Junkyard Dogs, Anyone?
The Dodgers have some Junkyard Dogs, like CT3, Mad Max, Cody, Corey, Barnsie, even Mookie! Justin Turner is one too. I am not sure that pitchers can qualify for the Junkyard Dog Club, but position players can. Are there any other Junkyard Dogs who can step up?
As you read this I am on my way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where it is likely 30 below zero and I no longer ski since I had my hip replaced. So, the only think that could bring me there is business. Since we started US Water Systems in our garage 19 years ago, we have grown by double digit numbers every year. In 2019, we grew 34% and in COVID-20, we grew just 22% but that was good. We specialize in Made in USA products (which happens to be extremely rare in the water treatment business).
Our business model has been manufacturer-direct-to-consumer since we started. We make our products and sell them directly, cutting out the middlemen. However, we have had a large number of plumbers and HVAC companies who want to buy from us, so we created another vertical and launched it on January 1, 2021. My son is running it and it is off to an amazing start: http://www.penguinwater.com.
So, that is why I am going to Jackson Hole. We are training a new Penguin Water Dealer who also has several other locations, including Rancho Cucamonga. That should work out great… another business write off! 😉
Anyway, as I write this I was thinking about how easy I could make this blog today. I could write about the Dodger’s chances of signing Justin Turner, making any other trades, which prospects could help, how good or bad the bullpen is or a variety of other things… but I don’t have time, so we will just delve into the teachings of Nietzsche:
“I’m not the biggest guy or the strongest guy either. I have to make up for lack of size with aggressiveness. I’ve always learned that the best way to play the game is to hit your opponent a little harder than he hits you. It’s self-preservation.”
Ray Nitschke, according to Hall of Fame quarterback and teammate Bart Starr, was a “classic example of Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde.” Off the field he was a thoughtful caring person. On the field, he was a ferocious middle linebacker who at times seemed to truly enjoy hitting people.
A fierce competitor, Ray was the heart of the great Packers defense of the 1960s. He was the first defensive player from the Packers’ dynasty years to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
In the mid 1960s, a national sports magazine asked a group of former NFL linebacking stars to rate the middle linebackers of the day. The panel first determined the skills it would seek in the ideal man — strength, quickness, speed, toughness and leadership. Ray Nitschke, the choice as the all-around top man, ranked very high or absolutely tops in every category. “The core of the Packers”… “an inspiration on the field” . . . “gives 100 percent all the time”. . .”has an overwhelming desire to make the play” . . . “without a peer as a leader” . . . panel members remarked as they explained their consensus opinion.
Ray was born in Elmwood Park, IIIinois, and grew up in a tough Chicago neighborhood. He was an all-state quarterback in high school and could have signed a professional baseball contract with the St. Louis Browns.
He opted for a football scholarship at Illinois, where he was shifted to a combined fullback on offense, linebacker on defense. The Packers drafted Ray No. 3 in 1958. Although he started eight games as a rookie, it wasn’t until his third season that Nitschke got the job of middle linebacker for good. Ray was the complete player.
Ray earned either first- or second-team All-NFL honors seven times in eight years from 1962 to 1969. In addition to being a hard-hitting tackler, he was excellent in pass coverage as his 25 lifetime interceptions attest.
Wait, you thought I was going to write about Fredrick Nietzsche, really? I am talking about Ray Nitschke. Who is Fred anyway? I admired the way Ray Nitschke played the game. He was the embodiment of an overachiever – he should have never been as good as he was, but he was!
Ray was 6′ 3″ and 235 Pounds and I am sure that was a push. However, he was a guy who would not be denied and played every play like it was his last. Ray Nitschke was a Junkyard Dog and I say that with the greatest respect.
The Dodgers have some Junkyard Dogs, like CT3, Mad Max, Cody, Corey, Barnsie, even Mookie! Justin Turner is one too. I am not sure that pitchers can qualify for the Junkyard Dog Club, but position players can. Are there any other Junkyard Dogs who can step up?
Who will step up in 2021 that no one expects? Let me hear you!
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LAD has two prospects on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospect list, Keibert Ruiz (#57) and Josiah Gray (#58). They are the only two consensus Top 100 picks thus far. I am working on a report of the four publications that have come out: Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Keith Law, and MLB Pipeline. This should be published on Sunday here at LADT. FanGraphs is still compiling individual teams top prospects, and they will report on their overall top prospects once those compilations are complete.
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