Crickets
Yesterday, Badger said, Your communication skills remind me of Joe Frazier’s boxing approach. He s right. If I have a problem with something you say, you will know about it. I m no Ali. I don t float like a butterfly. I am more like Joe Frazier, whose style was to constantly be in his opponent s chest, wearing them down with stifling pressure and punches from every angle available to him. Compared to many
Yesterday, Badger said, “Your communication skills remind me of Joe Frazier’s boxing approach.” He’s right. If I have a problem with something you say, you will know about it. I’m no Ali. I don’t float like a butterfly. I am more like Joe Frazier, whose style was to constantly be in his opponent’s chest, wearing them down with stifling pressure and punches from every angle available to him. Compared to many pressure fighters, Frazier didn’t get hit as much as you would expect. Frazier preferred to bob and weave constantly.
Yeah, guilty as charged. Badger nailed it!
I live a Dodger season at a time – not a Dodger game at a time. I look at the big picture, not a single game. Looking at one game at a time will drive you crazy… and I am convinced that many of you have taken that crazy train one too many times.
My son-in-law who is a Red Sox fan and works for me says, “I can never tell whether the Dodgers won or lost by how you act the next day.” Well, it’s not the end of the world if they lose… unless it is the last game… in which case I might be bummed for a few hours, and then my next blog is about next year. It’s a damn game, and if they lose, I may not like it, but IT’S A DAMN GAME! It’s not life and death.
I prefer to live my life as an optimist because I am happy most of the time. When you live your life as a pessimist you are miserable most of the time until you are surprised that something went right… in which case you are probably still miserable. Optimists generally approach life with a positive outlook, while pessimists tend to expect the worst. Optimists go into new situations with high expectations, while pessimists keep low expectations to prepare for negative outcomes.
Researchers have found that the most optimistic men and women demonstrated, on average, an 11-15% longer lifespan, and had far greater odds of reaching 85 years old, compared to the least optimistic group. When my ex-wife found out she had brain cancer (at age 37) and they gave her six weeks to live, I said “It makes no difference what they say. Let’s figure out a way to beat it.” She said, “I’m a realist, I know that this can kill me… and probably will.” You often get what you believe. She died on New Year’s Eve 1996… six weeks to the day. Maybe she would not have beaten it… no matter what, but her attitude gave her no chance. By the way, she was a brilliant woman with a 163 I.Q. Me? I’m too stupid to know I can’t do something, so I just go ahead and do it.
That was twenty-five years ago and our son who was nine when she died. shares his mother’s pessimism about life. He also is brilliant but life is a struggle for him and he has never gotten over losing his mother. I can’t fix it… God knows I have tried. You can never make anyone be anything ever than who they are. Only they can change their direction. But, you still love them through it all.
This brings me to “Crickets” and I am sure you are saying “What on earth are you talking about?” I am talking about: Crickets. Crickets are what happens when the Dodgers are on a winning streak. Crickets are what happens when things are going well. Crickets are what the commenters on LADT have to say after a win or five. However, if the Dodgers bullpen blows a save, a player makes an error, or if the term is 1-108 with RISP, there are no crickets… EVERYONE PILES ON… with negativity.
- I don’t want to be negative, but…
- They will never win…
- They just don’t have heart
- ____________________________ (you fill it in) needs to be cut, sent back to the minors or killed
- Yada, Yada, Yada.
Most people who do all the complaining are either very pessimistic or have lost the ability to enjoy life. Enjoying life does not necessarily mean having lots of money, cars, and accessories. Finding pleasure in your work, going out with friends, spending time with loved ones are all that brings joy to life.
Social media has given many people an entitlement towards being angry and hurt towards matters which they may not understand fully. Such websites are designed to show you what you like and appeal to your deepest feelings. So if you follow a page about people who are unhappy about or opposed to certain things, the site’s algorithm will suggest similar pages.
Such tactics enable a virulent spread of ideas that may or may not have any ground reality. But they become popular nonetheless. Youngsters must especially be warned about his. Social media sites have enabled social engineering to be carried out en masse by dubious vested interests. They paint a picture of a world that may reflect your own personal views and cement them further.
When the Dodgers lose or something bad happens, LADT has double or triple the posts. I am going to suggest that you get a life. A large number of commenters left LADT after the 2020 World Series because they had so much less to bitch about…. well that, or they didn’t like me (of course I don’t care).
I am still very high on this team. The 2021 Dodgers are the best team in baseball… but I also know that the best teams do not always win. It’s complicated to explain why. Look no further than the San Francisco Giants who won three World Series in five years.
In 2010, they won the World Series but did not make the playoffs in 2011. In 2012, they again won the World Series and followed that up by going ten games under .500 in 2013. In 2014 they also won the World Series and have struggled every year since then, until this season. Go figure!
However, the season is not over. There are 50 games left. The Dodgers have challenges, but so do the Giants in a system that is not nearly as deep as the Dodgers. The Dodgers may or may not have woke up from being drunk with a World Championship. Trea Turner is fast… he’s the fastest player in baseball (allegedly). Speed kills… and it also might just be contagious. I saw more good baserunning yesterday than I have seen in weeks. I saw hitters hitting to the opposite field. I saw a team playing for the sheer joy of the game. I saw Cody Bellinger with another huge smile after hitting a 2-run HR, and what I remember most is the smile the covered Albert Pujols face when he absolutely crushed a 2-run HR against the team who thought he was washed up.
I have listened to fans this season who have wanted to get rid of Max Muncy, AJ Pollock, Gavin Lux, Luke Raley, Zach Reks, Sheldon Noisy, Cody Bellinger, Kenley Jansen, David Price, Julio Urias, Austin Barnes, and just about every bullpen pitcher. By the way, the fans who say Andrew Friedman does not value the bullpen or does not know how to build a bullpen, cannot explain how they would do it any better.
Yesterday was just one game, but it was the first game I can remember with three stolen bases (by the Dodgers). Many of us have been wanting to see Quackenbush, and we did. One game does not make a career, but he did look overmatched. I was, however, very impressed with Justin Bruihl, who pitched 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings and appears to have the guts of a Cat Burglar! Obviously, I need to see more before I proclaim him the Second Coming, but I was impressed with his first appearance.
Finally, my advice is to enjoy the season, if not the game. Why does Doc get blamed for everything when they lose and it’s crickets when they win? Many of you hate Dave Roberts and when you hate anyone they have control over you. You are Doc’s puppet. Me? I don’t hate him. He’s a manager. Some moves work – some don’t. To continually criticize him, no matter what marks you as totally irrational and devoid of understanding of the game of baseball. Yes… it’s a game.
Enjoy the ride… I have a feeling that regardless of certain games, this is going to be another great season. The Dodgers have to overcome a lot in order to win it all again, but it is certainly very possible. Las Vegas still thinks so… and that place was built by losers. Rejoice, my Brothers and Sisters! Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies… We are headed down the stretch with just 50 games left! Let’s Roll!
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Discussion (113)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Dodger ball girl who pushed the runner over the fence yesterday is Marissa Rohan. She is my new hero. Observation, Dodgers need to add some speed to the security force. Those old guys left in the dust by this moron. Oh, Marissa? She is quite the looker. Pujols had some words about the Angels that left some people wondering. We know it was not all that amicable. But Pujols drew some looks when he said he was friends with about 95% of the people over there. Hmmm. The other 5% are wondering if they are on Tio Albert’s hit list.
Up early this morning finishing my next post. Lots of info to gather. A couple of thoughts. Taylor is a must sign, and they have to kick the tires on a contract for Trea Turner. In my gut, and it usually is right, I think that Seager is going to leave. Boras ALWAYS steers his clients towards the biggest pay check. I do not think the Dodgers are going to offer him Lindor type money. Just way too many unknowns. Also with the CBA having to be renegotiated, who knows when the season will start or if it will start. I do believe thought that neither side can afford another work stoppage. Will the electronic K zone be implemented? A universal DH? Lots of questions. We know the extra inning rule is going to be modified in some way, say starting in the 12th inning there will be a runner on 2nd. The 3 batter rule is probably here to stay. The MLBPA might push for a roster increase to 28, or a taxi squad like the NBA where players can be declared out for a single game, and replaced by one of the taxi squad. I do not like the moving the mound back a foot, or the bigger bases idea. The game has been fine for well over 100 years, leave the dimensions alone. Although he has been a hugely positive influence in the dugout and the clubhouse, I cannot see them offering Pujols another deal unless it was something like they gave Chase Utley. He is definitely not getting what he was paid by the Angels. He has been fun to watch. I think they need a RH power hitter coming off of the bench. Someone a lot younger than Tio Albert, and a little more versatile. Next spring we will get to look at some of the younger talent coming up. I think that is when Pepiot gets a real look. I am not sure he will get that this season. They can only call up 2 in September, and depending on their needs, it will most likely be bullpen arms. Lux will be back in a week or so. Knebel will get the open roster spot is my guess. They will be down 1 offensive player with Turner missing a couple of games to rest his groin. This off season’s biggest sign though should be a closer to replace Jansen. I see no one in the system fitting that bill. Graterol is way too raw to be ready for that. Kelly will be a free agent. Treinen under contract through 2022. It is going to be interesting this offseason, Let AF work his magic.
I checked the roster a little while ago and it sits at 25 right now. Reks was sent to OKC. Tsutsugo had 3 hits in last nights game for them and is now hitting .255 with 10 HR’s. Lux had a PH single. Tropeano gave up 6 runs in relief, only 1 was earned. The rotating bullpen is alive and well. Wonder who the next fodder entry is, probably this Greene guy. I think the Dodgers like the 97 MPH fastball he has. Stat of the day, since statcast started tracking exit velocities, they had never seen a ball hit as hard as the one Stanton hit yesterday. He hit a 122 MPH scorcher that was turned into a double play. I saw the replay, I cannot believe it did not rip the glove off of Whitfield. Padres beat Miami and are now 7 games out, 3 behind LA> Tatis is working out in the outfield. Padres have played 114 games, so they have 48 left.
Great article, Mark.
Some of us need a reminder to stay positive and optimistic.
The Dodgers have a very talented roster, and it gets frustrating when they under-perform or give away games. You make a great point that the best or most talented team does not always win the World Series. Someone posted a stat this weekend that the Giants reached 30 games above .500 this year, and it was the first time since 2003 that they reached that level. Amazing that they won 3 WS titles and never made it 30 games over 500 in 18 years! The Giants won 92, 94, and 88 games in the years they won WS.
In an effort to focus on some Dodger positives, I must recognize how well AJ Pollock has played this year. I didn’t love the free agent signing, but he has had a great year.
Along with Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Walker Buehler, and Julio Urias, AJ has helped keep the Dodgers in contention for a division title. Hopefully they can overtake the hated ones!
Just thinking about how many starting pitchers we have out:
1. Bauer
2. Kershaw
3. Duffy
4. Gonsolin
5. May
That is a lot……I sure hope Urias doesn’t come down with a dead arm due to too many innings pitched. We may then have 2-3 bullpen games (David Price to me is still a half of a bullpen.)
When there not followed people can get killed !
Thanks Badger, good info, makes sense. Regardless of the sentiments, rules are made to be followed.
Hopefully with good intentions and public safety in mind.
So what reason was given for kicking the guy out for a kind sentiment to a fallen officer. She had just given birth 3 months ago.
Maybe holding up signs aren’t aloud. Hmm
Just wanted to say thank you to Badger for the explanation of “groin soreness.” Feels like what I’ve had since trying to replicate the “pelvic thrust” exercises from physical therapy. I still walk like Quasimodo so, no, PT was no help at all. I’m 71 going on 91.
I tend not to worry about our free agents. Simply because that stuff is way beyond our control. I am pretty sure the front office will try to sign the players they feel give them the best chance to win. A lot of hard choices this off season. I think Jansen is gone, Kershaw will sign at least a 2 year deal somewhere, but it sure will not be in the 30 million a year range. I think Boras is going to steer Seager towards the most money. Be it the Yankees, Angels or who ever. I think the Dodgers are going to make a serious push to retain Turner. His energy and baseball acumen is off the charts, and next to Mookie he is one of the most exciting players out there. I like his game a lot better than that show boat down in San Diego. They do not have to worry about Bellinger for a little while, and that gives him time to fix what ever is wrong. Butane is going to get paid like an Ace sooner or later. I also think depending on how this season plays out that resigning Scherzer is on the agenda. May comes back sometime next year, Caleb Ferguson should be coming back. Kahnle is still under contract and might have some impact on the bullpen. But I make a serious effort to bring back Taylor. That is a must sign.
Followed trea since he played for missions in San Antonio . I knew he was good then. 2019 he comes off the injured list when the nats are 19-31. The finish with a World Series ring. He hustles and inspires. Dodger fans are in for some thrills watching him play. World Series ring anyone
First of all, did you see the takedown by the ball girl? Classic.
How many major league players can score on a single? Yes, Trea
Turner is fast.
Interesting article in the LA Times, written by Bill Shaikin, saying if the Dodgers let Corey Seager go, the Angels should sign him to play short. Shaikin notes that the Angels have young pitching and will be free of the Albert Pujols contract. Shaikin believes the Dodgers will move Turner to short. He points out that Turner rates as a better defensive shortstop than Seager and his speed offers a dimension rare in today’s game.
As to where Turner will sign in the future, I think there is some speculation that because he lives in Florida he doesn’t want to play in the west, but usually players sign where they are comfortable playing and where they have the best chance of winning. The Dodgers have a lot of sway in both areas. Great fan base, incredible weather, beautiful stadium and a history of winning. If his experience in LA is good, I think the Dodgers will have an advantage when it comes to keeping Turner.
Of course, that was before he brought Dodger Stadium to a resounding frenzy!
Maybe he feels differently now.
The few. The Proud. The Dodgers!
I can’t remember where I read it but Trea Turner said he would NOT sign a long term contract to a west coast team. He’s from Florida and wants to stay on the East Coast. He said he loved being with the Nationals and hoped he would be there for 20 years.
Seager is a FA this year and if we let him leave then we better find out exactly what Turner has in mind for the end of 2022. We could lose both.
Just a thought but an ugly one at that.
If you are outraged over fake racial slurs, what about this guy who was kicked out of the stadium?
It was the delivery speed. I believe he was still getting over 100 mph on Saturday.
Question about the Bazooka pitching speed:
Was JT referring to his actual delivery speed or the time between pitches?
I heard that prior to Saturday game for Graterol JT brought up to Doc that he thought Graterol was pitching to fast. The pitching coaches checked the video and then worked with him slow down his delivery. Saturday game he pitched one inn 2 hits 2 K and 0 runs and picked up the win. Looks like JT would make a pretty good pitching coach. And going forward we maybe seeing the new and improved Gat!
Dodgers Make Two Waiver Claims; Kershaw, Duffy Transferred To 60-Day IL
By Steve Adams | August 9, 2021 at 2:12pm CDT
The Dodgers announced Monday that they’ve claimed catcher Anthony Bemboom off waivers from the Angels and right-hander Conner Greene off waivers from the Orioles. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles transferred left-handers Danny Duffy and Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day injured list. The “60-day” minimum on those IL stints for Duffy and Kershaw begin with their initial placement on the IL — July 20 for Duffy and July 7 for Kershaw. Duffy would be eligible to return on Sept. 18 and Kershaw on Sept. 5.
Nice win yesterday. Nice to see 2 wins from Urias and Striker when they lacked their best stuff. I say that and combined they gave up 3 earned runs total. High expectations for these 2. We will be tested by the Phillies and Mets especially the Phillies. This road trip is obviously critical to see if we can get on a roll and actually make a serious run at this thing. We can’t win it this upcoming week but we could dig a hole that would be hard to climb out of.
As I watch Trea Turner I’m amazed we got him and Scherzer for Jo-Jo and K-Bear. No offense to the prospects we gave up. but this trade w/ the Nats just looks better and better. TT brings the same energy and excitement that Mookie brought when he first came to us. And was 100%. And he will do again nightly, when he’s healthy. How fun would it be to watch there 2 guys at 100% on the field next year?
I hope all the opponents to the DH had a nice week end NOT watching the probable AL MVP get to hit? He had 2 official AB’s (and 2 K’s) as a pinch hitter only. I personally would like to watch Ohtani hit.
Dodgerrick makes an interesting point about just “flipping the switch”. The irritating reality is we have all been waiting to get to full strength but fate isn’t cooperating. Those nagging injuries keep popping up to eat into our powerful line up. AF has gotten about as many studs as you can get into one lineup but we just can’t get them on the field at the same time. I hope Mookie is capable of playing every other game at this point.
An optimist might also point out that the glass is refillable. That also is a fact that realists and pessimists may not see.
The one-run game stat is troubling, but there is little (if any) correlation to that and a winning record. The Dodgers are 13-20 in 1-run games, while the Pirates are 12-11. The Mets are 23-17, while TB is 16-16. It is what it is, but the fact that the Angels are 20-9 in 1-run games means what?
I think all these stats mean very little as the season could start tomorrow.
An optimist says the glass is half full; a pessimist says it’s half empty. A realist says there’s 8 oz of water in the glass. He reports facts.
The facts are that the Dodgers are 4 out with 50 left to play. The facts are that according to some here, the Dodgers can simply “flip a switch” and play good baseball but the Dodgers are 11 – 10 since the All Star break – shouldn’t there be a sense of urgency by now? The last time they were in 1st place was April 28.
They are 13 – 20 in 1 run games and infamously 1 – 12 in extra innings. They are 25 – 7 in blowout wins, so they tend to win the laughers and lose the close games. They are only 26 – 30 against .500+ teams and 41 – 15 against bad teams, so they aren’t beating the teams that they will be facing in the post-season.
Starters are 45 – 21, 2.94, 1.042 WHIP; relievers are 22 – 24, 3.60 with 1.268 WHIP.
Defense – fielding % is .983 (tied for 20th).
At this point in the season, the Dodgers are who they are. They’ve been playing a certain way all season.
The 2020 Dodgers won close games and came back in late innings; this year’s crew does the opposite. I agree that the talent level is better than the rest of the league but they don’t play that way.
Very happy for the “easy” win yesterday. We don’t need drama every game, do we? It was great seeing the two kids closing it out. I have no idea who Kevin Quakenbush is but there was so much anticipation coming from this blog, so even I was pulling for him when he came in.
I agree with Mark….we shouldn’t judge him on one game, so I can cut him some slack too. I don’t think I would want to see him come in late when the score is tied, but maybe he can pitch an inning when it’s our bullpen game, so we can better judge him then.
I watched the replay of Cody’s HR after Bear said it was a high fastball….and it totally made my day complete! If Cody could get around on the high hard ones…..look out Giants!
As for Mark’s blog, I too am an optimist but i also am a realist, but definitely not a pessimist. I don’t feel the need to apologize for criticizing some of Doc’s decisions, and I will continue to voice such concerns. In addition, God gave me a pretty sharp analytical mind so I think it would be wrong for me to bury the talents He gave me. (Big grin)
Lastly, I know I was advocating for Cody to be considered for trade, but then when I was told he still has two more years under Dodgers control and the deadline passed, then I was advocating for either him to go down and work on his swing or at least be platooned. I don’t consider these words to be pessimistic…but rather constructive criticism. I’m just sharing my thoughts on what I think we need to do to make us better. I admit, my patience to wait for Cody to get it, while watching him creep closer to batting .150 was being tried. Maybe I’m just not as patient as some of you guys are.
Lastly, I’m very concerned about Mookie’s health!
It’s all good on a winning Monday,
TM
Are we surprised by racial slurs?
Cody, as we thought, is getting stronger. All he needs is time, and work. Benching him, or sending him down, was never in the Dodgers plans.
Corey will also eventually work his way back into playing shape. Justin and Mookie? Stand by.
Good article on Farhan over at the Athletic.
Bonkers racist shit at the Rockies game. Unreal they or someone hasn’t ID’d that mouth breather already
Bellinger articles aplenty