I do not know if any of you remember a movie called ” The Fan “. It starred Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes. DeNiro was the fan, and Snipes, a free agent outfielder who signs with the Giants. Problem is that the number he wore with the Braves is already taken by a Giants player who refuses to give it up.
Benicio Del Toro plays that player. Does not matter what Snipes offers the guy, he is not changing numbers. Now, what happens in the movie is that the obsessed fan ends up killing Del Toro’s character, so Snipes gets his number. Far-fetched of course, but there are some real wacko’s out there in fandom.
Just look at those two guys who beat that Giants fan so severely in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, then the fans who stabbed a Dodger fan to death in San Francisco.
I thought about this because Kiké Hernandez is back with the Dodgers. Thing is, Kiké is not going to get his # 14 back. The reason is simple, the number was retired last season when Gil Hodges was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame. Long overdue honor. And I sincerely doubt Gil’s family would be ok with Kiké wearing it.
Doesn’t matter, he is going to get # 8. Also got me thinking about players and their sometimes obsession with wearing the same number throughout their baseball career.
Manny Ramirez wore # 24 in Cleveland and when he went to the Red Sox. He gets traded to the Dodgers and low and behold, he can’t have 24. It is retired for Walter Alston. To Manny’s credit, he went way out of the box and asked for 99.
After he was claimed by the White Sox, he also wore 99 in Chicago. At his next stop, Tampa Bay, he got his beloved 24 back again. Kiké could not get 14 in Boston, so he wore # 5. JT is # 2 in Boston. Jansen has been able to keep his # 74 in Atlanta and in Boston.
I am in the minority maybe, but I do not think pitchers should have single digit uni numbers. When he first came up, Urias wore #78. I do not know what the connection is with him and the number seven, but when he was called up to stay, he switched to seven. When I have the time, and glasses strong enough for me to read the small print, I am going to look in my old Dodger Media Guide and see how many pitchers in Dodger history have worn a single digit number.
Trea Turner wore 7 in DC. Had to wear 6 in LA since Urias had it. He has his 7 back in Philadelphia. When did numbers on uni’s start?
The earliest use of numbers on the uniform dates back to 1907 when the Reading Red Roses of the Atlantic League placed numbers on their players so the fans could identify them. They are credited as such by the Hall of Fame museum.
The first major league team to number their uniforms was the Cleveland Indians. On June 26th, 1916, the Indians took the field in their home park with numbers on the sleeve of their uniforms.
The experiment was tried for a few weeks and then again the next season before being abandoned. In 1923 the Cardinals put numbers on their sleeves, but their players were ridiculed by other teams and were taken off.
In 1929, both the Yankees and the Indians were scheduled to wear numbers on the backs of their uniforms on opening day. The Yankees game was postponed, but the Indians played their game becoming the first team to wear numbers on the back of the uniform.
The Yankees used a very simple way to number their players at first. They wore a number that showed where they hit in the batting order. That is how Babe Ruth became # 3 and Gehrig # 4.
Numbers were not universally used in both leagues until 1937 when the Philadelphia A’s became the last team to adopt the practice.
The Dodgers were the first to adopt putting a number on the front of their jerseys. They were going to do it if they appeared in the 1951 World Series, but Thompson’s homer squashed that.
Not all teams wear numbers on the front of the uniform now. But several do. Dodgers, Mets, Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Astros, Pirates.
The Dodgers number on the front is red. They wanted it to stand out from the rest of the uniform. The Phillies were the only team who wore the number on the sleeve of the uni and they discontinued that in 2022 with the adoption of sponsors on uniform sleeves.
Placing the players’ names on the back of the uniforms was first done by the White Sox in 1960. It is almost universal in baseball now, with a few notable exceptions.
Yankees home pinstripes, Boston’s home whites. The Dodgers removed the names for a season or so in the early 2000’s. But they have been back for a long time now. Ichiro is probably the only player who used his first name on the back of his uniform rather than his last.
Some weird facts about players wanting their favorite number. When he joined the Blue Jays, Rickey Henderson paid Turner Ward, yeah, the former Dodger hitting coach, $25,000 to give him # 24.
When Brian Jordan joined the Braves, he bought coach Fredi Gonzalez a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for # 33. Juan Pierre bought then Dodger manager, Grady Little a motorcycle for # 9.
When Wild Thing Mitch Williams joined the Phillies, he gave John Kruk 10 bucks and two cases of beer for his #28. Roger Clemens tried to get # 21 from Paul O’Neil but O’Neil refused so Clemens took # 12,
Joe Beimel took number # 97 because his first child was born in 1997.
Some very interesting moves. I do know one thing for sure, Amed Rosario will not be getting his # 1. Seems it is retired for a guy named Reese.
07-28-2023 – MiLB Game Summary Report
by Jeff Dominique
OKC Dodgers 14 – Reno Aces (Arizona) 12
The Dodgers jumped out to a 7-1 lead after 2.5. Arizona scored 7 off Matt Andriese in the bottom of the 3rd to take a 8-7 lead. In this slugfest in Reno, OKC scored the next 7, and Reno scored the next 4. There were 34 hits, 18 by OKC and 16 by Reno. All OKC hitters had at least 1 hit, and all but 3 had at least 2. OKC had 5 doubles and 4 HR.
Key Performers:
- Michael Busch – 4-6, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 doubles (19) HR (16)
- Kole Calhoun – 3-5, 3 runs, 4 RBI, 2 HR (5)
- Drew Avans – 2-5, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Miguel Vargas – 2-4, 1 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, double (4), HR (3)
- Hunter Feduccia – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run
- David Dahl – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 2 doubles (15)
Busch is now batting .313/.431/.581/1.012. 19 doubles, 3 triples, 16 HR, K rate down to 19.6%. Why doesn’t Busch have a MLB job?
Kole Calhoun is now batting .305/.387/.545/.932, 16 doubles, 5 triples, 9 HR, K rate is 17.4%. Somebody has to want to give him another shot, right?
Springfield Cardinals 7 – Tulsa Drillers 2
Springfield scored 7 in the 3.2 IP by Nick Frasso. Frasso allowed 5 hits, including a 2 run HR in the 3rd, and 3 BB. Trevor Bettencourt, Ben Harris, and Ricky Vanasco pitched the final 5.1 innings with 1 hit and no runs.
Tulsa 2 runs came via a 2-out 2-run HR from Kody Hoese. Hoese also singled and drew a walk to reach 3 times.
Great Lakes Loons 7 – Dayton Dragons (Reds) 6
In a back and forth game, in the 4th, the Dragons scored 4 to take a 5-2 lead. In the bottom of the 4th, GL scored five to retake the lead 7-5. Luis Yanel Diaz led off with a BB, and Kenneth Bettencourt singled. That was followed by a pair of doubles by Chris Alleyne (13) and Jake Vogel (14). One out later, Alex Freeland slugged a 2-run HR (6).
The Dragons scored one in the 9th on 2 HBP and 2 BB.
Bettencourt was the only Loon to have 2 hits. Yeiner Fernandez also had a double (12).
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10 – San Jose Giants 4
The two teams scored all of their runs in the first 4 innings. RC broke it open with 5 in the 4th and a 10-4, that turned out to be the final score.
Peter Heubeck pitched 5 innings allowing all 4 runs (3 earned). Jonathan Edwards, Garrett McDaniels, and Madison Jeffrey pitched the final 4 scoreless innings without a hit.
Key Performers:
- Thayron Liranzo – 2-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI, double (12), HR (16)
- Luis Rodriguez – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Wilman Diaz – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Jose Izarra – 1-4, 1 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, double (16)
Baseball players can be superstitious
Here’s what I’m seeing from the rotation and bullpen and you guys tell me if you’re seeing the same thing. Just putting out some thoughts here.
Kershaw-the only starter who can pitch past the 5th inning. Still super effective. Gets swings and misses, gives hitters different looks.
Urias- looks out of shape. Maybe its the tv putting on extra pounds but it looks like he’s put on 10-15 pounds and its effecting his stamina. He looks out of breath more than usual. Looks like he’s struggling out there. His pitches have no zip on them anymore, less movement. Watch him during the 2020 world series compared to this year.
Gonsolin-fragile, not a starter but has good stuff. Better as a reliever. Not a postseason pitcher, over 9 era in playoffs
Grove-horrendous but would like to see him in the bullpen. Has one good pitch. Needs to develop secondary pitches.
Sheehan-called up too early I’m guessing. Hes getting knocked around like a punching bag. Will probably have to go back to the minors for a while
Miller-great stuff, poor sequencing, too many mistake pitches. Loads of potential.
One thing I’ve noticed is there are way too many non-competitive pitches thrown from all of them. Why else would they be at 90 pitches by the 5th inning? Too many 3 ball counts. Too much trying to get guys to chase. Especially for Miller, go after these guys. Challenge the hitters. Miller throws 100, too much nibbling. Also would help to give the hitters different looks.
Not enough swings and misses from the relievers. No ground ball specialist. No multi-inning or long man. Ferguson, and Graterol are pitching very well. Phillips is great. Almonte and Bickford still suck. Vesia has improved.
Need 1 more starter at least and probably another reliever. The offense can’t score 8-10 runs per game.
I expect to see the Dodgers stay active in the trade market. There is interest in Keller of the Pirates and a couple of other starting pitchers. Pirates would want a nice package back. There have also been stories that they have an interest in Pham or Canha. I can’t see that. Joe was saying last night that Rosario is also going to see time at second base and center field. He has never played second base, but he has logged some time in center field. He said he feels comfortable out there. Betts will continue to play second against RHP.
Wow, seems Kody Hoese had another good game. Good to see
Terrible movie
An OK outing by Bobby Miller last night. He seems to have at least one bad inning per game lately. He did a nice job of locking things down though even if he threw too many pitches in five innings to do so. It’s all part of the learning curve for Miller. He has had tremendous run support in his previous outings. The Dodgers came up a little bit short offensively along with Almonte’s terrible performance. Let’s hope that was a one off for Yency. He’s been so good recently.
CT3 looked like a little leaguer running the bases last night.
Nice start for new Dodger Amed Rosario. It was nice to get some offense out of the SS position. His speed will also be helpful.
Freddie has to be the NL MVP. Right?
Lance Lynn. Please, make me regret my thoughts on the trade that brought you here.
And with the return of Joe Kelly. I really don’t think it’s possible for him to justify a spot in the BP. As inconsistent as Bickford has been this year how is Kelly considered an improvement? I really don’t get the Kelly acquisition. Unless, AF was forced to take him in order to make the trade happen. Hope for the best.
Carry on.
Amed Rosario had a good game yesterday.
Why is Muncy playing against lefties? Should have played Outman in the outfield and Taylor at 3B.
With respect to Kody Hoese, I was never enamored with him. IMO, a first round pick must have a high ceiling. He could have a low floor, but he must for a high ceiling. And Kody Hoese never had that. I am also a Baseball Conference snob. The SEC, ACC, Big 10, and PAC 12 have the most history and draw the best prospects. Occasionally a conference like the Big West will have formidable baseball teams (Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, and Cal Poly SLO). But overall the conference is not strong.
Hoese is a Tulane alum, which is in The American Athletic Conference (AAC). The AAC (not to be confused with ACC) is not a baseball power house, and players can dominate in that conference, but not be as successful in the SEC. Then again, good/great players do come out of those conferences.
Kody went off as a junior in 2019. He was also older as a collegian. However, a 1.265 OPS is something a team must consider.
It is hard to follow high school kids for an upcoming draft. College kids are much easier to follow. Gunnar Henderson was identified as a high school SS who could be around at the LAD pick on draft day very early on, and I started to follow him. BA always has good info on HS players.
As a senior, he was named the Alabama state player of the year after batting . 559 with 17 doubles, nine triples, 11 home runs, 69 runs scored and 75 RBIs while stealing 32 bases. He was also an Auburn commit. Yes, SEC. What is not to like?
Henderson was just not a baseball player. He was an exceptional high school athlete. He was also named the Alabama Independent School Association Player of the Year in basketball after 17 points and 11 rebounds per game.
I was on the Gunnar Henderson train early on, but I did not think he would last to #25. Others I was hoping would fall, but did not: George Kirby, RHP, to Seattle (20), Braden Shewmake, SS, to Atlanta (21), Daniel Espino, RHP, to Cleveland (24). The Dodgers took Kody Hoese at 25. They were obviously intrigued by his power potential.
I was NEVER on the Anthony Volpe train. Not that I did not like him. I did not know him. He was never on my radar.
I believe that I have been on three HS SS for the Dodgers since really following the draft, and the Dodgers got 1…Corey Seager. The other two were Bo Bichette and Gunnar Henderson.
I wonder how other teams might value Vargas and Cartaya.
I’m still not convinced St Louis will be sellers, especially their perennial All Star third baseman, but I think it’s possible they might trade 2 of Montgomery, Flaherty and Hicks. I also think the Mets could trade Verlander.
Sheehan, Pepiot, Grove, Vargas, Cartaya, Stone and Busch. And Muncy. With all of that we get 2 starters, a lock down reliever and who knows, maybe even Arenado.
Apparently the Dodgers assumed 100% of the Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly remaining contract amounts. Depending on which publication you believe, the Dodgers could be reaching their AAV ceiling without incurring a loss of 10 spots in the 1st round of the 2024 draft ($273MM). The loss of 10 spots in the draft undoubtedly hurt the team in 2023, as they lost out on all of the players they were hoping for between #26 and #36.
Here are the three publications:
· Cots – $266MM
· Spotrac – $259MM
· Roster Resource – $252MM
Once the trade deadline comes and goes, I will see if I can locate why there is such disparity.
I am sure that if there was a player that AF/BG believed was the difference between winning a WS and just getting to the playoffs, they would convince the owners that it was a good investment…even with the loss of 10 spots in the draft. I am not certain that they believe that Nolan Arenado is that player. I just do not know who that it is. Nolan Arenado and Justin Verlander are two players that AF has always wanted, so they are always going to be considerations. I have trouble believing either one will be wearing Dodger Blue on Wednesday.
Get Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, and Jordan Hicks, stay under $273MM, and call it a trade deadline.
Lolmets
Rangers and Mets in agreement on a trade that would send Max Scherzer to Texas per MLBTR. Scherzer needs to waive his no-trade for the deal to go through.
https://twitter.com/BlakeHHarris/status/1684990187439603712?s=20
https://twitter.com/Klein25/status/1663374723831726080?s=20
#1 and #2 in 2024?
Phil Bickford has been designated for assignment to make room for Joe Kelly who has been activated. Apparently they did not want to delay the inevitable. Bickford does not have any more options. Tyson Miller still had an option, and they still chose to DFA Bickford.
Max Scherzer and $22MM go to Texas. Luisangel Acuña goes to NYM. Yes, Luisangel is Ronald’s younger brother. Good trade for both.
Scherzer trade now official per Jon Heyman. Gadzooks! Bit lightning strike on the large hill behind our building. Scared the hell out of me!!!!
Arenado is no longer a consideration. St. Louis has removed him from any potential trade. But, Justin Verlander is a growing consideration. Fabian Ardaya says that a deal is complicated, but the Dodgers “are in position” to make the trade.