I had very little respect for Bill Plaschke BEFORE he wrote the column: “Dodgers must make it clear Trevor Bauer will never pitch for them again” in the LA Times. Now, Plaschke just makes me violently ill! Any modicum of respect I had for him is gone! I feel the same way about Bill Plaschke as I do Vladimir Putin. Both are despotic dictators, who believe they know better… better than you or I and deny anyone in their way any Due Process of Law.
Plaschke appears to be a fascist who believes in his own dictatorial power in the press and the forcible suppression of opposition to his point of view. Never mind that the DA declined to file charges. Never mind that the reason DA’s don’t file charges is that they don’t think they can win the case. Never mind that you can’t win a case unless you have probative evidence that is admissible. Never mind that the Judge in the Restraining Order Case chastised the alleged victim for being “misleading” and did not grant the type of restraining order that is commonplace. Never mind that Trevor Bauer has denied all the allegations, but has not YET taken to the airwaves to refute the alleged victims’ account. Never mind that the Commissioner’s Office has zero grounds to suspend Bauer (of course, many say,”the Commissioner has broad power to suspend players.” True but he can’t just make stuff up). That’s what some people (like Plaschke) whose alligator mouths spew this drivel, that is not backed up by their hummingbird asses might say.
Trevor Bauer is talking about reporting for work Sunday. I am sure his legal team has some legal precedent or position to work from. I am not sure what it is, but denying anyone Due Process of law, even if your name is Manfred is not a recipe for success. Plaschke saying that Bauer should not be allowed to pitch for the Dodgers again is felony stupidity at its dimmest. I always thought Plaschke was a moron. When he penned the above article, he confirmed it.
Look, it is OK to be outraged about what Trevor Bauer is accused of. It’s OK to take the moral high ground. It’s OK to have righteous indignation over the repulsive nature of the allegations. However, it is presumptuous, self-righteous bigotry to convict him in your mind WITHOUT any evidence. What Trevor Bauer was accused of is horrible, but it is an accusation at this point. It is an accusation that the DA evidently does not feel is provable. Think on that one for a minute!
Typically, cases this serious are hard to lose because juries tend to be repulsed by such actions as well. BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH DAMN EVIDENCE TO BRING A CASE! To pretend like Plaschke does, that the evidence exists, because he said it does, and banish Trevor Bauer as a result, puts him in the same breath with Putin, Castro, Saudi’s Crown Prince, and numerous other despots who routinely have dissenters killed. Plaschke is deliberately trying to have Trevor Bauer metaphorically killed because he is repulsed by such accusations. I am sure Sigmund Freud has a theory about why Plaschke does protest too much. This is sick!
As long as this is still America (I realize a lot of people are trying to change that), the Bill of Rights and the Constitution demand Due Process of Law. Allegations of criminal sexual behavior are almost always repulsive, but are they true? Trevor Bauer says they are not! Yet, Plaschke wants Manfred and the Dodgers to stand on the allegations, not the facts, and suspend him and make sure he never pitches for the Dodgers again.
Plaschke is an example of a person in a position to influence a mob… and make no mistake, this is a mob mentality! Mob’s say: “It’s better to hang some feller than no feller.” Maybe Manfred Putin and his goons will find some evidence the DA missed. Absent that, Trevor Bauer is an innocent man and must be treated that way as dictated by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. That is not an option.
You have a right to have your own opinion. For example, you have a right to personally believe that a certain type of sexual activity is wrong, but when you cross the line and incite violence against a gay or transsexual person, not only are you a bigot, but you are also a criminal.
Now, I am absolutely positive that Manfred Putin would love to kill off Trevor Bauer. Bauer has spoke unflatteringly about him in the past. I am certain that Manfred also has considerable legal counsel involved in this proceeding… which is why it is dragging out so long. If Bauer is suspended by either the Dodgers or MLB, there will be an appeal and a legal battle. It is my opinion, absent other evidence, that Bauer would prevail. We must let logic, reason, and applicable law prevail. There is no room for personal opinions or feelings. Just the facts and the facts are sketchy.
In criminal law, there is an idea, called Blackstone’s Ratio which propounds the idea that: “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” This was first expressed by the English jurist William Blackstone in his seminal work called Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the 1760s. The idea subsequently became a staple of legal thinking in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions and continues to be a topic of debate. There is also a long pre-history of similar sentiments going back centuries in a variety of legal traditions. However, there continues to be an elitist population that demands that “it is better to hang some feller than no feller,” simply because they know better. I call BS!
In Trevor Bauer’s case, I think his legal team has come to the realization that “a good offense may be the best defense.” Play Ball! I am sick of Plaschke, Manfred, and the elitist minions who want to strip Trevor Bauer of his Constitutional Rights and Due Process of Law. It is deplorable and such actions have caused much damage and misery in the past. I hope Trevor forces their hands – it has taken way too long!
Dodger Notes & News
- When you have to try so hard to make Friday Night Baseball a “production” it becomes a “circus.” I was not impressed by most of it.
- Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson make one perfect starting pitcher. Like Julio Urias who “nibbled” too much until he started trusting his stuff, the Catman needs to learn the same lesson. I think he will but until then, he has Tyler Anderson to save the day.
- Ryan Noda hit his 4th HR of the young season and is hitting .400 with a 1.338 OPS.
- Miguel Vargas went 0-fer again and is at .250.
- Carson Fulmer pitched 2 hitless innings last night for OKC with 2 K’s and 1 BB.
- Clayton Beeter’s line last night – 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K’s
- LHP Austin Drury pitched 2 hitless, scoreless innings, with no walks and 3 K’s
- For Great Lakes last night Cole Percival went 4 innings, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K’s – location is his problem.
- Diego Cartaya continues to struggle with the bat and now has a .143 BA
- Ramos and Keith continue to mash at RC
- Tommy Kahne pitched another inning last night at RC. He allowed 2 hits and struck out 2. He’s being brought on slowly.
Discussion (34)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Speaking of Wills, Rick Monday told a neat story tonight.
Maury was apparently a good golfer and he played with a lot of different people. He would propose a modest wager: Just a single dollar bill.
When Maury won, he’d take the Dodger and ask his opponent to autograph it.
And if you visited Maury’s home, you’d those dollars displayed under a glass-topped table, signed by famous players, politicians, celebrities….
Man, Cody is hitting the ball “en el queso “.
Evan Phillips was a Dodger reclamation project and right about now, he looks like a huge success.
What are the Dodgers going to do with all the pitchers they have amassed?
Of all the people in the world you could compare Plaschke to it had to be Putin?
Says more about you and hyperbole than it does about Plaschke. I get the point you’re making about Bauer not having had due process and I also agree his behavior was EXTREMELY distasteful and particularly for the Dodgers of all MLB teams but may I recommend some decaf! Lol
Wow Hunter Greene has some great stuff.
Who regulates truth?
Nobody.
I’m not being political here, but … somebody got thrown off Twitter? How dare Twitter do such a thing. Or, maybe it was just a business decision.
You know, I believe there are those moments when it becomes time for some people to just STFU.
Boy there are a lot of UGLY offensive numbers in Tulsa, GL and RC. Tough start to the year for our young prospects. And Kendall and Vogel look like first round busts to me. AF and company have done much better with pitching prospects than the bats! Maybe that’s why they drafted all pitchers last time!
Hopefully Edwin Rios has a great game.
Some of you have questioned the use of a noose in today’s blog.
The noose is a symbol of a mob mentality. Mobs are out-of-control irrational people who what to hang someone. That is EXACTLY what the mob is trying to do to Trevor Bauer.
… thus the noose.
Who regulates what is truth or not? I agree that Plaschke should have the right to write what he wants. That’s what Free Speech is. But Facebook, Twitter and other platforms are not the Truth Police. They should never censure or cancel a person. The court of public opinion is enough.
I am not going to make this political, but social media greatly influenced the last election because prominent people were kicked off Social Media who championed an unpopular position (actually many unpopular positions)… Positions that I might add now have gotten traction and while at the time they were called false by “factcheckers”, the fact is, they are now mainstream. That was TOTAL BS!
I seriously doubt that Elan Musk can buy Twitter, because the Crown Prince, Twitter Shareholders and the Government will try and stop him, but free speech is essential to this country. Shutting it down will result in very bad things. Revolutions have started for less.
… AND
HAPPY MAURY WILLS BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT!
Maury is also a person who beat addiction.
Happy Easter everyone, or is that going to be triggering to people who are easily triggered?
The political talk today is completely insane.
I’m gonna step out of the bunker a lil bit and ask if anyone has the Line Up for tonite??
MT I’m hoping and p____ for your son in law… I fell in and I finally grabbed the ring 32 yrs ago!!!
May all of you have a great Easter weekend..
I’m almost guaranteed a ‘ Comments Closed’…
PS.. I Clicked Post and Andrew beat me…
SPJulio Urias L
0-1 13.50 ERA (OUCH)
Confirmed Lineup
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
3B J. Turner R
2B Max Muncy L
DH Edwin Rios L
RF Chris Taylor R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF Gavin Lux L
C A. Barnes R
0% Rain
62° Wind 10 mph Out
My post from this morning is in jail.
God Bless everyone who contributes to this wonderful site!!
Well if we’re gonna make it political today then can I please add this. Have a blessed Easter everyone. He has risen!
A couple of points to raise when the next CBA is negotiated:
1) Put a time limit on the amount of days baseball can put a player on administrative leave without reaching some sort of conclusion as to his potential suspension.
2) Put a limit on the number of days of salary which can be counted against a team’s payroll when a player is put on administrative leave.
or, 3) Any salary which a team has to pay a player on leave should not count against the CBT.
Bauer, although he hasn’t been allowed to pitch has been paid every penny of his salary during his leave, yet the Dodgers are forced to pay that salary when no one has accused them of assaulting that woman. Furthermore, they aren’t only being penalized Bauer’s salary while not being able to play him, but they are also being taxed heavily on that salary.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts updated reporters (including MLB.com’s Juan Toribio) on the health status of some injured pitchers. Tommy Kahnle may be the closest to a return, as after missing the entire 2021 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Kahnle is on a rehab assignment in the minors and might be able to join the Dodgers before the end of April. Caleb Ferguson is also recovering from TJ surgery and is tentatively slated for a return in the middle of May, as Ferguson had some elbow soreness during Spring Training. Victor Gonzalez developed inflammation in his throwing elbow at the end of spring camp and has a tentative recovery timetable of 3-4 weeks.
Why do people have such a hard time keeping politics out of this site? We all voted. Go post your nonsense somewhere else. Can we go back to talking about Bear’s horrible taste in food?
The Left is going absolutely insane that Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter and open up the platform to free speech rather than controlled censored speech as is the case right now.
It comes from everywhere. In Florida they are literally banning math books which they say subtly indoctrinate students into CRT and some other acronym, SEL, I think it is. Math books for children and early teens, indoctrinating them about race?! Next come the reading primers, the spelling books, the geography and history texts. Then we’ve got Plaschke and others trying to “protect” people from what it is he thinks Bauer, by himself, did.
The country and world are full of people who want to control speech, verbal or written. Their excuse is always that they are trying to protect from impure or provocative words or thoughts. They always couch it in terms of an enemy they are trying to fight. We could argue about which side has been the most responsible for this over the centuries, but we will not; it is bad from either “side.”
Bauer should be allowed to pitch, no one has charged him with anything. If baseball wants to stand on some principle that they have the right to decide who gets to play, outside of any legal system, they could ban players for saying something they don’t like, maybe about them. I don’t know what Bauer did or didn’t do, but no police arm has charged or arrested him for anything, and one would think they would, if there were evidence. Allegations are very dangerous things. Frank Langella was removed from a role in a TV series being shot, because a woman in the cast said he made a joke with sexual overtones, and touched her leg. He is 84. We’ve got the fascists and the puritans. The fascists are far more dangerous, but the puritans always try to wield their power, too.
Not surprisingly I disagree about Plaschke. He’s a great writer and his articles provoke thought. We need more of that, not less. I don’t agree with his position on this but I respect his right to express it. I appreciate a free press, I don’t fear investigative journalism, I encourage it, but I do recognize the internet has created a lot of misinformation. Plaschke isn’t a part of that.
Vladimir Putin and Bill Plaschke? Cmon man. That’s ridiculous.
Thoughts on the game. I didn’t see it but perusing the box and reading some columns I formed an opinion. 2 for 11 WRISP, 22 LOB, runners left in scoring position 2 out, Smith 2, J Turner 2. . Gonsolin 74 pitches, 45 strikes. All of that tells a story. We win, that’s good. We show a lot room for improvement. Cincinnati isn’t that good. Bury ‘em.
Plaschke and Timmons wrote opening arguments to the ongoing Bauer case. As one would expect from a prosecutor and a defender, the arguments were consistent with their positions on Bauer.
Mark –
Great article! IMO all of the socalled “journalists” at the LA Times have their own agenda. Thirty years ago I had to deal with them on a regular basis. I would read their next day account of a public meeting that I chaired; and after I read the article, I had to ask my wife if I actually attended that meeting or did I just dream it! I have not read the LA Times since…..
So Bill Plaschke is paid to write sports opinion columns that get people talking about newspaper and what he writes. Based on the reaction, he has succeeded. On Sunday, Times readers will respond in the sports letters. Now Plaschke may or may not believe what he writes, although I’m guessing he does indeed believe Trevor Bauer should be gone.
There is a story this morning in the Times, written by Bill Shaikin (Bauer might fight extension of leave) with a sub-head (Dodger pitcher said to be exploring whether binding agreement is in place; MLB could be forced to act.
If Bauer and his reps take the position the latest extension to his leave is not binding
he may be able to show up Sunday at Dodger Stadium. That will force Rob Manfred’s hand. He will have to levy a suspension Saturday or face a Sunday circus.
It’s time to settle this nonsense. How long does MLB and Manfred get to tap dance around this? They’ve had more than enough time to render a decision.
Thought it was interesting that Dave Roberts said the reduction in draft picks and eliminating minor league teams has hurt the chances of young black men to make it in baseball, noting that in 2022, he wouldn’t have been drafted.
First of all, MLB is making a huge mistake farming out these games to streaming services that have zero experience covering baseball. I thought the same thing when they used YouTube for some games last year. Jenny Cavner, who does work for the Rockies, but she does not do in game work for them, she is on the pre- and post-game shows, and fingers on a chalk board, that was being nice. This bunch sucked, pure and simple. I understand it was Jackie Robinson day, but I want to watch the game, not listen to his son talk about his fight for civil rights. I lived through all that. I know about his activism. As for Plashke, I have not read any paper for years. But I for one am not basing what I think on some sports writer who thinks he should be everyone’s conscience. Baseball has dragged the Bauer situation on way too long. He was not charged. For him to be denied his rights by someone who is not in law enforcement is just wrong.
I don’t even give Manfred that much credit for being evil. He’s merely a PR flack. He’s there to manage the public image of the game for the benefit of the players and the owners, with a heavy emphasis towards the owners. He did the least possible to punish the Astros because he was trying to do the most possible to make the whole thing go away as quickly and painlessly as possible – so wrist slaps all around to appear as if he was doing something, but not so much that the players involved would file grievances, and not so much that it would effect the bottom line of ownership. It was a negotiated punishment, and the willingness of fans to forget and start paying money is all part of the equation.
It’s a PR game.
With Plaschke, you also have to realize who his readership is. Have you looked at what the LA Times produces? To say that the general general tenor of that newspaper has politically shifted leftward is a charitable description, but understand that the Times is also appealing to a market that shares this ideology. Plaschke and the Times are providing consumers what they want, and what they want is political outrage and a boogeyman to hate.
The Bauer hate among the Plaschke’s and the Molly Knights preceded this case. They hated him well before the Dodgers signed him. It seems a lot of the hate stemmed from his large and often outspoken social media presence, and included tweets that were obliquely disparaging of the transgender movement and mildly supportive of an orange hued former President who shall not be named. That’s really all it took for people and pundits for whom politics is everything to lose their minds. He became a boogeyman to hate, an avatar for the Orange Man.
The whole movement and phenomena is just not emotionally stable. These people are not emotionally stable. I posted ONE comment in Nosler’s site making a more academic argument in favor of due process and Nosler called me a “piece of shit,” banned me, deleted my comment and exclaimed something to the effect of, “I can’t take that today!” …and his brain dead minions over there echoed similar outraged pearl clutching, which is also part of the problem, because these echo chambers encourage this kind of mob mentality. It would be laughable under normal circumstances, but the issue is these people are now in positions of authority and power and are running the asylum.
It is not a rational nor does it try to negotiate the oftentimes conflicting reality of trade offs or weighing evidence. For normal people like most of us, we can not like Bauer personally, we can disapprove of his behavior, maybe have doubts about his moral fitness and possibility that he did do wrong, but we can also understand that there were questionable circumstances that cast doubt on the credibility of the victim.
These people don’t understand how to do that. They’re like children. You try to make a rational argument and they just yell. The more rational you try to be, the more irrational they become.
There’s a guy who writes for Forbes sometimes for the Dodgers. I came across his Twitter yesterday. Same thing. He was getting dunked for his Bauer rage and he just started emoting. “You don’t know the facts” ….without presenting any.
https://twitter.com/Howard_Cole/status/1515085388305494017?s=20&t=BeYkjOC0jncFAEA5IzsDvw
I should have followed my instincts and just skipped last night’s game. That’s how horrible the entire experience was for me. The worst part was hearing Edwin Jackson call Rachel Robinson “Girl”. Show some respect. I didn’t like the gangster outfits that Edwin and Curtis wore either. Then the Shitshow started in the booth.
I’m surprised to hear that Jenny Cavner ever watched a baseball game before last night. The graphics were bad and the sound was worse. It was overdone in the worst possible way. It makes me really appreciate the great job that SportsNet does covering the games. The only bright spot was the lady that did the coverage on the field. The booth was horrible.
And don’t even get me started on the app. Why are you using both 0’s and O’s in the activation code? C’mon Apple, you’ve been developing software since the beginning!
16 pitchers on the roster. I was surprised to see TA pitch 4 innings in relief. Not complaining though.
Tony “Too Many” (Pitches) Gonsolin was dirty, if not completely inefficient. Trust your stuff and throw that splitty 35-50% of the time.
Gavin Lux is by far the best hitter on the team. His glove looks pretty damn good as well.
It’s nice to NOT have a heart attack in the ninth inning. I don’t miss Kenley at all!
Another day, another W. On a roll.
Once again the media is trying to control the actions and thoughts of the people. It only works for so long until people see through it. Great article this morning. You are dead on!
Kiley McDaniel on Rayne Doncon:
https://twitter.com/kileymcd/status/1515085771950145539?
Nice article Mark. The problem is that Manfred holds all the cards, right or wrong, legally or illegally . I’ve read MLB has spent time interviewing the woman from Ohio who alleges similar sexual conduct by Bauer, Manfred has the discretion to suspend Bauer which he will. Then the circus begins with appeals and lawsuits.
Good article Mark.
Spot on in regard to Plaschke and TB.
IMHO it is shameful to the the commissioner office that TB practically is now suspended for almost one full year.
Go Dodgers!
Very nice article today Mark, couldn’t agree with you anymore. Manfred is one horrible awful commissioner and if he can’t do his job he should be replaced.
Apple TV’s broadcast didn’t do anything for me. The broadcast team sounded very inexperienced and didn’t create any excitement for me. I know Jenny Cavner works for the Rockies so she has experience but just not my cup of tea I guess.
Why should you have to buy additional services such as Apple Tv or Peacock when you buy MLB Extra Innings? Had to watch the game on my 3X5 I-Phone so I didn’t watch much thankfully it wasn’t a classic game where you couldn’t turn it off but I only saw up to the 5th inning.
Apple TV needs a lot of improvements. From the announcing to the probability graphics (for example, Turner with the bases loaded, 2-0 count, RBI probability 50%. Count goes
3-0, RBI probability dropped to 40%). Most of what was posted from betMGM looked like a random number generator. Glad the Dodgers won’t be on Apple for awhile.
Mark, how about a gig at Apple? Rather hear you then Hunter Pence.