Spring Cleaning for the Dodgers...A Complete Demo for Me

There are a few times a year when my TV service goes out.  Usually when my wife gets a wild streak of Spring cleaning and what starts as a simple top to bottom cleaning of one room in the house turns into a full blown remodel.  This has happened to me more than once and that’s what happened in my Den/family room yesterday, where my main DirecTV receiver sits.

A reconfiguration of furniture and a top to bottom cleaning has turned into :

*Removal of all furniture from the room including pictures, frames, curtains, curtain rods and fire place fixtures.

*Removal of pop corn ceiling and scraping that clean, (which, by the way, is about as fun as getting hit in the privates by a Stephen Strasburg fastball). 

*The installation of recessed lights, (another joy of life that takes up the huge portion of a day).

*Ceiling texturing and a full blown paint job.

*Disconnection of television and audio system. 

The direct result of this project that was unexpected to me has been an entire weekend that is shot,  A tired, tired frustrated man and a loss of t.v. connectivity to the entire house.  Meanwhile dust is everywhere and I’m now about $400 poorer than when this “room cleaning” began.  For those of you impressed with my home improvements skills I will admit that my son-in-law has the brains and brawn in these types of progress, not me.

Why bring it up?  Well, this all makes it kind of hard to write anything meaningful when I CAN’T WATCH THE GAME, nor do I have much time to log on.  But thank goodness for MLB.TV subscription, and the fact that my wifi network is located in another room, (& another $25 bucks), I was able to get my peaks in yesterday to see Kemp mash again, Dee Gordon break out of a slump, James Loney homer for the 1st time this year, Andre Ethier drive in two runs and Clayton Kershaw earn his first win.

Kershaw glares in at Home plate umpire  D.J. Reyburn, who had just notified him that he had gone to his mouth too many times in the 7th inning.  Kershaw threw 104 pitches over 7 innings of shutout ball, striking out 9 Astros in the process.

I said going into this road trip that a 4-2 record would be a success.  A win by Billingsley will accomplish that lofty goal.  Word is out that the reason for Eovaldi’s short minor league stint in Chatanooga the other day was because Bills felt some soreness in the groin area after his last start, but his Friday bullpen session alleviated some of the those fears and he is on track to go for his third win of the season today as the Dodgers close out the trip.  Jim Peltz's L.A. Times Notes Linked Here

Another weekend of “general soreness” in this 50 year old body.  Time for me to go on the D.L.  Isn’t that right Mike Marshall?

*********************************************************************

I Dare To Compare

Dare I say it?  Yeah, I will.  This current run by Matt Kemp is “Bonds-esque.”  Please allow me to explain.

In the early part of the 2000s, I’ll admit it.  I hated it when Barry Bonds came to the plate.   I hated it because he was the best freaking hitter that I ever saw in my life.   I hated it because I knew there was a pretty good chance he'd hit it out.  I'm not ashamed to confess that when the 7th inning rolled around and the game was close, I'd count how many hitters had to come to the plate before it was Bonds' turn again.  That guy had  no weaknesses.  If your man made the perfect pitch, the ump would call it a ball.  If the pitch he received was within the strike zone, he’d hit it out.  I mean, it happened 73 times that one year.  73!  Some guys are lucky to get 73 hits in a year.  It's no wonder they walked the man 232 times one season.

Yes, I know, he used PEDs to prolong his career and boost his super-human power numbers and ego that went along with it.  Something that Matt isn’t doing in this age of random drug testing.  I know Bonds was probably the biggest jerk in the game with a nasty personality and difficult demeanor, about the opposite of Kemp.  I compare the two because there is a swagger and confidence in Kemp when he steps up to the plate, something I haven’t seen since Bonds was a hitting fiend.  Matt expects to mash the ball, his teammates expect him to mash, the fans, the opposition, everyone knows they can’t stop this guy.  He’s in a zone that just seems to not end.

photo by Jon SooHoo, L.A. Dodgers

There’s something else, and it's something I saw during that Bonds run.  The world stops when Kemp steps up to the plate.  People want to see if he’ll do it again.  There is something awe inspiring and majestic about that super human strength that is shown when the long ball is hit.  It's just a cool thing to watch.  My wife likes baseball but doesn’t care much about the grand old game enough to really follow it, but she’ll stop what she’s doing and watch when Kemp comes to the plate, just to see if he'll hit it out again.

If this continues as it does and as this season goes on, we are going to see some crazy stuff.  First, there will be news updates on his home run chase, inning by inning.  If Matt starts getting near that 50/50 prediction that I used to think he made in jest, I guarantee you there will be a media watch at the latter part of the season.

Second, the league will start really pitching around him.  By that I mean, we’ll see him intentionally walked with the bases loaded to force in a run, or when nobody is on base to start an inning.  Crazy strategy, I know, but I saw it happen with Bonds and the way Kemp is swinging the bat, it’s just reminiscent of that monster year he had.

Third, Matt Kemp is going to be the talk of the league.  Water cooler discussions, friendly wagers amongst factory or warehouse workers, impressions of his stance and trot will be done by Little Leaguers and old men in their softball beer leagues.  He's reaching superstar proportions.  

They’re even talking about it up here in the Bay Area already and the Dodgers haven’t even played the Giants yet.  Much of the talk on the morning show on the Giants flagship station is about the Dodgers hot start.  I admit, they tend to dwell on the Dodgers "easy schedule" so far, but Mike Krukow said it this morning,  "They're beating the teams they are supposed to beat, and that's the sign of a good team."  When asked about Kemp, the Giant announcer had nothing but praise for the Dodger center fielder stating:  “Kemp used to swing at stuff out of the strike zone, and last year we went in there in the very first series when the Giants were taking them on in L.A. and not one time did Kemp go fishing outside of the strike zone.  Kuip and I looked at each other and said ‘Uh, Oh,' and he stayed in that zone the whole year.  And he’s picked right back up again this year.  He is premier.  The best player in the league, and I just think with a guy that good, you just let somebody else beat you.  Even a red hot hitter like Ethier.”

2010 Topps card of Kemp

One last point.  As much as Matt and Barry are displaying similar power hitting capabilities.  It's a no brainer to say that Kemp's 5 tool skills put Barry to shame.  Though Bonds had 4 of those tools for much of his career, when he bulked up with roids, he lost the foot speed and defensive prowess that he once had.  Kemp, now in his prime, just seems to get better in the 5 tools as his career progresses.  It's gonna be a fun run

And the save goes to...Jerry Hairston Jr.

Jerry Hairston reacts after throwing out Alex Gonzalez to end the 8th inning (AP Photo)

Watching games late.  It seems to be my M.O. lately due to the crunch at work.  But today's DVR recap that I just finished reviewing was very rewarding.  Jerry Hairston’s impression of Brooks Robinson was about as accurate as any I have ever seen.  Two clutch plays.  One to preserve the tie in the 8th and the second to record the first out in the ninth.  Simply clutch plays.

The save on the books goes to Javy Guerra, which was well deserved.  A fine recovery for the Dodgers closer after the loss he took two nights ago, BUT in reality, the true save goes to Jerry Hairston Jr., with that amazing defensive gem in the bottom of the eighth.

Jamey Wright admitted that his bullpen session was awful prior to entering in the games 7th inning.  What followed even surprised him, five consecutive strikeouts.   "It usually takes me two months to get that many strikeouts," he told Dodger beat writer Ken Gurnick.  (Linked HERE) 

Inspired by the fact that the day was his mother's birthday, Wright had his best day as a Dodger, but it took the heroics of Hairston to save him in the ninth.  Alex Gonzalez absolutely tatooted Wright's first pitch to him down the third base line.   Hairston simply picked his pocket and threw him out with room to spare from his knees.

What is all forgotten with the talk of Wright, Hairston and Guerra's heroics is that Matt Kemp's amazing start continues.  His solo shot in the top of the fifth was the difference maker in the game.  It was Kemp's 7th homer and 18th RBI on the year.  Both lead the majors.  Matt continues to be the talk of the league, as he so deserves.

*****************************************************

Today, in a brief conversation I had with Ron Cervenka from Think Blue LA and we came to the same conclusion:  Eric Stephen is amazing at what he does.  His latest post provides information on an interesting development in the Dodgers Minor Leagues.  Are we possibly going to see Nathan Eovaldi in the majors soon?  If not, there is certainly an interesting development on Eovaldi (and a cautious one at that), for the Dodgers.

TRUE BLUE LA LINK HERE

The luck of the baseball Gods has turned.

The play at the plate was bang-bang.  It could have gone either way.  It should have gone our way.  Replays show that Ellis tagged Morgan on the butt before his hand touched the plate, but after 10 games of nearly everything going our way, the tables have turned.  And the season is on.

I've seen it hundreds of times.  The ebbs and flows of a 162-game schedule.  The home town call that an umpire tends to go with on the close plays.  And then there is the controversy that is so much a part of baseball and how there is talk of increasing the accuracy of those calls through technology, namely instant replays.

The tag was applied before Morgan touched the plate.  Replays confirm it.

Surprisingly, Don Mattingly called for instant replay on plays at the plate in his comments after the game.  “We have instant replay for home run calls, perhaps it’s time to have them on plays at the plate,” he said on the post game interview.  It’s a little tough to argue with his logic after that call cost the Dodgers the game.  And how much extra time will it take to double check on close plays like that?  They are so infrequent, and if an umpire is sitting in a booth at each game for those types of plays, the process could be sped up.

I really don't see a problem with adding plays at the plate as being reviewable plays for video checks via instant replay.

Yes, I've heard the arguments.  Baseball needs the "human element" in its officiating.  But if you think about it, what is the "human element?"  Usually the human element is a mistake.  And mistakes are what should be removed from officiating.  The bottom line is we want honest and correct calls to be made, if a minute or two reviewing a play results in that, then I'm for it.  If the concern is that the reviews will slow down the game, then I say have the umpires enforce the rule that a pitcher must deliver a pitch within 12 seconds of receiving the ball back from the catcher.

Chris Capuano went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs in a strong start.

Tomorrow’s game is a big one, otherwise the momentum from the 9-1 start will obviously be over with.  Going in to Houston with a win will turn the tide.

Announcement Today, I Join Forces with ThinkBlueLA Blog

For the last couple of months, I have been keeping an announcement under wraps, but the time has come that I don’t need to keep it hidden anymore.

The ThinkBlueLA message board and forum has converted into a full blown blog.  It took a few months for them to work out the wrinkles and create their format, but today, April 17, 2012, it was formally launched.  Linked HERE

I bring this up because that site’s creators, Ron Cervenka and Scott Harvey have asked me to be one of the featured writers over there.  I accepted the invitation because I believe in their passion and I am familiar with the participants to their forum, a true hodge podge of Dodger savants.  Those guys want to develop a top notch blog/site.   They will put in the time and I strongly believe that "www.ThinkBlue LA.com" will be a “must read” for all credible Dodger fans out there. 

Blogger Softball Tourney, OKP teammate Rob Robinson chats with Ron Cervenka during a rest between games.

I received the invitation from Ron to join forces with them during the first week of Spring Training.  He called me at 7:00 am one Saturday morning I believe and rambled off with excitement his ideas from the Camelback Ranch Paring Lot. Frankly, I was quite flattered that he wanted me to be a writing contributor.  He said some very nice things about my writing style and Dodger knowledge.  If you have ever met Ron, you’ll see he can really talk a mile a minute when he’s excited.  I had been asked before to work on another blog, but I was leery with what they were demanding of me and I had concerns about my own site.  With ThinkBlueLA, this seemed to be the right fit.  Plus he agreed that I wouldn’t be tied to deadlines and that I could keep the OKP site up and going.

Ron is about as passionate a Dodger fan as I have ever met.  He knows his stuff.  He attends all games.  If the Dodgers are out of town, he’ll go follow the Quakes at home or on the road.  Baseball is truly his high.  And the only guy I can think of that is as passionate as he is would be me.  But I’m not at his level by a long shot.  I’m stuck in Northern California and I’m not retired yet, so the jealousy that I have for Ron is stratospheric in nature.  I look at my retirement date (now about 8 years away) and see myself doing the same stuff he’s doing.

So it’s going to be a balancing act.  I’ll post over there and post here.  I will do everything with my limited free time to get this juggling act going.  To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how it’ll work, but it will be exciting nonetheless.  The Dodgers are giving us plenty of topics to write about.  Take a look at his site, register as a contributor to his forum.  They have quite a following that proves their slogan, that they actually do have some of" the most passionate Dodger fans in the world."

Patience My Friends, Patience...

I’ll say it now and repeat it later.  Dodger fans need to back off the criticism of Dee Gordon.  It’s time accept him as the everyday shortstop and accept the fact that we are probably looking at having a 30+ error season from that position.  It might be as bad as 40 errors.  It is time to recognize that Gordon needs to grow in the position on the major league level.  There is no doubt in my mind that he may cost the team a few games with his defense, but this isn't a hopeless situation like the Jose Offerman situation was in the early to mid 90s.  This kid is special.  I'm talking potential Hall of Famer type special.  He's going to be a great player and I'm about 90% sure that in then end, it’ll all be worth it.

Photo by Lawrence K. Ho, L.A. Times, April 11, 2012

Patience with this kid will pay off.  Yes, we’ll see erratic play.  Definitely, we’ll witness the routine throw sail into the first base dugout.  Without a doubt there will be a large number of ground balls bobbled.  What we won’t see is a lack of effort and hustle.  Dee Gordon is a true talent.   We have already seen glimpses of his amazing acrobatic plays.  He is fearless out there and he already saved a game or two with a spectacular play on the defensive side.  I guarantee it, we'll see more for many years.  In a way, history is repeating itself.

Back in 1972 the Dodgers had Maury Wills returning from a respectable 1971 season.  He hit .281 with 654 plate appearances in a year when a gritty Dodger team came back within a game of winning the Western Division title.  Though Wills was 38 years old, he was still stealing the occasional bag (15) and his defense was still decent.  He maintained his range and it was believed that there was no reason for him to hang up his spikes.  

During the off-season Al Campanis traded away their top shortstop prospect, Bobby Valentine,  as part of a blockbuster deal with the Angels.  There really seemed to be no one on the horizon to take over Wills‘ spot, but Al Campanis was determined to turn Bill Russell into a shortstop.  

Bill Russell (photo by Scott Harms, AP)

Russell had dabbled in the past at the shortstop position, but he had a long way to go to have the transition take place.   He played there very erratically in Vero Beach that spring.  It made no sense to plug him in at short because he was an excellent outfielder.  But after Wills got off to a slow start, 12 games into the season, Walter Alston inserted Russell into the lineup at shortsop night after night.  I’ll tell you, it was rough.  He was booed regularly by the home crowds. He ended the year with 32 errors in the 118 games he started.

Infield guru and the master at infield position conversions, Monty Basgall was managing in AA El Paso.  Campanis  called off that assignment early in the season and assigned him to help Russell with the big club.  This was at a time when a vet like Wills wasn’t about to assist a guy like Russell who was forcing him into retirement.  I have to hand it to Walt Alston.  He stuck with the 23 year old youngster and allowed him to learn what many consider to be one of the most difficult defensive positions at the major league level.  It wasn’t a popular move.  Many fans wanted Wills out there, including me.  The boo birds had to be affecting the young Russell and his confidence had to be in the dumper, but Alston kept putting him in the lineup and allowed him to learn the job through day in and day out experience.

Walt Alston and Maury Wills

Russell was never yanked from a game that I can recall.  He was allowed to grow into the position.  Some will say that Russell never was a great shortstop and that it took him years to develop.  The truth was though, he was a respected shortstop within a few years.  An eventual All Star at the position and the transition worked.  With Russell at Short, the Dodgers won 5 division titles, 4 pennants and 1 world championship.

I don’t think it is fair to compare Gordon at all to Russell.  The ceiling for Gordon is much higher.  I see Devaris as being a gold glove shortstop one day.  Meanwhile, we as a fanbase, have to be patient and encouraging.  Eventually we’ll be rewarded with many years of an all star at that position.  And who knows, if Gordon stays healthy and continues swiping bags at his current rate, we may be looking at 100 steals this year.  I'm not kidding either.  Some predicted 70 steals.  I see 100 easy if he stays healthy.

Kemp, Player of the Week Again

For the second consecutive week, Matt Kemp today was named National League Player of the Week.  It is the first time in the history of the award that the same player has won it the first two weeks of the season.  Going back to last season, Matt has actually won the POTW award now three consecutive weeks, (he won it that last week of 2011).  It is the first time in the history of the award that it has been won for three consecutive weeks.  I say, “Go for four Matt!”

What Kemp has done the first 10 games this year is quite historical.  I can't help comparing it to other Dodger Stars of the past.  Many of us remember an amazing April that Ron Cey had in 1977.  Setting what was then a ML Record with 29 RBI in that month.  The Dodgers finished that month with a 17-3 record during Tommy Lasorda's first year as manager.  Then there was June, 1985, when Pedro Guerrero tied both Babe Ruth and  Roger Maris for the most home runs in a month (15) during an amazing run.  He also tied a team record by reaching base 11 consecutive at bats.

Kemp is having that type of start.  He steps to the plate and everyone stops what they are doing to see if he'll hit one out.  He should be the most feared hitter in baseball.  With Ethier and Rivera hot behind him, opponents are forced with the option of picking their poison.  I'm surprised to see that they continue to pitch to him.

Another thing of note.  The Pirates employed an infield shift against Kemp, placing three of their infielders to the left side of second base.  The Padres didn't bother with that tactic playing Kemp in a more conventional defensive alignment.  It'll be interesting to see what the rest of the league does defensively against Kemp.

So let's enjoy this while it's happening.  Kemp is on fire, the team is winning everything.  The ball is bouncing our way.   The calls are going our way.   It won't always be this way.  This is a rarity of epic proportions.  It has made the baseball season of 2012 even more special than normal.  It won't continue...but we can always hope.

Let me put it this way.  If the Dodgers return from this road trip at 4-2, we should all be doing handstands and cartwheels. That would be considered to be a remarkable start.   This start of the year streak won't reach the proportions of the '55 Dodgers (22-2), the '78 Dodgers (17-3) and the '84 Detroit Tigers (35-5).  I would love to see that, but this team is not that good.

To put this start in perspective.  If the Dodgers play .500 ball the rest of the year, they will finish with an 85-77record.  That might be enough for a wild card.

*******************************************************

In other news today, the rival San Francisco Giants announced that they have signed starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner to a contract through the 2017 season (with an option through the 2018 season).  As much as I can’t stand the Giants, I must say this is a wise move for that franchise that now has it’s top three starters inked through 2014.  We can all just hope they continue to flounder offensively because if they do get a semi respectable offense, they will be a team to constantly reckon with.

Reports are that he was signed for $35-40 million for 5 years. Now the Dodgers can gauge a little bit more what Kershaw will cost them. Wait, let me take that back, now It’ll be easier to gauge what they should have signed him for two years ago, before he won the Cy Young award.  If Clayton does what I think he’ll do this year, the Dodgers will really have to be open to an 8 year deal in the neighborhood of $180-200 million.