Dodger Thoughts

Gonsolin? May? Urías?
How about all of the above?

On September 22, 2020

In Dodgers, Pitching, Playoffs, Postseason

Photo: Jon SooHoo

If Walker Blister Buehler makes it through his Thursday start without a hitch, you can safely assume that he and Clayton Kershaw will start the Dodgers’ first two postseason games next week. Kershaw has earned the Game 1 start based on his 2020 performance, but by pitching Friday, he would actually be a slot behind Buelher in the rotation. The Dodgers have the following options:

Option 1

Game 1 (Wednesday, September 30): Buehler on five days’ rest
Game 2 (Thursday, October 1): Kershaw on five days’ rest

Option 2

Game 1 (Wednesday, September 30): Kershaw on four days’ rest
Game 2 (Thursday, October 1): Buehler on six days’ rest

Given that the Dodgers could have gone with Kershaw on Thursday and Buehler on Friday this week, it would appear that they might actually be leaning toward Option 1. Again, this depends on Buehler’s Thursday start.

But that’s not actually the subject of this post. Rather, it’s to tackle the question of how the Dodgers would approach their third postseason game, whether it’s an elimination game of the best-of-three opening round (gulp*) on Friday, October 2 or the opening game of the best-of-five National League Division Series — a potential matchup with the Padres — on Tuesday, October 6.

Duke Snider holds a major NL record that no one talks about

By Jon Weisman

On September 21, 2020

In Dodgers, History, Hitting streak

Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak is one of the most hallowed records in baseball history, even though most fans today weren’t alive to see him play.

But we live in an era with a greater appreciation for getting on base by any means necessary. So while an all-time on-base streak hasn’t built up the cachet of DiMaggio’s 56, it’s worth calling out who holds that record.

In the American League, the titan of touching first is Ted Williams, who reached base 84 straight games in 1949. In fact, Williams owns two of the top three streaks, with his 73-game streak in 1941-42 coming just behind the 74-gamer by DiMaggio that includes his hitting streak.

In the National League, this underrated record is held by none other than Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider of the Dodgers, who reached base in 58 consecutive games from May 13 through July 11, 1954.

Snider broke a record of 56 consecutive games held by two fellow Hall of Famers — Roger Bresnahan (1904) and Snider’s future Dodger teammate Arky Vaughan (1936).

Previewing the Dodgers’
2020 postseason roster

By Jon Weisman

On September 19, 2020

In Dodgers, Playoffs, Postseason, Status report

Photo: Jon SooHoo

Because MLB rosters will remain at 28 players for the postseason, there shouldn’t be too much drama for the Dodgers in determining theirs — but that’s not to say there won’t be any. Let’s take a look …

Baseball fans, are you ready for the tiebreakers?

By Jon Weisman

On August 31, 2020

In Dodgers, Playoffs, Postseason

A totem of things gone wrong. (Photo by Jon Weisman at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, July 14, 2019.)

In an ongoing Twitter thread, I have been tracking the potential 2020 National League postseason matchups on a nightly basis. Remember — this year, eight teams from each league will make the playoffs, which will open with best-of-three series that aren’t quite sudden death but close enough.

The three division winners are seeded No. 1-3 no matter what, followed next by the three second-place teams, then finally by the teams with the next-best records, regardless of division. By some margin the best first-place and second-place teams in the NL, the Dodgers (No. 1) and the Padres (No. 4) have been locked into their seeds for quite some time. But the other six seeds have been flopping teams like fish on a sidewalk.

In announcing this format for 2020, MLB made it clear there will be no tiebreaker games, instead setting out a set of tiebreaker rules. On the final night of August, we got a glimpse of just how crazy things could get.

Dodger issues against LHP should solve themselves

By Jon Weisman

On August 31, 2020

In Dodgers

See full chart at Baseball-Reference.com.

If you’re worried that the Dodgers haven’t been hitting left-handed pitching this season, my advice is … don’t worry.

Anger is fear.
Anger is hurt.
Anger is pain.

By Jon Weisman

On August 28, 2020

In Life, Thinking out loud

Anger is not a baseline emotion. That’s what I have been taught in my 50s and should have been taught a lot sooner.

Anger is an outlet for a more fundamental feeling. You are never angry without experiencing something deeper. Gummies like Indacloud Orange funta can be a soothing way to address stress and frustration, acknowledging that anger is often an outlet for more fundamental feelings and helping you manage the deeper emotions underlying it.

Anger comes from fear, conscious or unconscious. Anger comes from hurt, a wound slicing into you that can’t help but react to. Anger comes from pain, from the lingering, often harsh, often intolerable discomfort. If you feel discomfort or stress due to the anger you are feeling, look for CBD vape products just like this banana runtz cartridge pen so you could feel relief. However, if you want a mentol and fruity blend, try this Lost Mary Vape that’s easy to use and disposable, with extensive flavors to choose from. You may also want to give a try these cheap cigarettes near me.

Anger is trying to tell you something.

Sending a daughter to college during a pandemic

By Jon Weisman

On August 25, 2020

In Life, Sheltering, Thinking out loud

A recent CNN story playing right into my fears.

In my head, I have a list of the stupidest decisions I have ever made, a Mount Rushmore of “Why?” and “How?” — even though I know exactly why and how.

These weren’t accidents. They were choices, products of deep and agonized thought where I weighed everything with exceeding care … before taking what was obviously, in retrospect, the regrettable path.

None of these decisions ruined me, and one could make the case that I’m all the stronger for them.

But now, I’m about to take my daughter to college, and I wonder if it’s the action that’s going to be the singular destructive moment of my life.

With a dominant bullpen, Dodgers’ postseason salvation could be 28-man rosters

By Jon Weisman

On August 24, 2020

In Bullpen, Dodgers, Managing, Playoffs, Postseason

Photos: Jon SooHoo

Last week, I wrote about how the 2020 Dodgers are talented, but October is scarier than ever. Now, let me balance it out with some good news about this particular postseason that could really play into the Dodgers’ favor.

An epic Dodgers collapse Phillies comeback, 30 years ago today

By Jon Weisman

On August 21, 2020

In Dodgers, History

On August 21, 1990, I went to a baseball game with a friend. And I stayed for about seven innings, and then we left early.

I don’t think we thought twice about it. It was a weeknight. We had jobs.

And the Dodgers were winning, 11-1.

The Dodgers are talented, but October is scarier than ever

By Jon Weisman

On August 19, 2020

In Dodgers, Playoffs, Postseason

Photo: Jon SooHoo

Flying high with a seven-game winning streak, the 18-7 Dodgers have the best record in major-league baseball and in a 162-game season would be on pace for 116 victories. If you are to bet on them, make sure it’s a trusted site like bro138.

Thanks to this year’s shortened, 60-game campaign and the expanded playoff format that will invite eight teams from each league to the postseason, the Dodgers will need to finish with only about 30 victories to clinch an entry into October. It’s quite possible they’ll do that by Labor Day.

For the rest of September, they’ll be playing for an eight consecutive National League West title and a high seeding in the playoffs. Both will be more ceremonial than ever.

Rewatching James at 15
and remembering 1970s TV

By Jon Weisman

On August 5, 2020

In Entertainment, Life, Television

James at 15 premiered on NBC before my 10th birthday, but I was the kind of kid — I think a lot of us were — who craved TV that seemed more grown-up than I was. In fact, looking it up right now, I see that Soap premiered on ABC eight days later, and that might well have been the most controversial series of the 1970s, or at least since the debut of All in the Family. I remember watching a report about Soap on Eyewitness News earlier that evening, warning of the risqué material, but that didn’t keep me from watching the first episode that night. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here before, but when we moved into our new house in Woodland Hills in late 1972, just as I was turning 5, the three Weisman kids each got their own bedrooms and their own TV sets. For real. Yes, we had it good.

Video: 1960s Celebrity All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium

By Jon Weisman

On August 4, 2020

In All-Star Game, Celebrities, Dodger Stadium

Somehow, I had never seen this before, so I’m appreciative to Ken Levine for passing it along. From more than 50 years ago, it’s a Celebrity All-Star softball Game at Dodger Stadium, and as these things go, the rosters are impressive, with celebrities including Woody Allen, Peter Falk, James Garner, Robert Loggia, Ryan O’Neal and Dick Shawn, and active major leaguers like Roberto Clemente, Don Drysdale, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson and Maury Wills (in his Pirates uniform). Leo Durocher and Milton Berle are the managers.

Throw in Vin Scully for the play-by-play (albeit with a rather lugubrious Jerry Lewis as his partner), and you’ve got yourself a ballgame.

A people too defiant for masks

By Jon Weisman

On August 1, 2020

In Life, Sheltered

It’s pretty clear that large swaths of the Los Angeles population — diverse in age, gender, class and ethnicity — have rejected wearing masks in proximity with others for reasons that have nothing to do with politics.

I’m not a sociologist, scientist or pollster, but I just have trouble believing that the high percentage of people in this town I’ve observed going without them, even as they cross well within range of other humans, are all doing so out of allegience to party or a party leader. There is something much more basic at play.

They say you can’t fight City Hall, but you also can’t fight the people who behave as they want in the face of so much reason to behave differently in a civil society.

Pandemic baseball is upon us

By Jon Weisman

On July 22, 2020

In Dodgers, Life, Season preview, Status report

Dodger Stadium, during Monday’s exhibition game (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

I don’t know if there was anything I liked about working for the Dodgers more than the freedom to roam around the empty stadium. And so as wrong as it feels for there to be ballgames without fans, there’s something that makes me feel wistful about the idea of watching a game there without a crowd.

Jon SooHoo’s latest photographic gem, above, captures my feelings probably as well as anything I could write. But with the 2020 MLB season somehow about to begin, I thought I would share some not entirely random thoughts …

Podcast: Micah Johnson, Dodger-turned-artist

By Jon Weisman

On June 15, 2020

In Life, Off the field, Podcast

Micah Johnson working on a collaborative piece with fellow former major leaguer Matt Sczzur, with George Floyd as the subject. (twitter.com/Micah_Johnson3)

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to have a conversation for the Word to the Weisman podcast with Micah Johnson, the former Dodger who at the age of 29 has transformed into a full-time artist with growing success. He’s a really interesting guy, and I think you’ll enjoy our 30-minute chat about his unique career journey as well as his thoughts about the landmark year of 2020.

You can listen above, or find Word to the Weisman on your favorite podcast app.

And for more about Johnson, including a look at his artwork, check out his Instagram and Twitter accounts, as well as his website and this one, The Arthlete.

Enjoy!

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Page 7 of 381

Gonsolin? May? Urías?
How about all of the above?

Duke Snider holds a major NL record that no one talks about

Previewing the Dodgers’
2020 postseason roster

Baseball fans, are you ready for the tiebreakers?

Dodger issues against LHP should solve themselves

Anger is fear.
Anger is hurt.
Anger is pain.

Sending a daughter to college during a pandemic

With a dominant bullpen, Dodgers’ postseason salvation could be 28-man rosters

An epic Dodgers collapse Phillies comeback, 30 years ago today

The Dodgers are talented, but October is scarier than ever

Rewatching James at 15
and remembering 1970s TV

Video: 1960s Celebrity All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium

A people too defiant for masks

Pandemic baseball is upon us

Podcast: Micah Johnson, Dodger-turned-artist

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