The family surprised me last night and came over for a BBQ and swimming party. Our youngest granddaughter spent the night, and we are taking her out for breakfast today. I have a magical life… almost perfect but I live every day to its fullest and never take it for granted. I am almost 71 years old, and nothing is guaranteed to any of us, but as Jimmy Buffett said in a song, “Some of its magic and some of it’s tragic, but I’ve had a great life all the way.”
I have three kids with three different mothers, and their ages range from 43 to 25. I had one wife die (at age 37), and the other one should have, but I digress. My kids are all extremely close to me and each other. There is never any drama, and for that, I am thankful. My youngest is going to be named the CEO of our company next Saturday at his birthday party. Patty and I have been married for 27 years, and on August 31st, I will celebrate 30 years of freedom after being released from prison after my conviction was overturned and I was released from the courtroom.
I walked out with just the shirt on my back and $200,000 in debt to the IRS. I paid it all back and started a company that is now worth many millions of dollars. I have had cars repossessed, houses foreclosed on, and power and water shut off. Patty married me when I was so broke I could not pay attention. There were many times that on Friday, I would go to the bank to find out the IRS had cleaned out my account. Together, we have built a wonderful life.
I never gave up. In my darkest hour, I never stopped believing I would succeed. So, today, I will enjoy my family time around the pool. Life is incredibly good and even more fragile. Enjoy every day, my friends, and Happy Father’s Day!
BTW, I am working on my book, which I hope to release this year. It’s called “The Mountainmover!” Thanks to my kids as well:
Discussion (27)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Knowing Freidman, he will not make a major move as a knee jerk reaction. First thing he’ll do is bring up a few guys from within ,to see how they roll like he always does. Ned Colleti always talks about how Freidman is one of the most patient exec he has ever known, every move is calculated and researched ad nauseam. Also he has a month and a half until the trade deadline, and an 8 game lead in a so far weak division missing , yet missing so many key players. Don’t wear your keyboards out playing chicken little with the sky falling . We will be just fine, just see how the next month plays out. And the first A hole who says Fire Roberts because he somehow allowed Yamamoto to pitch with a triceps issue or allow Mookie to bat against a mid level and unproven pitcher, I will Bitch Slap into September. So over that shit.
HFD, everybody!
Unfortunate Father’s Day for Mookie and Dodger fans, though. In one post-game report, Roberts said that Rojas would play SS and sometimes Kike. Perhaps it was an oversight, but he did not mention Chris Taylor. .. Hmm…
Yes, a big deal for Robert and DeJong makes more sense now. Or a smaller one for Bichette.
Another consideration could be the O’s Jorge Mateo, a fantastic fielding SS who has been pushed to 2B by budding superstar Gunnar Henderson. Mateo is streaky on offense and generally has trouble getting on base. But when he does, he can steal any time. The O’s need pitching and the Dodgers have that.
What’s the batting order with Mookie out? And why are the Dodgers bringing back Vargas when they let him play so seldom during his recent stint in The Show?
Will the Dodgers give Taylor some action at SS to enable Vargas to play LF?
It’s not clear how long Mookie will be out. Or Yamamoto, for that matter. And Max’s recovery is slower than expected. So suddenly the Dodgers don’t seem as safe in the NL West.
Great game for Glasnow and Shohei. though…. Dodgers still have a lot of weapons.
So who should bat lead-off?
Over the past 15 games, Andy Pages has been surging: with a .900 OPS (including 2 HRs) and .412 OBP. He’s got the hot hand. Why not see if he’s up to the challenge?
Pages CF
Shohei DH
Freddie 1B
Smith C
Teoscar/ Heyward RF
Teoscar/Vargas LF
Rojas SS
Lux 2B
Kike 3B
Hoese is a total mystery to me. He’s been a major disappointment since the Dodgers drafted him and all of a sudden this year he’s found the secret to hitting.
Somehow I just can’t get myself to believe it’s going to last, but I hope he proves me wrong. In the meantime, he’s at least building some trade value.
Deep breath everyone. Mookie will be out for awhile. No need to panic. Rojas has short covered.
No to Lindor. No to Bichette. No to pretty much anybody else mentioned here as a shortstop solution.
The Dodgers could use another bat. We’ll see what happens at the trade deadline. Maybe they find it internally. Or connect with a trade partner. Contact hitter would be nice.
I can’t imagine the Dodgers wanting to take on another massive contract.
Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad’s out there.
I’d like to see the Dodgers give Cody Hoese a shot at 3B.
He is having his best year after underperforming throughout his minor league career.
Isn’t he a rule 5 guy after this year.?
Give him a shot for the next 6-8 weeks
Will be lucky if we see Muncy by mid-late August
Hoese:
BA over .300
OPS over .800
Fielding at .951
Strikes out at 23%
Had a good spring training with the big club.
Defense on par with Muncy, (not great) but a good contact hitter.
Rojas plays short and pick between Kike and Taylor on who stays.
Then whoever stays does some back-up work at short to rest Rojas. I believe both have the same fielding % at short around .960
Vargas is coming back up.
So for now absent a trade , you would have Biggio, and either Taylor or Kike to cover infield backup duty. (Oh Well)
Or bring up Owen’s who has the most experience at shortstop and can play all over the field. But only a .952 fielding % at short.
And dump one of Kike/Taylor
Go Dodgers!!
Roberts strike out percentage is worse than DeJongs.
Paul DeLong and Luis Robert’s JR from Whitesoxs could be sooner then the trade deadline guys. We need players that put the baseball in play then just swing and miss all the time like Barnes taylor hernandez and Lux need contact hitters in the playoffs. Theres a guy hitting the cover off the ball at OKC call him up Lipicus before Vargas. With Betts out they need to find a spark here. Last year the Rangers called up a guy from AA in leftfield ended up being the start hitter in the playoffs and world series maybe Lipcicus is that player this year for the Dodgers.
Paul DeLong and Luis Robert’s JR from Whitesoxs could be sooner then the trade deadline guys. We need players that put the baseball in play then just swing and miss all the time like Barnes taylor hernandez and Lux need contact hitters in the playoffs. Theres a guy hitting the cover off the ball at OKC call him up Lipicus before Vargas.
Mookie has a broken hand no surgery just let it heal. Rojas to short Vargas to be called up to play left against lefthanders.
With Betts out now they have to make a trade for shortstop and a leadoff hitter unless now they play Rojas every day and Lux becomes leadoff guy. Looks more and more like Francisco Liriano or Bo Bichette and soon.
well he ain’t blind today!
Had lunch with my two boys today.
Two weeks today we leave our family home, the only home that they have ever known, and I guess we will never live together again, because my partner and o have separated and the house has sold.
We laughed, we ate good food, and enjoyed each others company and talked about the future.
Life is good, and for enjoying, but one things’s for sure. my kids are the best to g that ever happened to me, and being a Dad is the greatest achievement I’ll ever make.
LOS ANGELES — After leaving his Saturday start early due to right triceps tightness, Yoshinobu Yamamoto went on the injured list for the first time in his MLB career.
Both Yamamoto and right-hander Michael Grove (right intercostal strain) were placed on the 15-day IL ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Royals at Dodger Stadium. As the corresponding moves, the Dodgers recalled right-hander J.P. Feyereisen and selected the contract of right-hander Michael Petersen from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Happy Father’s Day to all the pops out there. I think a walk off squeeze bunt be a nice present.
4:10 PM ET
Royals (41-31)
Dodgers (43-29)
SP Brady Singer R
4-3 3.30 ERA
SP Tyler Glasnow R
6-5 3.24 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
LF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
3B Cavan Biggio L
2B Gavin Lux L
78° Wind 7 mph Out
The greatest honor of my life is to be a husband to my beautiful wife and father to my two wonderful children. I’m truly blessed. Enjoy your Fathers Day everyone
Happy Father’s Day gentlemen!
“A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”
maybe the dodgers should DH Will when barnes catches. Ohtani isn’t producing like a superstar should. Sit him out and let Smith dh! i’m at the point where i don’t like our offensive construction anymore. if the top hits the bottom doesn’t. if the bottom hits, well you get it. never have more than 2 guys with multiple hits. never steal bases, rarely ever bunt (give barnes a little credit here), no fire at all. just their little bottom shaking dance when they get a hit. they are nice guys! TOO NICE! So after a bad loss last night, we’ll probably see kiki and taylor both in the lineup today! …. Grove is so much a tease!! damn he has some good stuff!! but he always makes a wrong pitch here or there and gives up a run or runs he shouldn’t have! … Blake looked frustrated last night. He will be fine! ……. Didn’t see Ohtani a lot in Anaheim, but don’t remember him swinging like a blind man like he’s doing now! ….. Teo not helping himself with that extension with nights like last night! ….. Biggio playing himself out of town!!! …. Lux is hitting just enough to keep from getting traded!! …. Vargas, Outman, Pages, Taylor, Heyward, Kiki, Biggio. Nothing moves the meter does it? Some nice parts, but no game changers. Enough bitching i know . it’s father’s day and i am so fortunate to have 2 wonderful sons. 7 beautiful grandchildren, 2 wonderful daughters in law, and a great wife who hasn’t killed me after 45 years. Miss my dad so much ! just a plain guy, worked hard and made us comfortable and happy! Smartest guy i ever knew! Enjoy the day!! …. The deadline is approaching. I know AF is a genius! He has made some big moves at times. This year might be his biggest challenge yet.
Happy Father’s Day-
Looking forward to the book.
The wife got us tickets to the game today, left field in the home run section. Im bringing my glove!
Happy Father’s Day to all those who contribute and read this site!
You’ve certainly had an interesting journey Mark! Look forward to the book.
I had to laugh with you wishes for your second wife. I’m sure there’s been a country song that’s been written on that desire.
I can’t believe the injuries to Dodger pitchers. To quote Vince Lombardi “What the hell is going on out there?”
The way things are going these guys will be pitching five innings every ten days. This concentration on velo and spin rate is another problem that is causing disinterest in baseball. How does it make sense to have a young starter pitch a year or two with a major league team and then have TJ surgery (maybe not the first)? He is out and in rehab for a year or two. And, it takes another year to return to be consistent and effective. How does a young fan have a favorite pitcher when he doesn’t pitch for an extended time. By the time that pitcher has returned to play the young fan has moved on. Rinse and repeat.
My stepdaughter (who does our Social Media for USWS) posted this today:
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Chris Campos) at Dayton (Javi Rivera)
11 a.m.: Tulsa (Justin Wrobleski) vs. Arkansas (Jimmy Joyce)
4:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Landon Knack) at Sugar Land (Eric Lauer)
5:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Cam Day) at Fresno (Jace Kaminska)
“We’ll see if Landon Knack actually makes that start for Oklahoma City, or if he’s held back to potentially pitch for the Dodgers later in the week after Yoshinobu Yamamoto left Saturday’s start with triceps tightness”.
Life is good especially today at the Forte residence with the good news we received this week. Big family barbecue and swimming day at the Forte Resort for our traditional Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all! As Mark has stated cherish every moment you’re alive. Live life to the fullest. You just never know!!!
Happy fathers day everyone !
Sounds like an eventful life , Mark. Being an attorney naturally I am most curious about your revoked conviction (just kidding). Have a great day with your family at your new home!
As a father who has not spoken to his only child for months now a day like this makes me a little sad to see how other dads spent time with their kids. But I am happy for you and every other father who can enjoy this day to its fullest.
Bad, bad news about Yoshi. Hopefully nothing too serious.
And that is why I hate those planned bullpen games so much. A starter goes down early and you have to come right back with another bullpen game only couple days later. Sure recipe to burn out your bullpen.
If we are that deep in pitching (and we are) why not use it ? Give Knack or another of those young arms the spot start. Really do not get it.
Offense is just not producing.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yamamoto pulled after the second inning due to triceps tightness. Doc said he would be evaluated today, and if they feel imaging is needed, that will be done. He also said an IL stint is possible. Bobby Miller will no doubt step right into his spot in the rotation. Miller will start Tuesdays’ game in Denver. Knack will be available if needed. Hurt should be right behind him. Wrobleski also could be in line. Sheehan made the jump from AA last year. Casparius would also be an option. Treinen had a bad outing control wise. He is not usually that wild. Then he hung the 3-2 pitch. Offense sputtered again. The good sign was Lux hitting a couple of bullets and driving in the 2 runs. Ohtani and Hernandez continue to chase bad pitches. If they can be more selective, then the offense should pick up a bunch. Also, they really miss Smith’s bat when he is not in the lineup. Barnes is a black hole especially with the top four not hitting like they should.
Happy Father’s Day Mark. You have overcome a lot. I too have had my ups and downs, but I never let it affect how I treat family or friends. Baseball and music have been my releases. I have been single since 1983 by choice. Had a few girlfriends, but no one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Had some fun, and I enjoy my retirement. I love the Dodgers, my family and my friends. Have a wonderful day!