Nice Guys Finish Last
All season, the Dodgers have touted that they have a clubhouse full of high-character players… and they really did. Most of these guys were Boy Scouts and have always helped little old ladies across streets. They have so many friends within MLB, and they cultivate those…
All season, the Dodgers have touted that they have a clubhouse full of high-character players… and they really did. Most of these guys were Boy Scouts and have always helped little old ladies across streets. They have so many friends within MLB, and they cultivate those friendships. They have charities, and they are active in the community. They visit sick children in the hospital and encourage cancer survivors. They don’t have a bad word to say about anyone, and they smile… a lot! In short, they are “Nice Guys.”
- Clayton Kershaw is a nice guy
- Mookie Betts is a nice guy
- JD Martinez is a nice guy
- Freddie Freeman is a nice guy
- Miguel Rojas is a nice guy
- Jason Heyward is a nice guy
- David Peralta is a nice guy
- James Outman is a nice guy
- Austin Barnes is a nice guy
- Chris Taylor is a nice guy
However, Lance Lynn is not a nice guy. Neither are Max Muncy, Kike Hernandez, Joe Kelly, Alex Vesia, Daniel Hudson, Walker Buehler, and Bobby Miller. Now, I am not saying they are bad guys, but I am saying that they have an “edge.” Kirk Gibson had an edge. Don Drysdale had an edge. Chase Utley had an edge. So did Reggie Smith and Dusty Baker. Davey Lopes had an edge. Mike Scioscia had an edge, and so did Orel.
You can’t expect to win with a team of “nice guys. In fact, Leo Durocher (not a nice guy) once said: “Nice Guys finish last.” In 1988, Pedro Guerrero brought an opposing player into the Dodgers’ clubhouse, and Kirk Gibson promptly dispatched him. We all know the story about Jesse Orosco and the black in the hat. Gibby didn’t play that! Sandy was a gentleman, while Don Drysdale would hit his mother if she crowded the plate. Chase Utley would take his grandmother out at 2B… spikes up! When was the last time a Dodger team got into a tussle? I think you have to go back to May 16, 2000, in Chicago, when Chad Kreuter and the entire Dodger bullpen went into the stands to get his hat back.
The game was delayed for about 10 minutes while order was restored. Nineteen Dodgers players and coaches were suspended for their roles in the brawl. The harshest suspension — eight games — was reserved for Kreuter, along with coaches Glenn Hoffman, Rick Dempsey, and John Shelby. All 19 were also fined. The 2023 version of the Dodger needs some players like that. The 2000 Dodgers team was not nearly as talented as the 2023 Dodgers. They were merely “OK” – they finished 86-76, but they were scrappy. They had some players with an “edge,” namely Todd Hundley, Adrian Beltre, Gary Sheffield, Todd Hollandsworth, Kevin Brown, Carlos Perez, Mike Fetters, and, of course, Chad Kreuter!
One thing I have heard over and over is that a HR-hitting team like the Dodgers does not do well in the playoffs, and then I find out that the Phillies have hit 24 HR in their last 10 playoff games. There is no way to sugarcoat this, so I am just going to say it: Mookie and Freddie are the ones to blame, and it is going to continue UNLESS they consciously make a decision to change the way they lead, or Andrew Friedman is going to have to bring in an Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Nick Castellanos, Alex Verdugo, or Bryce Harper.
I was castigated for suggesting the Dodgers bring back Alex Verdugo, who does have an edge. Many of you said, “No, he is a bad guy.” I’d rather have Alex Verdugo than Mookie Betts, who sleepwalked all the way through the playoffs! Freddie Freeman showed no fire on the field. No anger. Shouldn’t Freddie have gotten mad after Game Two? Give me Max Muncy’s fire rather than Freddie’s smile and politeness. The Dodgers’ trio of leaders are some of the nicest guys in baseball – Clayton, Mookie, and Freddie. But, they seem to put a higher importance on maintaining friendships than winning championships.
It’s a good thing for Betts that they voted for league MVP before the postseason begins. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be close to the top. The sense of doom about this series began the moment Betts interrupted Arizona manager Torey Lovullo‘s news conference before Game 1 and gave him a hug. Bullshit! He’s the enemy. Get together after the playoffs.
Dave Roberts said, “I’ve got to do a better job of figuring out a way to get our guys better prepared for the postseason. I’ll own that. I’ve got to figure out a way to get our guys prepared for any format, any series.” If Doc has a bunch of players who need to be motivated to get up for the postseason, maybe he needs some new players. The Dodgers need to try something different because this isn’t working. Nice guys finish last!
Give me a player who will talk some trash. Larry Bird could talk some trash… and back it up!
Give me a player who plays with passion. Freddie, Mookie, and Clayton are all about “relationships” and being friends with the guys they play with. I am sorry, but I am not trying to be friendly with someone I am trying to beat. You may be surprised to learn this, but when I played (back in the day), I played with an “edge” (hard to believe, right?). It was all about winning to me. I did not want to chat with a player at 1B. I wanted to kick their ass! I hate it when I see Freddie and Mookie chatting and smiling with another player when they are on the bag. You can be friends after the season is over. Right now – the war is on.
There will be some big changes this off-season. Kershaw will likely be gone. Martinez, as well. Peralta, Heyward, Taylor, Barnes, Almonte, Cyr, Bryan Hudson, Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Jimmy Nelson, Wander Suero, Blake Treinen, Amed Rosario, Koltwen Wong, and Jake Marisnick are all on the list to be removed from the roster. Joe Kelly could also be removed, but I like his attitude. Finally, Freddie and Mookie either need to change their attitudes or change their uniforms. This is not a social club. This is a Major League Baseball team with one goal: Win the World Series!
STFU and play with some fire!
Maybe Freddie and Mookie would be better off being traded. That would be bold, but they play soft. Give me someone with some fire in their belly. Maybe they wouldn’t win 100 games, but they might not lose three straight either!
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Discussion (57)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Change or remain the same. Something needs to happen . For starters get Iron Mike Scioscia as your manager , he will demand productivity . Second get some ace pitchers third get a legit 3rd baseman and shortstop. It is not Lux. Maybe Lux at second base. Spend that money Friedman , this isn’t the Tulane Greenwave!
Love the fact you’re trying to create debate and conversation, but if I had posted/suggested a trade of Mookie or Freddie you would have called me a moron or someone who has sight but no vision or some other catch phrase often used by you. There is no way Mookie or Freddie are traded, but I’ll suggest an addition that just might accomplish what you’re suggesting.
Before making my case for Ohtani let me say that I do agree with your assessment of Mookie and Freddie being too nice. Neither one of them are rah rah guys, but how about some fire in the belly when Angel Hernandez rings them up on a called third strike well out of the strike zone. I am so tired of seeing them simply turn and walk away without so much of a whimper. Show some freaking emotion, throw a helmet, get in an umpires face and demonstrate to fellow team mates that you care. Perhaps they’re not the type of player to lead a team meeting or yell in the clubhouse, but just once in awhile show some emotion on the field.
I always found it odd that Freddie consistently congratulates an opposing player with a base hit at first base and then starts a conversation with the opposing player, but is often shown in the Dodger dugout not saying a word to anyone. Why the need to talk to an opposing player, but not to fellow team mates?
Ohtani may not be a rah rah guy either, but he wants to win. Everything I’ve read and heard says he is a workout warrior and he will easily become the face of the Dodgers for the next 8-10 years. He is so much larger in personality than Mookie and Freddie that the Dodgers will become his team. Mookie and Freddie are perhaps superstars and if the team needs new and different leadership it would require someone who has more gravitas than either of them. A tall task considering the FA and trade market and the only one who can do that is Ohtani. If he signed with the Dodgers it would be patently clear it’s his team and not the quiet as a “church mouse” Mookie Betts, or the too nice guy Freddie Freeman. He is a worldwide generational talent who would carry the team.
I saw a short video on youtube where Ken Rosenthal said Ohtani would be perfect added piece for the Dodgers…
he wants to win and he’s a must sign this off season. Fans are growing tired of the epic playoff meltdowns and the meager signings of Syndergaard and old broken down relief pitchers. The business model used by AF to build a roster needs to change. Finding older players on one-year contracts is OK to fill in the margins of a roster, but it’s time to go BIG and get the one true FA who can make a difference.
I don’t buy into this nice guy/bad guy theory. Mookie and Freddie slumped in Sept and sucked in October. I just lay the blame on three guys those 2 plus Kershaw. Whatever you think about his condition, they wouldn’t have thrown him out to pitch unless they thought he could go at LEAST 3 -4 innings, which he did in Sept. When we won it all, Mookie was the same nice guy except he came through. So then I see posters say we need Harper or Ohtani. Hell we had two of the 4 top hitters and that’s why we won 100 games. Heyward, JDM, Muncy they had good years because of batting with runners on base in front of them. Arizona had NO ONE on there team as good as our top guys. How many teams had a better lineup. OK I guess SD did.
So, in summary, I don’t see the team making a lot of changes to philosophy going forward. The open question is how they handle the pitching next year. I say let 2024 be the TRANSITION year and let the kids pitch
Knee jerk.
Utterly ridiculous suggesting trading Mookie and Freddie who just put up historical numbers.
Either out of necessity or purely a Dumb Ass decision – but starting a broken Kershaw in game one of an NLDS was pure folly when other alternatives were available.
That embarrassing first inning set the tone and the momentum.
You are totally over reacting.
It was an excellent Transitional season, and you are losing sight of that.
I agree about all those guys you think will be gone and I want them gone, except I’d like to see 4 of them stay. Here’s why.
Martinez because he had a good year, although he is up there in age and that might play to the Dodgers advantage because I doubt any team will give him more than a 2 year contract. He might stay because the Dodgers got him back on track.
Taylor because he can play almost anywhere. Not as a starter but a utility guy. Plus he has similar career splits, so he can start in a pinch and pinch hit vs RHP and LHP. But here’s the thing will Doc use him like that. Against both RHP and LHP?
Shelby Miller because he was dominant this year. You never have enough good pitching.
Treinen because when he’s healthy he is very good. You never have enough good pitching.
Maybe it is just me but after seeing how Trevor Bauer got railroaded I don’t hear one peep about how he might have helped this Dodger’s pitching staff in the playoffs. I am fairly certain he would have stirred up some emotional energy. Hey if you want to play nice with the other team at least get mad at a teammate or two. Then unleash that energy on the field.
I get all the negative stuff about him but he sure brought a lot of talent and energy, both good and bad when he pitched.
Fearless and out spoken.
Maybe the Dodger’s need a designated “Bad Guy” to stir things up come playoff time.