Today is a very special day for the Dodgers – it’s Walter Alston‘s birthday. At 23 years, Alston is the longest-tenured Dodgers manager (a record which will probably never be broken), and is the third-longest tenured of any manager, right behind John McGraw and Connie Mack. They just don’t make ’em like ol’ Smokey anymore.
As the story goes for many of the great managers from the days gone by, Walter Alston was not a great player. He earned the nickname “Smokey” as a high school pitcher, but he first came up to the majors as a shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his major league debut in 1936. Alston played in just one game, and he struck out in his only at bat.
Alston began his Dodgers career as a minor league player/manager in 1944. In 1953 he was handed the reigns of the big club. Since he had managed in the Dodgers’ farms for nearly a decade, he already had knowledge and experience of managing almost every one of the Dodgers in the Brooklyn clubhouse.
Alston quickly earned a reputation as a conservative and soft-spoken manager, which earned him a new nickname, “The Quiet Man”. His first team, the 1954 Dodgers, took second place in the NL, setting the stage for Brooklyn’s only World Series championship the following year.
The Dodgers then moved to Los Angeles, where Alston led the club to World Championships in 1959, ’63 and ’65. The Dodgers made it to the Fall Classic again in 1966, but were swept over four games.
Walter Alston not only managed the legendary Boys of Summer, he also led the team as the next generation of Dodgers greats emerged (my Dodgers), “The Infield” of Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell.
In 1974 the Dodgers returned to the World Series, but lost to the Oakland Athletics. In 1975 the Dodgers slipped and finished in second place, which looks semi-respectable on the surface, but the reality was the Dodgers ended the season 20 games behind the Cincinnati Reds.
In 1976 they finished second again. This time they were only 10 games back, but the Big Red Machine was clearly building a dynasty on the ashes of the Dodgers. The grumbling from the press box and the stands in Chavez Ravine (my young voice included) was getting louder. After 23 years at the helm, Walter Alston retired at the end of the ’76 season.
The Dodgers retired Alston’s number (24) the following year, and he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. He passed away the following year. In 1999 Ohio named a state highway The Walter “Smokey” Alston Memorial Highway in his honor. In 2010 he was elected into the International League Hall of Fame.
Walter Alston put up a managerial record of 2,040 wins and 1,613 losses, a .588 winning percentage. He led the Dodgers to seven NL pennants and four World Series Championships. Not too bad.
Happy birthday, Smokey.
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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Reposting this from last thread for more input. Thanks Badger, thanks Michael!
With all our other issues and all the outfielders we already have and the guys we have in the pipeline, we don’t need Cutch. Better for the stat-hounds to figure out how to “optimize” the production of Puig, get the best out of the remaining year of Ethier and see if you really did find a winner in Toles. And here’s another big find if Andrew & company can sniff it out–check out the bench. If Van Slyke is healthy–you guys should know–he can go a long way toward fixing the problem with hitting lefties–platooned with Toles or Ethier. Don’t waste any more prospects like your failed trade for Hill and Josh. ANOTHER TOPIC: Thinking of going to Camelback this winter to check out the future, but can only go before the exhibition games start. So–a question–is it worth going for the workouts–is it like Vero, where I went a couple of times, where you can wander all over? Where is a good place to stay? Any thoughts? Badger? Mark? Anyone?
I like SVS but really wonder if he can ever stay healthy. I also wonder if he’s really mashed lefties or just Wade Miley?
Hawkeyes
That is funny because I have wondered, if it was only that specific pitcher too.
Because Scotty hasn’t seemed to do much, since that pitcher left the Dbacks.
It could just be that he has been injured to much, but for being only a part time player, he has been injured to much, in the last couple of years.
I hope keeping Scotty, is not a sign of what they plan to do about the team’s weakness against lefties.
Emerson — yes, you can wander all over the place — walk all the way back to the practice fields. Beautiful setting.
Staying — open a map (like Google) and zero in to the Dodger complex area. The hotels are along 101 and 10 mostly — if you want to be fairly close. Hampton Inn, Renaissance, Comfort Suites, Homewood, Courtyard, Best Western, etc. But if you want a dive (old place cheaper, back farther on Van Buren St. and others you can find them. Use the map.
Food — let me make one suggestion (Mark and I have eaten there several times) it is Rustler’s Rooste (Honky-tonk steakhouse with valley views) – address: 8383 St., Phoenix. Phone 602-431-6474. They open at 5 pm. You can enter by the side door and step in or the front door and slide down the slide. It takes a while to get there from the Dodgers complex being in Phoenix —- but fun. Oh, and live music as well.
The address is actually 8383 S. 48th St in Phoenix. You can see the place from the 10 freeway. It is not very far from where the Angels train in Tempe. They have a web site with all the info.
Rustler’s Rooste–Been there. Worth seeking out. I like http://oreganos.com/ as well for something more simple.
I will vouch for Oreganos as well as Alice Cooper’s place Cooperstown.
Best part of the new CBA…….the home field advantage in the world series no longer tied to the winner of the all star game. Pennant winner with best record gets home field, meaning the Cubbies would have had it over Cleveland this year……good call….
haha, you know Michael, I’m one of the very very few that actually liked the All Star game meaning something, and having the home field go to the winner.
But I know the vast majority didn’t like it, so smart move for baseball to change it. Granted it’s never affected us 🙁
Got that right. I never liked the idea and I still think rotating AL, NL, AL was the best way, but that is old school……..former USC running back Joe McKnight, 28 shot to death in Louisiana after an argument. Was recruited to USC by Reggie Bush.
New movie now playing until who knows when……” All Quiet on the Dodger Front” Starring the FAZ and assorted guests……
Roger and Michael–thanks for the travel tips! Maybe I’ll see you guys there–and Michael–yes, terrible news about Joe McKnight–former Jet too, who’s career never quite took off the way it should have…a good guy….
Dodgers have resigned Charlie Culberson. Wow – maybe he’s to be the new 2B?
An 11th hour contract tender. Might mean that a trade for a second baseman is not imminent.
Looks like Carrier products are going to say Hecho en Mexico after all.
PR move that will be economically irrelevant. Look for a lot more of that.
You really wouldn’t think that Mr. Badger if you were one of the nearly 1000 jobs that was saved. That is a lot of families that will be able to happily make their own way and not go on unemployment.
Why do you say that Mr. Bum? While some jobs are moving to Mexico, as of today nearly 1000 jobs will remain in Indiana that were going to be lost.
There will be more details coming out soon I would expect but for now it looks like the 1300 jobs that actually manufacture the Carrier products will move to Mexico. Thus a Hecha en Mexico tag on Carrier products.
There are a different group of Carrier employees numbering 800 that might have have also moved to Mexico or might not have. That decision hadn’t been made yet when all this came down. It is those 800 jobs that for now are staying in the US.
Bum
You wanted the back ground about beloved Badger.
This guy DD mind, got all over me, for commenting on something Badger had posted that had a political lean.
I actually wrote about two small sentences, and that isn’t a lot for me.
He also said something rude about me, after I made a response to Wondering.
He also said something about Boxout, mentioning politics too, but he didn’t get rude to him like he did to me.
That is probably because he didn’t like what side of politics I seemed to lean to, but he sure liked the way that Boxout leaned politically.
He actually called Boxout the poor underdog.
“Beloved Badger”???
MJ, the exchange on the prior thread between you and doubledigitmind reminded me of the following:
King Arthur and the ugly old woman
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur’s youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if, after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question?…What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch’s proposition to have an answer by year’s end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
Many people advised him to consult the old ugly woman, for only she would have the answer.
But the price would be high; as the woman was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the old woman. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.
The old ugly woman wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur’s closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.
He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.
He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur’s life and the preservation of the Round Table.
Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the woman answered Arthur’s question thus:
What a woman really wants, she answered….is to be in charge of her own life.
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the woman had uttered a great truth and that Arthur’s life would be spared.
And so it was, the neighbouring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the ugly woman had a wonderful wedding.
The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The young beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared ugly, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day….or night?
Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old ugly woman? Or, would he prefer having a hideous woman during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
What would YOU do?
What Lancelot chose is below..
BUT….make YOUR choice before you scroll down below.
OKAY?
Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to be in charge of her own life.
Now….what is the moral to this story?
The moral is…..
If you don’t let a woman have her own way….
Things are going to get ugly.
You really wouldn’t think that Mr. Badger if you were one of the nearly 1000 jobs that was saved. That is a lot of families that will be able to happily make their own way and not go on unemployment.
Wasn’t it just a shakedown of state government for corporate welfare? That happens all the time. It just doesn’t get the pub this stunt did.
Then there is this:
“Now, the overall scale of this move relative to the size of the American economy is pathetic. In Indiana alone, there were 672,000 manufacturing jobs at the 1999 peak, falling to 425,000 in the summer of 2009 and bouncing back to 513,000 as of this fall. Which is just to say that broad Obama-era policies aimed at overall economic recovery have “brought back” almost 90 times as many jobs as are at stake in the Carrier deal. Getting all the way back to the Clinton-era peak would require Trump to pull off about 160 Carrier-scale moves in Indiana alone, to say nothing of the millions of manufacturing jobs in other states.”
Trump gonna have his work cut out for him and if he’s going to do it like this. And with the state taxpayers paying for it? Yikes. And I think it was 800 jobs, not 1,000. And what Bum was referring to, I believe, was the 1300 United Technologies jobs still going to Mexico. Maybe you were unaware of all this?
As Mr. Chili stated “the guy isn’t even president yet”. And here you are trying to compare 5 years of Mr. Obama’s efforts to little more than a phone call from a guy who isn’t even president yet and dissing him for it. I was adamantly against Mr. Trump in the beginning but either Mr. Obama did not care enough or could not do anything about those jobs because the people I hear saying thank you for saving “my” job are speaking of Mr. Trump.
It is a cold and heartless approach you exhibit to not have any empathy for your fellow American citizens no matter how you choose to misdirect it so long as it affords you an opportunity to bash an ideology that you don’t personally favor. Good luck trying to show your warm and caring persona in the future with an attitude like that. I’m thankful for nearly a 1000 families that Mr. Trump took the time to create a “publicity stunt” that will make their lives more secure.
You are much better at analyzing baseball Mr. Badger, stay with your strengths.
doubledigitmind, Everybody is happy for those that will keep their jobs. No one has said that they were not. Some of us are concerned that tax dollars were given to Carrier to keep them here and while that is a small price to pay for keeping 800 jobs here it is not a method that is sustainable.
Also, for those that were not happy or sad with the results of the election it is not about blindly supporting either of the candidates. In Trumps case, he said over and over again that the way he would keep businesses here was to charge a 35% tariff on all products sent back into the US and in the same sentence he would say how stupid everybody is now because they try to give tax dollars to companies to keep them.
Badger clearly stated his issues with the Carrier jobs and you responded by calling him cold hearted. That is quite the leap you used to support your position.
I tried to warn you, doubledigitmind!! The “slave party” supporters here like their politicians incompetent and crooked. Saving a thousand jobs for Christmas doesn’t mean a thing to these people. Truth is, Trump is inovative and putting Americans FIRST!! Look what this person said:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/12/lifelong-dem-carrier-employee-praises-trump-youve-done-us-3-weeks-obama-admin-9-months-video/
D D mind,
Apparently you don’t have a problem with talking politics, unless you don’t agree with someone.
The only reason you said that rude thing to me, is because you didn’t like the way I seemed to lean politically.
Dear Miss MJ, I said the same thing to Mr. Boxout that I said to you. Your slant and view, apparently, prevent you from seeing anything other than exactly what you want to see. Please, go back and read both again. What I said to you and what I said to Mr. Boxout are not different…but you are interpreting them different. Is that on me or you then?
Boxout
Your smarter then I thought, and that was actually funny.
And I am not talking about IQ.
DD mind
I wasn’t going to address you again, but what you said isn’t the truth.
You were more rude to me, and you accented your rudeness, with a second comment about me, when I was answering a comment from Wondering.
Boxout
I did want to say that I don’t take someone’s else’s political views personally, but some people do.
Of course, the left is going to disagree and the right is going to clap. I find it all tiresome. It’s horseshit! You all have the numbers wrong… and that’s even subject to change. United Technologies is Carrier. I can barely talk to some morons about the Dodgers – I’d have to put some into a coma if I talked politics.
I disliked Trump and hated Hillary. Trump allegedly won. I am giving him a chance. What else can you do? It’s not “In Trump I Trust!” We shall see, but it’s just like the FAZ bashers – most of it is in your minds. Let’s see how it plays out.
There’s a million boards where you can talk politics… this should not be one. I wish I had enough time to start LA DodgerTalk back up. I’d probably be the only one there talking to myself and posting crazy trades… and I’d be damn happy!
Mark, you moron, you keep forgetting about the crazy trades I propose.
Mark
I will give you that, you haven’t went off the deep in.
And the fact that you do have your doubt, actually makes me feel better!
I miss your crazy trades
Interesting reads:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/manufacturing-jobs-are-never-coming-back/
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-dont-miss-manufacturing-they-miss-unions/
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-economic-challenges-facing-the-next-president/
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trumps-proposals-wont-help-the-white-working-class-or-the-urban-poor/
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/dodgers-avoid-arbitration-with-scott-van-slyke-chris-hatcher.html?fv-home=true&post-id=78719
Watford
Just remember there were more Americans, that didn’t vote for the winner of that last election, so don’t blame us all.
It’s all in the details digits. They will come later. But, facts are facts. I thought you might be interested. Guess not.
Thanks for considering me cold and heartless. Yeah, it’s progressives who have no empathy for Americans. But you’re right, it hasn’t really even started yet. We are in for 4 years of you ain’t seen nothing yet.
I believe I mentioned UT Mark. And, the numbers I posted may not be exact, as the dollar figure could change, $7 million of taxpayers money could only be the beginning.
That link took me to the Rumors site W, but I see it references Van Slyke and Hatcher. Don’t think either help much.
Gonna get cold in the West over the next few days. Hope the Dodgers do something to heat things up.
The details? The state of Indiana is going to give $7M in tax breaks over a given amount of time of which Carrier only receives these if they maintain a certain level of employment. The annual payroll of the approximately 1,000 jobs saved is $68M. That is $68M annually being dumped into the local economy. In addition, Carrier is going to invest a minimum of $16M in their Indianapolis facility which will create additional jobs/work.
Obama’s plan. Let the jobs go. The 1,000 families can draw unemployment and then welfare. Be dependent on the government. How much would it cost the government to finance 1,000 families year after year?
For those that have short memories, here’s the ‘great one’ commenting back in June about how nothing could be done to save the Carrier jobs. What a joke!
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2016/12/02/flashback-obama-mocks-trump-asks-if-he-has-a-magic-wand-to-keep-carrier-jobs-in-us-n2253723
I’m going to follow Mr. Badger’s example below at 7:10 a.m.:
I’m done talking politics (hehehe, of course you are not because now you rant on for an extended time about politics – oh, I can learn so much from you Mr. Badger, but, you being the Master of misdirect I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to respond – and I will most certainly stop when you do).
I have already admitted that I am not as smart as most of you that post here, however, I do keep my eyes and mind open and seek out where the greatest amount of truth prevails in any issue. And you Mr. Chili have done a good job of accurately stating the correct details and the benefits that extend to many more thousands of working class people from the Carrier job retention effect. Something others distort and gloss over to make their point, albeit slanted to fit their narrative. Some here can often be condescending in an attempt to make others look small or uninformed but I appreciate when the truth is spoken clearly and concisely as you have Mr. Chili.
(See what I did there, as Mr. Badger likes to say, I said I’m not talking politics anymore and then went right ahead and did so). I’ll never be as smart or witty or as good of a writer as you Mr. Badger, but I can learn a few things from you. For unbiased truth I will look to others though.
Yes continue to seek your unbiased info from Boxout.
Someone forgot to mention that the tax payers in Indiana will be footing this bill.
And I think there are many more tax payers in Indiana, then just 1000 people, who will keep there jobs.
Well said!
Don’t these people pay attention? Anything a politician says is only for a ‘sound bite’. He got a little coverage making that statement. Now next month very quietly the company could eliminate those ‘saved’ jobs and nobody’s the wiser… Not favoring anybody, I hate Trump, I hate Hillary, I hate Obama, and all other politicians too. I see Catbox has brought in his little friend DoubleDigitMind (hmmm, doesn’t that imply sub-normal intelligence, 100 being average IQ) for immoral support against us savages.
Wondering
That is for sure, you have been consistent.
You haven’t given any support, to any of these politicians, because after all, they are just politicians.
Yes Mr. Wondering, I do have sub-normal intelligence. I hope that doesn’t offend you. In spite of it, I manage to get by. And Mr. Boxout didn’t bring me in as I was here long before you and him.
I only post when those smarter than me, which is most, try to pull the wool too tightly over my eyes or when the lemmings proffer too much drivel. I prefer not to post at all and when it stops I will stop. I’m sorry you hate so many people. I appreciate most, including all those you hate and most all who post in here for the things they do well. Hope you have a great day and find a few more funny and irreverent things to post about.
DD Mind,
Your right, Trump sure did pull the wool over your eyes!
And just remember, he knows more then all of the generals in all of the services, and that isn’t a mis quote.
And Wondering doesn’t hate a lot of people.
He just doesn’t take himself so seriously, like some do!
I like you DD,
I’m a single digit!
Badger
You are still beloved Badger to me!
Badger
Just send him to Fox News, that is what he wants to hear.
Thank you MJ. I do appreciate hearing this from you as you always seem to bring a grounded, respectful perspective to the discourse.
Badger
As always, your right on point!
Politics are such BS, especially with today’s media. One side give you the world-is-ending-worse-case-scenario while the other side paints just the opposite picture. It ends up that both sides are liars as the truth is generally somewhere in-between.. or even something else entirely. I find it a waste of time and energy.
Don’t disagree. The media has their own agenda and no longer offer the facts and let the people decide. It’s all about manipulation of the sheeple.
But, you have to admit that you can’t misconstrue Obama’s exact words to a minority worker at Carrier-Indianapolis back in June.
I was late to the party cause I stayed out of the political fray for as long as I could so if everyone is ready to get back to Dodger baseball than I’m all in. So have we signed Cespedes, Turner, Jansen and traded for Chris Sale, Ryan Braun, Ian Kinsler and Todd Frazier yet?
And yes, I realize we were too late with our millions for Cespedes. Next up?
Kershaw
Maeda
Urias
McCarthy
Kazmir
That’s not a bad starting 5.
Waiting behind are De Leon, Strippling, and Stewart.
Overall things look pretty good. But it would seem appropriate to add one more arm. Hopefully someone who can pitch more than 5 innings.
Not bad? 2 players that ended the season on the DL and a third (Maeda) that was tired/broken down or injured. Urias (as some say) has a pitch limit and is still very unproven. If Kershaw can start about 50 games it ‘might’ work.
Might as well pen Strippling, Stewart and De Leon in right now and then pray for no injuries or lots of rain.
Not bad certainly means “room for improvement” which we assume will occur. But come ST we will have a legitimate five man rotation, with three extra arms (young arms) ready to step in. Again not bad. Though I still think Kazmir stinks!
I would be totally happy if we had a 5 man that did not miss one single start……that would be miraculous!
That will not happen. It’s more likely every starter in our rotation will miss starts. I will say now I believe every starter in our rotation will miss multiple starts.
That’s an “ok” starting 3. Maeda? His elbow gonna blow. Urias? Might take a couple of years.
McCarthy and Kazmir give me no confidence at all. Never did. Now they’re older.
I’m done talking politics. What I know from the Vietnam era to the Iraq invasion is all of them are full of shit and owned by the elites. It’s about money. It’s always about money. Democracy is dead. Half the people eligible to vote don’t. We are by definition an oligarchy. If you choose to believe a con like Trump you’re dumber than a box of rocks. Karl Marx was right. Capitalism will devour its host. It’s happening right before our eyes.
I love the game of baseball but today’s MLB is tough for me to support anymore. Maybe I’ll just stick to supporting the non professional leagues.
Snap out of it Badger. We are all going to die some day but that doesn’t mean that we should give up what we enjoy before that date actually comes.
Give up what we enjoy?
Enjoy. The operative word there.
I enjoyed playing baseball. I would venture a guess that I’m the only guy in here that played competitive baseball until age 56. Hit my last home run over the scoreboard at Napa College at age 50. Pitched an inning of scoreless ball in the MABL Over 30 Playoffs at age 52. I also played tournament softball into my 50’s. I enjoyed the heck out all that. I don’t play anymore. I enjoyed the last year of Vin Scully. He’s gone now. Every year I watch this team play and see people I never heard of pop up or strike out with runners in scoring position. Bum, watching the Dodgers these days just ain’t what it usta was. I just don’t find platoon baseball and horseshit starting pitching all that interesting.
We’ll see where I am come Spring, but so far this off season has been like watching my cat sleep. Not much to see really, like the Dodgers he just lays there, doing nothing.
Yup baseball is a lot different today. I remember Vinny rattling about pitchers giving up a hit when they had the batter 0-2, “That’s not the game I know!”
But things have to change whether it’s for the good or for the bad.
I played into my late 30’s until the knees went totally south. I loved the game, and hated to lose. I once knocked a catcher trying to block home plate almost to the backstop. He did drop the ball. I could hit and field pretty good, not so fast though. There was a second baseman when I was in the Army who was riding me pretty good most of the game. Calling me names because I was a big guy, and getting pretty nasty. I hit a double to left center about the 5th inning and I timed my arrival to coincide with the ball reaching this dude. I put my shoulder into his gut and he went one way and the ball another. Never heard another word from that guy.
Plus Wood. And maybe as soon as July Buehler, De Jong,
I would rather live (and die) with those pitchers than trade too much of the future for Sale, etc. with the exception of signing Hill to an incentive laden contract.
Artie boy
Yes pitchers use to get fined for giving up a hit with two strikes.
As far as the bench goes I think Taylor to backup second and Culbertson to back up short would be a good way to go if we are talking about in-house players. Kike’ would have to fit into the bench after those two players.
Segeden would be able to back up first and third but I think SVS will get a spot on the 25 before Segeden does.
I have said this a few times but if the Dodgers trade youth I want youth back. Definition of youth: 23 or under.
Bum, I mean no disrespect here, but this is an example of why I find the “who’s on first” aspect of this team so discouraging. There is no Culbertson on the Dodgers and there is no Segeden on the roster either. These guys are so obscure we don’t even know how to spell their names!
I want names like Hodges, Cey, Russell and Lopes around the horn, Roseboro behind the plate and Koufax, Drysdale, Osteen and Sutton on the mound. Can we raise and keep at least half a 26 man roster with guys we know? I doubt it.
“That’s the way it was AND WE LIKED IT!
I agree about the first string but who was on the bench the while those players you mention were starting? Guys like SVS, Culbertson, Taylor, Sedegen maybe?
I think Urias and Alvarez will be the next duo. Will they be as good as Koufax/Drysdale, or Kershaw/Greinke? The safe bet is no. Might they be a good enough duo to win a WS? Yes.
I am all in with Seager, Pederson, and Bellinger as a lefty hitting young long-term core. I would love for Thompson and two others to step up and be the matching three righty hitting core.
Badger, I will never think anybody disrespectful if they have a different perspective to mine if they say what they prefer without calling me a moron because of my preferences.
Besides Thompson being part of that young long-term righty bat core I would love to have Betts or Trea Turner but know they are untouchable, but what about Gleyber Torres. Might he be available. The Yankees have Jorge Mateo as their future shortstop so they might be willing to trade Torres.
I would include Puig in a trade for Torres. Torres would be the second or third baseman no later than 2018 for the Dodgers. I am trying to build that Garvey, Cey, Lopes, Russel infield team Badger and with Torres, I am 3/4 there with Bellinger, Torres, Seager.
I like Thompson. I hope he’s ok. He’s a guy I would want to see be an everyday player. I’m not familiar with Torres. I’ll look him up.
All these guys had to have had positive results against same side pitching through their careers or they wouldn’t have advanced. When you look at splits there two stats given in that regard – avg against starters and avg against relievers. Late inning at bats against specialists is where the NL DH comes into play. The guys I want off my bench would be Mark Belanger infielders and Big Papi hitters. I’m old school I guess.
Torres may play 3rd in the future. He was one of top 3 players in AFL. Yankees aren’t doing that deal
Badger: “I’m done talking politics. If you choose to believe a con like Trump you’re dumber than a box of rocks. Karl Marx was right. Capitalism will devour its host. It’s happening right before our eyes.”
OK, If all the Barry Obozo supporting Sheeple on this board like BAAAAAAger are done talking about politics, so am I!! Let’s see who breaks the “truce”
Go Dodgers!!
And the level of intelligent discourse on this board sinks lower with every catbox post.
Yep!!!!!
I see Catbox still has his therapy animal. Or is that his new little friend, DoubledigitIQ?
Wondering, can you add big knee high boots to the back legs while keeping the dress heels on the front legs?
You flatter me, Fred, I didn’t photoshop that, I just stole it off the Internet. (Where are the knees on a sheep, anyway????)
Wondering, your asking the right person, Phred, if you want to know where a sheep’s knees and other things are!!!!
Boxout
Do you have your new little love, as your screen saver now?
NO, that is your Beloved BAAAAAAAAAAger!!!!
Wondering
You crack me up!
Oscar
Those Dodger teams that started out young in the 70s, were my Dodger’s teams too.
Garvey, Lopes, Cey, Russel, Yeager, and
Fergie.
They should have won more then one World Series in those years.
I was glad they finally beat the Yankees in 81, but they should have beaten the Yankees the first time they met.
It was bad enough to see Jackson get away with cheating, by sticking his hip out.
It was even worse when that same guy hit all of those HRs, and we had to listen to Howard Cosell’s big mouth.
Yep!!!
On that play and subsequent rhubarb, I think it was Joe Garagiola who said “they can hold an election out there!”
Still makes me laugh to hear that comment 🙂
Amen to all of that MJ.
I hear that ump ask Lasorda “where’s he supposed to go Tommy”. Get down or get the hell out of the way. Any ump that doesn’t know that shouldn’t be umping high school ball, let alone a World Series.
Man, this was an easy one to scan through. Not much baseball. I like Culberson. Was a giants farmhand and is a baseball rat, I think. Still only 28. A good, hardnose player. Will probably hit .260 and play everyday. That would be ok for 2B, but not 3B. We need production from 3B and LF. Or maybe Puig will grow up. I like the idea of obtaining a productive veteran for LF and rolling the dice at 3B. Braun or McC for LF would be my pick, depending on the price. On politics: when you guys start in, I become a speed reader. I guess to get it off your collective chests is ok, but fortunately, we don’t have to read it. I think selective reading will be in order for a while, maybe 8 years.
Bobbie 17
You mean you don’t have to read that stuff?
That is a healthy way to look at it!
8 years? Politics never change and now that the Internet is here, neither will talking about it…
All of the Dodger reading I’ve done here lately makes me think Culberson, Taylor, and Segedin are in our future but Braun, McC and other players we would actually have to pay 7 and 8 digit salaries to, aren’t. I think there is going to be an all out rush to get the payroll down, winning pennants be damned.
I disagree on Those guys. Segedin has the most power of those 3, but the more he played, the more overmatched he looked. Taylor has skills, but he is more a SS than a 3rd baseman. Culberson is versatile and I think is the ultra utility guy if the deal Hernandez.
What were Turner’s stats the year before he signed with the Dodgers? Could Culberson step up his game like Turner did?
Turner played in 86 games for the Mets that year with 2 HR.s 16 RBI’s and a .280 Batting average. He hit in the .260’s the two previous years with the Mets, and his HR high was 4 and ribbies was 51. Culberson, drafted by the Gnats in 07 , Has a career high 3 HR’s. But he has never played as an everyday player. He could be a pretty good defensive player, and might have power in the 8-15 homer range, But I doubt he would blossom into a middle of the order hitter like JT.
Michael
I agree with you that Turner is a middle of the order hitter.
What do you think these type of hitters, are making on the market right now?
MJ.. I have felt for years that the salary’s are ridiculous. Most of these guys make more in a year than most of us will see in our lifetimes. But, they are in the entertainment business. There are a lot of minimal talent people making a ton of money. So guys who miss almost a whole season, like SVS, actually get a raise. In the old days they would have been cut or have to take a salary reduction.
Do you realize that Howie Kendrick, considered to be a reasonably good salary at $10MM, would support 200 families at $50K? I think that is unforgivable.
Good question SC. My immediate response is heck no. Hitters like Turner are rare. But, who knows. Like you say, he’s in the mix. Hope for the best, but don’t expect it.
I agree with you. Charlie has never shown that kind of power. But last year he was coming back from a back problem. I do believe he is more of a fill in utility type player though.
No. He wouldn’t hit .250 and his defense is avg at best.
Cutch is very close to being traded to the Nationals. They want to move Trey Turner back to SS from CF. So he makes sense for them.
McCutchen’s defensive metrics suggest he is not a centerfielder anymore. The UZR rating suggests UR Ztinking the joint up in centerfield Cutch. -2.6 dWAR? Yoiks. Maybe playing in the rust belt done f’d him up. It seems to have that effect on some.
Wondering
If I may ask, who is that person in your avatar? Looks like a prison guard from the Tower of London.
That’s Marty Feldman and the picture is from his portrayal of Igor in Young Frankenstein! Marty passed some years ago. He was a riot in that movie….
Culberson, Taylor and Kike Hernandez are utility players at best. Same with Barnes. In a rush to get payroll down, will the Dodgers become a team of utility players and platoon players?
That seems at this point the direction they are taking. But with the meetings coming up next week, we will find out more. They are being held somewhere in Maryland I think. Since this thread was supposed to be about Smokey, I will give that some play. When I was young, I hated that guy. I thought he cost the Dodgers the 62 pennant when he brought Stan Williams in to face the Giants in the 9th inning of the last playoff game with a 2 run lead. The Giants pretty much owned Williams. And Drysdale and Snider were begging Walt to let the big guy pitch the 9th…..meaning Big D. In retrospect, the Giants did what they had to do to win. And it retrospect, Alston, was at that point in time the best man to run the team. He once stopped the team bus when a bunch of guys were complaining about the bus and challenged the entire team to step off the bus and take him on. No one moved, and Frank Howard, all 6’7″ 265 pounds, was on that team. That is how much his players respected the man.
I think that’s a distink possibility Rick.
There are posters expressing the sentiment to restrict comments to Dodger baseball. Some of you may have noticed there is very little going on in the Dodger World right now and I think that is going to continue for the next several months or so. I don’t see a lot of changes in the team. Unfortunately. Here’s a couple of other thoughts:
1. Just because there is no Dodger activity, my mind does not shut down, it still requires a certain amount of entertaining input every day and this is as good a place as any to find it, with friends (and enemies) I am accustomed to talking to, so, in my book, other subjects, to fill the time, are welcome. Politics would not be my choice but others have things to say there, and the right to say them, so be it.
2. The only, no, make that strong, ONLY one who can limit subject matter here is Scott Andes, and I haven’t seen him post one word about limiting it. And there is a very good reason for that. $$$$. People really don’t do blogs to furnish cracker barrels for others to chat. A blog generates money for its owner, not Donald Trump kind of money but hopefully enough to encourage him to continue putting the time and effort into it. The software automatically registers email addresses of people who visit the blog. Those addresses are sold to marketers so they can keep your inbox full of junk mail. The more people who visit the blog, the more money the owner makes. It therefore behooves him to keep the blog active and interesting. Dodgers alone right now won’t do it.
3. If, after all of that you still want a blog with nothing but Dodger talk on it, why not start your own? As far as I know, it cost little or nothing to get started. Find a company like WordPress (there are others) which will furnish all the necessary software, domain (web space), and help and advice in getting your site set up. I assume they are the ones who sell the captured email addresses to marketers and give you a percentage. After that you just need to write a few thoughts and ideas every day or two to get people interested and contributing their own thoughts and coming back every day. You set back and watch the money roll in (in your fondest dreams…) But, you d man. you can limit what people talk about and kick off the site those who don’t follow your rules. Bon Voyage.
Good points.
I wonder if adding an “ignore commenters” capability cuts down on the income. I don’t expect to agree with everybody on a blog, but I do expect some sense of decorum. Scott says just ignore those posters that continue to insult and degrade. I’m trying. But I think he should recognize there some lines that should not be crossed. If you allow posters to suggest those who disagree are idiots and morons, and if you allow posters to suggest those who disagree have sex with farm animals, then you are as disgusting as those who you allow to do it. I suppose I could leave, but I enjoy talking with most in here. Add an ignore capability and all this nonsense would likely stop.
No, the Ignore Button wouldn’t affect income at all, only the person who chose to ignore that poster would not see the post, everyone else would and the email address would still be sold, (Aside. Wouldn’t it be funny if everyone put the same person on “Ignore”? Not mentioning any names…) Badger, you take yourself, and therefore what people say about you, too seriously. You do know by now that no one can control what some other person posts about you so just consider the source and keep on trucking. Maybe it’s because I have a low self esteem problem, but I never get very upset at the name calling and innuendoes, I’ve had 75 years of practice. I think I also have a ….sort of disconnect (not sure I’m saying this right) in that I judge the merits of the comment and give the poster credit if the comment is funny or clever or particularly accurate. I guess it’s sort of like being an actor in a comedy skit. Besides, it’s all beyond our control. Quit? You can’t do that, you have too much commentary in you that has to come out and this is a safe place to do it. If you can’t express yourself here, you might take up wife beating or something…
Good advice. Thanks.
I’ve stood up to bullies my whole life. Never backed down from a fight. I learned early I had particular skills. The Marine Corps helped refine them.
But you’re right. I’m too old to thump some jackass just because he has it coming.
Thanks again. You’re a wise man. Move on dot Blue.
Badger
That person was really disingenuous, from the begining.
I could tell that, after they made the second remark about me, yesterday, after I responded, to Wondering.
I don’t know about you, but I rather deal with someone like Boxout, at least he doesn’t pretend to be something, that he isn’t.
I know with him, it is harder for you, because he loves to respond to you, especially.
I think we just need to not take everything so personally.
And remember to consider the source.
If Thompson is healthy, I think our outfield can muddle through this year without signing anybody there.Puig, Joc, Ethier, Toles, Thompson, SVS. We can even survive trading Puig. So sign Turner and either Melancon or Kenley to backloaded (extended pay) contracts, maybe a decent pitcher, not expensive and certainly not walking wounded, And we’re done. Use the young pitchers a lot. We’ve lowered payroll a little (More to the point, we haven’t raised it…), and the QO Free Agent rules don’t hurt us.
Considering the seeming conflicting goals of get more wins and reduce payroll, what you say here makes sense. That is why I’ve been saying play the young talent for months now. It worked out ok with Seager. If Urias and De Leon are as good as predicted we would be better off with them than going the McKazanderson route. And what about this Wood guy? You traded for him. What was the plan? Thompson, Toles, Pederson, Puig, Ethier, SVS, Ruf, Verdugo, Bellinger – sounds like enough outfielders to me.
Yeah, sign Turner. That won’t help the get cheaper goal, but it does help the compete now concept. As for a closer, I would look more at great arms matching up out of the pen. If we can land Melancon, great, but I don’t see it.
I’m not yet convinced that Thompson is the real deal. He doesn’t run good OF routes. His numbers after May took a real beating. If you look at his minor league numbers, they weren’t really very overwhelming – he’s a “tools” guy so the Sox (and Dodgers) were willing to give him a shot based on his athleticism, not his numbers.
Dodger rick
Thompson’s numbers went down, probably because he didn’t want to say he was hurting.
And I think having broken bones in your back, might affect your hitting, especially since most hitters these days, swing really hard on every pitch they get.
So I would give him another look, especially since he had very even splits, against both lefties, and righties.
Well, he’s 26 so his time is now.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=thomptr01&year=Career&t=b
Looking at these splits I’ve come to the conclusion that he is indeed a platoon player – play him only at home and only in the months of May and August.
Badger
I was only going off his stats last year.
Here is Thompson’s minor league history:
2009 – Rookie league – .198 0 HR .510 OPS
2010 – A ball – .229 8 HR .735 OPS
2011 – A ball – .241 24 HR .785 OPS
2012 – A+ – AA – AAA – .250 27 HR .806 OPS
2013 – AA – .221 15 HR .682 OPS
2014 – AA – .237 16 HR .742 OPS
2015 – AAA .260 13 HR .744 OPS
In short, there is nothing in Thompson’s minor league career that suggests that he will ever be a high performer in the majors. If we are lucky he will hit .250 but last year’s .227 or whatever it was is probably close to what we can expect, along with double digit HR power. He is a 4th OF at best and I still don’t like his OF routes.
But, clearly you don’t understand Rick, the FAZ traded for him. That makes him unique. They see something that the average fan doesn’t, just like they did with Latos, Anderson, McCarthy, Johnson, Peraza, Tepesch, Schmepesch, Hill and Kasmear. And don’t forget Reddick. These guys have numbers nobody else be using.
Dodgers like him because of his athleticism. He has what they call great genes. Klay Thompson as a brother and his dad Mychal, who was a pretty good player himself. I think the kid has .270 range batting skills and close to 20 homers a year, which puts him as a much better power source than Toles. But back injury’s are huge red flags…
He’s never hit .270 at any level so I don’t think it is safe to assume that he can do it at the highest level. And while Klay and Mychal are/were great basketball players, that doesn’t mean that Trayce will be a great baseball player.
Didn’t say that would translate into him being a good MLB player. Just pointing out that the Dodgers like his athleticism. And he does come from an athletic family. That was my only point. Oh and he hit close to .300 in his short time with the Sox with 5 HR’s. He did have some good moments and I think a lot of the decline was the injury. Which was more severe than anyone knew. So if he is fully healed, we will see.
Didn’t Gene Wilder have a starring role with a sheep, in Everything you wanted to know about sex, but was afraid to ask?
I don’t know but how about a joke?
A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote, mountainous pasture in Montana when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a cloud of dust towards him.
The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and a YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, “If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?”
Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, “Sure, why not?”
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Singular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location, which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.
Within seconds, he receives an e-mail on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with e-mail on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP Laser Jet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, “You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.”
“That’s right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,” says Bud.
He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amusedly as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then Bud says to the young man, “Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?”
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, “Okay, why not?”
“You’re a Congressman for the U.S. Government,” says Bud.
“Wow! That’s correct,” says the yuppie, “but how did you guess that?”
“No guessing required,” answered the cowboy. “You showed up here, even though nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. Then you tried to show me how much smarter you are than me. And you don’t know a darn thing about cows…this is a herd of sheep.
“Now give me back my dog.”
Here is one I heard today. A Russian and an old woman were walking together, and he suddenly turned to her and said…It is going to rain today…..the old woman looked at the clear blue sky, and said, what makes you say that? It is crystal clear today! He said Rudolph the Red knows Rain dear!
He WAS the sheep!
Gene Wilder and Cloris Leachman both went to University of Iowa.
I think sheep jokes are funny but some people may be offended. Not Catbox, of course… Anyway, here’s a whole page of sheep jokes. Enter at your own risk.
http://www.jowsey.com/jokes/sheep.shtml
I think Ewe might pull the wool over my eyes!
Any truth to that rumor that Stan Kasten took FAZ’s cell phone after the Hill/Reddick trade? Maybe that’s why nothing’s happening now…
What can be done before we know what Turner and Jansen are gonna do?
We are in a holding pattern, circling the outer markers. When those guys do what they gonna do, FAZ will know what needs to be done. I’m sure they have Plans B through Z at the ready.
Circling the drain, rather than the outer markers…
Flushed and done….
He probably wanted to throw it against a wall….see where those 3 kids they traded are rated on the A;s depth chart, and that should tell you if Stan is seething or not.
Note on a couple of the above posts. There are always going to be bullies and those who think they know a lot more than you do. How you handle them is up to you. When I first came on here, I went at it pretty good with Mark. And it got pretty nasty. That was my fault. I let my emotions get the better of me. I had a pretty bad temper when I was younger and sometimes it tends to pop up again. For the most part I can control it and now I look at what someone posts, try to understand their position and whether it is worth the effort to reply. I like Badger have never been one to back down, but you pick your time and your battles. There are many times it is not worth the energy you use to retaliate to some post you find moronic. I also think that lately, and a lot of this is due to the lack of news out of Dodgerland, there have been more attacks on a personal level rather than about the game. I think the best thing to do is ignore the stuff that those who feel you are below them post, and banter back and forth with those who are more laid back. I for one, will keep posting my pet nickname for FAZ, and to tell the truth I care less if it offends the guys who like them. I expect the FO to make the team better, and it a lot of ways I feel they have failed miserably. I understand what they are trying to do, I just do not agree with their evaluation of the results. This team at this point in time has more holes than a giant Swiss cheese. And until these holes are addressed, they have little or no chance of a World Series appearance anytime soon.
Can’t argue those points Michael.
Flushed. Well, not according to this guy:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2016/11/28/13768424/dodgers-offseason-sf-giants-payroll
giants fans still worry about our moneybags.
SF fans just cannot separate themselves from the Dodgers. It’s weird. It’s as if they were joined at the hip, a bad marriage, an unending nightmare.
Yeah they sure do. I think they are just using a smokescreen to keep what they have in mind off of other teams radars. Although they are no longer considered to be one of the favorites for Sale…..
In case some of you have not figured it out, I treat you the way you treat me. You will have no greater friend or no worse enemy. I can take it and I can dish it out. In the past, some have tried to use eloquent innuendo to respond to me. I don’t try and be eloquent – I just give it back…, the way you package it! Lately, it’s been civil (Badger excluded) and so am I. Peace!
The problem with you and Badger is both of you want to be “the smartest person on the board” or the leader, alpha dog, whatever; the rest of us are content to be peons. I don’t know of any way to settle it that you both would agree on. It is a natural thing. I expect one of you will leave eventually, till then you will contest for leadership….
But, I am not that smart… everyone knows that. My plan was to go back to LaDodgerTalk and block him, but I am too damn busy with our new company. I tied up in changing the world and saving lives: http://www.silecte.com
We are currently raising funds: https://www.dropbox.com/s/92wygtpx0pkbcnh/SilecteFundraiserNew-min.pdf?dl=0
I know it’s a shameless plug, but we are saving lives!
Don’t worry about it, nobody here is going to send you a nickel…
I would say that is a safe assumption ..
By the way Wondering, How did you manage to get a picture on there?? I have tried everything but no go.
That would be an assumption that some morons would make. And it would be wrong. I am disillusioned that you are not all knowing.
Well I got the picture on their website, but when I try to get it on here, I am obviously doing something wrong! LOL
Mark you are a total ass. I am far from being all knowing and he was referring to a lot of people on here who dislike you for whatever reason and would not send you a dime. What you are doing is noble and I applaud that you are trying to help people. It is not so much what you say sometimes, it is how you say it.
Speak for yourself Mr. Wondering but not for me. I would be happy to look over what Mr. Timmons is doing that is saving lives and would accordingly consider making a donation to a worthy cause.
Very interesting. Sounds exciting.
Michael, go to this website: http://en.gravatar.com/ Click on the Create Your Own Gravatar button and follow directions. It creates your avatar on all blogs using WordPress software. Obviously this one does…
Mark
Maybe you can get a meeting with Kershaw about your new product.
They do all of that work in Africa, and something like this, is needed there, especially.
Derek Norris, no relation, to the Nationals for a pitcher I have never heard of. Non tender list should be out soon.
Coleman non-tendered. I thought he did a good job until just prior to going on DL. He was awful after.
Yeah and he was the only one. I thought for sure that they would cut Hatcher loose…..but what they hell, they love lousy pitchers.
http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-report/post/_/id/22213/young-core-of-emerging-stars-is-dodgers-real-debt-management-plan
Yes and yes.
Interesting take on Timmons and me. I know for a fact I’m more educated than Mark, but so what. I think he’s wrong and has been wrong on many issues over the years and when caught being wrong he never admits it. He knows water purification supplies. That’s it. He’s been successful, but so was I, I just lost most of it. Mostly through bad partnerships and losing in litigations. That and the crash of 2008. That stung.
Look, I know who I am, and I know who he is. Some here know him too, though nobody is going to expose him. I don’t give a damn anymore. I’ve had several people contact me, people I respect, and they’ve told me to let it go. So, I will. I’m not going to respond to personal attacks anymore. Not going into the sewer with those guys.
I will voice opinion on topics raised, but I’m going to make a conscious effort not bring up politics or to inflame the personal attacks. I’ll leave that to less evolved. I’m not the young enforcer of justice I used to be. I’m just an old retired Dodgers fan.
Peace.
I feel you my brother and I concur…….tis better to love than to be loved…or some such horse manure……..
When applied properly, manure can nourish. That’s horse shit from a horse. Horseshit from the mouth of humans nourishes nothing. In fact, it can do real damage.
Baseball – keep the prospects.
Yes, lets keep the kids……Dodger lineup should be…..Gonzo 1B..Calhoun 2B Corey..SS …..Segedin 3B Toles LF..Joc CF….Puig RF……..Grandal….C………Kersh, Maeda, Wood, Urias and Kazmir the rotation. Closer is a huge question mark.
OK, you don’t have to pay for my analysis.
Badger
Did you ever read about IndyMac?
That happened during that time, you mentioned in 2008.
I can’t dignify anything with a response…
Michael, there’s a picture there but I think you’re right, there’s a mistake somewhere…. They put up a picture of some old coot with chin whiskers…
And he’s holding a bait fish.
Badger
It isn’t about the one with the most toys when you die wins, so don’t sweat over the small stuff, it isn’t worth it.
I agree.
And yes, I did read up on what you referenced. I commented to you on it yesterday or the day before.
Badger
Thanks for the name, so I could look him up.
Wise words……..and very true. Too bad there are people who think otherwise. Myself, I just want one more Dodger World Championship team before I shuffle off……then I can go in peace.!!!!
I earned every damn grey hair in that beard, and I will have you know that is a 3.6 pound cutthroat trout. Damn nice fish for that lake…..bait fish my foot! LOL
Ok ok. Nice fish. I was just tugging on your leader…….
was tasty too….little lemon, some salt…..ahhh the great outdoors….
I thought the meetings started on Friday, but the first day is Sunday.
Concerning education: A degree and letters behind your name does not guarantee you are educated. I know some people with advanced degrees who don’t have the sense to come in out of the rain. On the other hand I know people with little FORMAL education who are very well educated. People can be well educated with or without degrees.
You got that right. I have a friend who has a masters in psychology, and has done nothing with it what so ever. My nephew, who is going to UCSD is a smart kid, without one iota of common sense. All that book larnin…..LOL does not mean crap in the real world.
SC, I agree with what I think you are attempting to say, people can indeed be self educated. By definition being educated means acquiring knowledge. Mark probably acquired some knowledge spending years in prison. Others acquire knowledge by attending universities. My education came first from intense combat, then becoming a Nuclear Medicine Technician in LA, then getting advanced degrees from a university. Some carry the ball and direct offenses. Some are water boys. It takes a village to get it all done.
SC
All that you said is true.
I had a college professor who said that a degree only shows that you finished what you attempted.
It works both way, and for some, getting a college degree isn’t there thing.
But I would still recommend getting a degree in something to give yourself a better chance.
Been quiet for a while with personal health issues.
1. Quick note on comments above — I bet we find out in the next few years — that Donald Trump made an agreement with Carrier — that he would bad mouth them about moving to Mexico, over and over again —- then after the election make a big deal of striking a deal for them to stay. Makes both of them look good. He spoke and the company responded to him. Makes him a hero.
Also, the parent company that owns Carrier —- Trump holds stock in that company.
2. Dodgers for 2017. The projected outfield is OK, but weak. No proven hitters in that group. Just hope they all learn to hit major league pitching. Infield has bunches of IF’S. AGon is older and probably not have his usual year. Who is on second? Turner, if he signs, how many games for the season? And the 5 starters — very weak for both the season and post-season. The bench, some of the names there are just AA and AAA players being used. Long season.
Glad to see you back…and I agree on all counts. There are a lot of holes that need to be addressed.
I agree too. More info coming out about the Carrier deal. I won’t bring it here. A real gaff today. Won’t bring it here. And the Dodgers do have question marks. But they did last year too. Taking the under on 92 felt safe. It was. Taking 95 sounded crazy. It was.
We as yet have no real idea how a great deal of this roster will look. But the under on 91 feels safe at this time. That could change.
Go Washington. Would like to see a PAC 12 team in the tournament. A tournament that should have 8 teams in it.
Badger
Last night, I read that Sara Palin has talked out against the deal now too, so maybe she won’t get that job.
Even Trump knows it’s smart to not have Palin know it can’t help having her around speaking Palineese. If she had got the job she would have kept her dumb mouth shut.
Roger
It is good to hear from you.
Sail on “o” ship of state…………….or something like that……..my choice would be WAKE UP FAZ and do something…the natives are restless!!!!!
They’ll be wide awake after Turner and Jansen make up their minds. Until then? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
You got that right Badger. But they had better be on their toes next week, or they might get fleeced again.
Quick note to MM. I had a picture of you in my mind for the whole time you have been posting. Well done my friend!!! You are exactly like I pictured you. Damn good looking, sorta crusty, having a ball catching a darn nice fish.
Cheers Michael!!!!!!
Thanks…..should be MN..but that’s ok. Crusty and the mountain man type. Love being out there in the woods and nature.
If you are inclined to do the math, I believe that the Dodgers payroll will be south of $235 million this year, because if it is not they will drop 10 spots in the Amatuer Draft – putting them in the second round. I think that is the long and short of it. No way they want to drop 10 spots!
I would say that Hill is gone and while it’s possible they could sign Turner and Jansen, I think it will be just one – Turner… or not!
Is it wise to pay $80+ million for a guy who blew 6 saves in his Career Year and oh, yeah… just had his Career Year? I don’t know but I just listened to MLB Radio and they were saying Melancon would get $60 million. Yikes!
Mark
I heard that about Melancon on the MLB Channel too.
They thought Turner’s contract, would be close to Murphy’s numbers, but Turner is a much better defensive player.
JT will get about $18m a year.
Thinking about THE GAME that Hill pitched and was perfect until Roberts took him out ——– I kind of wished now, that he had been left in to see if he could have had that perfect game.
I know at the time, the Dodgers and Roberts were doing what they thought for the game, season, and so forth —- but Hill will probably not get that chance again.
We saw the real For The Love of The Game get the plug pulled early.
Looking at the non tender list, names I recognize that pop out to me are Tyson Ross and Rubby De la Rosa. These are FAZ type guys – great arms that are getting shots, having shoulder surgery, but are young enough and cheap enough to pick up and rehab with our crack medical team.
In all honesty there are many names floating around out there I just don’t know. As time marches on I’m spending less time researching. I’ll leave it up to others for a while.
Badger
I saw that too.
I was suprised the Dbacks let go of there catcher, but they need to get there payroll down, because of Greinke’s contract, and to sign Goldy to a long contract before his free agency comes up.
I noticed those names too. Looks like some more dumpster diving candidates for FAZ. Under the circumstances, it’s hard to blame him. THE TRADE still sucks. I know people are going to yell about Ned’s bad signings of Kemp and Ethier. Those would have been great signings without the players being injured. No GM ever has the benefit of knowing the future.
The Braves let go Chris With that we
Sorry it didn’t let me delete, and I accidently hit post.
But the Braves did keep Paco Rodriguez which was unexpected and I was sort of hoping for his return…
The Braves let go of Chris Withrow, who use to be over here.
I know he had that TJ surgery, but what do you guys think about him?
I thought the new penalties didn’t go into effect until 2018. Is this wrong? A point we can all discuss without getting too emotional: Should Bud Selig be in the HOF? Local paper says no because he allowed PED’s for x years. He shouldn’t go in until the other PED’ers go in. What do you all think? Next week will be interesting, as usual. I don’t see significant moves for the team. Just trying to sign its own free agents. If that is true, the hated ones will be favored to win the division. Just think : last year, they acquired 3 good to very good starting pitchers. Cueto, Samarjia, and Morris. They are set. Again. Is anyone on the market this year as good as Cueto or Morris? Maybe Hill=Samarjia. Smart moves for them. They must have seen a weak free agent pitching market this year. And a strong closer market. We will see what they do to get a top closer. I bet it will be something. They must be close to topping out on the luxury tax, too. I hope.
I read that Melancon made the most sense for SF. When they get the closer they want, that team will have a nastier look to them. I saw two guys pitch, Strickland and Osich and on that day they both blew away the dback hitters. They have some young relievers in Okert, Law, some good arms in Kontos, Smith and Gearrin. I got a feeling they won’t suck in the pen in ’17. What do I know. I predicted a landslide victory for anyone not named Trump.
Not sure when the tax schedule goes into effect, I would assume right away. The free agent changes will be implemented after ’17.
Bud in the HOF? Not as far as I’m concerned, but players and owners love the guy. They all got MUCH richer under his watch.
Wondering
I didn’t know that, but the last time those two pitched over here, Withrow was throwing better.
I think Mattingly over used Paco, and hurt him.
Did Paco ever have any kind of surgery over there?
I looked at our top ten prospects in Fansided, and they had Yadier Alvarez as our number one prospect.
They had Bellinger rated second.
The writer talked about Bellinger, changing his swing from a line drive swing, to a swing with more loft.
And the writer said that he thought Bellinger would have more trouble making it in the majors, with his new swing.
Because Bellinger’s new swing, will make him much more vulnerable to major league pitching.
But this same writer also thought he would figure it out eventually.
This is the second time that some writer has said, that he was concerned with Bellinger’s new swing.
And you are the third and it will soon become as avalanche…
FAZ should be doing something now, it is not going to get any easier, just less goods available…
MJ
Withrow ended the season on the DL with elbow soreness.
Not a good thing when he’s only just back from TJ surgery.
Still, sounds like a good fit for us!
Watford
Thanks for the info!
I didn’t keep track of Withrow much.
This front office has such a rep for signing and getting injury prone pitchers.
One writer mentioned it to a Dodger writer, and under this tweet it said, fill in the laugh track now.
I really can’t see the kind of money they’re talking about for one guy who only pitches the final inning, and only when they’re ahead then. He is only one small part of what it takes for a team to win a game. A few more runs scored makes a closer less relevant, and a closer is almost useless if the team doesn’t score enough runs. Whenever a team needs a closer, they always have one develop right from young pitchers on hand, like Kenley, Gagne, Saito, Phil Regan, Jim Brewer, Steve Howe, and Joe Black. Some of these were around before the “Closer” label was invented but they still fulfilled that function. If we don’t sign an over-priced ‘closer’, we’ll make one.
I’ve believed the same thing for a long time Wonder. It used to be your starter gave you 7 or more then you bridge to the 9th. Starters seldom go 7 anymore, especially ours, so how do you manage 4 innings of relief? You do it either with long relief, guys like Miller, or matchups with a long bullpen – 1 extra arm on your staff. The smart managers now recognize what I’ve been saying for years, games are often saved before the final inning. The hell with that “save” stat so many egomaniac relievers are Jonesing for. Not here pal. We’re playing for our W not your GS. Stack the pen with great arms and figure they will be going 4 innings every night. Mix and match.
That said, Chapman and Jansen will get what they want from somebody.
One Dodger writer said that the front office might want to get Chapman over Kenley, in order to get the number one pick too.
The closers can’t be used like they were in the post season, during the regular season.
But I agree with you Badger, that there are some more important moments in a game, then just the last three outs.
So a manager may want to go to there closer,
and get those three outs, before the final inning.
Like if your facing the top of the other team’: order, in the eighth, you might want to bring your closer in, in the eighth.
I’ve never seen as many good hitting catchers on the market as there are this year. Relevant to all the bitching we have about Grandal, anyone interested in signing one of these available good hitters? I wouldn’t mind signing one if he could be had cheap enough, to split the catching about 50-50 with Grandal. I have no faith at all in Barnes…
Can’t sign a guy who can hit but can’t frame. That would be catchreligious.
Ok, I’ve done better. It’s been a tough few days here in the Sedona. Tough month actually. I’m not 100%.
Badger
I hope it gets better for you.
And anyone that has been to Sedona, knows that that is a place, to get better, or feel better at.
The beauty there, along with the good energy there, should get you over this quickly.
Remember thoughts are actions.
Wondering
I don’t either, but he really hasn’t had to many chances, to show he can hit major league pitching.
And I wouldn’t want my young catcher, to be a back up catcher either.
I rather have my catcher getting regular at bats, in AAA.
Because I would want him to be ready to hit, and to catch at the major league level, if my first string catcher, gets hurt.
I just think it is much easier to hit, if your getting consistent at bats.
I wouldn’t even care about framing, when it comes to a back up catcher.
Defense and how a catcher works with pitchers, would be more at the top of my list.
And hitting would be more important to me, then framing.
I think Grandal being a good framer, gets in his way, of him being better defensively.
I think catchers are more vulnerble by keeping there glove in certain positions, to try to get a strike.
And I am not a Grandal hater either.
I do hope he is going to try to hit for better for average
this year.
Because he is worse then Joc, when it comes to that.
But I do expect more from Joc, because Grandal has a lot more responsibilities then Joc has.
My thought is co-catchers, not starter and back-up. Catching is such a physically demanding job, I think some offensive benefits could be reaped if you had two good catchers paying 80 to 100 games each. Less injuries too.
Wondering
I think you are right.
Bum thinks that is a better idea too.
But most teams, are lucky to have even one catcher, that can hit, but won’t be a defensive liability.
But I do wonder why they haven’t went this way before, but it might just be because of what I just said above.
Grandal’s best years are ahead of him. He’s just now 28 and should have 4 or 5 really good years ahead of him.
I cannot believe some believe that framing is not a thing. David Ross (who is regarded as great framer) talked about it on MLB.com and give up his secrets since he is retired. Not only is it very important in the game the way it is today, I’d say you would have to be a HIGHLY EDUCATED IDIOT not to understand the relevance.. or maybe not highly educated… any idiot will do! I know of a couple…
Mark
Your right there are idiots in all facets of life.
MJ,
Did you hear the interview? If not, listen to it.
If they go to electronic balls and strikes, it becomes moot point, but now it is a REAL thing!
Ross stole a lot of strikes… so does Yasmani!
Mark
I wouldn’t care about framing with a back up catcher.
I can see merits on both sides, but I do really think the way Grandal sticks his met out, and leaves it in the strike zone so long, makes him more vulnerable.
I don’t think Grandal can protect himself,
very well, by keeping his met out there so long.
I think it is also hard to react, when a catcher is trying to not have to much movement with his glove, to get a strike.
Mark
I must have missed something, because I didn’t see anything about an interview.
I know the Ross had the quickest release of all of the catchers, in the last year he played or when he was still playing.
Because they had him on the MLB Channel the other day.
I saw Ross getting interviewed. I agree it’s a real thing and it’s just as much about catchers losing strikes as gaining strikes. Grandal and Barnes will be fine. Yasmani will get a normal offseason this year and not a rehab offseason. Barnes has spent two full years at AAA. He can’t do anymore at that level and not having to look over his shoulder will help too. If we want to pay guys like JT we can’t afford 5$m backups.
Grandal needs to show up in the postseason though.
Carlos Beltran gets 16 million for only a one year contract, but he was traded, so he didn’t get a QO.
Some of you need to read up. Umpires are on to the framing bullsh*t. Have been for a long time now. The data on the issue has changed significantly. Just google it. There are a number of articles on it, and there has been for a year.
This is hilarious.
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v328367083/sf-atl-pierzynski-frames-aardsma-s-pitch-in-dirt
It’s rapidly becoming a stat of the past.
According to Peter Gammons(consider the source) on one team executive who had interest in Rich Hill already believes there is a deal “in place” with the Dodgers 3/40MM plus.
That news is now starting to appear on other Dodger sites.
It would appear FAZ does not learn from his mistakes.
Love Gammons, but this is probably low. I think the Boston Globe MLB guy Cafardo had it towads 48mm. But this is great news, if true. He was the top priority to me, given the dearth of SP on the market and the premium on the trade market.
If Jansen can get inked, I could live with a Platoon at 3rd if Turner is too costly.
According to Ross, framing was a key to the Cubs and Indians success. Francona and Maddon are both fans and it’s a lot more than “pulling your glove.”
There’s a reason why Greinke had his best season EVER in 2015 and why he thinks “Grandal is the best catcher I ever had.”
You can think what you want, but re-watch the World Series and you will be an imbecile to think framing is not a relevant thing. But, I am just an uneducated commoner, certainly a man who is a lot more educated than me knows better. Just ask him… he will gladly explain why and give excuses on other things.
I would give Hill 3/Years $42 million. $12 millon a year is a risk, but maybe you get two years.
It took me 50+ years to figure out that last year’s batting champ can become a chump and this years chump can become next year’s champ. Many fans just want to play “fantasy baseball.”
Mark
I don’t think you believe framing is the most important thing for a catcher either.
But I do know that Greinke loved pitching to Grandal because of that reason.
I meant $14 million…
I have no education. What can you expect?
More mistakes and misinformation.
Rich Hill is projected to pitch 138 innings and win 9 games. At age 37. With a history of injuries. Has pitched over 100 innings once in ten years – and that was only 110 innings. $14 million for 3 years sounds like a McCarthy contract to me. And I’ll take the under on 138 IP.
Isn’t there a better way to get younger and more athletic? Maybe there isn’t, I’m just asking.
Can’t they do both?
Hill’s great, the depth of the rotation a hedge against time he may need for injuries or arm health. That time off can go to Stewart, De Leon, and Stripling. If they aren’t in the rotation already. Those three also will get exposure due to Urias’ innings limit.
It’s not necessarily a zero sum, where Hill saps the youth development.
Projections?
I guess that’s reality.
I did not know that!
I should have been better educated!
Wait, are we really at the point where we are bad-mouthing projections?
How else is a team suppose to set value? Without projections you can only pay for past performance, right?
Am I missing something?
Obviously, the team will have more accurate (or we hope they do) projection systems that we lay fans do, but still….
Turner’s projections would not have justified what he became.
That’s true with lots of players.
I’m just saying that projections are only part of the equation.
Look at what might be… rather than what projections show.
Might be
or
Projections.
Worship neither!
Aren’t projections an estimation of what a player will be? Which is, by definition, what they might be.
I couldn’t be more confused by the logic in your post.
You’re pretty much an innocent bystander, Bluto. Mark is having a one-sided argument with Badger. They have a love/hate relationship it’s best to steer clear of…
Sounds like a deal for Hill might be in place.
If Hill can remain basically free of his blister issues ok. But more important IMHO is to get a deal with Turner and hopefully Jansen or Chapman done. You DO NOT get into the PS without a strong back end of your BP!
The one thing I dont like about Hill being around is that CK thinks he can throw side arm too.
Could mean having him locked up that someone else is getting traded. Veteran or young guy.
As for the closers. I think money will be similar for all 3. Melancon will only get 4 yrs due to age. Kenley and Chapman 5 years but Chapman will get more money because of QO attached to KJ.
My guess:
Melancon 4/60
KJ 5/80
AC 5/90
I prefer KJ but I can’t argue swapping him for Melancon, less cash, and gaining a pick.
Hawkeye
I think your right about someone getting traded.
But they have reported that they are more focused on free agents.
But if this is true about Hill this early, it does sound like they might be close to moving someone.
Hawkeye
I thought Kershaw experimenting with a pitch after being hurt, and pitching in the post season, was a bad idea too.
I think someone hit a HR off Kershaw with the side arm pitch, in the post season.
I think he was doing it to give another look because he didn’t have his curve working much after coming off DL but I worry about injury.
Hawkeye
I didn’t think about that, good point.
Kershaw only had his slider working decently.
I always think about injury with a side arm delivery.
I just read that Hill got three years for 48.
That is exactly what Kazmir got.
I also read that the Dodgers are concentrating on free agents, more then any trades right now.
They need to know where they are with their free-agents before they can make deals so that makes sense if JT is top priority.
Hawkeye
That made sense to me too.
I don’t think they want to wait to long, like they did last year, and only have limited pitchers, or players left.
Nothing official yet. Gammons only knows Red Sox anymore in my opinion but who knows they may have been the rival.
The Red Sox were said to be in on him, so maybe the Red Sox writers know more then we think.
That makes 96 million dollars of wasted money if true. Kazmir is a slug, and Hill is not far behind.
I get it that Hill is supposed to be the “best” free agent pitcher available but if there was ever a pitcher who is an injury risk it is Hill. If past performance is the best predictor of the future, then Hill will be lucky to throw 100 innings/year – and 3/$48MM?
Has the Braintrust learned anything in the past 2 years about the old and infirm.
If the Dodgers have signed Hill, who here predicts that he will pitch all of the next 3 seasons? Who here predicts that he will throw 150 innings any of the next 3 seasons? Who here predicts that he will avoid the DL any of the next 3 seasons?
Yeah, I know – it’s “depth”.
The regular meeting of FAZ BASHERS UNANIMOUS will come to order….
You have that right my friend. Signing Hill makes no sense since it does not adhere to their lets get younger mantra. They seem to love old beat up, washed up pitchers. Hill is not my idea of a solid #2 behind Kersh, and I know that is where these guys will slot him. But that’s my opinion, and I know it will drive some crazy.
They will have Hill for the half of 2-3 seasons giving the young guys the chance to stay under their innings limit ?
By the time his contact is up I don’t see him as the number two even if they stayed with the current group. Urias will become the number two eventually.
I get that…but I do not think a guy who is that old and that injury prone is worth close to 50 million bucks.. Of course it is not my money. If he makes the team better and a contender, well they turn out to be right. If he misses half a season like McCarthy and goes down early, they are right back in the same boat they have been in.
A bomb you mean…..more like a depth charge that is going to explode in their face……I have zero faith in this guy even getting to 150 innings.
If the Dodgers FO truly has a deal in place for Rich Hill for the amount of money that is being reported, 46 – 48 Million for 3 years……..that is lunacy. Over 15 million dollars a year to a 37 year old pitcher who has won in double digits twice in his long career. Last year being one of them. Keeping this guy blocks the way of one of our young guns as it were, and can the Dodgers afford this guy going on the DL again for blisters??? Which will most likely happen again. When he did pitch he was ok, but not 15 million plus a year ok. It sticks with the FAZTERS plan of signing the old and infirm. There is no way they can justify this money in my book. I would rather see the kids than another damn retread.
I want a catcher who hits 260-290 a season with power and great defense. A guy who throws runners out and calls and controls the game. I think framing is a phantom stat, and I think that it is over rated. But that’s just me. If Grandal can hit .250 the Dodgers will be extremely lucky, but I for one think he lacks that kind of plate discipline. He might get to 30 homers, and maybe 80 run knocked in, but he will never be a high average hitter. He is just not that dedicated to the craft. And he will still be mediocre in the clutch and strike out a lot.
It may or may not be overrated but it isn’t a phantom stat. For the money I’m good with Grandal hitting 7th or 8th. He needs to improve blocking balls no doubt about it and he needs to step up in the playoffs.
Look, I get what people say about it. And I also get that GM’s love it. But if the umpires were doing their job correctly you would not even need it. It is basically cheating. Making a ball look like a strike. I have seen more strikes that were right in the zone called balls these past couple of seasons than I have ever seen before, and I have seen balls that are obviously balls called strikes….supposedly because of framing. Kershaw got squeezed in the playoffs a couple of times. I saw the same thing happen time and time again. But framing? The average fan watches the game and he does not see that so called skill. What he does see is a guy who is lousy blocking balls in the dirt and who cannot throw out my grand mother at second base.
Any cat lovers?
It gets worse… That’s what I think of signing Hill. Worse than trading for him…
Come July the Dodgers will know more about what they have in Urias, De Leon, Buehler, Alvarez, Striplling, Stewart, De Jong. They will be able to keep their pitch count down so they can finish the season.
And if all works out, they can trade McCarthy, Kazmir, and Hill in July for the likes of Homes, Cotton, and whatshisfastball.
None of those pitchers (outside of Urias, and he’ll be limited) is ready to pitch at Hill’s level.
But this move allows them to not rush Alvarez, Buehler and De Jong. It even allows them to try those players in different roles (the pen) as not all will net out as starters.
Hills level? With who? The A’s or the Dodgers? He spent most of his time in LA on the DL. Stripling threw 7 innings of no hit ball in SF early in the year. With a little more experience and maybe one more pitch, Ross could be better than Hill. But it figures that FAZ would go get a lame armed old man instead of trading some of his assets for a young stud.
bluto is spot on about projections. They are what the numbers guys use to determine future value. I find insulting that process to be, well, rather stupid. An educated man wouldn’t do that.
Ok, that was unnecessary. Sorry.
Maybe the 37 year old Hill will revert to the 27 year old Hill, the only year he hit the 200 innings plateau. But, honestly, what are the odds of that happening? We are talking about him like he’s Cueto or David Price. He pitched 110 innings last year. Giving a guy that old, with his track record, that kind of contract makes no sense to me. But, it ain’t my money and doing it proves another point I’ve been making – the Dodgers are not hurting for money.
Who cares about 200 innings? That’s why the team has an abundance of pitchers.
The point is, when he’s pitching he’s very good. He’s a borderline ace. Where else would you get that quality of pitcher this off-season?
Fat frippen chance of that happening. If that guy makes more than 25 starts they will be extremely lucky. And yes, it is about how many innings you can pitch and keep the BP from flaming out. Whatever these guys overall plan is, the average fan is flabbergasted they want the guy.
Shit! https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/805206073334382592
Wondering
It sounds like it is true that they are signing Hill, since a Dodger writer texted it.
We will have to wait and see how much, and for how long.
The replies on that tweet are interesting. Not a very popular move.
I think, and this is just my opinion obviously, most of the “fans” won’t like it.
Most of the reporters both local and national will.
If Hill is indeed back at 3/48, then I’d like to know how much of that is guaranteed before I make any judgements (or bore you with my political opinions)
I’m hoping for yrs and an option year.
It’s all guaranteed. MLB contracts are guaranteed.
This isn’t the NFL.
Oh, wait. Are you asking about option years?
Also, why Coleman wasn’t tendered. They knew the 40th spot was needed.
Actually, they could wait months to announce (make official) that signing, thereby leaving a roster spot open.
Ummm… just guessing, but they didn’t want him?
Maybe I’m wrong.
Maybe they wanted him and just let him slip away?
Yeah, that’s probably it!
True. But he was better than Hatcher which isn’t saying much. I realize that none of the tendered contracts are guaranteed until spring so they can release or DFA a guy like Ruff and not have the contact count against payroll which is why someone like Culberson would take the guaranteed contact at the minimum like he did rather than go through arbitration.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BecKBveCAAEzIpD.jpg
You swine. You vulgar little maggot. You worthless bag of filth. As we say in Texas. I’ll bet you couldn’t pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel. You are a canker. A sore that won’t go away. I would rather kiss a lawyer than be seen with you.
You’re a putrescent mass, a walking vomit. You are a spineless little worm deserving nothing but the profoundest contempt. You are a jerk, a cad, a weasel. Your life is a monument to stupidity. You are a stench, a revulsion, a big suck on a sour lemon.
You are a bleating foal, a curdled staggering mutant dwarf smeared richly with the effluvia and offal accompanying your alleged birth into this world. An insensate, blinking calf, meaningful to nobody, abandoned by the puke-drooling, giggling beasts who sired you and then killed themselves in recognition of what they had done.
I will never get over the embarrassment of belonging to the same species as you. You are a monster, an ogre, a malformity. I barf at the very thought of you. You have all the appeal of a paper cut. Lepers avoid you. You are vile, worthless, less than nothing. You are a weed, a fungus, the dregs of this earth. And did I mention you smell?
Try to edit your responses of unnecessary material before attempting to impress us with your insight. The evidence that you are a nincompoop will still be available to readers, but they will be able to access it more rapidly.
You snail-skulled little rabbit. Would that a hawk pick you up, drive its beak into your brain, and upon finding it rancid set you loose to fly briefly before spattering the ocean rocks with the frothy pink shame of your ignoble blood. May you choke on the queasy, convulsing nausea of your own trite, foolish beliefs.
You are weary, stale, flat and unprofitable. You are grimy, squalid, nasty and profane. You are foul and disgusting. You’re a fool, an ignoramus. Monkeys look down on you. Even sheep won’t have sex with you. You are unreservedly pathetic, starved for attention, and lost in a land that reality forgot.
And what meaning do you expect your delusionally self-important statements of unknowing, inexperienced opinion to have with us? What fantasy do you hold that you would believe that your tiny-fisted tantrums would have more weight than that of a leprous desert rat, spinning rabidly in a circle, waiting for the bite of the snake?
You are a waste of flesh. You have no rhythm. You are ridiculous and obnoxious. You are the moral equivalent of a leech. You are a living emptiness, a meaningless void. You are sour and senile. You are a disease, you puerile one-handed slack-jawed drooling meatslapper.
On a good day you’re a half-wit. You remind me of drool. You are deficient in all that lends character. You have the personality of wallpaper. You are dank and filthy. You are asinine and benighted. You are the source of all unpleasantness. You spread misery and sorrow wherever you go.
You smarmy lagerlout git. You bloody woofter sod. Bugger off, pillock. You grotty wanking oik artless base-court apple-john. You clouted boggish foot-licking twit. You dankish clack-dish plonker. You gormless crook-pated tosser. You churlish boil-brained clotpole ponce. You cockered bum-bailey poofter. You craven dewberry pisshead cockup pratting naff. You gob-kissing gleeking flap-mouthed coxcomb. You dread-bolted fobbing beef-witted clapper-clawed flirt-gill.
You are a fiend and a coward, and you have bad breath. You are degenerate, noxious and depraved. I feel debased just for knowing you exist. I despise everything about you, and I wish you would go away.
I cannot believe how incredibly stupid you are. I mean rock-hard stupid.
Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid so stupid that it goes way beyond the stupid we know into a whole different dimension of stupid. You are trans-stupid stupid. Meta-stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so far that even the neutrons have collapsed. Stupid gotten so dense that no intellect can escape. Singularity stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. You emit more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a year. Quasar stupid. Your writing has to be a troll.
Nothing in our universe can really be this stupid. Perhaps this is some primordial fragment from the original big bang of stupid. Some pure essence of a stupid so uncontaminated by anything else as to be beyond the laws of physics that we know. I’m sorry. I can’t go on. This is an epiphany of stupid for me. After this, you may not hear from me again for a while. I don’t have enough strength left to deride your ignorant questions and half baked comments about unimportant trivia, or any of the rest of this drivel. Duh.
The only thing worse than your logic is your manners. I have snipped away most of your of what you wrote, because, well… it didn’t really say anything. Your attempt at constructing a creative flame was pitiful. I mean, really, stringing together a bunch of insults among a load of babbling was hardly effective… Maybe later in life, after you have learned to read, write, spell, and count, you will have more success. True, these are rudimentary skills that many of us “normal” people take for granted that everyone has an easy time of mastering. But we sometimes forget that there are “challenged” persons in this world who find these things more difficult. If I had known, that this was your case then I would have never read your post. It just wouldn’t have been “right”. Sort of like parking in a handicap space. I wish you the best of luck in the emotional, and social struggles that seem to be placing such a demand on you.
Hmmmm…Mr. Timmons, why don’t you tell us how you really feel.
Stop with all the politics. The election is over.
Peace
They declared war a long time ago, and like Viet Nam it is a loss.
Sounds like a Timmons pep talk to one of his employees. Or a motivational speech to the private Catholic Skool football team?
Character. Exhibit A
Kids, don’t drink and post on the Internet.
So, did Hill ink a contract or what? CBS Sports says close to $50 million. They also said our rotation of Kershaw, Kazmir, McCarthy, Urias, Maeda and Wood was “impressive rotation depth”. Add Hill? Their definition of depth is different than mine. That’s 7 names. How many will start 30 and pitch 180 innings?
Damn, I wish there were a dumbass vaccine!
That little troll has followed me for 15 years…
I guess I should quit talking and do something about it.
OK, I will…
Obviously that was a cut and paste as it was way too creative to have come from Timmons. Where’d you get it?
From Cafardo:
Third baseman Justin Turner, arguably the best player left on the market, is likely to re-sign with the Dodgers, according to Cafardo. Aside from the Cardinals showing some degree of interest in Turner, there hasn’t been much chatter regarding the 32-year-old to this point. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts Turner will return to the Dodgers on a five-year, $85MM deal after a season in which he slashed .275/.339/.493, totaled 5.6 fWAR, and set career highs in plate appearances (622) and home runs (27).
From Connor Byrne:
Twins general manager Thad Levine revealed earlier this week that the team would have to be “really inspired” to trade second baseman Brian Dozier. It’s now possible the Dodgers will do enough to wow Minnesota into dealing Dozier, as Los Angeles is aggressively pursuing the slugger and has “piqued” the Twins’ interest, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). The second base-needy Dodgers have been after Dozier throughout the offseason.
Not much chatter?
What might that mean? Well, it could mean a lot of things. I suspect that other GM’s know he wants to stay home and they know the Dodgers will overpay. Other GMs are maybe looking to get younger and more athletic.