No more… no less! I will check in occasionally and post sometimes, but I have a lot going on, and it’s all good. Book writing, vacations, cruises, Disneyland, Doctor Appointments, Construction at our house, looking for a warehouse/office in Phoenix, training my 140-pound puppy, and playing with the grandkids. I’ve just got too many things happening. I have to step back for a while. I’ll be here, but don’t expect a blog every day.
Just carry on and keep talking about everything Dodgers. I’ll be around!
Discussion (24)
Disagree, not disagreeable
TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees are dealing with another potential injury concern in their starting rotation, as right-hander Clarke Schmidt was scratched from a scheduled Grapefruit League start against the Blue Jays on Monday due to soreness in his pitching shoulder.
That makes three pitching starters with injuries, Cole,Gil and now Schmidt.
Give me the best players with the best character. I don’t care if they are all black or all white or all Japanese. It is 2025, and we are past judging on color. To say we have to have a specific number of players of a specific race and should choose based on race is in itself racist. Enough already.
LA has one black player, yet he is not “Home Grown “.
Why is that, for a MLB club that takes pride in Jackie Robinson ?
It’s 2025, for gosh sakes.
IMO Feduccia,Outman,Frasso, Sauer and Wroblleski will NOT make the 26 mam roster for the game on Tuesday March 18 against the Cubs on Opening Day of the Official Season.
I watched the game, the Tigers starter, Saiki, had some nasty stuff. He kept his fastball out of the kill zone and got weak contact with his splitter. His bullpen mates, including former MLB player, Javy Guerra, pitched just as well. They made guys like Freddie, Ohtani and Hernandez look very silly with their swings. Ohtani got only two at bats. He struck out and hit a weak grounder. Snell matched them until the fourth inning. Glasnow on the other hand, looked very good in his three innings. He gave up one hit, a walk, and struck out six. Most embarrassing moment, Freddie fouled a ball into C Sakamoto’s family jewels. Dude was bent over from that one.
Evidently, the Dodgers forgot to show up. No other explanation!
Dodgers lose 3-0 with just 3 hits and 12 strikeouts against them. Day off and on to the season opener on Tuesday the 18th against the Cubs on SNLA and FOX 1 at 6AM ET.
11PM ET EXHIBITION GAME
OhtaniDH L 1 2 0 .500 2.667
Edman2B S 0 0 0 .333 .666
Freeman, F1B L 0 0 0 .000 .000
Hernández, TRF R 1 1 0 .333 1.666
Muncy3B L 0 0 0 .000 .000
Smith, W.D.C R 0 0 0 .000 .000
ConfortoLF L 1 1 0 .250 1.250
Rojas, MSS R 0 0 0 .500 1.667
Pages, ACF R 0 1 0 .333 1.000
Snell SP
Lineups subject to change
Is there a lineup for tonight?
Kirsten Watson
@kirsten_watson
#Dodgers Dave Roberts said Mookie Betts will not be in either exhibition game as he still is recovering from being under the weather. He will go through a workout today, and they will reevaluate him on the off day to see if he will be available for Opening Day in Tokyo vs. Cubs
One more HOF note.
If the greatest players of each era get in, but they snub the greatest players of the steroid era. What does that tell you?It tells you that the writers are total hypocrites. A couple of them got caught cheating. Big deal. How about Gaylord Perry or Beltran. Both got caught cheating. Until they come up with a hard set of guidelines, it’s just a popularity contest and frankly a joke.
That’s my take boys.
Book em
Well, the boys took up where they left off last year. Yawn!
I was wondering if my optimism about rushing was skewed by past Dodger prospect success. Looking up the top Dodger prospect for each year since 1983 there have been 34 players labeled the “top prospect “ prior to rushing. By my subjective judgment, 16 had “significant”professional success. Almost 50%. Is that better or worse than average? My guess is far better.
You can hear a pin drop when a pitch is being thrown. Japanese are very respectful.
Shohei got a great ovation – and a walk in his first AB
6AM ET Exhibition Game
OhtaniDH L – – – – –
Edman2B S – – – – –
Freeman, F1B L – – – – –
Hernández, TRF R – – – – –
Muncy3B L – – – – –
Smith, W.D.C R – – – – –
ConfortoLF L – – – – –
Rojas, MSS R – – – – –
Pages, ACF R – – – – –
Lineups subject to change
NO Mookie
John Ferguson,
About 9 years ago, a company headquartered in Greenville tried to buy us. At first, I refused, but after their 4th LOI, my wife begged me to take a few million and run. Back then, we were about a $10 Million Dollar Company. They had paid us several hundred thousand dollars upfront to convince us of their good faith, but at the 11th hour, I found an obscure clause in the contract where they could have stiffed us for over half of the money. I walked away from closing and told them to go F_____ themselves. They stole a lot of our intellectual property, but I kept the money and told them to sue me, and I would countersue them for fraud, which is treble damages. They didn’t, and now we are 5X the size we were then. The best move I ever made was the one I didn’t!
Here are Joe Jackson’s stats:
13 Years
1772 Hits
54 HR
.356 BA
.940 OPS
62.2 WAR
There are many players in the Baseball Hall of Fame with a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) below 63, particularly due to factors like historical context, positional adjustments, or contributions beyond statistics (e.g., leadership, defense, or postseason success).
To get an exact count, let’s break it down:
Total Hall of Famers: As of recent years, the Hall of Fame has over 270 players enshrined.
WAR Distribution:
High-WAR players: The elite Hall of Famers (e.g., Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Walter Johnson) typically have 90+ WAR.
Above-average Hall of Famers: Many have WAR in the 65-90 range.
Below 63 WAR: This includes:
Many relief pitchers (e.g., Bruce Sutter – 24.1 WAR).
Defensive specialists (e.g., Ozzie Smith – 76.9 WAR but known for defense).
Veterans Committee selections (e.g., Harold Baines – 38.7 WAR).
Pre-WAR era players (e.g., High Pockets Kelly – 25.9 WAR).
Let’s Find the Exact Number
I’ll pull up a dataset and count how many Hall of Fame players have less than 63 WAR.
As of 2025, there are 270 players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Analyzing their Wins Above Replacement (WAR) statistics reveals that approximately 150 of these players have career WAR totals below 63. This indicates that over half of the Hall of Fame inductees fall into this category.
This distribution underscores that while WAR is a valuable metric for assessing a player’s overall contribution, Hall of Fame selections also consider factors beyond this statistic. Elements such as leadership qualities, defensive prowess, postseason performances, and the era in which a player competed play significant roles in the evaluation process.
For instance, players like Ozzie Smith, renowned for his defensive excellence, have a WAR of 76.9, highlighting that defensive contributions can significantly impact WAR. Conversely, some players with lower WAR totals have been inducted due to their exceptional impact in specific areas or eras.
Therefore, while WAR provides a standardized measure of player performance, the Hall of Fame selection process encompasses a broader perspective, acknowledging various contributions that may not be fully captured by this metric alone.
It is a small world indeed Mark. My office is in downtown Greenville. Great city! Tommy Lasorda’s lovely wife was from Greenville and he used to visit regularly such that I was able to hear him speak several times. Shoeless Joe was also from Greenville and returned home to live a very humble life after the “unpleasantness”. He is still well loved in Greenville and we all believe he gave it everything he had in that fateful series.
Matt, I had no idea there existed in our universe another dodger and Clemson tiger fan. Glad to know I am not alone. I did not go to clemson but my wife and three of my four kids went there as did way too much of our family GDP. I own and operate an event center in Clemson and live nearby. Go tigers! Mark, thanks so much for all you do. As much as I will miss the daily posts, I love your priorities and am glad you are putting first that which should be first in life!
Devers now says he will do whatever the Sox ask him to do. Already set my alarm to wake me up to see the game tomorrow even though it means nothing.
Duke vs UNC
Clemson Vs Louisville
Should be electric in Charlotte tonight.
I little appetizer for me for Tokyo next week.
Clemson Alum here, Go Tigers!! And Dodgers.
We dont need a post every day Mark, few times a week will be just fine…
Dodgers travel roster to Tokyo 31 players
Catchers (3): Will Smith, Austin Barnes, Hunter Feduccia
Designated hitter (1): Shohei Ohtani
Infielders (4): Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas
Outfielders (4): Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Andy Pages, James Outman
Infielder/outfielders (3): Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, Chris Taylor
Starting pitchers (4): Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell
Right-handed relievers (7): Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Matt Sauer, Luis García, Nick Frasso
Left-handed relievers (5): Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, Justin Wrobleski
Good for you!!!
Appreciate everything you have done!
I bet you could kick Al Yellon’s ass, you beautiful man.