Blog KIosk: 10/14/2015 - Dodger Links - Puig, Turner and the Awesome Clayton Kershaw

Ha!  Check that out.  Banana's in the stands for Kiké Hernandez and the Dodgers in New York.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.

What a fantastic game last night.  Everything I dreamed of and hoped for came true, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll continue tomorrow.  As you know, Game 5 will begin at 5:00 PM on Thursday, and I think it's fair to say that all of the Baseball watching world will be tuning in. 

As for last night's game, what is there to say?  Clayton Kershaw was great.  Via Pedro Moura at the OC Register:

After he won the game for the Dodgers, he would not discuss his previous seventh-inning struggles, but he was happy to answer a question about his perceived reliance on fastballs.

“Yeah, it really wasn’t by design,” Kershaw said, “but I think I probably did end up throwing more fastballs tonight – less sliders. Probably give (catcher A.J. Ellis) credit on that. He felt confident throwing the heater tonight with a lot of guys and we were able to get some outs behind in the count on it, which was great, some jam shots and some pop-ups, which was big.

“But throwing fastballs will either get you in trouble or keep your pitch count down. So fortunately for me tonight it kind of kept it down a little bit.”

And "Red Beard" has been fantastic.  Via Christ Haft at MLB.com on Justin Turner.  He is batting .467 (7 for 15) to lead the series:

"It seems like everything they throw at him, he hits it hard," Los Angeles utility man Kiké Hernandez said. "I'm glad he's locked in. He's carrying us right now."

Below are more links to check out:

• Unfortunately, some injuries are popping up for the Dodgers.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Grandal's shoulder pain surfaces in Game 3."  Worse yet, Justin Turner isn't exactly 100% right now.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Justin Turner dealing with left knee soreness, delivers key hit in Dodgers' Game 4 win."

"JT was a little sore yesterday during the game. He had some swelling but was able to play," manager Don Mattingly said. "But as the game went on he was going to have trouble moving."

• Check out transcripts for several postgame interviews in the links below:

• Don Mattingly

• Clayton Kershaw

• Justin Turner and AJ Ellis

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Injuries wreak havoc with Yasiel Puig's season."

“It’s just been up and down,” Mattingly said of Puig’s season. “He’s never really got any kind of true rhythm, I don’t think, through the course of the year. He got started, actually swung the bat good early, got hurt, came back, took him awhile. He kind of reinjured that leg before he even got back (in May). Played awhile, had another one (hamstring injury).

“It’s just been a bumpy kind of stop-and-start type of year.”

• I suppose the league, the union and everyone else isn't prepared for an appeal process since suspensions are very infrequent.  Via ESPN, "Chase Utley's appeal hearing scheduled for Monday."
• Regarding any rule changes, Commissioner Manfred spoke a bit about it with Jayson Stark at ESPN; "Commissioner Rob Manfred talks about difficulty of improving slide rule." 

"I hate to admit this," the commissioner said before Tuesday's St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs game, "but I think the way we had to work through the home-plate situation gives you a feel for how difficult it is to write that kind of rule that involves in-game action and an important part of the game."

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Brandon Beachy now a free agent."
• Via Arash Markazi at ESPN, "Why so much of Dodgers' Brooklyn history resides in Los Angeles."  This is about super collector Gary Cypres and his massive Dodger collection in his LA museum.  

"There are various levels of collectors," Cypres said. "I'm obviously on the far nutty side of it all. I'm completely nuts. People ask me why I do it, and I don't know why. All I know is that I get a great sense of joy in collecting. It's like a holiday all year round for me. I get presents all year round. Every day, Federal Express comes with another goodie I've bought."

...

 "I'm going to put the Dodger collection in a trust," he said. "The Dodger collection cannot be replaced. There are no duplicates of what I have. Gloves, balls and bats can be replaced, but the history of a franchise which took me 25 years to assemble, that's impossible to replace. That's a treasure, and I don't want my kids to blow the treasure. It's my love, and even after death, I'm going to be looking down saying, 'No, no, no,' if they want to get rid of it. You can't do that. It's history, and that means something to me."

 BTW, he will be reopening his museum to the public next year, so stay tuned for those details.

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Is Cahill a Dodger at Heart?

On the lighter side of Blue, Trevor Cahill was caught on camera sporting what looked like Los Angeles Dodgers socks during the sixth inning of last night's game.  Check out the pic above as proof.

As you'll recall, Cahill joined the Dodger franchise after being released by the Braves this past July, spent over a month in the minors, then opted out of his minor league deal in August to eventually sign with the Cubs.  So, he has some history with the club.

Additionally, he was born and raised in northern San Diego County and might have been a Dodger fan as a kid.  Knowing how superstitious ballplayers can be maybe these were his lucky socks from those days.

Still, you would think having these on would be a major paux pas in any clubhouse.

I thought I would also add that Topps even made a Baseball card for him - complete with an airbrushed Dodger uniform - in their Heritage card release in September (I wrote about that here). Considering the above socks, his potential childhood fandom and past playing history - albeit short - I bet he was ecstatic about the card.

Hat Tip: Rob Ogden at the Chicago Sun Times.
Pic above via Ali Thanawalla on twitter.

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Blog Kiosk: 10/13/2015 - Dodger Links - Kershaw, Kasten and Thoughts on the Utley Suspension

Last night's game was a tough one to watch.  We took an early lead in the 2nd inning only to see it disappear minutes later.  Brett Anderson, who's been hit or miss all season long, was not on his game.  Via Anthony DiComo and Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"I thought he looked good the first inning," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Anderson. "Ball was coming out of his hand pretty good early. Obviously the second was not as good; threw the ball up more. And the third, you were kind of just hoping there that he has a chance to kind of find a groove and give you some innings right through there, but obviously it kind of ended. We couldn't get out of that inning."

Fortunately, the Dodger bats shows a little bit of life; albeit too late to really matter.  Hopefully, they can look at it as an foundation to build upon for tonight's game.

Photo above of Andre Ethier getting high-fives in the dugout via Jon SooHoo on twitter.  Check out more photos from Jon of yesterday's game here.  Below are more links to check out:

• Guess who's starting Game 4...

Dodgers announce Clayton Kershaw will start Game 4. Third straight season

— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) October 12, 2015

• No doubt related to the Chase Utley situation, Dodger President Stan Kasten is seen having a rather heated discussion with MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred prior to last night's game, via a pic shared by Bill Plunkett on twitter.

Asked Stan what he was discussing w/ Commish. Said they disagreed about movie they had both seen #joking #thetwitter pic.twitter.com/RMbJZioQsH

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 12, 2015

• Clayton threw in his two cents.  Via Mark Fishman at Yardbarker, "Clayton Kershaw: MLB 'bullied' into Chase Utley suspension."
  

  "Either change the rule or let it happen," Kershaw said. "I don't think you can be on the fence. I feel like MLB got maybe a little bit bullied into suspending him. Never happened before. I've seen slides a lot worse."

• Now Lasorda responds.  Via Christian Red at the Daily News, "Tommy Lasorda wants rule change in wake of Chase Utley-Ruben Tejada play."
  

   "You know what I've been saying? They give catchers protection, right? What about those middle infielders? What kind of protection do you want to give them?" Lasorda said outside the Lotte New York Palace in midtown, where the Dodgers are staying.
  
  Told that he had been around baseball long enough to have probably seen plays similar to the one Utley was involved with, Lasorda chuckled.
  
  "Not with a broken leg," he said. 

• Via Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest, "A Tale of a One-of-a-Kind Brooklyn Dodgers Championship Signed Poster."
  

  “The story that went with the poster is that it was made with cardboard and a laundry marker right in the locker room,” Rooney said. “I’ve always imagined that it was the first thing that group of players signed as the official World Champs.”
  
  The makeshift article was no doubt made in a hurry, in the midst of the Dodgers’ celebration. The words “Brooklyn Dodgers World Champs” are spelled out in large dark letters, no doubt made with a marker. Individual autographs are all in pencil.
  
  In the excitement, however, three players never put their “John Hancock” on the piece, including Dodger hurler Johnny Podres, whose Game 7, 2-0 shutout clinched the Fall Classic, earning him the Series MVP Award.

• This is kinda funny.  Via jbox at Gaslamp Ball, "will.i.am gives lyrical "finger" to the Padres on The Game's new album."
• I guess it's official.  Via ESPN, "Chewing tobacco to be banned in MLB parks under new California law."
• WTF.  Come on people!  Via ESPN, "Police looking for those involved in fight that critically injured fan."  Orel at Sons of Steve Garvey grabs even more details here.

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Does the Infielder Carry Any Responsibility?

I came across an interesting tweet from Jerry Hairston Jr. that seems pertinent.  Apparently, Jerry was on AM570 to voice his opinion about the Chase Utley slide.  Here's Jerry's tweet below:

Fans keep calls comin @AM570LASports I agree W/ SS Cal Ripken/Nomar who played pos. Hard legal play, SS left himself Vulnerable #MLB

— Jerry Hairston, Jr. (@TheRealJHair) October 12, 2015

We can argue all day long about whether the slide was warranted or legal, but that's not the issue I'm wondering about.  What I am curious about is the last part of Hairston's tweet. 

How much responsibility does a middle infielder have when it comes to vulnerability? 

If you look back at the replay (video link here) you can clearly see Tejada receive the ball, take a step with his right foot, then attempt an pirouette in the air in order to throw out the runner.   In doing this, he turns his back on Chase Utley; thereby putting himself in a vulnerable position.  You have to believe that Tejada was mindful of the oncoming runner, so in choosing to make a throw anyway doesn't he contribute, to a certain extent, to the bad situation?

As a hockey fan we see this kind of thing all the time, and oftentimes the severity of a penalty or suspension is assessed based on whether the player himself put themselves in a vulnerable position.  This isn't always the case, of course, but I think that in situations like the Utley/Tejada debacle a similar rule must apply.  

Photo above via Bleacher Report on twitter.

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A Couple Brooklyn Dodger Items at Hunt Auctions

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog posting.  Currently ongoing is Hunt's October auction, and it includes a couple of Dodger memorabilia items I wanted to highlight.

Featured above is 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers Spring Training player roster and guide with the iconic 1939 Baseball Centennial logo emblazoned on it.  As you may know, every player in the league wore this Centennial logo patch on their uniforms and teams throughout plastered it on everything.  And no wonder, I consider it one of the best creations in the history of the game.  I absolutely love that logo.

The next item below represents the famous Dodger mascot created by Willard Mullin and portrayed by legendary clown Emmett Kelly at Brooklyn ballgames.  This is something I've never seen before, and am uncertain if the doll is actually vintage.  Clearly, the Brooklyn Dodger pin attached to it is vintage.  In today's world this kind of image would be frowned upon, but when paired with sports nostalgia it becomes a collectible. 

(Auction Link)

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Blog Kiosk: 10/12/2015 - Dodger Links - The Utley Slide

Since this is all the rage since the conclusion of Saturday's game I figured I would address it here.  As you all know, Chase Utley attempted an take-out slide on shortstop Ruben Tejada that was clearly overly aggressive and ill-advised.  No doubt, Utley's goal was to disrupt the play and in doing so injured a defenseless ballplayer - who, if I may add, contributed in putting himself in that position.  That's not to say that one act negates the other.  It's just that Tejada's attempt to make a pirouette and throw was also ill-advised.

Still, Utley's act is clearly more egregious and given the severity of the injury is worthy of rebuke.  But is it worthy of suspension?

With everything being equal, yes, Utley's slide is worthy of suspension, but I hesitate because this is a type of penalty that has not been enforced or enacted all season long.  So a suspension would lack any sense of continuity, but maybe that's the point.  Maybe this situation and the ensuing suspension is meant to push the discussion.  Clearly, the league has made moves over the past several years to protect its players from previously accepted "hard plays"; i.e. the Posey rule.  Additionally, they have been wanting to address the differences between an "illegal slide and a legitimate hard play," and impose penalties for the former.  Torre even said the following about this in his statement regarding the 2-game suspension:

“We have been in discussions with the Players Association throughout the year regarding potential rule changes to better protect middle infielders, and we intend to continue those discussions this offseason.”

The game is definitely changing from what I remember as a kid.  The days of "Baseball being something like a war" is dwindling away, and players and fans alike appear to be demanding that it become more gentlemanly.  And in the whole scheme of things, I can learn to accept that.  If there is one good thing this situation creates for Baseball it is that a more defined rule will be enacted over the winter to specifically address and define this.  As it stands, Utley is suspended 2-games, and as you would expect he has appealed Torre's decision.  Since a hearing is unlikely before the start of tonight's game he will be on the bench for the Dodgers.

On a side note, Jon SooHoo shared several photographs from Saturday's game, and one other take-out slide was featured.  As you can see below, Curtis Granderson is attempting his own slide on Howie Kendrick and inadvertently spiked him on the foot.  The old-school fan inside me sees this as more than acceptable, but I wonder if such an action, accidental or not, would fall under the definition of an illegal slide. 

Photos above via Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Below are more links to check out:

• Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, "Chase Utley apologized to Ruben Tejada by sending David Wright a text."
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Mattingly stands behind Utley '100 percent.'" 

During his Sunday off-day press conference at Citi Field, Mattingly said, "We're 100-percent behind" Utley.

• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "There’s life in the left arm of Brett Anderson."
  

  “It’s another start. I mean, obviously it’s a little more ramifications and more people and a hostile environment … If I woke up and didn’t have anything, I’d be kind of boring,” he said. “So I need to listen to my heavy metal and kind of rage out for a little bit and get some caffeine and Red Bull in me. Once you get out there and start warming up, the playoff adrenaline kind of ramps up. But you try to treat it just like another start. But once you feel the adrenaline, feel the crowd, it’ll kind of kick in and it’ll be fun.”

• Via Michael Beschloss at the NY Times, "The Pitcher Time Forgot" - Dan Bankhead.
• An old friend alert:  Via Sports Illustrated, "Report: Kim Ng among Phillies’ top choices for general manager."
• Via Bodie Dykstra at the Daily Gammons, "Corey Seager: From Prospect to Postseason."

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