Battle for the NL West

The pitching staff got a much-needed day off yesterday, and now the Dodgers will face King, Cease, and Musgrove as the Padres are looking to sweep the Dodgers and tie them for first place in the NL West. The Dodgers just announced that it will be Knack, Flaherty, and Buehler who will start, but this is all very, very interesting.

This is what it all comes down to, and this is why they play the games. Some fans will say that these three games are “must-win games.” Well, every game is a “must-win” game, isn’t it? But you don’t win them all. The Rangers lost a “must-win” game on the last day of the season to drop them from the AL West Champion to a Wild Card, and I think it turned out OK for them. They won the World Series riding the coattails of five or six pitchers after backing in as a Wild Card.

But, for the first time in quite some time, the Dodgers are in a Dogfight to win the NL West. They have three games with the Friars and three more in Denver. Ohtani could hit six or seven HRs in Coors! 60/60 is within reach, and he is hot!

Andrew Friedman has always been at the forefront of change. When he ran the Rays, he learned that he had to sell early and play within the margins. He learned not to “fall in love” with players and maximize return on investment. He was at the forefront of “launch angle,” exit velocity,” and that strikeouts weren’t leprosy! Andrew pushed sabermetrics and analytics where they had never gone before and built what may be the biggest and baddest analytic departments in all of baseball. He was also at the forefront of what Driveline Baseball was about: Spin Rate, weighted balls, stronger pitchers, extreme training, and maximum-effort pitching. Additionally, the Dodgers farm system is well-oiled machine.

Everything does not work as planned. Usually, new ideas require adjusting and tweaking. The Dodgers are still a work in progress. The problem is that many fans are not used to change: “That’s not the way we used to do it, so we should never do it that way.” They want baseball to stay static… keep it the same. There is no such thing as staying the same – you are either expanding or dying!

Grumpy old men (and women) have a way of not accepting new ideas. I do really miss DodgerMom, MJ, and a couple of other ladies who posted on this site. I ran the morons off so that maybe some ladies might return and give us a little balance. Damn, I miss MJ and Dodger Mom! I would welcome you back. I went to the other side and was amazed at how I am still in their heads. I own them! Dang! If I really were a narcissist, that would be most excellent! Most of you get my humor… but the morons don’t! The next big thing is:

Legends of the Fall

Some players just have that reputation as being clutch in the playoffs. When you think of the 2024 Dodgers and being clutch, you automatically think of …. NOBODY. Reggie Jackson was called Mr. October. Who will step up and be Mr. October for the Dodgers? There are candidates Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Teoscar, Will the Thrill, Max, Clayton, Jack, Yamamoto? Who knows?

The Legends of the Fall is one of my favorite movies, and this is my favorite part:

Will the Dodgers have a Legend of the Fall? Who will it be? That’s why they play the games. BTW, don’t even count out Bobby Miller (Last game: 5 IP/3 H/1 ER/1 BB/ 6 Ks at OKC) or Michael Grove. Take note that Dalton Rushing caught on Sunday.

I am not sure what the rest of this week will bring. My wife and I are going to Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday, where I will undergo an ablation on my heart on Thursday or Friday. A heart ablation, also known as cardiac ablation, is a minimally invasive procedure that treats irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, by destroying small areas of heart tissue. The goal is to restore the heart’s normal rhythm by blocking irregular electrical signals. Here’s what they told me as to how it works: 

1. A doctor inserts a catheter into a vein in the groin and guides it up to the heart. 
2. Electrodes on the end of the catheter measure the heart’s electrical activity. 
3. The doctor identifies the area causing the arrhythmia. 
4. The doctor uses radio frequency to destroy the tissue. 

Recovery from heart ablation is usually quick, with most people feeling back to normal within a few days to a week. However, it’s important to note that everyone’s recovery is different, and you may feel tired for several days or weeks. My doctor told me that no one has died from this, so let’s roll. I also meet with my back surgeon today and will schedule surgery to have L1 and L2 Fused. Old age is a bitch, but only the good die young. You are going to have to put up with me for a long time.

Man, I remember when I had hair like him. Well… I barely remember!