Andrew Friedman is Ruining Dodger Blogs
For years, Dodgers blogs have been a sacred place where Dodger fans went to lament their fate, cry in their beer, pontificate how bad the team, coaches, managers, general managers, and owners were, and generally write about how they could do a better job than whoever happened to be in charge. When Andrew Friedman was hired by the Dodgers as President of Baseball Operations, he was greeted with jeers, smears,
For years, Dodgers blogs have been a sacred place where Dodger fans went to lament their fate, cry in their beer, pontificate how bad the team, coaches, managers, general managers, and owners were, and generally write about how they could do a better job than whoever happened to be in charge.
When Andrew Friedman was hired by the Dodgers as President of Baseball Operations, he was greeted with jeers, smears, and tears. The second he was hired he was hated like he was a serial killer and a very high percentage of Dodger fans set out to make sure he failed just like they knew he would. The thing is… he didn’t fail, but it took about five years before many of the gloom and doom fans finally became aware of that fact.
Mind you, they didn’t want to acknowledge it. They wanted to Damn Everything Friedman. Even when the facts indicated otherwise, they talked about him like he was a dog… no… they talked about him like he was a mangy cur. They talked and they talked and they talked… until they couldn’t. Well, the really stupid ones still talk… that’s why they are really stupid! I can’t fix stupid and I don’t even try, but the Blogs who bash Friedman and the Dodgers are becoming dinosaurs – extinct!
When did it all change? Well, it actually happened pretty quickly. On January 3, 2020, Rob Manfred announced that the Asstericks cheated the Dodgers out of the 2017 World Series and then, a little over 30 days later, Friedman acquired Mookie Betts, David Price, and Brusdar Graterol to “one-up” the Yankees who acquired Gerrit Cole.
All of a sudden it became clear that the Dodgers would have likely won the 2017 World Series had it not been for the dirty, lowdown, cheating and lying Asstericks! Then to nail it all down, Friedman acquired one of the Top 5 players in baseball, a proven starter, and a future closer. Also, some of the moves by Dave Roberts that Dodger fans questioned may not be what they appeared to be in light of the cheating.
Yes, Andrew Friedman is killing Dodger Blogs. It’s a proven fact that when the Dodgers are doing good, there’s not much for the naysayers to talk about. At every blog, including LA Dodger Talk, there are fewer comments when the Dodgers win than when they lose. Losing brings out the misery and misery loves company, and therein lies the problem. There just ain’t much misery today and today is a great day to be a Dodger fan.
I hope you all will join me in rooting the Dodgers to their first World Championship in 32 years. It should be the second… not the first. This one just helps right a wrong! I am going to have a chip on my shoulder the rest of this season and I am certain that it’s about as big as the ones on the shoulders of the Dodgers.
Disclaimer: I do not think Andrew Friedman is perfect. He’s made some mistakes (AJ Pollock is one I see… but some disagree). No, he’s not perfect… but he’s the best I have seen in my lifetime. What the Dodgers are doing with their pitching staff and the help they get on the hitting side is incredible! Player development is at an all-time high!
Roster Moves
The Dodgers have optioned Keibert Ruiz, Zach McKinstry, DJ Peters & Luke Raley and have reassigned Brett de Geus, Jacob Amaya, and Omar Estevez, to minor league camp. I don’t agree with sending McKinstry down, so I am still proceeding forward with 2B is McKinstry’s to lose. In 27 AB’s Zach is OPS’ing 1.226 while in the exact same number of AB’s Lux is at .644. Let it play out the next two weeks… if Lux wins the job, so be it. But right about now, the job should go to Zach.
What Will the Roster Look Like?
I can safely say that there will be 13 pitchers and 13 position players and (barring injury) most are easy to figure out.
Position Players
- Will Smith
- Austin Barnes
- Max Muncy
- Kike Hernandez
- Zach McKinstry (I’m not throwing him back)
- Corey Seager
- Chris Taylor
- Justin Turner
- AJ Pollock
- Cody Bellinger
- Mookie Betts
- Edwin Rios
- Matt Beaty
I am betting that Joc Pederson starts on the IL…. and I could be very wrong. I am also thinking that Austin Barnes could be the Opening Day Catcher. I’ll even predict the Opening Day lineup:
- Betts RF
- Bellinger CF
- Turner 3B
- Muncy 1B
- Seager SS
- Beaty LF
- McKinstry 2B (No I won’t give it up… yet!)
- Barnes C
- Kershaw P
Pitchers:
This is a little less certain and some of it depends upon what the Dodger Brass wants for certain pitchers. Dustin May will stay on a Starters path and go to OKC, but Tony Gonsolin is in question. Will he stay a starter and go to OKC or become a multi-inning reliever? He’s ready…. now! Here’s my best guess:
- Kershaw
- Buehler
- Price
- Urias
- Wood
- Stripling
- Ferguson
- Alexander (short leash)
- Graterol
- Baez
- Treinen
- Kelly
- Jansen
Them there’s my thoughts. Pick ’em apart!
Today’s Music
Tonight’s Game: Celtics at Pacers
It’s crunch time. I’ll be at Bankers’ Life Fieldhouse tonight with bells on… My son-in-law is a Celtics fan, so it should be fun. This photo is from the last game… Our friends are pastors of a church we used to attend. Bobby, if the Pacers play the Lakers in the Finals, I have a ticket for you!
Fun 1 Minute Video
We did the Winterfest in Indy which is where people pay $80 to come in and drink craft beer from about 100 breweries. Of course, we supply the water treatment for the breweries all across the world, but at this event, we supplied the water to drink. We hooked up a big Commercial Reverse Osmosis System and produced all the water they needed without a bunch of empty plastic bottles clogging our ecosystem.
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Discussion (89)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Great piece in The Athletic on Edwin Rios and his trip to the “Fat Farm” (his words, not mine.
Open on theathletic.comhttps://theathletic.com/1638482/2020/03/10/i-took-it-to-heart-man-the-big-change-that-aided-dodgers-prospect-edwin-rios/Mark, nice article, nice picture, good looking son. Agree on your roster selections especially the pitchers although I would love to fit Gonsolin in there.. He was awesome yesterday. On your other list of players, I mostly agree, but would substitute Lux for Rios. Don’t know where to play them all though. I love Toby Keith.
I’m intrigued by Graterol and would like to see him on the opening day roster (along with Gonsolin), but I don’t get the sense that will happen due to how he is being used in spring training games. Unless I have missed something, he is only pitching late in games against AA and AAA players, not earlier against regulars as Gonsolin is doing. I would think Doc would want to see him against Arenado, Marte, Machado, etc., in these games if they think he will open the season in LA. Is is true that he already has major league experience, but so does Gonsolin, yet their usage this spring has been very different. Of course, there is still time for that to change.
Beyond that, I think the comments (either by Doc or AF) about Gonsolin’s age relative to that of May also hint that Gonsolin will get a roster spot in the pen rather than going to AAA as a starter.
I think your pitching staff is correct. Alexander is the weak link. He can’t throw strikes and doesn’t need to be in a game that is high leverage. He is either in a game that is over or one that you are looking for a dp ball as a last resort. Ferguson has been talking about being a starter so I don’t know where that goes.
Joc Pederson will be in the opening day lineup if he is still on the team which appears likely. If lux is not the starter then who is? Been down that road with kike so I doubt, so maybe muncy with Rios or Beaty at first base. I think the Dodgers want to save the extra year on lux so he better turn it on if he wants to stay.
Gonsolin is ready it is just a matter of whether they want him as a starter or if the bullpen performs without him. A trade could change everything but not likely unless injuries crop up on other teams.
Wow, MT doesn’t have Lux on the opening day roster. I think he’ll make it.
I’ve always enjoyed watching the Pacers play, from Reggie’s teams to Paul George’s Pacers’ battles with the Heat. No hate for that team whatsoever. Beat the Celtics tonight!
And I”ll take you up on that offer! My bags are always packed to go see a potential title clinching game. I had a room in Houston booked in 2017, if we had a shot to clinch there. Had a room booked in Boston in 2018, if we had a shot to clinch there. Hopefully this year I can book rooms somewhere in June AND October (or just see them in LA)
Alex Wood looked really good again yesterday. I think that driveline stuff is really working. Gonsolin looks as if he never needs to see the minor leagues again. That AAA team, whoever is on it to start, might be good enough to finish 4 in the NL West!
Zach McKinstry was sent over to the minor league side but I was hoping he would have made the team. If the rest of ST goes as it is now for Pollock, and the Dodgers do as they say and hold players accountable then Pollock should be DFA, Pederson and Taylor will be fine in left field. Pollock out, Lux and McKinstry in. I am still undecided between Graterol and Santana at this point.
“I’m going to have a chip on my shoulder the rest of this season”
So, this year’s like every other year.
The Betts move will be different only if he is extended. The one thing Friedman hasn’t done is successfully offer the multi-year multi-nuts screwball contract.
“Not many people who go to Asia regularly where I live. I’m not worried at all”. Bear speaking to the coronavirus. You might want to reconsider that buddy. Just a suggestion. Living in North Wintersville might help for a while, but this thing is going everywhere.
The Pacers look good Mark. They could actually a win a game or two against the Heat.