The jury is still out, but early reviews this spring training are showing that MLB has succeeded in speeding up the game significantly with the pitch clock in place. Even with other new rules that primarily address beefing up offensive numbers, the pitch clock has had the…
I have been away for a little while, and during that period, a lot of baseball news trickled in. One item I wanted to address was the Evan Drelich book on the Houston Astros 2017 scandal titled Winning Fixes Everything . First off, the title of the book. It says it all. This…
I started working on this piece with the intention of showing that the 2023 rule changes are significant to the game, and this season will show major changes that baseball has seldom seen. That morphed into a look at baseball history and the rule changes that have occurred over…
This piece has virtually nothing to do with the Dodgers, but I figured a little levity was in order as we reminisce about the worst promotional event ever in the history of baseball. The late Tim Russert, former host of NBC’s Meet the Press, was a law school student in Cleveland…
It is reported that one of the Dodger owners in he Guggenheim group, Todd Boehly, was seeking to purchase the Washington Commanders of the National Football League. His interest in the team has waned in the past few days, but if Boehly wanted out and decided to sell share of…
This spring, we will witness the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). I call it Bud Selig’s attempt to copy soccer’s World Cup. It’s an interesting concept, and the idea is noble. We’d like to see the game globalized and allow amazing athletes on the other side…
Most readers here are old enough to remember what it was like to be a Dodger fan before the internet age. It was through the box scores and the Sporting News for those outside of southern California. For L.A. area natives, Dodger News was essentially limited to the pages of the…
James Outman had 16 Major League Plate Appearances and 13 official at bats last season. He went 6 for 13, with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI. He walked twice and he struck out seven times. This was over a four-game stretch from July 31 to August 4, one at Colorado and…
The criticism of Andrew Friedmans lack of off-season moves is being read in social media circles and blogs like there’s no tomorrow. Many fans are expressing their opinions without a clear understanding of the ramifications and penalties levied to teams that sign free agents. I…
This is the time of year where everyone has an opinion and that means the intelligent and the morons. Unfortunately, the latter seems to get a lot of play. The calls from some for the Dodgers to break the bank and shell out hundreds of millions on 30 year old stars in deals that…
Thirty years ago, the San Francisco Giants were in the midst of making their biggest free agent signing in franchise history. Barry Bonds, then 28 years old and coming off his second MVP season, would be signed to a then-massive $44 million, six-year contract that brought him to…
When I was a kid, Wes Parker was definitely one of my favorites. The guy was absolutely the best defensive first baseman in the game, (Gold gloves for six consecutive years, 1967-1972). In 1970 he came into his own and hit .319 and knocked in 111 runs. He was popular, had movie…
I was all ready to post this piece and then came to realize that I miscalculated a major portion of it, which goes to show you, always do your research “before” writing. Initially I believed that Trevor Bauer’s suspension of 324 games would be retroactive to the date of his…
With the Dodgers looking to possibly lower payroll to be under the competitive balance threshold for the coming season, there are those that believe that the system is stacked enough with solid prospects to revamp the roster with talent that would keep the ball club competitive…
With the recent attention to Justin Turner being awarded the Roberto Clemente Award, I felt the need to discuss a bit of the background regarding the Hall of Famer who gave his life to a humanitarian cause for whom the award is named. Justin and his wife Kourtney have been…
After a lot of seriousness in the playoff chase maybe it’s time for a little levity, and you can easily do that by bringing up former Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda. With the Phillies in the World Series, I was thinking back at the rivalries the Dodgers had with that ballclub. We…
That name above is one that few have even discussed, but they should. This pitcher from Japan’s NPB has formally announced he intends to exercise his international signing rights and move to America in the MLB for 2023. At six foot two, 198 lbs., he is a right-handed starter. He…
It took me a full week to get off the mat and write after the San Diego debacle. Sorry about that. I have always found that the most difficult post to write is the first one after being eliminated. Multiply that fact by about ten and that has been my mindset for a week. Usually…
Dave Robert’s selection to start Julio Urias in Game one of the NLDS was a landmark decision that essentially told the world that he had supplanted Clayton Kershaw as the ace of the staff. This was no slight to Kershaw, who continues to thrive as a Dodger starter and will…
This is a few days old, but the latest player discrediting the Dodgers championship in 2020 is none other than former teammate Alex Verdugo. His quote: “ A 60-game season, it’s still hard to judge to this day. Like yeah, it’s a World Series, right? Yeah, they got a ring. But…
I have always wondered about the predictability of having a closer and why teams have simply gone in the direction of having a 9 th inning man, no matter what the situation was. If you really think about it, throwing that “stopper” out there for the final three outs night after…
October 11 th , most likely against the winner of the top two Wildcard qualifiers. At the moment, that would be the winner of an Atlanta-San Diego Series. With Philadelphia and San Diego neck and neck for the final wild-card spot, we may see Philly slip into that final slot. A…
Max Muncy’s year has been about as nightmarish as one that a player of his caliber can experience. We can all speculate on the cause of it, but I’ll peg it on the severe season-ending injury from last year. That elbow dislocation injury was gruesome and as ugly as any injury I…
Back in 1999, the Dodger organization used to have these various contests for fans during a celebratory home stand that they called “Think Blue Week .” They had a series of essay contests to win various prizes. The prizes included being able to take batting practice in the…
I was saddened to read of the passing of our friend and colleague, Roberto Baly, creator of a very popular blog in the early days of Dodger blogs by the name of “Vin Scully Is My Homeboy (VSIMHB).” He has been ill for quite some time and was unable to keep the site going because…
Since the Dodgers are up by 18 games in the division with 40 games to play, I figure it is safe to take a step away from the seriousness of the pennant chase and the Xs and Os of strategy to talk about a lighter topic. I do that today with ballpark organists (the ones that play…
When we look back at past MLB seasons, history has shown all too often that it always isn’t the best team that wins the World Series. Usually, it is the team that peaks at the right time that takes the title. It doesn’t happen often, but there have been seasons when a team with…
I have been away for a long while and will return to posting a piece now and then, now that I start this new phase in life called “retirement.” Some random Dodger bullets running through my mind. Friday, July 29th – Last Day before Retirement As disappointed as many fans are…
Who remembers the 1995 Replacement players? Those that remember that time know full well that the option of owners playing a season with replacement players is not an option that can be ever considered again. Spring training 1995 was three weeks of comedic exhibition baseball…
Let me just say it here. I was wrong. I misjudged this whole thing. I apologize for what was my stubborn miscalculation of events. We are experiencing something that never has been experienced. When the whole world’s economy shuts down, the ramifications can be endless. Are we in for another great depression? I certainly hope not.
