They suck. What else can you say? I don’t have anything else to say at this point. The results speak for themselves. Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman have to be fired and Clayton Kershaw should retire at this point. The franchise has to go in a different direction. As I and many other people on this blog have pointed out all season long, the pitching was mediocre at best. It’s time to make some changes and if Guggenheim won’t do it then they need to sell the club to someone who can bring home a championship because clearly Friedman and Roberts can’t. I want to thank everyone for keeping this place going despite my busy schedule and diminished posting. I love you guys. Hopefully Friedman and Roberts get canned and Guggenheim sells the club.
Well, “I Told You So”.
Thanks for all you do Scott. A real tough pill to swallow.
It has been fun, on LADR.
Thank you Blue, I appreciate that
I’m a die hard dodger fan but I will not attend one single game if dodgers dont fire dave roberts.
Those off season FA signings of A.J. Pollock and Joe Kelly paid off big time…..
But if you listen to the Friedman fanatics, we got these guys at fair market value. Our FO is so great they brought in ‘talent’ without overpaying like the rest of the inferior FO’s in this league.
All year the double talking, narcisstic cult leader on the other site had his minions convinced that these FA signings would pay dividends in the post season.
What do the facts show?
Agree, Chili, terrible acquisitions. Worse part about it is we are stuck with Pollock’s and Kelly’s contracts next season and maybe more. They surely should not have seen a action in the game 5, winner take all.
Kershaw has to come to terms that he is not the pitcher he was. He is not the TEAM. His October woes continue, and he got a big piece of humble pie tonight. When I saw Verlander implode the night before, I saw Kershaw doing the same. A perfect gem by Buehler wasted, thanks to Kershaw and Kelly. Poor Muncy and Maeda…. they showed up, and did all they could do. The rest of the team flopped, big time.
AD refused to get help with pitching, both starting and relief, so all the fault does not totally lie on Roberts’ shoulders, but he may end up being the fall guy for this mess. Lack of relief pitching not only cost the Dodgers a World Championship, but also may have cost Ryu the Cy Young. The only problem I saw with DR were the random lineup decisions. I would not be surprised if he was just following orders from above. I would hate to think anyone would be that stupid.
Belli can only blame himself, if he loses MVP honors. He was his own worst enemy. Totally self-destructed in the second half of the season and playoffs.
The offensive shortcomings (blown scoring opportunities, RISP, GIDP, strikeouts), I totally blame not only the players themselves, but I have a feeling the random lineups contributed to there inconsistencies offensively, as well as defensively..
Definitely a team loss. Really no one or two players to blame. Just goes to show you, winning 106 games in the weak NL West means “Squat”. Better they bow out now, than get totally hammered by the Angry Birds.
So you can take off those Dodger Blue Goggles now, Dodger Fans. Put them in a safe place, cause you might need them again, next season.
I TOLD YOU SO.
I agree. There’s no way the Dodgers were going to beat the Cardinals…or any team Yadier Molina plays for. The Braves would have been their only hope. But, they would have to ride Buehler to do that. Ryu is fatigued. But, that would also mean that within two years, Buehler would be out of baseball with a dead arm.
Extending Kershaw was the worst move out of them all.
I’m not in the camp of without him the dodgers don’t win the division.
Regular season or s completely watered down now anyway
Poolgate curse strikes again .
Dodgers won’t win it all until all the members are gone.
Back to reality where Dave Roberts said the decision for Clayton Kershaw to start the 8th was not an “analytic question.” Kershaw, he said, “is a guy I believe in.” Roberts indicated plan was for Kershaw to face Rendon and Soto, before bringing in Maeda for Nats right-handers.
Well, on the bright side it worked out just like Roberts planned.
That said…..
He may actually be stoned.
Almost threw up, when I came back inside to watch the top of the inning, and saw, that it was Kershaw, in there instead of Maeda. I knew Roberts was rolling the dice, putting him in there to get the one out. I foresaw what was going to happen, before it became a reality. He lost quite a bit of respect and trust from his players. Even Kenley Jansen, although it may be empty one, has a legitimate gripe. If, he wants to ever sleep again. Then, DR should resign.
My Dad grew up a Dodger fan in southwestern Indiana, surrounded by Cardinal fans. Said something really peculiar to me back in May. He said the Cardinals are going to win it all. I thought he was losing it. But, it’s either them or the Yankees…and history says, why not? Both franchises know how to win. The Dodgers only win when their fans aren’t looking.
Anyone not named Bellinger or Buehler needs to go. There MIGHT be one or two more position players… Maybe Muncy.
But, when given a chance Keibert Ruiz, will prove to be better than Will Smith…And perhaps one or two proven or prospect pitchers to keep.
But, no one really stands out, as another dominant or gritty, type of ace.
I am 60 years old and I will never witness another Dodger World Championship in my lifetime. This will haunt them for 20 years.
There has always been a former Dodger that they have gotten rid of at one point, that comes back and bites ’em n the ass.
I think I had seen an ad on the other site….
Dodgers Front Office is now ooaccepting orders for their specially formulated 2020 Dodger Blue Kool-Aid.
Promoting it as a much more concentrated Blue then in previous years. The FO is saying that it is less filling with lower cost ingredients which will allow its consumers to indulge much more of it.
They are expecting to be sold out by Halloween.
Another full house at Dodger Stadium. I would hate to be in that parking lot after this one. I heard there was a brawl on TV news.
So after a night of indulging in the High priced Dodger Dogs, high priced booze, and other pricey junk foods. I hope the fans were able to expel themselves before heading to the Dodger Parking lot. They may be stuck in there all night.
Then when they get home and look in their wallets and pocketbooks, they will assume they were robbed, and blame it on some homeless person. What might even be funnier, would be to see the look on their faces after they see their credit card bill and all those credit card purchases.
Bet you can’t wait for next year, Dodger Fans.
I TOLD YOU SO!
It will be interesting to see how ownership handles this one. The backlash is going to be huge. To his credit, Roberts did stand up and take the blame. But I think he was just protecting his guys. They fizzled when they had the chance to win. Belli on second twice with less than 2 outs and they could not score him. Kershaw should never have been out there to start the 8th. That was his arrogance and Roberts not wanting to stand up to a fading star. It cost them dearly this time. Then Kelly imploding in the 10th did not help. What the hell was he doing out there for a second inning anyway? Bad managing, too many K’s and so called super stars flaming out when it counted the most. Kelly has 2 more years on his deal as does Kenley. Pollock has 3 and an option year on his deal. Ryu, Hill are free agents as is Martin and Freese. But the big question yet to be answered is with this latest failure, and the early exit from the playoffs, will management bring back Friedman. The fans are already screaming for his head on a platter. Another thing, can the Kershaw-Koufax comparisons go away now? Kershaw, is no Koufax. Even when he was winning his Cy Young awards a few years ago, he was NEVER as dominant as Sandy was. That being said, I am not going to be on here for a few weeks. I need to decompress and just forget about baseball for a while. For the record, Kersh is now 9-11 in post season play with a save and a blown save and no rings. Koufax has 4 rings.
Yeah Mike…I was thinking about you, while seeing the look on my Dad’s face, as this was unfolding. He lived and died with the Dodgers, since the Brooklyn days. He said…”They need to send Kershaw to the American League, where nobody knows him.” I told him; “That’s not true anymore, as any team’s hitting coaches can just analyze video clips and figure him out in ten seconds. Besides, the AL has better hitters…and teams.”
Kershaw should become a semi-recluse, like Koufax was for awhile. Or, go to Africa, to hide and continue his charity work. Giving him a token front-office job, or any association with the Dodgers, would be torture to him, and us fans. He’ll receive his Hall of Fame plaque, with his hands behind his back.
I was hoping, he’d see them win it all one more time, before his time was up. Like you, he isn’t just a Dodger fan, but a baseball fan.
Use your head not your heart. There is not going to be a wholesale house cleaning. If Friedman is retained, he will do what he has done every year of his tenure here, search for hidden gems, not sign any big ticket free agents, and trade for fringe arms and players. That’s his MO and the way he does things. Kershaw is not going anywhere. He has 61 million dollars on that contract, he is young, 32 and he is a semi-god to most fans. I say most since every time he implodes in the playoffs some of that good will goes away. He is not Sandy Koufax, and the comparisons to Sandy are ridiculous. Koufax has 4 rings and Kershaw has none. He has never in his career been as dominant a pitcher as Koufax. He was very good, and now he is simply good, no longer the elite of the league and no longer the ace. There will be changes this winter, and for one, I hope ownership realizes the flaws this team has and moves to fix them. Oh yeah, it is snowing here in Canon City today…take that LA.
Michael, I have to go along with what Bluefan says..”I told you so” On High heat this AM, and I realize most don’t really care for some of his views (Russo), but this i agree with him is that Dodgers do NOT have any real great players. All one has to do is look at these player’s performance in the PS when it matters the most. Seager, Bellinger were complete BUSTS as far as I am concerned and instead of putting Hill out there in game 4, don’t tell me was a good reason for Keeping Gonsolin off the PS roster. First , no matter what others may think, Roberts must be dismissed for the way he poorly managed his pitching staff and his sshuffling lineups. Seager and a few others should be dealt for some better pitching. And if Dodgers intend on continuing with a roster full of interchangeable parts that end up lacking in any consistency don’t expect 2020 to be any better.
No, they do not have any super stars that’s for sure. Roberts just signed a new contract last year, now there is nothing that says they cannot fire him. I am wondering if his future is tied to what AF does. If AF gets an extension, I do not see any way Roberts is let go. Roberts is exactly the puppet that AF wants in the dugout. They do not have a snow balls chance in hell of getting Maddon to come to LA, and I think he is way more interested in the Angels gig anyway. Bellinger has pretty much been far less successful since the all star break, for what ever reason, his power, BA, and OBP all dipped immensely during the second half of the season. Maybe Seager just ran out of gas, he was the hottest hitter they had, at least as far as driving in runs in September. But I give him a little pass since it has been a year and a half since he had this much playing time. Pollock was just unwatchable, but the same could be said for every player not named Turner or Muncy. The all RH against lefty’s thing is iffy at best. Me, I run my best 8 out there every damn day. But I still think the onus for this disaster has to go to Roberts AND AF. Friedman built the team, and Roberts pushed the buttons. Another year, another defeat. Things that need to happen. re-shape the bull pen, figure out just who your most reliable starters are. get more consistency from Bellinger, and I mean over most of the season, not just the first half. Geren will most likely be considered for at least 1 or 2 other managerial positions. They need to decide if they need Kike and Taylor, or if they can live with just one of them. Lux is the 2nd baseman of the future, he is just going to have to prove it next spring. Verdugo should be back, and with Belli ensconced as pretty much the every day CF, they have to decide if Pollock will be the same or platoon with Verdugo or Joc if he is retained. You can bet they will sign a veteran catcher to back up Smith until Ruiz is ready to join that tandem. I do not think they keep Barnes because he is a good defensive guy, but that bat is made of rubber. No excuse for putting Hill on the roster, he is a competitor, but it definitely weakened the starting rotation by having a guy who could not even give them 3 innings, thus putting a load of pressure on the pen. No matter what the stats said, the pen was not the league leading pen it was for most of the second half. Lots to contemplate. And forget about them going out and signing a big ticket free agent, Cole and Rendon will take their talents elsewhere. Another thought, maybe it is time to move on from Honeycutt as the pitching coach.
Hi Michael,
Agree, the comparisons of Kershaw to Koufax are ridiculous.
The amazing thing about Koufax, is he accomplished all his feats in such a short time, and even with the big holdout he and Drysdale had, back in those days (Drysdale agreed to sign for $110,000 and Koufax for $125,000). he had a career that will probably never be matched. His injury forced his early retirement (they did not have the cutting edge surgeries back then). He graciously bowed out of baseball, rather than try to hang on and play until his arm fell off. And he did not have the luxury of a high dollar long term contract to sit on…. and all this in just 12 years, when pitchers were pitchers, and pitched entire games. To be give out just 5 or 6 innings was unacceptable).
It is deplorable that the Dodgers still owe Kershaw $62M. No ballplayer today is worth that salary! And no Championship yet? I jusy got tho laugh. These types of contracts have to cease, otherwise these players will continue to be a financial burden to his team, and guys with egos as big as Kershaw will continue to believe he is a Baseball God, and management buys into his charade because they have so much invested in him. Contracts are now in outer space… when will fans say, “Enough is Enough”?
I hope one day the owners will wise up , and “Just Say No” to these greedy players and agents…. yeah, in my dreams.
I may complain a lot, but I will always be a Dodger Fan, regardless. I just hope fans realize that I do have legitimate gripes. I just refuse to invest in a pair of prescription Blue Goggles. i’m on a fixed income.
Thanks Micheal, for your contributions to LADR. I enjoyed reading them. Enjoy the snow, and don’t take this despicable loss too hard, ruin your Holiday Season.
I TOLD YOU SO!
The Kershaw “YIPS” continue. He has had three years of declining effectiveness and post season woes. His arm and back are toast. Once again, DR threw a player out there, trying to give him some self-confidence, and show his ever-loving respect and belief in a player. DR was too easy, and bought into Kershaw’s posturing of “I am the Ace of this Team, and I will singlehandedly carry this team to the promised land.” His charades in the bullpen, strutting around like a caged bull, got to DR’s heart. And convinced Roberts to let him pitch.
Just like Verlander flopped, so did Kershaw. Both players are similar in their beliefs that they are the Team’s ultimate go-to guy…. the Team’s God given savior. Well, they both got a taste of reality, at the expense of their fans and their teammates.
Kershaw has had a great career, don’t get me wrong. But he has to realize that his days are limited. His back problems are apparently more serious than he wants to believe. He should gracefully opt out of his contract, and retire. Sandy Koufax new his arm was toast, and he left the game way too prematurely, out of respect for the game, and his teammates. I love Kershaw, but hate to see him struggle like this.
Roberts probably has lost a lot of respect of his players. Throwing Kershaw in the game showed the players that he had absolutely no confidence in them. He basically told the bullpen that they stink, and cannot get the job done. A real slap in the face. Then to follow his snafu, he basically throws in the towel, throwing Kelly and Pollock in the game. I think by then, the players basically gave up. What a demoralizing loss.
Well, I think Ryu should walk, Hill is definitely gone.
Exiting now will give the Dodgers a jump start in rebuilding their team. There should be a lot of changes. Roberts may even lost his job, even though the majority of the Dodger shortcomings was not his doing. He was not dealt a full deck of players. I like Roberts and would hate to see him go, but the way he handled the pitching and lineup decisions, really baffled me.
I believe this season definitely supports my theory that what is shown in all those graphs and charts, really means nothing. Yup, the Dodgers looked great on paper, but what really counts is “What can you do for me Now!”. You know what they can do with all those spreadsheets? I think you all know.
I TOLD YOU SO!
Right on, Bluefan. Your take on how Roberts handle the pitching and his lineups were right on the money! About an embarrassing loss as there ever was one by any team in any year!
Damn, I said it early, often and all season long, yes dammit a giant I TOLD YOU SO. Where is StinkyPatch?
Package was totally wrong, Roberts isn’t a Dummy, He is a Stupid MFer, he has to go, he is a disaster.
Pollack was 0 for 13 with 11 Ks, geez pull your head out of your ass Roberts, you Stupid MFer.
Where’s StickyPatch?
Kelly tried to blow his previous appearance, so Stupid MFer gives him another chance to blow his appearance. Good job, you Stupid MFer.
One last thing, you just had to torture us with Kershaw just one more time, you Stupid MFer!
AS YOU KNOW, I saw this all coming in April.
Hi ya, True Poo.
This just goes to show you. No matter how smart and savvy your front office is, no matter how tactically brilliant your manager is, in the end it is up to the players to execute. The players let Friedman and Roberts down. And I can’t imagine all the lost revenue the owners will incur because of this loss. I’m outraged.
…actually I find myself somewhat in agreement with Bluefan and his comment above. Although we can’t really mind read, I think there was some pressure to put in Kershaw in that situation. The TV broadcast kept on cutting over to CK in the bullpen throwing weighted balls against the wall, getting himself all amped up and generally posturing. You just knew he was going to come in. The stage was being set for the high drama. Besides, wasn’t that plan, anyway? Walker, then Kershaw?
Looking back it was dumb, but it’s easy to make that judgement in retrospect. CK isn’t the dominating guy he was, which is no secret, but he’s also shown a tendency in this phase of his career to get off to rocky starts and settle down as the game progresses. It’s a pattern. That obviously doesn’t make him a good candidate for a high leverage reliever no matter who he is.
On the other hand, if Roberts had put Maeda or Kelly in and they got hit, we’d be screaming that he didn’t put in CK. “You have a future HOF pitcher warmed up and ready to go and you don’t put him in in that situation?!” That’s what you’d be writing today.
In those do or die situations there’s a certain logic to just grabbing the best pitcher you have and putting him in there. It’s debatable whether CK was the best pitcher in that scenario. I don’t think so, but, to Bluefan’s point, his reputation and stature influenced that decision. I mean, even before Rendon hit it out, he was all over Kershaw’s 90 MPH fastball. He wasn’t going to be late on anything CK threw, but CK, his biggest weakness being his hypercompetitive pigheadedness, was gonna try to throw it by him.
If it was me, in that 8th inning with the heart of the Nats order, that was the highest leverage situation of the entire game. If I have a lockdown guy, that’s where I’m going to use him. I would’ve used Kenley….even though he’s not really that guy any more. ..and that fact that Kenley didn’t even get in the game goes to show the level of confidence Doc has with Kenley. We need a new closer. The problem is, there aren’t really any out there in the FA market.
Fact is, though, there wouldn’t have been a game 5 had Cody and Seager had just one or two clutch at bats. They disappeared. You can’t have your two best offensive players choke. They wilted. They have a history of disappearing in the playoffs. I’m not sure they’re suited to the big stage. Hate to say it, but maybe it’s true. …yeah Pollock stunk it up, but whatever.
This is what playoff baseball is. Everything is amplified. The winners are the players who step up in the clutch moments, and what your stats were in the regular season mean nothing. I think Rendon should get the MVP over Cody just because of this series.
I’m just glad I’m not a major league manager. I wouldn’t want to make those decisions. …but man…Joe Kelly for that second inning…WTF?
If Roberts used his stupid head just a bit more, he would have had Maeda, who has been basically lights out so far in this series pitch the 8th inng from the get go. All he did was strike out the side and no game tying HR’s would have been hit. Then Kenley, who actually appears to have righted his ship pitches the 9th inning with a 3 to 1 lead and then today probably looks and feels a heck of a lot different.
You know I saw it too, True.
I still think Roberts was merely just a puppet to the Front Office. Yes, he was the Manager, in costume only. He was just following his marching orders. His hands were tied. It is unfortunate, cause I like the guy.
It was obvious when he continued to stay supportive to Kershaw, Jansen, Pollock, Kelly, and Hill. He had to be faithful to Friedman’s big dollar players. Icing on the cake was:
Choosing to go with an injured and rusty Hill in Game 4?
Bringing in Kershaw to relieve Buehler in Game 5?
Yanking a devoted Samurai Warrior, Maeda, in favor of Kelly?
Sticking with Kelley for a second inning?
Bringing in Pollock as a pinch hitter in the ninth, to pinch hit for Pederson?
Any smart Manager would not have made those rediculous moves.
I’m not questioning Roberts’ intelligence. I have to believe he is smarter than that. He was just obeying his bosses’ direction.
The Owners apparently have been blind to all this, as they are colored blind, and only see $$GREEN$$, and not Dodger Blue. They definitely raked in a million bushels of $$$Lettuce$$$. Once they realize how mush $$REVENUE$$ they have lost by bowing out in the first round, maybe they will see the light, and clean out the Front Office. All the $$$ lost in Souvenirs, Beer, and Concession sales, Tickets and Parking, has to open some eyes. All those left over hot dogs to the freezer. Attention Dodger Fans: “All You Can Eat” promo will be extended to all pavilion seats, as well as the Top Deck, next season.
I hope “ALL” the players take a few hours, and look at themselves in the mirror…. Ask themselves why they failed, and are they worthy of a raise in arbitration, or worthy of a long term multi-million Dollar contract. Again, Roberts could only play the hand he is dealt, and it is up to the players to do their job. They might as well have shown up wearing their Dodger Dress Up Day costumes, because they did not bring honor to the Legendary Dodger Blue.
Many changes are in order, but if they just sit on their hands again, then they are destined to fail again.
I TOLD YOU SO!
Thanks to all the bloggers on LADR. It has been a blast.
And it should have come to no surprise to anyone at all that when Roberts went out to finally get Kelly out of there he was soundly booed and rightfully so IMHO. But the offense is just as much to blame for striking out 64 times in a 5 game series while on many occasions leaving runners in scoring position. Seager was the huge Culprit. I said it yesterday that if this team were to strikeout 10+ more times last night that their off season would begin today. what a shock….NOT
Scott and All
Thanks for a really great season of Dodger baseball. Scott, you are a really good guy and I have enjoyed being here and reading your posts. I have also enjoyed reading everyones perspectives. Strangely I am not overly upset with the team as they have always been my team since I was a small child and they will continue to be my team, win or lose. I guess frustration is where I am now and have been since Friedman, Roberts, the ownership and all have taken over. All we can do is hope that they find a formula other than beating up on the NL West and winning the Division. We all have our own formulas and it appears that theirs and ours are vastly different. I hope to see everyone here going forward and have a great offseason. It will be fun. Hey True, I wasn’t totally wrong and I think you know that.
Package,
After Roberts’disastrous turn last night you deserve a bigger bow.
Take it!
Package, I think you missed my point, calling him dummy just didn’t go far enough.
AS YOU KNOW, I have said it before, no rings as long as this current regime is in place.
Sticky Patch, wow you are really that ignorant, please keep posting. Note, we didn’t make our judgements in retrospect, we made them in advanced. Nice try! Your own words render your words irrelevant.
Just thought you guys would love to see some white stuff…..
My opinion is that the biggest mistake Dave Roberts made was before the game even started.
When he announced Kershaw would “piggyback” Walker B. What advantage was there to be gained by announcing his in game strategy before the game even started? It was like he was trying to set up a narrative for Kersh to be the hero. The baseball gods have nothing but wrath for those type of moves.
Righty-Righty/Lefty-Lefty dominated nearly every decision made in the NLDS. This over-reliance needs to be purged going forward.
Totally agree with you.
Why show your hand?
Why not move from the plan?
Kershaw pitched game 2 instead of the more suitable Ryu at home, to enable Kershaw to relieve in game 5!!
WTF
Watford and Dodger Patch,
It was all a ploy by MLB, TNT, and the Dodgers to make Kershaw, the future Hall of Famer, a hero. Good drama for TV audience, and to rub it in the Dodgers Fan’s faces, who had lost faith in Clayton, and justify their $62M still owed, and Kershaw’s decision to remain a Dodger without Fan outrage. It certainly backfired on the Dodgers, for sure. MLB can twist it any way they want…. hero or not.
I laughed at the shots of Kershaw pacing, with steam coming out of his nostrils (maybe it wasn’t Steam?), and slamming that weighted ball against the bullpen padding. Nothing more than a bit of theatrical drama, to keep fans engaged. No worse than watching WWE Smackdown, or Roller Derby, or Jerry Springer.?
MLB and the Dodgers should be ashamed of themselves. MLB has been successful in bastardizing the game of baseball, and turned it into a cash cow, freak show. But unfortunately, there are too many fans who have bought into it.
I don’t know why, but I will still be a Dodger Fan “4 Life”, and a baseball FAN-attic “4 Life”!
Don’t forget…. “I TOLD YOU SO!”
You’re a weird dude, but I actually agree with your first take almost entirely. It was a strategy based on sentiment and narrative building….and announcing it beforehand just gave the Nats the heads up to game plan for it.
Poll: How many think Roberts should be fired??? How many think they should not extend Friedman???????
Michael
Did you need to ask? Get rid of both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Need you ask, Michael? I think the posts coming in since April will give you your poll results.
Kershaw is the baseball equivalent of the “Butta Face” woman, wow she has a hot body, buttaface!. Kershaw he has an awesome regular season record, Buttaplayoffs!
In my book, Kershaw is not a HOF pitcher, when the lights were brightest he just shrunk, year after year. That to me rules one out of HOF considerations. The top guns rise to the top when the lights are brightest.
Michael,
I’ve supported DR all season, and gave him the benefit of the doubt, but after his Game 5 debacle, I have to say, “Get Rid of Both”.
A “Real” Manager has to be willing to stand in his own two feet, and make logical decisions that probably will upset his bosses, in most cases. If his decision is right and they win, he is a genius, and his bosses will pat him on his back, while taking all the credit. If he is wrong, it does not matter because if the team loses and he went against his bosses wishes, he would be blamed, and his bosses would want his head on a silver platter. If he went with his bosses wishes, and they lose, then he would be the scapegoat, and be chastised by the media and the Fans, while the bosses hide their heads in shame.
So that is my opinion on the difference between a “Yes man”, Puppet Manager, and a “Real” Manager.
Michael.
My vote is to not extend Friedman. Hire a replacement GM. If his replacement keeps Dave Roberts on, then fire the replacement AND Roberts.
I do not retain Friedman. His plan works during the season, but the team is obviously not built for the post season. One problem I think is too many moving parts, allowing them to mix and match all the time and have too many one dimensional players. The 3 true outcome hitting approach is the big thing now, but IMO, it leads to way to many K’s and at bats that are non productive. 64 K’s in a 5 game series is a totally unacceptable outcome. They have not have a GM since Zaidi left. Friedman is the director of baseball operations until the end of October. As for Roberts is it obvious also that he is nothing more than a puppet. He has been out managed way too many times. If Friedman is retained, we all know Roberts will be here for as long as he is under contract. Just how much back lash ownership is willing to take will be the deciding factor, they are not garnering any favor from the fan base if he is retained.
No rings until this bunch of clowns are dumped
Everybody, have said it once and I’ll say it again: For The LA Dodgers to ever win a WS championship again, they must have an EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE! They must score LOTS of RUNS. This is NOT the 1960s when all they needed was strong pitching, strong defense , and only TIMELY HITTING. I am sick and tired of people blaming Clayton , Dave, and the FO for post season failures. Its the LACK OF OFFENSE, stupid!. Especially at DODGER STADIUM . I have been watching LA sports teams since 1977. For the Dodgers during the past 42 years I’ve noticed a very disturbing trend: The Dodgers don’t score many runs at Dodger Stadium s
The Dodgers don’t score many runs at Dodger Stadium IN POST SEASON GAMES, when a championship is one the line. The Dodgers need their versions of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter and others. I don’t know whether the Dodger Organization just don’t want powerful sluggers , or don’t want to spend lots of money for them, or what. All I know is for the Dodgers to ever again win a WS, they must have a powerful offense that can score lots of runs…..especially at DODGER STADIUM IN POST SEASON GAMES! I am sick and tired of the same old excuse that Dodger Stadium favors pitchers more that batters. During the past 42 years I have seen other teams score lots of runs on the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium many times. So my advice is during this up coming off season , before anyone spends another penny, consideration on how to build an explosive offense is very much needed. We also don’t need some who can hit just solo home runs.
I have heard some idiotic statements in my time, but your last 2 take the cake. They led the NL in home runs, hit more homers at home than they did on the road and led the league in many offensive category’s including runs per game. They hit 13 points higher at home than on the road, they won more games at home than on the road and led the NL in that category too. Cody Bellinger hit 47 home runs for the 3rd most in DODGER history! Get real, they out homered DC in this series. But I do not know which planet you are from, but in any league, good pitching beats good hitting, always has and always will. Last year they set a record for homers in a season and beat that record this year by 44! They don’t have power hitters? Are you delirious? What they don’t have is a great closer anymore, nor a great starting rotation. You want to see what good pitching can do, watch the Yanks and Astros. The Astros have a better starting staff, but the Yanks have a shut down bullpen. And for years, Dodger Stadium was a pitchers park. Go back over the years and neither the Dodgers nor their opponents hit many homers there. That’s one reason that only 2 Dodgers have led the league in HR’s since they have been in Los Angeles, Beltre and Kemp. This offense is explosive. They scored 886 runs. By the way, they hit 114 HR’s with men on base. They had more walk off wins than any team in the majors. Who besides the players on the field would you blame for not winning? Roberts is a terrible in game strategist. His pitching decisions have caused losses. And the other night was not an anomaly . He has done it before. Kershaw has been very mediocre in the post season. They gave him a 4 run lead and he blew that and then a 3 run lead and he blew that too in the 2017 World Series. Last year against Boston, the team Had Puig, Kemp, Bellinger, Grandal, Kike, Pederson and Muncy who all had 20 homers and more, add Machado to that mix who had 37 counting his time in Baltimore. That’s 8 guys with 20 plus and Turner and Taylor were in double digits. And they were totally shut down by Boston’s pitching staff. And the Dodgers staff, which was 1st in the NL in ERA, could not do the same to Boston, and they did not bludgeon the Dodgers to death. They only hit 2 more homers than the Dodgers did, but they damn sure out pitched them. You have been watching for 42 years. You should have noticed in all that time, that when they did win, 81 and 88, it was their pitching that got them the wins. I have been watching this team since 1955. Offense is a great thing to have, but it is not what carry’s teams to championships. By the way, if you knew any Dodger history at all you would know that they have won exactly 1 title on their home field. 1963, Koufax beat the Yankees at Dodger Stadium 2-1 on the strength of a HR by Frank Howard and a throwing error by Clete Boyer that allowed the winning run to score.
Excuse me, but I was talking about POST SEASON. You’re right . Dodgers had a great REGULAR season statistic wise. But Dodgers have had historically great difficulty scoring run AT DODGER STADIUM in POST SEASON GAMES, especially when a championship is on the like. It is unfair to blame CK for losing Wednesday ‘s game . Those two homers he pitched only TIED the game; the Dodger batters , especially those hitters whose batting stats you’ve quoted to me above, could have rallied …..
Historically? I doubt you have read up on that. If you knew anything about Dodger history you would know that from it’s opening in 1962 Dodger Stadium has been a pitchers park. There were never a lot of homers or runs scored there and in the post season, you are facing the best pitchers in the business and the best staffs. Runs usually are at a premium in the playoffs. Occasionally, like game 5 in Chicago in 17, a team goes off and scores a lot of runs. Over their history the Dodgers have won 1 championship on their home field. 1963 and it was a 2-1 win by Koufax. Kershaw is 9-11 in post season play. No where near as dominant as he has been during the regular season. He pitched 6.1 innings in this series and gave up 5 runs. That’s a 7.11 ERA. The offense left men in scoring position too often, they struck out at an alarming rate. 64 K’s in 5 games. That is almost 13 unproductive at bats a game out of 27 chances. You are not winning when you are doing that. I blame Kershaw for blowing the lead. Roberts is the moron who sent him back out there when he should have brought in Maeda. But a lot of this is brought on by Kershaw’s ego and Roberts not standing up to the guy and saying, you got your man, now let Kenta close this down. Kershaw blew a 4 run lead in 2017 against the Stros and when they got it back and scored 3 he let that slip away too. Don’t expect a lot of scoring at Dodger Stadium in the post season. As a pitchers park, it usually does not play that way. Another thing, if you watch a lot of Dodger games, you will notice, that for the most part, scoring runs in night games is a little harder because of the coastal air. The ball does not normally travel as far, hence, Smith’s 9th inning blast to right, which was caught on the warning track, would have gone out earlier in the day. Even with that Muncy and Kike homered. If the offense had been clicking and hitting on all cylinders, we would not even be having this discussion. But it was DC’s superior pitching that beat the Dodger hitters. Happens all the time in baseball.
Good points,Michael When the Dodgers last won a WS in 1988, the team hit a TOTAL of 99 HR’s that year! But the staff had only allowed a TOTAL of 84 HR’s during that year, go figure! Correct on Smith’s fly ball. That is a HR even at night during the months of July and August when nights are warmer and air is dryer. DS is still considered a pitcher’s park but all in all HR’s are somewhat easier to come by ever since they moved home plate 10 FT. closer to CF and then a couple years later, they lowered the fences all around by a couple of FT AND moved them in by another 5FT. before the 1973 season. OH and in that 1988 WS the Dodgers limited a very powerful A’s team to just 2 HR’s in 5 games, while that less than powerful Dodger offense hit 5 in 5 games.
It’s hot in here. Open some windows.
I can understand why Friedman would be interested in the Boston gig. It’s time for him to move on. He’s shown us his ceiling, now go work your magic in Beantown.
That said, maybe the chatter about Boston is just to drive the price up.
Somebody here said it – no matter the brainiacs behind the scenes, and that includes the manager in the dugout, it’s up to the players. These guys have a notable history of eventually falling flat in the post season. New blood is needed. I have no idea who might be the best fit but I’m fed up with the Friedman Roberts Show. We need new closers.
Well Scott. WE all know Roberts and Friedman suck. Now, after I heard and seen AF’s press conference (could not stand the “?-eating” grin on his face), He said his contract extension is basically a sealed deal, Roberts is definitely coming back, as he is signed through 2022. Friedman said he still believes in the bullpen, and feels they are worthy of winning in October. Said Jansen is still the “closer”. And said he feels he made to right decision to go with Kershaw in relief, in Game 5. Also,with Honeycutt’s retirement, he announced that head Pitching Coach duties will be handed over to Prior. Prior could not handle the bullpen, how can he handle the entire pitching staff…. what a joke!
All this being said, it just tells me that there will be more of the same “BUll-?”next year, and years to come. This more than proves that the Guggenheim Baseball Management Group has no interest in improving this Team’s direction, or could care less if the Dodgers win a world championship. All they know is that the team made tons of money, so there is no reason to change anything. The “Business” is profiting, under Friedman’s guidance. Maybe good for their pockets, but definitely not good for us Dodger Fans.
So, all you Dodger Fans wearing Blue tinted Goggles, it is time to wake up and face the truth. Throw away those damn goggles…. It is time to revolt! This city deserves better!