Did You Learn Anything?

This is a response to Quasimodo:

I don’t know the precise cause of Bobbi Swan’s death, but she obviously lived a long life–or perhaps we should say lives. She was in her 80s. And my friend Mark says he and his brother had a great relationship with the woman who had been their father.

The point is that people think gender identity is always, always, always a simple matter.

But it ain’t. There are many Bobbi Swans in the world.

So should society shun, stigmatize and ostracize these people?

Why not an attempt at understanding and compassion?

Oh, somebody out there might be ssnickering….

So I’ll quote Elvis Costello,: “What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?”

Another example: Back in the 1990s in LA, the veteran captain of and LA Fire Department station–more than 20 years of duty– took a leave of absence. He departed–and she returned. You can look it up.

Nevermind–here’s the link:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-20-me-2342-story.html

I also know a woman who’s ex-husband had a “reassignment” after their divorce. They had a daughter and now they have grandchildren

Right now there is a great national freak out about the transgender reality, mostly because it had been closeted and cloistered for generations. I just learned that the first clinic for gender change opened in the 1930s.

Life can take some astonishing twists and turns.

Too many missed chances led to this loss. They left way too many men on base. 1-10 with runners in scoring position. 12 hit and 2 walks and a hit by pitch.

Why is Bickford pitching in a tie game

Muncy is one week molten magma and three weeks frozen glacier.

Hey, Joe Davis….. I don’t need you to tell me how hard the wife beater Ozuna works, and how much he cares

Gonso ruined his evening by throwing one stupid pitch to Ozuna. Of all players it had to be Ozuna!

Heyward replaced Outman today. Notice how Outman’s absence against RHPing is becoming more frequent. An ominous sign for him and the Dodgers.

Muncy, Taylor and Outman. Just ridiculous!

8 pitch first inning I think that’s a record for Gonsolin. Maybe he can give the bullpen a break tonight.

Not like putting all your eggs in one basket at all Bear. Because there aren’t any eggs in that basket right now As much as I sympathize with Thompson, he adds nothing to the team. Johnny Deluca is already on the 40 man. There would be no risk at all, giving him a shot to see how he does. unless you think Thompson is going to miraculously turn it around somehow

Seems to me the Dodgers don’t have any experienced options available. If they were somehow to find someone in a trade that fits Deluca could always be sent back down

I would give Thompson till the middle of June, and then sayonara but then again, what do I know?

David Vassegh

@THEREAL_DV

Dave Roberts said Julio Urías will throw a bullpen session in Tampa Bay on Friday or Saturday. #Dodgers

Tuesday scores

Oklahoma City 7, Sacramento 4

Tulsa 6, Northwest Arkansas 5 (11 innings)

Peoria 3, Great Lakes 2

Lake Elsinore 4, Rancho Cucamonga 3

Wednesday schedule

4:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Ronan Kopp) at Peoria (Tink Hence)

5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Landon Knack) vs. NW Arkansas (Noah Camron)

6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chris Campos) vs. Lake Elisnore (Jagger Haynes)

6:45 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Matt Andriese) at Sacramento (TBD)

3 of the 4 Dodger teams are in first place in their respective divisions and Tulsa is now tied for first place.

7:20 PM ET

Dodgers (31-19) 1st place NL West

Braves (29-19) 1st place NL East

SPTony Gonsolin R

2-1 1.13 ERA 24IP 19K

SP Bryce Elder R

3-0 2.06 ERA 52.1IP 45K

Confirmed Lineup

RF Mookie Betts R

1B F. Freeman L

C Will Smith R

3B Max Muncy L

DH J. Martinez R

CF J. Heyward L

2B M. Vargas R

LF D. Peralta L

SS Chris Taylor R

Partly-cloudy-day

3% Precipitation

78° Wind 7 mph In

RIP Tina Turner. Dies at age 83.

A’s have reached a tentative agreement with Nevada lawmakers for funding for a new stadium. Dodger Dad. Please repost your post. Accidentally deleted when I was editing something.

There is a very informative article about Dalton Rushing and other prospects at Great Lakes on The Athletic, written by Zach Buchanan. https://theathletic.com/4546806/2023/05/24/mlb-prospect-notes-dalton-rushing-dodgers-tigers/ If you subscribe to The Athletic it is a must read.

Great back to back wins in ATL!

Miller threw great after giving up some hard hit balls early. Hopefully, Stone can find his form in the next start.

The jump from AAA to the MLB is huge for most players. I hope both Outman and Vargas become all stars, but early success in MLB does not always translate to the long term. While I think both can be MLB players, I agree with Mark that Vargas has a better chance to stick long term. He is younger with a better track record and a much lower strikeout rate. The MLB pitchers learn how to get players out. Look at last years ROY, Michael Harris from ATL. He hit 297 with 853 OPS as a rookie. This year he is hitting 163 with 486 OPS in 100 plate appearances. He will probably bounce back but hitting MLB pitching is very difficult.

* Smith is just such a good hitter. I love his balance. He took another shot to the mask last night and I wince every time. He also took a shot to his thigh which was all meat. This could be eliminated if he wasn’t on that knee. I get that it supposedly gives the pitcher a lower target but I hate how that exposes the catcher. And I always have, even going back to the days of Tony Pena and Manny Sanguillen. Then it was more showmanship than functionality.

* One of the Dodger’s strengths was depth at the catcher position. Cartaya is struggling but before considering a trade for a $20 million a yr catchers like Sal Perez, I would get a look at Hunter Feduccia who makes considerably less and isn’t 33.

* I love the classic uniforms like the Dodgers, Yankees and Braves. Just like Hank wore. All except the horrible yellow Quikrete patch on the sleeve. It looks cheap and doesn’t fit the look at all. I hate it and hope the Dodgers never go there. A Walmart patch wouldn’t cut it for me.

* Great work by Bobby Miller. I was happy to see him get through 5. I was rooting for him like he was my kid. I didn’t see him in the spring so I had never seen his stuff and I’m impressed especially when he settled down and got more movement on that big heater. I really like that little extra life. Nice beginning.

* I’m so old school to even notice this. So Miller is in the dugout, bottom 7 watching Graterol, 2 innings removed from his outing; No sleeves, no jacket. No nothing.

I guess they don’t recommending ice and warmth after pitching anymore. It’s just different now. Anything past 75 pitches, we changed out of sweaty tops, iced and put on a jacket. But here’s a kid with a golden, 100 mph arm who had just exceeded his previous season long pitch count, is sitting in the dugout with exposed arms. At least put on a hoodie.

That stuff doesn’t seem to matter anymore, yet they limit pitch counts now to 85 to 100. After 100, it’s DEFCON 1. We got out of sweaty clothes, cooled down, iced, put on a warm top and had a flush day the next day. All after a normal 125 pitch count. It seemed like fewer arm issues but then again, fewer guys threw 100. Who know the answer but I’d still recommend a jacket.

This is what this disgusting organization has become : Dodgers sold out to wokeness and the diabolical

Rubio to MLB: Dodgers Aren’t “Inclusive and Welcoming” to Christians

MAY 15 2023

In June, the Los Angeles Dodgers plan to give a “Community Hero Award” to an anti-Catholic group of activist drag queen performers. The LA Chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence features men dressed like Catholic nuns who mock the faith with the motto “Go forth and sin some more!”

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred questioning whether the League is “inclusive and welcoming” to Christians.

“The ‘sisters’ are men who dress in lewd imitation of Roman Catholic nuns. The group’s motto, ‘go and sin some more,’ is a perversion of Jesus’s command to ‘go, and sin no more.’ The group’s ‘Easter’ ceremony features children’s programming followed by a drag show where adult performers dress in blasphemous imitation of Jesus and Mary. The group hosts pub crawls mocking the Stations of the Cross and even the Eucharist, the sacrament that unites more than one billion Catholics around the world.”

“Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being ‘inclusive and welcoming to everyone’ by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians—and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others?”

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Commissioner Manfred:

Recently, you stated that Major League Baseball needs to “make decisions that are as inclusive and welcoming to everyone as possible, and keep us as apolitical as possible.” I write to ask whether your League wants to be “inclusive and welcoming” to Christians, and if so, why you are allowing an MLB team to honor a group that mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith.

On June 16, 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers will host “LGBTQ+ Pride Night” at Dodgers Park. As part of the pre-game ceremony, the Dodgers will give its “Community Hero Award” to the Los Angeles chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a self-described “order of queer and trans nuns” that has mocked and degraded Christians, and especially Catholics, since its founding on Easter Sunday in 1979.

The “sisters” are men who dress in lewd imitation of Roman Catholic nuns. The group’s motto, “go and sin some more,” is a perversion of Jesus’s command to “go, and sin no more.” The group’s “Easter” ceremony features children’s programming followed by a drag show where adult performers dress in blasphemous imitation of Jesus and Mary. The group hosts pub crawls mocking the Stations of the Cross and even the Eucharist, the sacrament that unites more than one billion Catholics around the world.

Dodgers Vice President of Marketing Erik Braverman said that the team’s LGBTQ+ Pride Night is meant to “foster an atmosphere of acceptance for all.” Los Angeles’s many Catholics surely find that claim outrageous, but his words resemble your own closely enough that I am addressing you now to clear up any confusion about where the League stands on this matter.

Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being “inclusive and welcoming to everyone” by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians—and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others? Do you believe such an award is “apolitical”? Do you believe it is a sound business decision, in a city with more than four million Catholics and countless other people of faith? Finally, setting aside financial considerations, do you believe it is morally right for the most important league of our national pastime to honor a group that mocks religion, and one religion in particular?

Major League Baseball, as a private organization in a free country, can give awards to whatever groups it chooses, no matter how loathsome. But baseball has always been tied to our nation’s values, at the heart of which is faith in God. It would be an outrage and a tragedy if the MLB, in pursuit of modern, secular, and indeed anti-religious “values,” rebuked that faith and the millions of believing fans who cherish the sport.

Sincerely,

If dodgers come off this road-trip 5&5 i thy that’s a very good outcome. With all the injuries to go 5 up and 5 down in those 3 cities is not a disappointment! Could have been even better if not for that horrible 3rd strip call on Mookie in St. Louis. Watching outman last night I got the feeling for the first time this season he could continue to struggle. He is having trouble laying off pitches outside the strike zone. Miller has a cockiness about him! Not saying it’s a bad thing, but he gives the impression that you can’t hit what I’m throwing. Seems to get irritated easily over the strike zone. But overall a good nights work. Is Barnes catching tonight? We need this sweep! Got to have Will and jd in the lineup! Rest will in Tampa if needed, top 5 spots in lineup doing just fine. Gonsolin has an opportunity to make a big time statement tonight, but needs a better pitch count, need him to go 6-7 innings tonight. Hurry back Clayton!

Nice first act for our top pitching prospect. After his shaky first inning, he settled down a lot just like Stone did. Kid has a bright future. Dodger bats can still bludgeon teams. Four homers in the two games, 3 of them by Martinez who is starting to heat up. As for Outman and Vargas, belay that ROY talk. Neither is in the running right now. Carroll with the D-Backs, and Morel, with the Cubs would be the front runners right now. Morel, 23 years old, has 9 home runs in 12 games. He is hitting .367. With Bellinger out, he is playing CF for the Cubbies. He has also homered in 5 straight games. MLB pitchers will find holes. When you are vulnerable to the high fastball like Outman is, they will exploit that weakness. Vargas has gotten better as he has gotten healthy. Now that his thumb seems to be healed, he is hitting the ball with more authority. Bullpen is turning it around again. After some brutal outings, Almonte struck out the side last night following a clean inning on Monday. May is now said to have an elbow strain. Not a good sign.

From The Sporting News article about how Outman flew under the radar….

Outman came off the bench as a freshman at Sacramento State, then was a starter as a sophomore and junior. His numbers both seasons were remarkably similar, to the point a person might double-check secondary sources to see if there was a copy-and-paste mistake. But, nope. He hit exactly .253 (literally, 58-for-229 both years) with 11 home runs and three triples both seasons. He had an .862 OPS as a sophomore, an .852 OPS as a junior. He had 16 doubles and 11 stolen bases as a sophomore, 15 and 12 as a junior.

In Baseball America’s draft report card, Outman was chosen as the best athlete in the Dodgers’ 2018 draft class. But there were questions.

“When you talk about college numbers,” Baseball America senior writer Kyle Glaser said, “it’s extremely rare for anyone who doesn’t hit over .300 in college to go on to major league success. That’s especially true when you’re talking about mid-majors, but it’s true for guys even in like the SEC, Pac-12 and ACC.

“Obviously he had tools, he had physical athleticism. The question was just ‘Is he gonna hit?’ and generally speaking, the track record of similar players is they’re not.”

In his first full season in the Dodgers’ organization, Outman had 19 homers and 20 stolen bases, but batted just .226 with a .322 on-base percentage and a .729 OPS in the Low-A Midwest League. In his Age 22 season, he was among the older players in the league, and the questions that were asked when he was drafted — can he make enough contact to show the power, speed and athleticism at higher levels? — still seemed very valid.

“But one thing the Dodgers have been excellent at is swing changes,” said Glaser, who has written about the Dodgers’ system since 2017. “Will Smith hit .232 in High-A (at 22) and was a defense-first catcher. They changed his swing and now he’s one of the best offensive catchers in the majors. Obviously, Justin Turner, Max Muncy and all those guys, their swing-change work is famous. With Outman, they saw athleticism and aptitude. He’s always been a very, very smart, focused kid who was going to work hard.”

That’s exactly what he did. There was no minor-league season in 2020, obviously, during the pandemic, and Outman spent the time well, working hard on fixing the holes in his swing.

The next spring, that’s when he first caught Roberts’ eye.

“It was probably two years ago in spring, just seeing him and having a conversation with him, seeing the raw power, realizing he could handle centerfield,” Roberts said. “And just the baseball acumen, the curiosity, he was engaged, and just the sheer talent, all those pieces. And then I was just eager to see him perform. And so you look at two years ago, you look at last year, he just really performed and then all the guys, credit to them for developing him.”

Outman split the 2021 season between High-A — where he was almost a year-and-a-half older than most of the ballplayers — and Double-A. The power and speed were still there, but the rate numbers jumped up, to the tune of a .379 on-base percentage and .869 OPS in 104 games. After that season, Baseball America ranked him as the No. 15 prospect in the Dodgers’ system, which as always was stacked, because a spot in the majors, maybe as a fourth outfielder/DH, started to seem possible.

“And then 2022, the swing changes and everything kind of clicked,” Glaser said. “I wrote about that in his scouting report for Baseball America; he controlled his leg lift a little more, adjusted his hand position and all the sudden the holes that were there, particularly on the inner half, where he really struggled, disappeared and he was getting through all that stuff.”

Outman split the season pretty evenly between Double-A and Triple-A, and the numbers were eye-opening: .294/.393/.586, with 31 homers, 106 RBIs, 31 doubles, 13 stolen bases and a .978 OPS in 125 games. The 2022 season, of course, included the dream debut in the bigs on July 31— he homered in his very first at-bat, and finished that game 3-for-4 with three RBIs and just a triple shy of the cycle. His stay there always was temporary, and after just four games Chris Taylor came off the injured list, and Outman went back to the minors.

He was entering his Age 26 season in 2023, which is old for most “prospects” but Baseball America bumped him up to No. 10 in the Dodgers’ system rankings.

“This is where context is important. You’re not just looking at age, but what’s the background?” Glaser said. “He’s a multi-sport guy who went to a mid-major and also lost a year during the pandemic, so you treat him more like he’s really 24. And the background, this isn’t a guy who was baseball-only, drafted out of high school, trying since he was 16 and has never hit.

“We ranked him the No. 10 prospect in the Dodgers system, which is kind of like being the No. 5 prospect in like half of the other systems in baseball.”

The talent around him was obvious.

“It’s pretty humbling, you know, just seeing the guys that we have like coming up to the system,” Outman said. “You look around and it’s like, ‘Damn, this guy’s a stud. And this guy’s a stud. And this guy’s a stud. So to be able to come up and debut with the Dodgers and play it’s an honor.”

It’s a richly deserved honor, the product of years of hard work.

“The athleticism and power was there from the moment he was drafted. We all knew it, it’s in the draft report card,” Glaser said. “It was just a question about whether he was gonna hit, and to his credit, he consistently improved his swing, made adjustments and changed how his swing operates. And it took years. It wasn’t like one minor tweak unlocked everything. I mean, he needed a pretty significant overhaul, and that’s not easy.

“We talk about the successes of the guys who do that, the (Justin) Turners, the Max Muncys, but I’ll tell you right now, for every one that succeeds, there’s 10 more guys who try it and fail, and you never hear about them because they never make it out of minor leagues. It’s very difficult, and he did it, which is a testament to him.”

And remember how he hit exactly .253 for Sacramento State his sophomore and junior seasons (2017-18), with an OPS of .862, then .852?

For the Dodgers this year, Outman’s batting .252, with an .850 OPS, to go with nine homers, 28 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples and 28 runs scored in 178 plate appearances.

And the pitching he’s facing now is just a bit better than the mid-major arms he faced back then.

From what I have observed:

Sheehan has, to the best of my knowledge, not or never gone beyond 4.0 IP.

From what I have read of more informed analysis:

There is concern that his fastball heavy repertoire doesn’t play as a starter.

Mark, when it comes to chest-pounding, you are the champ.

Yes, pitchers have adjusted to James Outman throwing him more breaking balls and high fastballs. But I also noticed he’s swinging and missing at pitches, he used to hit. Maybe he’s pressing and lost confidence. Slight mechanical adjustment? Thoughts?

Maybe fans should temper their euphoria over Miller’s great introduction. Yes, he throws hard, but he needs more late movement, and his fastballs were straight down the middle.

He can get away with that in his first start, but MLB players, the more they see him, will eventually time and catch up to his pitches. There’s a reason he’s had a + 4.00 ERA in the minor leagues.

Still a nice win by the Dodgers last night.

… I have a to LOL a little at the fact the Padres have one of the worst offenses in baseball. Preller paid for an offensive juggernaut. Now the Pads are barely out of last place.

I’m not sure how I feel about that. I am enjoying the schadenfreude, I admit, but having a legitimate rivalry is good for the Dodgers and good for baseball. San Diegans were embracing baseball, which I think is a good thing. The Preller experiment appeared at first to be a success. If things continue the way they are there’s now a risk that Preller gets fired and/or they blow up the team. Machado’s underlying offensive metrics are already declining, and they’re stuck with him.

If Eric wants to describe the Dodgers as a “mess,” be glad you’re not a Padres fan.

Update above!

Excellent game by Bobby Miller considering it was his MLB debut and against one of the top 5 lineups in all of baseball. On the road.

Liked his stuff a LOT. A little more movement on the heater and this kid has ace written all over him. In the last two innings he was nails and with better movement on the 4 seamer.

Stone-Age and Miller-Time. What a time for Dodger fans who are into home grown talent.

Vargas will be a candiated for a batting crown down the line sometimes. Outman will be okay. Similar number to Belly but for the league minimum.

Agree on the those Dudes of Indulgence.

Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Muncy has improved on defense–just like you told us he would!

I need a Magic 8 Ball.

Seriously, kudos to Max, who has been such a grinder and valuable Dodger since his arrival. He arrived as a guy many thought should be a DH only–I remember Billy Ripken urging the Dodgers to trade him to the AL–and he turned himself into a top 5 first baseman and then moved to 2B and 3B to make room for Freddie. A real gamer. And by MLB standards, he is underpaid.

Speaking of grinders who exceeded expectations, the Sporting News has an article about how Outman flew under the radar on all those prospect lists. The link:

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/james-outman-dodgers-rookie-slugger-fly-under-radar-heading-2023/qr9j4gf3t9qqck7l1ixmlkjn

As Andrew points out, Miller was pretty phenomenal in his debut. Maybe it’s just his size–and maybe it’s nostalgia–but I get that intimidating Drysdale vibe. The radio broadcast described a stare down between Acuna and Miller. (Acuna is playing like an MVP after ACL surgery. Hope for Lux getting back to full strength and mobility.) I like how in postgame interviews Miller talked openly about trying to keep his poker face and hide his nerves.

Agree about the parting shot, just unreal WOKE BS.

Ill be in LA June 16-22, I will NOT be going to pride night, I will however be there for Fathers day.

Freddie is 32 hits from 2K, man how cool would it be to get 2K on Fathers day in Dodger Stadium with his dad there, well and me too and my son, but he probably doesn’t care about that 🙂

My son is playing for the Palm Springs Power this summer…

Bobby Miller hit 100 mph 19 times and 101 three times in last night’s game. His last inning’s pitches had more movement. If he can be more consistent with his off speed pitches , the Dodgers have a number one for the future. Great performance by the kid. Keep the kids coming.

The Dodgers have to figure out what to do with Barnes, Thompson and Taylor. They should NEVER be in the lineup at the same time. Thank God there are only 29% left handed starting pitchers in baseball.