Back in the 1930s, when baseball played its first All-Star games, it got people interested in the stars of the game and in the game itself.
Now, we don't need no All-Star game.
The long baseball season takes it's toll on everyone involved: players, coaches, managers, umpires and fans. And it's right that everybody take a few days off the week after the 4th of July, a little past the halfway point in the season. Everybody needs a break.
But let's stop breaking up the break with the All-Star game.
Back when players made $500 a month and got a bonus for playing in the All-Star game, great!
Now players make $50,000 a month. They don't need an All-Star game bonus.
And let's realize, please, that the All-Star game is just an exhibition. It doesn't count toward the end of the year standings or anything else. Yes, Commissioner Bud Selig has decreed that the league that wins the All-Star game will have home field advantage in the World Series. But that's just the second part of the joke! A pick-up team of players (very good players, yes, but they haven't played together before; it's really just like a team chosen up in a schoolyard) can win a game that means absolutely nothing and win the home field advantage for the team from their league, most of the members of which are not even in this exhibition game, in the premier championship series of the greatest game on earth?
By playing in this exhibition game the players put themselves at serious risk, for nothing. I'm a Dodger fan, so I'll frame my thoughts this way: I would hate to see Clayton Kershaw hit by a line drive in the All-Star game, or Matt Kemp pull a hamstring while running to first base. I accept that those are risks during any game; but in an exhibition game that means nothing? I cannot accept that. An injury like that could put my team out of contention for the season. There were two injuries in the game tonight; we don't yet know how serious.
I know the All-Star game brings lots of money into the city where it's played, and I know that an entire carnival sprouts up around the stadium in which the game is played. That's great!
My proposal ( I know it will be ignored, but I just want to get it out there): let the players have their four or five days off, and fill those days with a national baseball carnival. Pick a city, or three or five, and encourage small towns to take up their part too! Have all the carnival, family-friendly events: see how fast you can throw the pitch, kids run around the bases, see if you can hit against Nolan Ryan; have fireworks and hot dog races and throw-the-ball through the clown's mouth! Get retired major league players out there to sign autographs and talk to the kids!
Have clinics, play the college world series that week, or the little league one. Play lots of minor league games, with lots of promotions.
The All-Star game was started to try to foster interest in baseball, and it worked. And when I was a kid, yes, I wanted to watch; I wanted to see this Mickey Mantle and this Ted Williams. But now I don't need an All-Star game to see. I can see every game every day.
So I suggest we do away with the All-Star game and let our players rest up for the second half of the real season. And if we want to have some fun while they rest, let's have some other baseball!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Big Bat, No Rattle
Dodgers lose again, 6 - 0 to the Mets. Mets have been playing well of late; I won't fault them for that. But Dodgers give up three homeruns and don't respond with a single score. They get eight hits and leave twelve runners on base! Shut out for their ninth time this season.
I know if you listen to the Dodgers I'm not telling you anything new.
But it's frustrating, and I need to vent.
Every pitcher is gonna give up homeruns. The Mets hit three tonight, and that's not good, but that's part of the game. But the Dodgers had runners in scoring position several times tonight and didn't bring a single one home.
They've now lost four games in a row.
They are now firmly ensconced in last place in the National League West, thirteen games below .500, eleven games out of first place.
It's the American way these days (especially since 9/11, or maybe it was the crash of the Exxon Valdez) to look for who's to blame and pin it on whoever you find.
I'm not gonna do that.
The Dodgers have a good manager and good coaches.
They have good players, good hitters. They could use another one, I guess, someone like Manny at his prime, three years ago.
I don't think it's the players' ability, though. I think the players are able.
Maybe it's just luck... and I would never discount luck as a factor in a team's performance.
With the turmoil in the ownership, I don't expect the Dodgers to acquire a catalyst of the nature of Manny. I don't expect them to acquire anyone.
But Big Bat, No Rattle.
Dodgers hit pretty well, but not well enough to bring home the runs when they need them.
Not happy, here.
I know if you listen to the Dodgers I'm not telling you anything new.
But it's frustrating, and I need to vent.
Every pitcher is gonna give up homeruns. The Mets hit three tonight, and that's not good, but that's part of the game. But the Dodgers had runners in scoring position several times tonight and didn't bring a single one home.
They've now lost four games in a row.
They are now firmly ensconced in last place in the National League West, thirteen games below .500, eleven games out of first place.
It's the American way these days (especially since 9/11, or maybe it was the crash of the Exxon Valdez) to look for who's to blame and pin it on whoever you find.
I'm not gonna do that.
The Dodgers have a good manager and good coaches.
They have good players, good hitters. They could use another one, I guess, someone like Manny at his prime, three years ago.
I don't think it's the players' ability, though. I think the players are able.
Maybe it's just luck... and I would never discount luck as a factor in a team's performance.
With the turmoil in the ownership, I don't expect the Dodgers to acquire a catalyst of the nature of Manny. I don't expect them to acquire anyone.
But Big Bat, No Rattle.
Dodgers hit pretty well, but not well enough to bring home the runs when they need them.
Not happy, here.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Halfway Home
Halfway through the season, the Dodgers slip into last place in the National League West.
They lost two out of three to the Angels and two out of three to the Twins... despite beating the Twins 15 - 0 just two days ago.
Talk about inconsistent.
I've managed teams like this, although only on the youth baseball level. But it's funny how, as a manager, you never know which team is gonna show up on a particular day! Is it gonna be the team that hits the ball to all fields and catches everything that comes their way? Or is it gonna be the team that can't get a hit when it needs to and muffs the regular plays?
The Dodgers have played pretty well in the field; I won't fault them for that. Despite injuries and trips to the disabled list, the Dodgers have managed to put together a pretty good fielding team.
The hitting is what's hurting. Or rather, the lack of hitting, especially in key situations.
The Dodgers need some help in the pitching department, too.
The Dodgers right now consist of Kershaw (starting pitcher, for those of you who don't know), Kemp (center field and terrific hitter), Ethier (right field and ditto) and Carroll (shortstop/second base; made the team as a fill-in utility player but because of injuries plays almost everyday and gets on base a whole lot). They have other players with promise: Billingsley (starting pitcher), Loney (first base), de la Rosa (rookie starting pitcher), Gwynn (left field).
But the players with promise haven't fulfilled it yet. So the core of the Dodger team is a thin one.
And with the ownership of the team in question and the issue of bankruptcy still in the air, I don't think this is the year of the Dodgers.
But last place in the NLW?
Sheesh!
They lost two out of three to the Angels and two out of three to the Twins... despite beating the Twins 15 - 0 just two days ago.
Talk about inconsistent.
I've managed teams like this, although only on the youth baseball level. But it's funny how, as a manager, you never know which team is gonna show up on a particular day! Is it gonna be the team that hits the ball to all fields and catches everything that comes their way? Or is it gonna be the team that can't get a hit when it needs to and muffs the regular plays?
The Dodgers have played pretty well in the field; I won't fault them for that. Despite injuries and trips to the disabled list, the Dodgers have managed to put together a pretty good fielding team.
The hitting is what's hurting. Or rather, the lack of hitting, especially in key situations.
The Dodgers need some help in the pitching department, too.
The Dodgers right now consist of Kershaw (starting pitcher, for those of you who don't know), Kemp (center field and terrific hitter), Ethier (right field and ditto) and Carroll (shortstop/second base; made the team as a fill-in utility player but because of injuries plays almost everyday and gets on base a whole lot). They have other players with promise: Billingsley (starting pitcher), Loney (first base), de la Rosa (rookie starting pitcher), Gwynn (left field).
But the players with promise haven't fulfilled it yet. So the core of the Dodger team is a thin one.
And with the ownership of the team in question and the issue of bankruptcy still in the air, I don't think this is the year of the Dodgers.
But last place in the NLW?
Sheesh!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Kershaw's Game
The Dodgers, with Clayton Kershaw pitching, defeated the Tigers 4 - 0 tonight.
Kershaw struck out 12, batted in two runs and pitched a complete game.
This is what the Dodgers needed, and what Kershaw needed.
Wow!
News today: MLB rejected Frank McCourt's bid for a deal with Fox TV to broadcast Dodger games into the foreseeable future for $3 billion, and McCourt probably won't be able to meet the team payroll June 30, resulting in MLB taking over the team and looking for a new owner. The Dodgers need to respond to that news by just playing good baseball, and tonight they did.
Wow, he looked sharp tonight!
Kershaw is very young, and a lot could happen. But he sure looked like a star tonight!
Kershaw struck out 12, batted in two runs and pitched a complete game.
This is what the Dodgers needed, and what Kershaw needed.
Wow!
News today: MLB rejected Frank McCourt's bid for a deal with Fox TV to broadcast Dodger games into the foreseeable future for $3 billion, and McCourt probably won't be able to meet the team payroll June 30, resulting in MLB taking over the team and looking for a new owner. The Dodgers need to respond to that news by just playing good baseball, and tonight they did.
Wow, he looked sharp tonight!
Kershaw is very young, and a lot could happen. But he sure looked like a star tonight!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Today's a New Game
Okay, okay. I misspoke last night when I tried to describe what the Earned Run Average meant. I should have said the Dodger bullpen's ERA of almost 5.5 means the relief pitchers have allowed nearly five-and-a-half runs for every nine innings worked.
That's not nearly as bad as five-and-a-half runs for every inning worked, but it's still the worst record in baseball this season.
Dodgers gotta get some relief!
Remember Eric Gagne and Game Over? Man, those days were amazing! And yes, maybe Eric had a little chemical assistance, but in those steroid days so did many of the batters he faced. The chemicals might have made him stronger, but they didn't help him hit the corners more sharply, any more than they helped the batters see his pitches any better.
Dodgers need some fresh relief!
They might need some fresh ownership, too. Dodgers haven't been to the World Series since 1988, when they won it. Back then the O'Malley family owned the team – Peter and his sister, Susan Seidler, who had taken over management of the team when their father Walter O'Malley died in 1979. Walter had owned the team since 1950.
Peter and Susan sold the team to Fox (yeah, Rupert Murdoch) in 1998. In 2004, Fox sold the team to Frank McCourt, loaning him a big chunk of money so he could make the purchase. When Frank didn't repay the loan, Fox foreclosed on the Boston parking lots Frank had put up as collateral.
Now Frank and his estranged wife Jamie are embroiled in a very messy and very public divorce (you can google it; I'm not going there) and Frank had to borrow money to make the Dodgers' April payroll – $30 million. Who did he borrow it from? Fox, with whom he is hoping to sign a $3 billion broadcasting contract.
Now the word is that Frank won't be able to make the third payroll in May. (Players, coaches and team workers get paid every two weeks. May has three paydays.)
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has held up the $3 billion Fox contract pending his office's investigation of the Dodgers' finances. If Frank can't meet his payroll and other financial obligations, MLB will assume financial management of the team.
Meanwhile, this morning the Dodgers announced that Broxton has pain in his elbow.
Dodgers need some relief.
Just getting ready for the new game today. One thing I love about baseball: every game is a new one. Every day is new.
But there are some clouds hanging overhead.
That's not nearly as bad as five-and-a-half runs for every inning worked, but it's still the worst record in baseball this season.
Dodgers gotta get some relief!
Remember Eric Gagne and Game Over? Man, those days were amazing! And yes, maybe Eric had a little chemical assistance, but in those steroid days so did many of the batters he faced. The chemicals might have made him stronger, but they didn't help him hit the corners more sharply, any more than they helped the batters see his pitches any better.
Dodgers need some fresh relief!
They might need some fresh ownership, too. Dodgers haven't been to the World Series since 1988, when they won it. Back then the O'Malley family owned the team – Peter and his sister, Susan Seidler, who had taken over management of the team when their father Walter O'Malley died in 1979. Walter had owned the team since 1950.
Peter and Susan sold the team to Fox (yeah, Rupert Murdoch) in 1998. In 2004, Fox sold the team to Frank McCourt, loaning him a big chunk of money so he could make the purchase. When Frank didn't repay the loan, Fox foreclosed on the Boston parking lots Frank had put up as collateral.
Now Frank and his estranged wife Jamie are embroiled in a very messy and very public divorce (you can google it; I'm not going there) and Frank had to borrow money to make the Dodgers' April payroll – $30 million. Who did he borrow it from? Fox, with whom he is hoping to sign a $3 billion broadcasting contract.
Now the word is that Frank won't be able to make the third payroll in May. (Players, coaches and team workers get paid every two weeks. May has three paydays.)
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has held up the $3 billion Fox contract pending his office's investigation of the Dodgers' finances. If Frank can't meet his payroll and other financial obligations, MLB will assume financial management of the team.
Meanwhile, this morning the Dodgers announced that Broxton has pain in his elbow.
Dodgers need some relief.
Just getting ready for the new game today. One thing I love about baseball: every game is a new one. Every day is new.
But there are some clouds hanging overhead.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Slow Start
The Dodgers are off to a slow start this season. I know the off-season commentators had them picked to finish out of the running, but I had higher hopes.
I'm a Dodger fan, I admit, and I know that colors my thinking.
But I thought they would hit and pitch better than they are right now.
Ethier has hit in 29 straight games right now, and that's wonderful. And Kemp has hit in six straight. But not too many of those hits have resulted in runs. Some of the other guys are doing okay, but nobody's tearing it up.
Fielding has been pretty good. Some nice catches in the outfield (Ethier, Kemp, Gwynn, especially), good infield play by Carroll and Uribe....
But the pitching, frankly, has not been of the quality that we fans were promised before the season.
Starting pitching has been okay. Not stellar, but okay. Kershaw might become the next Koufax, but he's not there yet. And Billingsley is working his way to becoming a good reliable starter. It would be nice to think of them as a latter-day duo similar to Koufax and Drysdale.
But that's just my fan-self talking.
The big problem the Dodgers have right now is the bullpen.
Nominal closer Jonathan Broxton misses the plate too often, walking too many and thereby allowing opponent runs.
And the Dodgers don't have anyone in their bullpen who's any better. Dodger bullpen Earned Run Average is around 5.5! Five-and-a-half runs for every inning pitched!
Dodgers lost 4 - 1 tonight to the Cubs, giving up three runs in the 9th; Broxton walked two and they both scored.
He got the save last night, but tonight he couldn't find the strike zone. He got the loss. I feel bad for him, but at this level, getting as much money as he makes, he needs to do better. I'm sure he feels the same way.
And I wonder what the Dodgers are going to do?
hahahahahahahahaha! The real grinding season sets in!
I'm a Dodger fan, I admit, and I know that colors my thinking.
But I thought they would hit and pitch better than they are right now.
Ethier has hit in 29 straight games right now, and that's wonderful. And Kemp has hit in six straight. But not too many of those hits have resulted in runs. Some of the other guys are doing okay, but nobody's tearing it up.
Fielding has been pretty good. Some nice catches in the outfield (Ethier, Kemp, Gwynn, especially), good infield play by Carroll and Uribe....
But the pitching, frankly, has not been of the quality that we fans were promised before the season.
Starting pitching has been okay. Not stellar, but okay. Kershaw might become the next Koufax, but he's not there yet. And Billingsley is working his way to becoming a good reliable starter. It would be nice to think of them as a latter-day duo similar to Koufax and Drysdale.
But that's just my fan-self talking.
The big problem the Dodgers have right now is the bullpen.
Nominal closer Jonathan Broxton misses the plate too often, walking too many and thereby allowing opponent runs.
And the Dodgers don't have anyone in their bullpen who's any better. Dodger bullpen Earned Run Average is around 5.5! Five-and-a-half runs for every inning pitched!
Dodgers lost 4 - 1 tonight to the Cubs, giving up three runs in the 9th; Broxton walked two and they both scored.
He got the save last night, but tonight he couldn't find the strike zone. He got the loss. I feel bad for him, but at this level, getting as much money as he makes, he needs to do better. I'm sure he feels the same way.
And I wonder what the Dodgers are going to do?
hahahahahahahahaha! The real grinding season sets in!
Friday, April 1, 2011
2011 Season Game 2
Ha! Dodgers defeat the Giants again!
Terrific start to the season!
And what a wonderfully entertaining game!
Dodgers up, Giants take a lead, Dodgers come back thanks to Kemp's much improved baserunning....Dodgers take back the lead and the relief pitchers Guerrier (hope I spelled that right) and Broxton bring it home!
No team goes undefeated, and most teams win 50 games and lose 50 games and it's the other 64 that determine where they finish. And the Dodgers aren't expected to finish above 2nd place this season... New manager, new coaching staff, questions about ownership....
But the first two games have been very entertaining and had, from my point of view, wonderful results. What more could I want? Go Dodgers! Win every one! Hahahahahahahaha!
Terrific start to the season!
And what a wonderfully entertaining game!
Dodgers up, Giants take a lead, Dodgers come back thanks to Kemp's much improved baserunning....Dodgers take back the lead and the relief pitchers Guerrier (hope I spelled that right) and Broxton bring it home!
No team goes undefeated, and most teams win 50 games and lose 50 games and it's the other 64 that determine where they finish. And the Dodgers aren't expected to finish above 2nd place this season... New manager, new coaching staff, questions about ownership....
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
New Season
Give the outfield grass a final trim, the infield a last and very careful manicure. Play Springsteen on the sound system, followed by Bach. (We need good music to work to.) Hose off the bleachers.
Check the snack bar inventory one more time: hot dogs? buns? chips and cheese for nachos? candy? popcorn? soda? paper goods to hold everything? napkins? straws?
Opening day tomorrow! Lots to do, but I can't wait!
It's been a long winter, and a long (though quick) spring. And tomorrow the new season begins. New life for every team!
I can start in the morning and enjoy a full day of baseball, and finish with Dodgers v. Giants (last year's World Series winners) tomorrow at 5:00. Ain't life grand?
I love the idea that tonight, every team is tied for first place!
Check the snack bar inventory one more time: hot dogs? buns? chips and cheese for nachos? candy? popcorn? soda? paper goods to hold everything? napkins? straws?
Opening day tomorrow! Lots to do, but I can't wait!
It's been a long winter, and a long (though quick) spring. And tomorrow the new season begins. New life for every team!
I can start in the morning and enjoy a full day of baseball, and finish with Dodgers v. Giants (last year's World Series winners) tomorrow at 5:00. Ain't life grand?
I love the idea that tonight, every team is tied for first place!
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