Thursday, April 23, 2020

Blog Kiosk: 4/23/2020 - Dodgers Links & news - Some Odds and Ends


Here's a fun UP press photo, dated 8/7/1952, of a pregame event for a former Dodger -- Leo Durocher. (eBay auction link)
Wreathed in Smiles... New York: Giant manager Leo Durocher (right) smiles as he bears the easy weight of a huge floral wreath presented to him at the polo grounds, Aug. 7, while Dodger pilot Chick Dressen looks on. Durocher, who holds a plaque given to him by the Section-5 Club, received honors and gifts in a give-away program, as New York met the Brooklyn squad in a night game, the third and last of their current series. Brooklyn won the contest, 7-5.
Below are more links to check out:
  • This Day in Dodgers History: In 1946 Dodgers righty Ed Head threw a no-hitter against the Boston Braves, 5-0. He said after the game: “I knew I had it all the time – don’t ask me how, but I knew it.” (boxscore) It was his first appearance after returning from the military. In 1958 Dodger first baseman Gil Hodges hit his 300th career home run on the same day that Pee Wee Reese played his 2,000th career game. In 1999 Cardinals third baseman Fernando Tatis becomes the first player in MLB history to hit two grand slams in one inning when he did it against Chan Ho Park at Dodger Stadium, 12-2. You can watch it here.
  • Happy Birthday, James Mulvey, Dolph Camilli, Bob O'Brien & Andruw Jones!
  • Via TMZ -- Vin Scully hospitalized after fall... 'resting comfortably'.
A Dodgers spokesperson tells us he's expected to be released from the hospital soon and he's currently resting comfortably and in good spirits.
In fact, Scully released a statement saying, "I won't be doing anymore head first sliding, I never liked it."
Watkins, the employee on whom the entirety of the wrongdoing is blamed by commissioner Manfred, was an advance scout tasked with using video to decode signs before and after Red Sox games — a permissible act that falls within MLB’s guidelines on the implementation of technology within the game. However, he was also the team’s replay reviewer, responsible during games for coordinating with Cora on whether to challenge a call or not. The report notes that other clubs had that same setup, but an investigation into the Red Sox found that Watkins would, at times, alter pre-game sign sequencing information in the middle of an active game. While most players who were interviewed said they had no knowledge of any wrongdoing by Watkins, others acknowledged that they had suspicions after the data coming from Watkins changed over the course of a game.
Best funny take on the Red Sox mess is from Jomboy on twitter:

  • Per Mike Axisa at CBS Sports -- "Red Sox apologized to every MLB owner, including Dodgers and Yankees, for sign-stealing scandal."
  • Via Connor Byrne at MLB Trade Rumors -- "Alex Cora Issues Statement On Suspension; Red Sox Unlikely To Rehire Him."
  • Per an ESPN report -- "Red Sox remove interim tag from manager Ron Roenicke's title." Cora ain't coming back.
  • You can read the Red Sox cheating report, in its entirety, here.
  • Via Fred Davis at the Post Register -- "Ex-Dodger Karros helping his youngsters excel in baseball."
“Any time there’s a game on the Dodger channel that he’s playing in, he always gets the family around because me and my brother never got to see him play. He’ll fast forward and make sure he stops on his at-bats if it’s a home run. He’ll provide the instructional part of the video, pause it and go frame by frame.”
But Utley was a master of all the little things that add up to help teams win ballgames.
Despite the unimpressive career average, Utley had an on-base percentage of .358, which was 23 points higher than the league average during his career, and his slugging percentage of .465 was 42 points higher than average. His lifetime walk rate, strikeout rate and isolated power were all better than average as well. On top of that, Utley got plunked by 204 pitches in his career, which ranks eighth-most all-time. Batting-wise, that all made Utley worth 176.5 more runs than an average player.
Set to enter his age-30 season (that’s if we get one), Stripling has established himself as a valuable Swiss Army knife for the Dodgers’ pitching staff. Whether as a starter or a reliever, Stripling has gotten the job done since he debuted in the majors in 2016. He’s the owner of a 3.51 ERA with an almost identical 3.60 FIP across 387 career innings. He continued his sturdy pitching last season, a 90 2/3-inning effort in which he posted a matching 3.47 ERA/FIP across 32 appearances and 15 starts.
  • This weeks Throwback Thursday online exclusive card set features ballplayers on the vintage 1978 Topps hockey card design, and it includes Dodgers phenom Gavin Lux. Check that card out below. Go here to check it out and order.


* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *
By at Thursday, April 23, 2020
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