The last thing I want to do is distract from the postseason, but there is a bit of news that could potentially be explosive, and it appears to involve the Dodger organization. It's a developing story about a whistle-blower, the FBI and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Cuban ballplayers and potentially organized crime. Per Jon Wertheim at Sports Illustrated:
The dossier given to the FBI suggests the extent to which some MLB personnel are aware of—and brazenly discuss—this unscrupulous culture and the potential for corruption. While both the league office and other teams are mentioned in the files obtained by SI, the Los Angeles Dodgers, a franchise with extensive scouting and development operations in the Caribbean, figure most prominently in the dossier:
— One particularly remarkable document shows that Dodgers executives in 2015 went so far as to develop a database that measured the perceived “level of egregious behavior” displayed by 15 of their own employees in Latin America. That is, using a scale of 1 to 5—“innocent bystander” to “criminal”—front-office executives assessed their own staff’s level of corruption. Five employees garnered a “criminal” rating.Whoa! Remember, former Braves GM John Coppolella was banned from the game last year due to nefarious dealings related to international signings. Now, it appears, folks could go to jail.
Featured above is a 1916 International Film Service press photo of former Dodger outfielder Hi Myers (eBay Link). It has nothing to do with the above story. Rather, I just happen to love those checkerboard styled Dodger uni's. Below are more links to check out:
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1947 Yankees hurler Bill Bevins was one out from no-hitting the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series before yielding a walk-off two-run double to pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto, 3-2. In 1951 Bobby Thompson of the NY Giants hit the most infamous home run in Dodgers/Baseball history. He walloped a Ralph Branca pitch in the ninth inning at the Polo Grounds for a walk-off victory, 5-4, during the deciding game of a three-game series to decide who would go to the World Series. The homer has since been dubbed the "shot heard ’round the world." You can watch it here, if you must. In 2005 manager Jim Tracy is fired by the Dodgers.
- Happy Birthday, Henry Thielman, Phil Reardon, Chris Haughey, Darrin Fletcher& Brock Stewart!
- Memorabilia Watch: Check out (link here) what might be the earliest autograph of Dodger great Gil Hodges. At Clean Sweep Auctions they have a 1943 Heilroner Baseball Bureau registration card that has been filled-out and signed by Hodges when he was 19 years old. The card provides background information and includes updates as the years had gone by.
- Podcast: True Blue LA -- Podcast episode 1823: The Dodgers’ final week rollercoaster (Podcast Link).
- Podcast: Dodgers Nation -- Episode 22 – Jam Packed NLDS Playoff Preview (Podcast Link).
- This new commercial from MLB is the talk of the town. Watch it below. "Let the Kids Play!"
Rewrite the rules. #postseason pic.twitter.com/bPGdECFVbi— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2018
- This is great news. We will apparently be listening to Joe Davis on the tv tomorrow, via a tweet by him:
If the Cubs had won, I was on a 6am flight to Milwaukee.— Joe Davis (@Joe_Davis) October 3, 2018
Rockies win, and Smoltzy and I will talk to you from Dodger Stadium this weekend.
- ICYMI: The Dodgers announced yesterday that all NLDS and NLCS games at Dodger Stadium are now sold out.
- Via Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider; "Max Muncy named Dodgers’ finalist for 2018 Hank Aaron Award."
- In other news, Clayton Kershaw will not pitch Game 1. Instead, it'll be Hyun-Jin Ryu. Check out stories by Ken Gurnick at MLB.com (here), Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider (here), and Alden Gonzalez at ESPN (here).
- In light of the above news regarding tomorrows Game 1 starter, I think Jon Weisman's story at Dodger Thoughts is worth checking out: "The postseason’s great and terrible Clayton Kershaw."
- I enjoyed David Pinto's preview of the Dodgers/Braves series at Baseball Musings, here.
- Per Alex Freedman at Beyond the Bricks; "Top 10 Moments of the 2018 Season" for the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
- They got him! Per Jay Busbee at Yahoo Sports; "Man linked to string of celebrity, athlete home robberies, including Rihanna, Yasiel Puig."
Police detained Tyess Williams not far from Woods’ home, and a search of his vehicle included not only items from Woods’ home, but items allegedly from the homes of Puig, Rihanna and Milian. The Los Angeles Times reported that Williams matches an image taken from security video at Puig’s home.
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