter and will…
MLB hands out more awards than one might think. We all know about player of the week, month, and so on. They also award one for the rookie of the month. So I am checking out the Dodger media guide to see how the Dodgers have fared. The Dodgers have had 7 NL Rookies of the Month…
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…
With Mark on the 10-day inactive list to attend to family business in Las Vegas (ever notice how these trips are never to Des Moines, Iowa or Wichita, Kansas?), Jeff (AC) was desperate for some assistance on the LADT writers roster. With his options limited, he had to resort to adding someone from the alternate training site, and had no choice but to call on me, the Zack Reks/Edwin Uceta
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
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
As the Dodgers continue their quest for a World Series Championship, the possible first in over 30 years, a number of things must happen. The starting and relief pitchers must pitch well, and the hitters must hit well able to string together hits. They must play like they expect to win and not that they hope to win. That is, with confidence. They must be the hot team and not
It took 50 games, but the Dodgers are the first team to qualify for the playoffs. They marched into San Diego with a precarious 2.5 game lead and not playing very well at all. Game 1 in SD was a match up of probably the team’s two Aces, Clayton Kershaw vs. Dinelson Lamet. The Dodgers broke on top first with a walk, double and ground out to score a run.
Well…MLB players are expected to report July 1 to their home fields for COVID-19 testing and to initiate ST 2.0. Camp is due to begin July 3. As is usually the case with “normal” ST, pitchers and catchers will report first, with position players due to follow. It is expected that the players will report to ST on a staggered basis, and that they would be on the field at
Much has been said and written about the Dodgers depth and how that makes them a very dangerous team. I do not think that there is a question (at least not for me), that the premier builder of the 40 man roster is Andrew Friedman. During his tenure, over the last five years in a 162 game season, the Dodgers have 485 wins, more than any other team in MLB.
In March 2013 I decided to play Nostradamus regarding the Dodgers and made predictions as to what would happen to a number of Dodger players in eight years. So here we are, seven seasons later, and I can now see how far off I was with my predictions. Surprised? Not really. I always seem to view the Blue with optimism. Here is the post below. I’ll interject with italics to
Since my wife and I started US Systems in our garage 18 years ago, we have never both been able to be gone for more than 4 or 5 days due to the demands of it. However, in the past two years, we have hired 5 vice-presidents in Sales, Finance, Marketing, Engineering, and Operations from the corporate world. This is the first time we have been able to be gone
Many loyal Dodger fans believe the Dodgers ownership group is cheap and not interested in winning, and only interested in counting profits. Never mind that the Dodgers have spent more on player personnel contracts over the last five years than any other team. They have also spent lavishly on player development and re-focusing on their MiLB programs. I think we can all agree that the contract costs were not all
Most often when I attempt to communicate the concept of time with my younger grandchildren, I talk in terms of “sleeps.” “Three more sleeps and I’ll be there, or 2 more sleeps and I go home.” We’re at that stage of the season, where we can communicate similarly about the Dodgers. 11 more wins, and we enjoy the parade!! Last year, we were flat out overmatched by the Red Sox.
I have seen many technological changes in my lifetime. As a youth, my telephone was on the kitchen wall and was part of a party line. I couldn’t have imagined back then that a day was coming when I would carry my phone with me everywhere I went, including my car, and that I would not only be able to take pictures with my phone, I would also be able
1. Dodgerpatch indicated that I was taking the criticism of Austin Barnes too personally. Not true. I would never take criticism alone personally. What I take personally is the name calling. A week ago I stated that Barnes had option(s) remaining and that he should be considered to be optioned to OKC, and bring up Will Smith to get better acclimated to the pitchers. When the name calling started, I
Sometimes the people or players who help you get to a certain place or benchmark are not the people or players who can take you to the next level. I have witnessed this firsthand as US Water Systems has grown from 22 employees two years ago to almost 50 today. Some of the people who helped get me to certain places aren t capable, or willing to go to the next
It has been suggested that the Dodgers need bullpen help and I am all for it. It has also been suggested that the AJ Pollock signing was a bad deal and it has been chanted that getting rid of Puig, Kemp and Wood was dumb. Others have suggested that the solution is to sign big name free agents and pitchers next off season. Evidently, no one has been paying attention
Up until April 15 Niko Hulsizer was a name with which many, or most Dodgers fans were not familiar. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft as a junior out of Morehead State University in Morehead Kentucky. He has now burst upon the scene with his three-home run game against the South Bend Cubs on Monday evening. For some his outburst
OK, this is going to be the last I ever speak of this.. well, that s a lie I probably will speak of it again. However, Las Vegas now has the Dodgers and Astros at +600 odds to make the World Series. The Yankees and Red Sox are next in line with +650 and +700 odds while the Phillies and Cubs are +1000. So, I have a problem when people
As usual, the sharks are circling the USS Dodger as they have been since the Andrew Friedman Era started. They are hoping, wishing and praying that the hull has cracks in it and sinks so that they can devour the man for whom they have developed an irrational hatred. The sad part is that the sharks are Dodger fans and Andrew Friedman has done nothing but make the team better .
Andrew Toles The Dodger Beat Writers know what is up with Andrew Toles, but out of respect for his privacy (and to keep their jobs), they ain t saying! That s OK! Whatever it is and I have an idea, I hope he gets to the right place soon. He still has a world of talent if he can solve his problems. Farmer, Wood, Puig Kemp The Dodger Beat Writers also
Well, I was going to continue with my analysis of the NL West competition, but I thought that I would comment on the this past week and what the future may hold. Most Dodger fans got caught up in all of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes (including me), but as many of us said at the beginning of the Hot Stove League, a long term deal for Bryce Harper is not
So, since Bruce Bochy has announced he will retire AFTER this season, will Bill Hanselman be hired now or wait until the next off-season? That is, if he really will be the next Giants manager and I have heard he will be. I guess you never know, but it makes sense. Andrew Toles has been his own worst enemy in the past with getting kicked off teams, etc. Is this what is happening again or is it really something
I set out today to write a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic column on how bad the Dodgers were as a team and a critique on each player. After a few minutes, I realized that as much as I tried, I could not be that devoid of reason. There was no way I could even make up a way to devalue this team. I m dumb, but I am not that dumb! Well, maybe
Houston Mitchell is a writer for The LA Times and covers the Dodgers. Yesterday he stated that he was trying to make sense of the Dodgers off-season. Houston is a wonderful writer, but he has papers to sell and he knows that many Dodger fans are not sophisticated enough to understand how a successful team is built. He and The Times understand that the average fan is underwhelmed at what
Per JT on the Suits: We trust them, said the third baseman and team leader. The front office has done a great job. They build a 40-man roster, not a 25-man roster, and that s the biggest difference between the Dodgers and other teams. I have been saying that for 4 years running. AF is a master at building the 40-man roster to play in a 162-game season. The Dodgers should
I told you all about 6 months ago that the DH was coming to the NL. As usual, that was met with a lot of skepticism (maybe some mocking as well), and I have to confess that since there was nothing mentioned about it this offseason (until yesterday), I thought that maybe it was a dead deal. Well, it still may not happen THIS YEAR, but it turns out that
There is so little movement in the Hot Stove and yet, so much to talk about, so here goes: TOP FARM SYSTEMS Someone here a few days ago opined that they wanted Logan White back as the GM. Of course, Logan was never GM for the Dodgers before he was Director of Amateur Scouting, and while I love Logan White, I cannot remember when the Dodgers Farm system was
