Wednesday, December 02, 2015

Welcome to the Blue, Bob Geren!


Right on the heals of the Dave Roberts press conference we are getting word that the Dodgers have made another addition to the teams coaching staff.  Via Ken Rosenthal on twitter and seemingly confirmed everywhere, the Dodgers have hired Bob Geren to be the bench coach.
As you may recall, Geren was one of nine candidates interviewed by the front office for the manager position.  He had previously managed in the minors for the Red Sox and A's.  Then transitioned to a bench coach position with Oakland in 2003.  In 2007 he became the A's manager until his firing during the 2011 season.  That following year he joined the Mets organization as their bench coach until this past season.  It is notable that he worked with current Dodger GM Farhan Zaidi while with the A's.

As for style and tendencies, he is apparently strong in sabermetrics.  Via Beth Harris at the Washington Times:
“He has been invaluable for me,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Statistically, he’s off the charts. … I think Bob would be a great candidate. I hope he gets it.”
Based on the above, I suppose he'll be tasked with passing along relevant numbers and analysis to Dave Roberts.  On the other hand, he might be lacking in other skills.  Via John Shea at the SF Gate, regarding his time as the Oakland A's manager:
Fuentes had cited Geren's "unorthodox managing" and said he was handled "pretty poorly," thanks to "zero" communication. Former A's reliever Huston Street took it a step further Tuesday by calling Geren the "least favorite person I have ever encountered in sports."
BTW, A's owner Lew Wolff had a different opinion, via John Shea at the SF Gate:
“I personally love the way he deals with everybody,” Wolff said. “It’s a long season. He’s had some long seasons. I love the guy. He’s a good teacher. I love everything about him. He’s a very solid person, and I like the way he deals with everything all year long. This is a hard job.”
I would suggest that the anecdotal stuff above should be taken with a grain of salt.  Bob Geren is capable and smart.  He has the ear of the Dodgers front office and has a background in statistical analysis that is clearly coveted.  Geren might be the perfect "yin" to the "yang" that Dave Roberts brings to the table.

In celebration of his hiring I made the above two fantasy cards of him.  On the left, the photograph was taken by Howard Simmons/New York Daily News and I used the 1971 Topps Baseball card design.  On the right, the photograph was taken by the AP and I used the 1982 Topps Baseball card design.

Below are his career statistics as a player and a manager, via Baseball-Reference:



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Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Busy! - 14 Past, Current and Future Dodger Players

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

This might be the busiest weekend for Dodger autographs ever!  Holy Moly!
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Dodger Stadium will again be hosting a holiday sale at the Top of the Park store and three former players will be there to sign autographs for you - FOR FREE!  Remember   Go here for more information.
Saturday, December 5, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.                      Dennis Powell
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.                        Tim Leary
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.                          Eric Karros
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If you're up near Santa Maria on Friday I'd suggest checking this out.  For a $20 donation you can get an Steve Sax autograph at Cugini's Pizzeria & Trattoria.  Go here for information.
Cugini's Pizzeria & Trattoria
230 E Betteravia Rd
Santa Maria, CA 93455

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A ton of Dodgers will be at Frank & Sons on Saturday.  Go here or here for information.
  • FREE Autograph available of Jim "Mudcat" Grant.  He will also be selling his book and selling a statue of himself.  ($30. paperback - $40. hardcover - autograph included) (Jim will also be selling a statue of himself @ $40.) Please note that free autographs for Mr. Grant are limited to as many as he can sign in one hour.  stage time:  9:30am - 10:30am 
  • Don Newcombe stage time:  11:30am - 1:00pm  NOTE:  Mr. Newcombe will no longer sign bobbleheads and figurines 
  • Todd Hollandsworth stage time:  12:30pm - 1:30pm 
  • Steve Garvey stage time:  1:00pm - 2:00pm
  • Danny Heep stage time:  12noon - 1:00pm
  • "Sweet" Lou Johnson  stage time:  10:30am - 11:30am
  • Tommy Davis stage time:  10:30am - 11:30am
  • Paul LoDuca stage time:  1:00pm - 2:00pm
  • Jerry Reuss.  He will also be selling his popular book "Bring in the Right Hander!" stage time:  11:00am - 12noon
Frank & Son Collectible Show
19649 San Jose Ave
City of Industry, CA 91748



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Dodgers catching and infield prospect Austin Barnes will be signing at Bobblemania on Sunday.  Go here for information.
Bobblemania
2334 South Atlantic Boulevard, Suite A
Monterey Park, CA 91754

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Check Out Dave Roberts on the Tweet Seat


In between the press conference, photo shoot and countless number of interviews Dave Roberts took to social media for just a moment to interact with fans.  Typically known as the #TweetSeat, check out what fans wanted to know and what he had to say below.
(Tweet Link)
(Tweet Link)
(Tweet Link)

Blog Kiosk: 12/2/2015 - Dodger Links - Roberts, Kershaw and Puig


It's great to have you back, Dave!  Via Joey Nowak at MLB.com:
"To be able to put this hat and this jersey on again, it'll never be mistaken and forgotten, how impactful these people [have been] and the legacy they created," Roberts said. "I look at it as a responsibility to continue forward and do things the right way."
Photo above via @MLB on twitter.  You can check out more photo's from yesterday's press conference from Jon SooHoo here.  Below are more links to check out:
A word that I like, I like “grit.” I wasn’t a great baseball player, and so I had to do a lot of things and grind and try to create opportunities for myself. And I think grit is something I believe in — it’s an unrelenting passion and desire for a common goal.”

“I’m always trying to learn. I’m always trying to grow. I want to be the best that I can be. That’s kind of my goal for staff, for people in the organization, for players. I think if we can shoot for that, everything else takes care of itself.”

"After our first-round interview, it was like he had our answer key. He had all the answers we wanted to hear going through it," said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. "It was incredibly impressive."

"We went into it with a completely open mind," general manager Farhan Zaidi said. "There's no way Dave walked out of that interview without thinking 'I totally nailed that,' because that's what we all thought."
“From my experience, Puig responds well to genuine people; when he understands there’s no agenda and people really just care for him,” Gonzalez said.

“I think that’s one reason why he’s really responded well to me. I told him from day one I don’t want anything from you. When I tell you something it’s for your own good. I’m not doing it because I’m trying to get something out of you or I’m trying to get something for myself.”
  • This is good news.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Don Newcombe resting at home after fainting at Dodger Stadium press conference."
  • Topps recently announced, via instagram, that a Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) of Bull Durham fame autographed card will be inserted into packs of 2016 Topps Archives.  Check it out on the right.
  • Holy mackerel!  Are we about to have another reason to loudly boo Barry Bonds? Apparently, he will be a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins, via Mike Oz at Big League Stew.
The coaching hierarchy as it's been reported has Bonds as a second hitting coach alongside Frank Menechino, who has been with the Marlins since 2013. New Miami manager Don Mattingly and Menechino are said to be "all in" on the idea, according to Peter Gammons.

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