I Am At a Crossroad
First of all, thanks for putting words in my mouth Bums. What you apparently read into what I wrote is that I think COVID-19 is a hoax. Never said those words. Never hinted those words. But believe what you want. COVID-19 is very personal to me. My son and granddaughter are both considered high risk, as am I having had two significant bouts with pneumonia. Last weekend both my son
First of all, thanks for putting words in my mouth Bums. What you apparently read into what I wrote is that I think COVID-19 is a hoax. Never said those words. Never hinted those words. But believe what you want. COVID-19 is very personal to me. My son and granddaughter are both considered high risk, as am I having had two significant bouts with pneumonia. Last weekend both my son and granddaughter joined us for our camping expedition, as their first time out for fun for four months. On Saturday AM, my daughter in law called to say that the person my granddaughter works for/with tested positive. Everyone was masked up. My son and granddaughter were devastated and felt they had to leave to get tested. One of my daughter in law’s many responsibilities is to educate her casino workers on the virus and their protocols. With her connections, fortunately she was able to get my son and granddaughter tested properly and right away, with priority rushed results. Also fortunately, both tested negative. My wife who was not set to retire until June 30, chose to self shelter-in due to a very close friend she works with having stage 4 cancer. She missed her small but appreciative retirement get-together after 13.5 years at the school. I am being tested for antibodies on Monday. So please DO NOT TELL ME, I think the pandemic is a hoax. Because I believe that the discussion has gone political does not indicate that I think it is a hoax. If I actually believed it to be a hoax, I would not practice social distancing or wear a mask where it is required. I had a long response written, and then I said to myself…STOP IT, JEFF. This is not what you want to do. So I deleted it, and instead chose to write about my future with LADT.
That being said, I crossed my own line, and now have three choices. I wanted a baseball blog as something to carry me into retirement. I enjoy writing, and I love baseball. Combine the two, what can be better. Mark offered, and I agreed to take over LADT. I asked early on that people respect my wishes and refrain from political discussion. That seemed to rankle a few, so I decided to let it go. Some took it to the next level. However, I was true to my word and no post was ever censored in anyway. Unfortunately, I could not help myself and I responded when I shouldn’t have. My Bad for getting drawn in.
Choice One – I can ban myself because LADT is NO longer fun for me. I never signed up to run a political blog. Right wing – left wing. It makes no difference to me. I do not like any of it. There is not a politician that I respect. I think they are all corrupt. I am a believer in the words of Lord Acton…”Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. I can turn LADT back to Mark, and he can run it anyway he wants to. He enjoys going head to head with many of you. I do not. It is not fun for me. There are other baseball sites that I can go to and simply respond to the baseball discussion. Or I can listen to my son’s advice who wants to set me up with any number of podcast opportunities. He still has a huge baseball network that he can tap into. I know his connections. They are significant. The downside is that it is not writing, I am just not that social, and it is well out of my comfort zone. But who knows, maybe I will step out.
Choice Two – I will start to delete posts that I deem to be political. Believe me when I say that I never wanted that responsibility. I do not like banning any kind of speech, it just runs contrary to my beliefs and values. But I have the right to set the rules for something I am in control of; something that is mine. If you do not agree, then you should take Bums up and move on to his political forum. And before anyone asks, if I do choose Choice Two, I will not hesitate to delete anything that Mark writes that I believe is political.
Choice Three – Is out of my hands. Maybe Mark likes the tete-a-tete political discussion because it does have a tendency drive up the number of comments. Maybe he chooses to take the site back. It is his right.
If I choose Choice Two, I know the comments will dwindle to few. I am not blind. I see the discussions on other sites, and the comments are way down on baseball discussions. Maybe there won’t be any baseball this year, and that may be a death knell for LADT. My first baseball love, MiLB, has already changed forever, and not for the better. I have never shied away because I was afraid of failure. But the way it is now, I do not enjoy it. If I do decide to go with Choice Two, it will be MY decision as to what I think is political and I will delete it. Yes, Badger and Bums…I will decide. If you do not like my choices, you do not need to stay. You have other choices. Choices are great. Then I have to decide is it worth it for me to be a censor. Right now, I am not sure that it is. If I do decide to leave, it will not be because I am afraid to debate. I have never been afraid to debate, although I do not believe a baseball blog is an appropriate forum for political debate. If I do decide to leave, it will be because it is no longer fun for me, and I respect Mark too much to hinder his blog.
I have discussed this with Mark, Harold and Rob (2D2). They can answer for themselves. I do not speak for them. But they all know how I feel.
I will end this with a little baseball news.
There was another Dodger Zoom press conference that included Dave Roberts, and then several minutes later, Ross Stripling.
Doc indicated that neither KJ nor AJ have reported to camp. When pressed about when either of them are due to show up, Doc was not sure, but thought both would report soon. When asked why KJ was not in camp, Doc said he could not disclose the reason. Out of respect for KJ, I would hope all speculations would remain with oneself.
Doc was later asked whether he believed there might be a domino affect if other top tier stars decide to opt out. Doc dismissed the idea and believes there are enough MLB and MLB ready players to get the season started. He did seem to sense that others will opt out, but he did say that he thought KJ and AJ would be in camp. We will see.
Doc was asked if Strip, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin were the front runners for David Price’s spot in the rotation, and he grinned and said that was a good start. He strongly hinted that the pitcher who has ramped up the most will be given the spot. Strong speculation is that Strip is maybe the most ramped up pitcher in camp and is ahead of the pack.
Strip commented that he is scheduled to go 4 innings tomorrow at camp. He will be in a position to go 6+ innings for the first series. Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood are two others who are already at 3 innings +. No idea about Buehler or Urias or May or Gonsolin.
Ross indicated that he has been in LA since the beginning of June, and he has been throwing batting practice to others who have been in LA working out at the Stadium. Apparently Corey Seager, JT, DJ Peters, and occasionally CT3 would be there for Strip to throw to. More recently Joc has participated as well.
Strip was asked again about not getting the #5 spot in the rotation. His response was he is prepared to do whatever is asked of him. If they need the last out in the 8th or need 4 innings in long relief he can adapt to it. He likes the role. It is a unique niche that he has fallen into, and he may be the best there is in that role. But he was very disappointed to learn that he was not going to get an opportunity to start through a twitter post. This was after he was told he would be competing for the 5th spot. But very early on in ST, Urias was named #4 and Wood #5, and Strip was not given the opportunity to compete. I believe that both he and Doc think that the #5 starting spot is Strip’s. But nobody is talking.
Strip was asked what it will be like without spitting or licking fingers. Strip offered that he did not know. He did say that it was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. He alluded to a story that when he was warming up with Kersh, Kersh threw a pitch and unwittingly spit. He then reprimanded himself and said he has to stop doing that. Strip said it is part of their muscle memory routine, but all will be cognizant to try and stop. When asked about the wet rag, Strip said he had no idea as to how that is going to be used. He said he does not lick his fingers, so it is not going to be a concern for him. He also indicated that he had no idea how many LAD pitchers did lick their fingers. He did offer that Alex Wood does blow on his hand, and that will probably be disallowed. But they do not know.
When asked as to how the players may have reacted to David Price’s decision to opt out, Strip was absolutely resolute in his response that to a man, everybody considered David Price to be an absolute rock for the clubhouse and as a teammate, and everyone respected his decision as to what was right for him and for his family. Zero reservations, as it should be.
Oh Yeah! Clayton Beeter signed. All six LAD draft choices are now signed.
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Discussion (67)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Just my opinion: try your darnedest to stick to baseball. It’s why I and many others on this board visit this site and why I and many others don’t comment much any more. There are other sites for airing grievances and differing opinions about religion, politics, etc.. Keep it a baseball site or let it swim with the fishes.
Jeff,
This is a difficult time for everyone. No one can hide from the virus and we are just going to have to learn to live with it. Learning to live with it are the only words I have ever heard out of Trump’s orifice that I fully agree with. As it relates to this blog, as you can see, we can’t get away from talking about it and its political implications no matter how much you tell the public not to engage in it. No baseball means not much to talk about. We still have major doubts whether there will be a season or not. Why not just relax your control about the content of the posts? This will all change as we either move into this season, or wait for the next. Who really likes talking about Covid and Politics? Most of the bad boys here who are talking about it rarely ever mention these things during a season. Ad Hominems have been few and far between. So it is really you who have to decide, if you are open enough to allow those that are interested in Baseball, to post on current topics that are affecting all of us. My suggestion is to just relax and not tighten your grip on something you really can’t control or shouldn’t control.
Jeff, I can understand your dilemma. If I were accused of something that I did not say or think, I would be upset, too. I can only speak for myself. I really enjoy this blog and appreciate it greatly that you go to the considerable effort to make it happen. I imagine that many other readers feel the same way. The pure love of the sport comes through on this blog. And I find people’s personal stories and reminicences, and yes, their personalities, part of the charm. In these times, and with this cast of characters, you are going to have a hard time keeping politics out of it completely. It’s probably not realistic. So I wanted to suggest a couple of alternatives. The most important is that the contributors engage in some self-policing. Out of respect for you, the blog, and each other, they avoid the temptation to cross lines and make comments personal. That requires some tolerance. If it irks me that someone else has a particular viewpoint, so be it. I can present my own views,.fine, but also let them have theirs. In short, live and let live. After all, as you correctly said, it’s a baseball blog, and not a political one.
Second, you may want to appoint someone else to delete posts that go too far. That way, you don’t need to take on that role, which I can understand you don’t want. Thus, I see 90% of the solution as people taking responsibility for their own communications.
AC….Please take option 2. You are needed here and you are one of the reasons I, myself, come here. I value your baseball opinions and you have taught me so much about baseball rules regarding minor league regulation, how the draft and Options work and many other baseball matters. I love baseball and the Dodgers and this is the best site to discuss it with you at the helm. 2D2 and DC also make this a part of my day.
My choice is to keep this a baseball blog solely, please.
Jeff- in my opinion you should not have to adjudicate comments to determine if they are political. First, LADT is a baseball blog for comments on baseball. It should be a site to escape from the virus. Secondly, as soon as you start to delete comments some will be happy and some feeling you are political in your choices. I know 100% that you are not but you will be open to that. If folks need to talk politics and take sides when people are dying, then they should go to those sites devoted to politics. I don’t understand how death can be part of a political debate when we do have the means to conquer the virus, not just live with it. What happened to, “We are all in this together.”
As a writer on LADT it is most discouraging to post an article and a couple of comments in the political debate takes over. It certainly has diminished my interest in writing.
I have not posted anything of value in a very long time because this site became nothing more than a daily discussion about the COVID-19, and politics. I stayed with this site only because of the arrival of you, DC, and 2D2, and the great baseball post the 3 of you brought daily to a site that I thought was in need of a change. I do not come here to listen to the posts about what certain people think about COVID-19, politics, or anything other than baseball, I do think since you are running the site now it is your responsibility to delete those posts. Some of us want to talk baseball,those that don’t, please leave.
Bravo Jeff, I appreciate your honesty and motivation for this current blog posting. I think that there are a few posters that I would have to describe as political $hit stirring creatures, political attacks are so embedded in them that EVERYTHING they see is a political opportunity to stir shyte in every single topic they approach. I have posted opposition posts when I see such one sided shyte attacks, I just hate when some can post constantly with sniper attacks, attaching a political point of view in just about every post that is made.
I, like you, hate when censorship is necessary to retain some sense of balance, decency and keep a blog (and other things as well) on track. I would actually encourage you to delete political tainted posts, I don’t mean edit out parts of a post (way too big of a pain in the ass for you) but I think you should delete an entire post if you spot any political snipes in a post (a bad apple spoils the whole barrel). The political hit men (or women) can take their snipes elsewhere and let this be a BASEBALL BLOG 24/7 (no exceptions). If any individual becomes such a huge pain in the ass literally all the time, ban the individual, period (you don’t need to be any posters baby-sitter). I’m afraid that censorship has become a necessary evil in this day and age, decency and concern for others as been tossed and embraced by way too many in our society. So Jeff, grab those political bulls by the horns and toss and wrestle them to the ground, and don’t let up, stay consistent, NO POLITICAL POSTS, it is time to freeze a new status quo into place for this blog. By doing so, you get and we get what this blog is supposed to be, not the freak show that it has drifted into.
I do appreciate the baseball articles that you guys post, thank you for your efforts to write interesting topics.
Godspeed and don’t let the bastards grind you down.
I would vote for option 2. While freewheeling discussions can be interesting at times, it can also become maddening.
As for what to delete that could get dicey. For example, for yesterday’s thread I posted, at the very end, an article about Sean Doolittle’s concern about not getting test results back quick enough. However, in the article, he also said he felt that sports is a reward that the country doesn’t deserve at this point.
So, do you allow discussion on whether sports is a reward or is it a necessary diversion? Going that route will quickly lead you down a rabbit hole that you probably don’t want. You can be subjective (which as site moderator is clearly in your lane). Alternatively, you can delete any responses that do not address the players specifically. This option might be somewhat of a sledgehammer approach but would accomplish your goal of keeping content within the realm of the site’s objectives.
Best of luck, regardless which path you take.
Truth, you nailed it…
Baseball talk seems to be rolling along and some people deem it necessary to go fishing…
Please make it Choice II Jeff….
Stay Jeff. You are a great writer. and one of the reason’s I enjoy the site. I also understand your dilemma. There is another site I post on regularly, and lately because of all the uncertainty, only 3 of us post most of the time, plus the 2 writers. Baseball is a release, and we need to keep our perspective. Covid has ruined a lot of things, let’s not let it take down the best baseball blog.
Keep it a baseball only blog although I’m quite certain there will eventually be a post or two that centers on issues of the day. It seems some posters do indeed like to “stir the pot” and post ad nauseam in an effort to show how bright or brilliant they are with an edge that is both caustic and sometimes offensive.
While many of us here have strong personalities, this blog will not change my religious, political and Covid beliefs so we should all abandon the notion we can change minds behind some written words on a baseball blog and keep it Dodgers (baseball) related only. I don’t read this site to be chastised about where I get my news, who I should believe or who should shoulder the blame for our nation’s problems.
AC-keep up the good work.
Let us stick just to baseball here and not force the bloggers to play political referees. I love this blog for its baseball insight and have realized how the politics is growing old. Thank you to Jeff and Mark and others for providing this space to talk about our Dodgers and let us all make it easier on everyone and avoid politics. If u need to comment about politics, get a twitter account.
Option 2 Please!
Baseball is what we all need.
Go Dodgers!
I don’t comment much. I come here for baseball. I enjoy the writing, the information and the baseball discussion.
Yes, COVID impacts baseball – Price opted out. We can discuss his opting out and how that effects the team. Is Stripling or May taking his place?
When politics starts than we are off baseball and I stop reading until the next day.
I’m fine with Option 2. Hopefully we will respect your wishes and make that an infrequent occurrence
First of all Jeff, thanks for taking up the reins for Mark and keeping the site going. I think you can see from the comments that you probably have your answer if you go by the majority.
I have been one to throw my two cents in when the conversation turns “political” here but I’m more than willing to hold my tongue and make it all baseball since that’s what most people seem to want. As someone mentioned above, Covid and baseball are now tied together in a very tight knot and that subject has become part of baseball. Unfortunately Covid and politics have also become intertwined. So you are left with that algebraic formula. If A=B and B=C then A=C. Norcal is absolutely correct – no one here is going to change anyone else’s mind in a political discussion. What we’re all actually doing is venting out of sheer frustration. Since Jeff and many of the others here are totally turned off by that, I suggest that those of you who are looking for political discussion take Bum up on his offer and head to his website http://www.hellofred.com. We’ve had some excellent discussions over there although, to be honest, they’re very one-sided at this point. Maybe some of you would like to voice an alternate opinion. We can then keep this site baseball-only.
Hopefully, MLB will actually get a season in for 2020 and if that happens, or at least until it doesn’t happen, we should have plenty of baseball-related topics to discuss over here. That said, does anyone know what Beeter signed for? Happy to see we got all 6 guys. Play ball!
I talked with Jeff last night and support whatever he decides to do. I have no problems with him even deleting one of my posts if he thinks it is improper. We have seen many websites fail because of not doing that.
This is a Dodger site. COVID-19 is part of the game this year, but politics do not have to be. The most insidious comments are cloaked charged comments. Politics are best left out of the conversation.
Here’s what Stripling said:
I was disappointed at the time because I remember wanting to feel like I had the opportunity to go earn a rotation spot and being told that I was gonna get that opportunity. And Urias was announced the four before we even played a spring game, and then Woody was announced the five a few days later when we were just a few games into Spring Training. And I felt that I really didn’t get a fair shake, I’m trying to earn that spot. And that’s not saying that Julio and Alex don’t deserve it, I mean heck man, we got 7 or 8 guys that can be in our starting rotation…
I have no problem with how he feels. Now he can show if he is really worthy. I think he will. As of right now, I think this is the rotation:
1. Kershaw
2. Buehler
3. Urias
4. Wood
5. Chicken Strip
Hope so, Mark. That would be my choice.
I come to this site to read what you guys say about baseball. Everyone here has a unique perspective on what the Dodgers can or should be doing the be the best. Let’s just do that.
2020 schedule to be announced tonight. I assume they mean 6pm eastern.
Open on mlb.nbcsports.comhttps://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/07/06/2020-mlb-schedule-to-be-released-at-6pm-this-evening/1) AC, if you feel you need to delete any posts, then I think you’d have everyone’s blessing to do so. Whether or not we all agree on politics and Covid-related politics, EVERYONE on this blog respects you, so do whatever you feel is right. We all know it’s not personal.
2) Whether 162 game, 60 games, or 10 games, we all know the Dodgers will use 10 starters somehow, anyway. And since these 2020 games all mean 3 times as much as before, we will need some middle guys who can give us 2-3ip, 2-3 times a week. Srip, Gonsolin, etc might very well be those swing guys who don’t start, but somehow wind up with a lot of wins since they’re pitching in the 5th inning onwards. I really don’t care who “wins the #5 job”, because whoever doesn’t start might pitch as many innings this season as the guys who do start!
3) Yes, the schedule comes out today. We already know Opening Day is Yanks/Nats and Giants/Dodgers in beautiful renovated, empty Dodger Stadium.
4) Bear, my invite to you for game has now extended to 2021 haha (and maybe 2022 depending on how things go)
5) That Eagles concert last night was awesome. Hope you all got to watch. Now I’m even more bummed I was out of the country when those shows were at the Forum.
I’m sorry you feel disappointed AC. I feel just the opposite. “Civil, honest debate strengthens a community.” George Washington. Might have been Gene Washington. Or Martha. Since there is no baseball, conversation has turned to the reason there is no baseball and I have no problem discussing that with most people in here as most people are both civil and well informed. I learn a lot here.
Simply put, this blog not only covers what little is actually happening in baseball these days, it covers the reason we have no baseball and offers a place to debate issues civilly.
“I think that there are a few posters that I would have to describe as political $hit stirring creatures, political attacks are so embedded in them that EVERYTHING they see is a political opportunity to stir shyte in every single topic they approach“.
Not that guy though. I think that guy needs a hug.
It’s your call of course. You want to stick to something that isn’t happening and avoid the reasons it isn’t happening, the floor is yours.
Let’s stick to baseball. Everyone has made their points very clear about the virus!
Thank you all. I have no desire to be the thought police. COVID-19 is absolutely intertwined with MLB and all sports. How COVID-19 impacts the game is Baseball news. I have no desire to act like an ostrich and hide my head in the sand and pretend it does not exist. Baseball is a microcosm of society. But when the discussions get into the science, and how the politicians respond, that is what becomes divisive, and it certainly is not baseball. That is where I crossed the line, and that is an example of what I should have deleted.
Sean Doolittle is not shy about his feelings. He never has been. He has always been very outspoken. But he is a MLB player and what he says is baseball news. I would never have deleted any post with his statements. Many will agree with what he says, and many more will disagree.
Trevor Bauer is also extremely outspoken and what he says becomes news. Although I have a sense that most baseball fans agree with his dislike of Rob Manfred.
How Doc manages a bullpen seems to be very divisive, but it is baseball.
If Mike Trout decides to opt out, that will be newsworthy and arguably more so than David Price or Ryan Zimmerman or the Ross Brothers…The same is true with Buster Posey.
Specifically to Badger. You said…”Civil, honest debate strengthens a community.” That may very well be true. But that is not what I am trying to promote. My motive for this blog is to promote baseball discussion, more specifically Dodger baseball. That is all I want to do. And apparently I am not alone. Unless I am misreading as to how most have responded, the readers here want LADT to remain a baseball site. In addition, perhaps one of the most visited baseball blog sites anywhere (if not the most visited) is MLB Trade Rumors, and they are also having an issue. Please see their most recent published article:
Open on www.mlbtraderumors.comhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/07/regarding-the-mlbtr-comment-section.htmlAnd their commenters seem to agree with their decision.
All I am requesting is that you respect how I want to run this site. I am sure there are an unlimited number of social ills that you can discuss on Bums (Fred’s) site, or any number of of other sites. If there is a baseball discussion, I have always welcomed your opinions, and will continue to do so with open arms. Even if (when) we disagree.
AC, I think you should ban politics. Let’s stick to baseball/sports, even if it means fewer comments. I know I won’t stay long after reading the political comments of the last few days. Some people actually think it’s appropriate to post that people who happen to be white and male aren’t allowed to have opinions.