The defending Word Series Champion Dodgers look to return to the World Series for the fourth time since the 2017 season. Can the Dodgers not only capture their ninth consecutive National League West title and twenty-fourth National League pennant, but defend their World Series Championship?
Come out to Dodger Stadium this season and find out. Don’t miss out on all the excitement! The Dodgers open the 2021 season at Dodger Stadium on April 9 against the hated Washington Nationals. Look for exciting matchups throughout the regular season including interleague games against the Angels, Twins Indians, Royals and rivalry games against the Giants, Snakes, Rockies and Padres. Not to mention that the 91st All-star game will be held at Dodger Stadium for just the second time in history on July 14.
Come see your favorite Dodgers like Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Rich Hill, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and many more as they fight to get back to the World Series. The Dodgers are sure to also have many cool promotional giveaway nights at Chavez Ravine. Be on the lookout for the usual bobblehead nights, Friday night fireworks and many others.
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Not a dime out of me, must see some “real” moves to improve the team.
At this point, I’m really not too sure how much tv time will be devoted to this thing.
Hello True Blue. Yeah I am keeping that ‘extra change’ in a safe place instead of paying to see Freidman’s mediocrity.
I cancelled my MLB package, and when I go out to California later this year I doubt I will be going to Dodger Stadium. If I do go to a game it will be out at Rancho Cucamonga to see the Quakes. Much more affordable and you can get great seats for only 13 bucks.
Michael, I have been thinking about that very same thing…not renewing my MLB Extra Innings package, which to be fair does include MLB.TV but with blackouts in place. I simply can put it to ya this way for now at least… I AM NOT looking forward to this 2019 at all.
Michael
I have extra innings in two different locations and am considering cancelling both. With the direction the team is going I see no need to continue to pay for all of the baseball. I do not find the team entertaining with all the platooning, lineups, ect., plus the absence of 3 of our best players and nothing in return. I cannot stand Friedman and Roberts so what is the point? Where in California do you visit? I used to visit my Dad there until he passed as he was in Rancho Cucamonga? Tough decision for sure.
My sister lives in Carson. Which is down by Torrance in the South Bay. I have a daughter that lives in Lake Isabella. My best friend lives in Lancaster. I do not blame the state of the team on the players. I have and always will be a Dodger fan, but the game has lost a lot of its luster. The most exciting player in the last 20 years is no longer a Dodger, they have traded my favorite player twice. So now I really have no favorite. They have some good players and one future Hall of Famer in Kershaw. But even he is at the point where he is painful to watch on some days. I wish for their success, but I just see more of the same on the horizon. There are a lot of fans who buy into Friedman’s way of doing things and totally believe in him to bring a Championship to LA. I am less optimistic about that. It is so true that they came close. But they failed to reach their goals. The big guns failed when the title was on the line. I wish I could see another Dodger WS title, but with this leadership and the way the owners are acting and the greed I see in the game now, make it less fun to be a fan. It is all about the money. For both the players and ownership. Long gone are the days when the enjoyment of the fan was right at the top of the list. There are players who are totally unselfish and some who are genuine jerks. Unfortunately sometimes it is hard to tell which is which.
Quakes Stadium is a great place to see a game. I actually attended the very first game played in that stadium, at the time they were not a Dodgers team but for the life of me I can’t remember who they were affiliated with then, back in 94 or 95 I believe. Maybe a Padres team, not sure.
I agree tickets are overpriced.
We only go when we can get some freebies from work or friends.
The Dugout club remains a blast. Always seem to see Lasorda there.
Shocking that you can find Tommy around food
free food!
Dodgers have signed a Taiwanese RHP. Cannot remember his name but it was on Twitter this AM.
Scott it looks like we’ve finally started a revolution. Big article on TrueBlue from Nosler on Friedman. I think soon the mainstream sportswriters will join in.
They are finally coming around to our point of view.
They’re finally realizing that he’s running the Dodgers like a small market team and that’s just not going to work out here. Not adding players this winter and trading away solid regulars for nothing is a terrible look for the richest team in MLB.
Have you seen what they are charging for the fan fest? Outrageous. Meet and greets. I remember when players would just sign freely. As a matter of fact they used to have autograph booths at every level before Sunday games. As much money as Guggenheim is raking in off the loyalty of the Blue Lemming society, they could have signed 20 free agents. This is getting down right ugly. The fans who think this is good management of a baseball team are pissing in the wind. Tired of the BS and Fraudman. I am not spending a dime more that goes into their pockets.
Fraudman. Good one.
How about: Fraudman, Krapstan and Chokenheim? Sounds like a law firm on the corner of Wall Street and Madison Ave!
What I don’t understand is the criticism when this team has made two consecutive WS: 52-53, 55-56, 65-66, 77-78, 17-18. They have to be doing something right because it doesn’t happen very often.
Last year they sighed only one FA who did not make a single pitch during the season and yet we still made it back to the WS. Freido and Zed (now just Freido) did some amazing stuff, at least I think so.
Nothing wrong with criticizing the style of play, I think it’s ugly.
Nothing wrong with criticizing the ticket prices, I don’t. I just don’t go end of story.
But to criticize the success the team has had seems strange. But everyone is a critic, so there.
Happy 2019 everyone!
Well said Artie
Well Artie, when gigglesheim took over which seems a life time ago they told the fans that the aim was to win world championships in LA. They kept the FO in place that was there when they bought the team for a couple of years. Ned Colletti and his scouting department did a pretty good job of keeping the team competitive while McCrappy was the owner. Ownership authorized the TRADE which has been much debated everywhere because of the massive salary’s brought on board. The new ownership said the aim was multiple championships. Well 2 years in, and 2 division championships under their belt they bring in Friedman, the miracle worker of Tampa Bay who with limited resources had managed to make a winner out of the Rays. Most of the players the Rays signed as kids eventually moved on to other teams because the Rays did not have the monetary wherewithal to retain these guys. So Price and others were traded for various prospects. Sooner or later that plan is going to go south and it did right after Friedman left for LA and Maddon went to the Cubbies. Friedman hired Zaidi, and various other former GM’s and supposed smart guys. He immediately traded one of the more popular Dodgers ever, and seemingly got little in return. They did get 4 years out of Grandal and traded the other pieces elsewhere. He also traded the fastest guy on the team and a pitcher and some flotsam for Barnes, Hernandez, Hatcher. That trade seems to be pretty successful since Barnes and Hernandez have been integral parts of the team. But he also loaded up on a bunch of injury prone players, and signed some free agents who considering what they were getting paid underperformed. Yes, they have been the big gun in the division for 6 years. But the Giants fell pretty much off the map after 2014 and have been a non factor. I think the division titles have more to do with how bad the division is than with how great the Dodgers are. They came within a hair last year of not winning and having to go to Chicago for the wild card game. You talk about the 2 years in a row to the series. It has been done a number of times. Not as much since divisional play had come in but the Yankees went 5 times in a row and won all 5. They also have won 4 in a row twice. He still, all be it under orders from up high, runs this team like a small market team. They do not give long term high dollar contracts. Not that doing that is the best way to build a winner. And he has made deals at the deadline the last 2 years to bring in players that were supposed to get them over the hump. They should have beat the Astro’s, but the stars of the team fell on their collective ass when it counted most. Those series losses are not really on Friedman except for the fact that he put together the team. Roberts needs to be blamed a little himself for some very questionable moves in both series. Pulling Hill while he was pitching a 1 hitter? Insane. And then the pen totally imploded. So his solution to improve a 92 win team that barely made it is to allow in one way or another for that team to lose 80 homers and well over 200 RBI’s and not replace any of it? Plus his front office and coaching staff’s are raided by other teams, which in a way is a compliment. This team as constructed today is not a well balanced team. Adding a 36 year old Russell Martin does not inspire great confidence either. They will be competitive in a bad division because none of their rivals have done much to improve either. But getting to and winning the World Series when you have 3 genuine powerhouse teams in the AL? That’s a long shot at best. Are fans going to be satisfied with just another division championship and maybe a trip to the big dance to get EMBARRASSED once more? I doubt that. Getting there is great, but you need to win. Atlanta won division titles 15 out of 16 years. One series win after all of that. Are the Dodgers the Braves of the 2000’s? Or another baseball version of the Buffalo Bills? Some of the losses in the FO have been felt more than others. I think Logan White going to the D-Backs was one of those. Also, with as much money as we fans spend on the Dodgers in any given year, we have a right to bitch, moan and complain when they do not perform as we hope they will. There are no stars on the Dodgers anymore. You cannot even claim the Kershaw is a star. He is a hollow version of what we saw his first 6 years in the league. Bellinger and Seager could well become that superstar type of player. Turner is merely very good. Not a HOF candidate in any way shape or form. Buehler has the chance to be something really special as does Urias, if he can ever stay healthy. The rest? They are a bunch of talented but not great utility guys. Most play more than one position, and might excel at one of those spots. But that’s about it. Friedman is going to get blamed if the team he puts on the field does not do well. That is the natural reaction of fans. Some, like you and Bluto and a few others buy into the way Ol Andy does things. But those of use who have seen LESSER talented Dodger teams beat superior teams and win it all, think he is going about it in the wrong way. It is our right, and indeed our duty to call him on the carpet. Managers get blamed, ownership gets blamed, and in this case need to be blamed more since they have a lot of money and would rather spend it elsewhere than improving a product that in it’s futility to win the big one is making them richer.
Michael
As usual, you could not have said it better. Better times are coming but changes will have to be made to the FO. Right now Friedman is in his last year of his contract. I am holding out hope someone snatches his butt up and he is gone.
I rather spend my money on something useful, instead of spending my hard earned money to be a cheerleader for millionaires.
You people are a sad lot. 2017 was a disappointment the Dodgers didn’t win, but can anyone here honestly say that wasn’t an exciting brand of baseball. That series, by any objective and subjective measure, was one of the most exciting World Series in the game’s history – and the Dodgers were a part of it. They’ve been to the WS the last two years. They’ve won their division and been to the playoffs how many years in a row?
*
I will wager money that if, by God’s grace (and Friedman’s brilliance) the Dodgers win the World Series, I will pop on here to read the comments and read the same griping and the same complaints. “Well, they won, but they didn’t win “the right way,'” which I guess means the ball has to be dead, the players all wear these really baggy uniforms and they go by the names Dazzy and Shoeless.
*
Sure, there are things you can criticize because we all like to play armchair GM, but good grief!
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
.
Lots of reports Dodgers are zeroing in on Pollack. I like Pollack and the Front Office has liked him for a while, but he’s no Bryce Harper.
Bluto
If we needed Pollock, why didn’t we keep Puig? Puig is a better hitter and a great defensive outfielder.
Because the team didn’t want to keep Puig? Because he was one year away from free agency and complained about platoons? Because somebody thought he wasn’t good enough? Because someone didn’t like him? Because it’s the only way the Dodgers could get the Reds to do the deal? Because he was mean? Because he really, really, really wanted to go to Cinci?
One of those reasons, I’m sure.
If Pollack can return to 2013/2014 level it’s a no-brainer. Can he? I have no clue.
I’d rather have Harper.
2017 was an exciting year. That’s a given. They fell short and it was an exciting year. 2018 was not. There was nothing compelling about the entire year except the emergence of Buehler. For all Friedman’s so called brilliance, he has never had a team win. As has been said many times, he inherited a pretty good team in the first place. He tweaked a little and they have kept winning, but they are just like the Braves of the 90’s. No big dance win. He has a 92 win team going into next season and he has done not one damn thing to strengthen that team, if anything it is weaker. Even a blind man could see that. But the Fraudman lovers still sit on their pedestal and sing the praises of a guy. who much like Billy Beane in Oakland has never gotten over the hump and won the big one. That’s fact not fiction, and not unlike Kershaw, until he gets the franchise across that line and into the winners circle a majority of fans are not going to think he is very successful at all. Off course the Fraudman lovers of America will.
Not sure I agree with that final sentiment. I can’t think of anyone outside of five or six people on this blog who don’t think Kershaw and the Dodgers have been very, very successful of late
They have been winners Bluto. 6 straight titles attest to that. The Braves were more successful in the 90’s and early 2000’s. That’s a fact that is undeniable. But Kershaw, as good as he is, has been very average in the playoffs. That is fact. He has not pitched like an ace. He has always been compared to Koufax, which I believe is ludicrous. He is 1-2 in the World Series and 9-10 in his playoff career. Granted, with the expanded playoff system CK has had more chances to either exceed or fail. And for the most part he has failed. He is not the same pitcher in the playoffs as he is during the regular season. His WS ERA is 5.40! Koufax’s is 0.95. Sandy lost 3 WS games and his ERA is below 1. Think about that. He won 4 games and lost 3 and his ERA is below 1. 4 complete games, 2 of them shutouts, both of those came in 65 against the Twins. He gave up 10 runs total and 6 of those were earned his entire WS career. Kershaw gave up 16 runs in his 2 WS appearances and ALL of them were earned. Sorry, Kersh is not a pimple on Koufax’s ass when the Championship is on the line. Success my friend, in sports is based on winning the big one. Over all. Kershaw is a very good pitcher. Over all the Dodgers are a very good team. But to keep making excuses for not getting over the line with ALL THE RESOURCES available to him, Friedman should have for all the HYPE he gets, 4 straight WS winners. If he was the genius everyone says he is, they would be that good. But he is not. As for not agreeing with the last sentiment. Maybe you should expand your horizons because there are a lot of people outside of the ones on this blog that totally agree with that and they make that opinion known. Now today a story breaks that the Dodgers are in some hot water over international signings and could be forced to lose some of those players signed, ala the Braves last year. They lost a GM over that fiasco, so wouldn’t it be hilarious if Friedman is banned because they did not follow the rules. Not saying that will be the outcome, but that’s what happened to Atlanta.
Ahhh Patch, spoken like a true Friedman fanboy. Let me explain what sadness is to you since you may not understand. Sadness is losing the world series two years in a row. Maybe they’ll win a world series in the next few years and then yes you can gloat about friedmans perceived “brilliance”. And his small market mentality that led to those incredible acquisitions like Brett Anderson and expert tweeter Brandon McCarthy.
The Dodgers are a good team. They’ve done well the last 3 seasons. I agree with you there. Just please stop defending mega filthy rich executives. It’s weird.
Hi Scott. It’s sad, yes, but is still an accomplishment to have a consecutive World Series appearances, a still deep and solid ballclub, a great organization, from the analytics to the scouts to the deep farm system. …and now with some financial flexibility.
Fanboy? I don’t know if the ad hominem is really a good look, and I think maybe that was the larger point I was making (btw, I was being facetious with the Friedman’s brilliance comment just to see if I could stimulate some discussion). The negativity and the insults and the cynicism is the norm here, and I think that reflects in the low readership. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but it does tend to turn people off for the simple reason that most fans don’t want their blog about their favorite team to make them depressed. Although I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to see my post survive. The last post I made here was deleted, and I have to admit I was mildly offended.
Now, as to the substance of the fanboy comment, I would disagree. I am generally supportive of the Friedman regime. I think he’s smart and shrewd and understands how to create an organization that can win sustainably through the proper allocation of and accumulation of resources. I generally support some of his moves because I understand the reasoning that went into them – even if they don’t always work out.
But there are limits. I will support the direction of this organization until I find a compelling reason to change my opinion. For example, although I am generally ok with the Cincy trade for reasons both financial and related to team chemistry, for those who argue that the team is worse off unless they replace the production lost by the trade, then I would agree. If the Dodgers do absolutely nothing – no significant trade or free agent signing, then I will question the the decision making – because I don’t understand the reasoning and it makes the team worse.
I can’t wrap my head around the reasons not to, at least for a year, go over the luxury tax threshold if it means acquiring the talent to put this team over the top…when they’ve been so close. Maybe there are some financial considerations with the ownership group. Maybe Friedman would rather walk away from a bad deal even if it compromises the team in the short term – that’s actually a sound practice. None of us are privy to any of the real considerations that go on in the upper echelon of the Dodger organization. We are a tiny insignificant speck…but it is fun to pontificate.
And as for me defending filthy rich executives or whatever, aside from it being another ad hom, it was just a dumb comment. Sorry, it was.
Patch,
Your assumptions of low readership here is just that. An assumption and it’s wrong. If you want to stimulate discussion that’s fine but claiming that this site is depressing is your opinion and yours alone. And of course you are wrong.
Your accusation of having your post deleted is yet another misguided attempt to bring your negativity over here. You are in fact the negative one, not us. You haven’t posted over here in a long time. Stay in your lane and don’t judge people over here for having different opinions.
Dodgerpatch
You can give credit to Friedman for the last two world series appearances if you want because he was in charge but please don’t call it exciting baseball. When you platoon all the players all the time and have a different lineup nightly, that is not exciting plus the lousy use of the bullpen and starters leaves much to be desired. Also, Friedman is not brilliant, just lucky. Any GM or person in charge that trades 3 All Stars for 2 prospects and lets his starting catcher walk is not too smart just money hungry and absolutely does not care about the fans or the future of the team. All he cares about is small market managing.
Maybe you could look at the platooning in a different way. Not that I disagree with you on the inherent desirability in having a star player that we like and identify with out there most games, but with platooning you’re now introducing more of a strategic element that, in some ways, makes the game more interesting, not less.
Take basketball, for example. Coaches are substituting players non stop, primarily for the matchups. That’s part of what makes playoff basketball fun to watch. It’s a game of chess going on. There was that incident of gamesmanship where Counsell substituted his pitcher just to foil Doc’s platoon strategy. So, platooning is just a winning strategy…same with the shift. Ok, create countermeasures to answer it. It makes it a thinking game, which I don’t think is all that bad.
But to your point, yes, I’d much rather have Harper than Joc /Kike in left field.
Equating basketball with baseball is asinine. You try running like that up and down the court for 48 minutes without a break and you would be winded so fast it would make your head spin. It is expected in basketball because no one ever plays the full 48 minutes. Not Magic, Kobe, or Sir James. But constantly running different lineups out there just because of match-ups, you never give the player a chance to prove he can hit lefty’s or righty’s or who ever. The Last time the Dodgers won the World Series, they had subs in because of injury’s to the major players. But when they were most successful, even in the Alston years, the main guys were out there most every night. Oh yeah, even with that so called winning strategy, they barely won the division.
Ok, some fair points. However, the begin, basketball doesn’t have substitutions solely because players get fatigued (although they certainly do). For example, coach A might go with a smaller lineup to match up against a bigger and slower front line, or a lower scoring small forward who plays exceptional defense might be substituted because he matches up well against a particular player. …etc.
How long to you want to play Joc against left handers until you’re satisfied he can’t hit them? When is a slump not just a slump and a case of him just being very good?
This has to be when combined with last year, the most boring off season in Dodger history. 2 years of salary dumps and mediocre free agent signings. Hey Fraudman is what he is. He does things his own way and hey, ownership loves this guy. I am sure he is happy reading his press clippings….oh wait a minute, nobody reads the papers anymore. We all know the stats and we all know what his tendency’s are to this point. Once in a blue moon he will surprise you with a Machado, or a Darvish. But more often than not it is a Martin or a guy like Koehler who gets millions for never throwing a pitch during the season. I am 70 years old and will be 71 this June. I have seen the Dodgers win and lose the big one. Never have I seen a more HYPED franchise not live up to the HYPE. They are GOOD. We all know that. You have to be to get to the series. You have to be good to get to the playoffs. And there are fans out there who are satisfied with just that. Their attitude is hey, we got here, lets be happy. They did not even COMPETE with the Sox in the last series except for game 3. Their lone win. And that took them 18 innings. They rolled over in game 5. Just like they did in game 7 in 2017. I am a fan of the team. I always will be. And I am a realist. I do not expect them to win every year because it is not that easy to do that anymore. That’s why when people say crap like, well the Dodgers are predicted to be in the WS again, I am very skeptical. How can a team that won 92 games last year, won the division in a playoff game and then strips itself of over 80 homers and 200 plus RBI’s of offense, and at this point not replaced any of that except with a 10 HR catcher be considered a threat? I also read that the Dodgers have the best starting rotation in the NL. Really? Ryu, Hill, Buehler, Kershaw, Maeda. That is the projected starting rotation for the Dodgers this year. One of those guys won in double digits. Hill, oh yeah, I forgot, you saber geeks think wins are a meaningless stat. Well how about this, those guys had a lot more run support than they are going to get with the bunch that is behind them now. Unless someone steps up dramatically and suddenly becomes someone like Stanton or Judge. They have very little power from the right side and the left handers are a very streaky bunch. Nobody, and I mean nobody has a clue as to how good or bad Seager will be coming back from an injury and surgery’s. Everyone raves about well, they have depth. Urias, Stewart, Stripling. Urias has not pitched a full season EVER. He has a ton of talent. But so far he has been injury prone. We all know how people blasted Kemp for being that type of player. But Urias is a savior. Stewart is a borderline MLB pitcher at best. As some would say, he is AAAA material. I have zero confidence in him even making the team. He is out of options as is Yimi Garcia. Another injury prone pitcher who has done very little to warrant any kind of confidence from fans. Stripling stepped in last year and did a good job, and then ran out of gas. He will probably be the long man and spot starter out of the pen because he has proved he is capable of that role. They are counting on Barnes and Martin to handle the catching. Both are better defensive guys than Grandal. Neither has his power. They are counting on Muncy to have the same type of season as last year. Where he came out of no where and hit 35 dingers. Hey, maybe he will be that good again. Maybe too the league will adjust since he is no longer a surprise and he comes no where near that total. To me, it seems they are hoping that these players they do have put up better numbers than last year. They are counting on Verdugo to make fans forget Puig. They hope Toles is healthy. They hope Bellinger rebounds from a year where he obviously struggled at times. They are believing that this team with all the holes it has that are obviously there is going to be better than last years team and win the WS. I think they are just delusional.
If Gray to Cinci doesn’t work out, there are a number of other teams who could be a fallback for teh NYY. Dodgers aren’t mentioned, and I find that interesting. Obviously the Dodgers don’t need Gray, but he’s being shopped pretty hard and there may be some value there.
Rosenthal on Pollock and the Dodgers can’t be posted because it’s a $ site. But he notes that Pollock hits LHP better than Puig and is a better fielder than Kemp. It’s a pretty depressing series of notes, because it revolves around the premise that the Dodgers aren’t making big moves because they are the best team in the West.
Bleh.
mlb.com has its list of top 10 2b prospects. The newly acquired Jeter Downs made the list:
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/mlbs-top-10-second-base-prospects-for-2019/c-302928324
If Gray to Cinci doesn’t work out, there are a number of other teams who could be a fallback for teh NYY. Dodgers aren’t mentioned, and I find that interesting. Obviously the Dodgers don’t need Gray, but he’s being shopped pretty hard and there may be some value there.
Rosenthal on Pollock and the Dodgers can’t be posted because it’s a $ site. But he notes that Pollock hits LHP better than Puig and is a better fielder than Kemp. It’s a pretty depressing series of notes, because it revolves around the premise that the Dodgers aren’t making big moves because they are the best team in the West.
Bleh.
mlb.com has its list of top 10 2b prospects. The newly acquired Jeter Downs made the list:
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/mlbs-top-10-second-base-prospects-for-2019/c-302928324
I looked at Pollock’s splits, and I was surprised that he didnt hit LHP particularly well in 2018..maybe 50 pts less than RHP. He was better than Puig, but that’s not exactly high praise.
Pollock was a stud in 14 and 15, but has been injured and inconsistent since. If the Dodgers get him at a discount as a result, ok, …I guess. Very Friedmanian
H
For all of those giving Kasten and Friedman a pass, I would think that a lot of their big international whiffs, even though many of them don’t count against the lux tax threshold, caused them to have to cut back on MLB players. And actually not counting against the lux tax threshold means they’ve spent a ton of money on players who haven’t even made it to AAAA quality. Fans have short memories.
The past couple of years we’ve been platooning and signing stop gap replacement level players and I think it’s bad for morale and stunts the development of our youth. I give the coaching staff credit for working with and doing better with rosters that have gotten weaker over the years (the rosters before Roberts were better overall if anyone cared to look back). I am good with Friedman picking at the edges and maybe our kids get more chances. I don’t think he’s good at identifying what type of impact vets fit and I’d rather he not make any major mistakes until after he leaves.
Just read Nosler’s evaluation of a Pollack – Pederson trade. Pretty much lined up with what the “negative” fans’ views on this blog.
Nosler is and has always been SABR disciple. This makes two big articles where he’s taking our side. Which gets me to think. Are we becoming more SABR centric at this blog?!? Or maybe us “old timers” are ahead of the curve? You know, if you curve things for long enough it turns into a circle and (eventually) the old timers will be ahead of the sparkling blings bearers!
Great posts here!
Scott, I think the revolution is here.
Here’s an excerpt from Tim Brown’s article on baseball. He’s as mainstream as it gets.
“No matter how much you love baseball. No matter how truly you believe baseball could be anything but lovable. The issue, as a person in the game recently observed, is, “The business of baseball is damaging the game of baseball,” which is less a new assessment than a newly unarguable one.
You don’t have to be pro-player, pro-owner, even pro-baseball to see that the greater evil here is complacency. Five-year plans are the new wait-til-next-years. Prospect rankings are the new standings. Just enough is plenty in some places, extravagant in the rest.”
I guess you can get off your soapbox now Scott, or get a much much bigger soapbox.
Now only Harper is left.
Here’s an interesting bit from Nate Silver’s 538 site, which focuses on statistics:
“Harper has been linked to so many teams, it’s tough to keep track sometimes. So we asked OOTP to look at the other teams its own AI saw Harper signing with (the Padres and Dodgers), plus the Phillies, White Sox and Harper’s erstwhile team, the Nationals. Of those, the Dodgers easily offer the greatest amount of team glory — in fact, they would basically become a dynasty with Bryce on board, winning the 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 World Series and losing it in 2025 (as Harper would put up 44.3 WAR during seven seasons in L.A.).3”
This only happens in a world where Friedman is not with the Dodgers, I’m afraid.
its the players that got us to the world series not the front office or the managers…the manager cost us both series each yr . he never play the best player consistent i have not been to a game in 3 yrs
Not the most logically sound argument IMO, Jerry.
Hernandez 2B
Turner 3B
Seager SS
Pollock CF
Freese 1B
Bellinger RF
Taylor LF
Barnes C
Urias P
Get you tickets now for Joe Kelly Bobblehead night. You do not want to miss out. A must for your bobblehead collection.
Wait a minute… will he still be here on June 13th, or will he already have his walking papers?
Maybe they can stick a Will Smith head on it, instead!
Has one seen the prices for tickets, just tickets, for a ballgame this year..2021?
MLB is getting too expensive.
Seriously, Ticket prices have gotten way out of hand
LOL. I noticed the ridiculous prices a few years ago. I have been to very few games since. I canceled my MLB At-Bat subscription this year, after they refused to offer me a refund on the COVID shortened season. So, I am back to radio. Anybody know where I can find a decent transistor radio? Thanks to MLB for stealing my money and making attending a baseball game to rich for the average fan’s pockets.
Now, I can no longer even get Dodger Dogs at my grocery store, or in bulk at Smart N Final. What is a Dodger baseball fan supposed to do? Thanks to Farmer John/Smithfield Foods and the Dodgers, for ending your relationship, and ending a Dodger tradition.
Lastly, now that Alana is gone, we are forced to endure lousy field reporting and post game interviews by Kristin Walker. Even the players seem to hold back from rolling their eyes behind their heads. DR was very patient with her in the beginning, but even he has about reached the end of his rope…. a shorter rope than he has with Kenley Jansen or Matt Beaty. Thanks to Spectrum monopolizing Dodger TV broadcasts, and for hiring Kristin Walker.
Money, Spectrum, and MLB has ruined this great sport.
But I am still a baseball fan, and Dodger Fan for life. Go figure!