Well, that didn’t take long for the overreactors to come out. And I am not just referring to those who came to this site, but for the overreaction throughout the blogosphere. The overreaction was mild on this site compared to others.
I am not going to say that there weren’t things that could be of concern…if this were August.
Yes, Yoshi Yamamoto got his butt kicked. So did Michael Grove, Kyle Hurt, Alex Vesia, and J.P. Feyereisen. Ryan Yarbrough did not give up an earned run but was not altogether effective with his wildness. Gus Varland did get the one batter he faced out, so he cannot be put into this group of ineffectiveness.
I can certainly pile on as well, but for me this is just one game that looked much too much like a ST game. Was the field up to MLB standards? Probably not, but it was the same for both teams. The umpires made their fair share of mistakes, but did so against both teams. They were not the reason for the loss.
Max had three miscues, but only two were considered errors. Here is Luis Campusano’s double in the 1st.
Luis Campusano's double scores Manny Machado, 4-0 Padres. pic.twitter.com/kw4M6OTIwI
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) March 21, 2024
It did not look like Max made a great effort, almost as if he thought the ball was going to be foul. And it might have been. But because of the lackadaisical effort (IMO) to get to the ball, he could not get the glove down to make the play and it was ruled a double. You do not have to be a Brooks Robinson or Graig Nettles or Nolan Arenado to make that play. Machado makes that play. It was not hit hard (78.8 MPH), and a 3B should get there and make the throw to get out a slow runner like Campusano. There were 2 outs. Machado scores on the double, and Campusano comes home on Tyler Wade’s single. Both runs were considered earned, but they should not have been. The inning should have ended at 3-0.
His other two errors were concerns as well. This looks like the early 2023 Max Muncy at 3B. But he figured it out last year, and I suspect he will again this year. We cannot expect Max to be a GG 3B, but he should make the routine plays. I believe he gets there.
James Outman had a throwing error in the third, and he deserved it. But somebody fell asleep on the infield. Freddie properly lined up for the cutoff between Outman and Smith. Bogaerts was caught waaaaaay off first base, but nobody went to first. Where was Lux? Outman incorrectly assumed someone else knew that Bogaerts was dead had someone been on 1B, and made the throw. He reacted to Bogaerts, but nobody else did. He should not have. He should have tossed it to Betts at 2B.
I cannot count the number of times that Badger has counseled that every player has a place to go on every play. You learn this in Youth Baseball. I certainly taught that. So who was supposed to be on 1B? My thinking is Lux, but I do not know what the Dodgers are taught in that situation. But for me it is instinctual. Is Lux instinctual or just twitchy athletic enough to react well.
Early in ST, Mookie made this back door move to 1B from 2B and got an out. It wasn’t quite the same, but Betts saw the play, moved to 1B to get the throw from the catcher, and got the runner that got off too far. Then again, Mookie is instinctual AND athletic.
Once again the Dodgers hitting WRISP was not very good. The Dodgers were 5-17 while San Diego was 10-24. In Thursday’s game, James Outman was the big culprit. With 2 outs, he left the bases loaded in the 1st with a line drive to CF. With one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, his ground out got one run in. With two outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd he grounded out again ending the inning.
After leaving the bases loaded with a K, and leaving runners on 1st and 3rd with a K, both in the first game, Max left runners in scoring position again in the 2nd game. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, he struck out again. With runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs, he popped out foul to 3B.
Not to be outdone, Shohei failed to drive in Mookie twice while he was on 2B with hitting soft ground balls.
Not being at home, I was watching the two games from my computer, so I did not have the benefit of a large screen. I was not able to determine whether Mookie had sufficient range at SS in this game. He did bobble a couple of ground balls, but recovered in time to get outs. Were there ground balls he could have gotten to? Was it the field? Was it the lighting? Was it Mookie’s inexperience at SS?
The star of the day, and series, was Mookie. In 11 PA, he was 6-9 with 2 BB. He had a double, HR, and 7 RBIs, and no strikeouts.
Will Smith was another productive hitter for LAD. He was 5-10 with a double, a BB, and 2 K.
Without runners in scoring position, Max was different hitter. He had 7 PA without runners in scoring position, and was 3-5, including a double with 2 BB. See above what he did with runners in scoring position.
Shohei was 3-10, all singles, no BB or K.
Freddie was 1-6 with 4 walks and a HBP for a .545 OBP. He did not have an RBI.
Outman was 0-6, but made contact with each AB. No strikeouts. He had 3 BB and a HBP for a .400 OBP. One of his AB’s did produce a run.
Getting on base was not the problem for the Dodgers. Actually getting them home was not a problem. But with the horrid pitching on Thursday’s game, 11 runs was not enough. This was the highest number of runs the Dodgers have scored and lost since 1999 in Colorado.
The 15 runs scored by San Diego was the most the Padres have ever scored against LAD.
I guess it is inevitable for some to give up on Yamamoto after this start. He is starting his MLB career in a new and uncomfortable environment, different culture, new ball, and he had all of 9.2 IP in ST. This is a common problem for LAD pitchers under Roberts (AF???). In retrospect, perhaps the team should have waited to let Yamamoto begin his MLB career in LA. But the game is not played in retrospect.
Yoshi is arguably one of the most decorated pitchers in JPL history. He is the three-time defending winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, NPB’s equivalent to Major League Baseball’s Cy Young Award. He achieved the pitching Triple Crown in three consecutive seasons, leading the PL in wins (49), strikeouts (580), and ERA (1.44) from 2021–23.
Yamamoto is one of only two pitchers in NPB history to have won three consecutive Sawamura Awards (Masaichi Kaneda, 1956–58). And he did all that as a 24 year old.
He is an extremely accomplished pitcher and deserves patience from the fans. Last year, NYM’s Kodai Senga had a 4.15 ERA after 5 starts and 26 IP by the end of April. In his 24 starts after April, he threw 140.1 IP and a 2.76 ERA. Yamamoto was a better pitcher than Senga when they were both in Japan.
IMO, Yamamoto will figure it out and will become every bit the pitcher the Dodgers think he is. It looks like one of the strategies is to swing early on Yamamoto. He may need to rethink his pitch sequence, or more appropriately Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness need to rethink his sequence since they are taking that away from Yamamoto. The more he pitches, the better his pitches will get.
For someone to state Yamamoto is a disaster and that Tyler Glasnow was really struggling is a little off base, IMO. Glasnow’s curve was missing and that much was true. Without being able to land that pitch as a strike, it took the unhittable out of his fastball, and slider. But he battled, and the Dodgers won.
Glasnow led the team in IP in spring training with 10.0. 139 other pitchers have more spring training IP than Tyler. Make of that what you will.
Last year the Dodgers started in LA and were 2-2 against Arizona. They swept Colorado and were 5-2 before going on the road. They proceeded to go 8-11 in their next 19 games. April 27 was the last time the Dodgers were at .500. They never really got hot until August. They were 14 games over .500 at the end of July, and 33 games over .500 after August.
So one horrendous game is not something to get overly exasperated over. It was unquestionably bad. But can we get through April before any conclusions can BEGIN to be formed?
Hit a homer, get a fist bump from Ken Griffey Jr. pic.twitter.com/OEjRq81s1h
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 21, 2024
Senga’s experience gives me hope for Yamamoto.
As does the experience of several other Japanese pitchers, starting with Nomo, who made a successful transition. Patience is a virtue.
And the Dodgers also imported the first Korean star, Chan Ho Park, He and Nomo are big reasons why the Dodgers have been so popular in Asia.
I root hard for much-maligned Max Muncy. Love his story. He’s a grinder who turned himself into a pretty good first baseman before Freddie forced him into a different role. But he can be maddening, especially on defense. Still, by the end of the season, he has about 35 HRs.
It’s waaaay too early to draw conclusions, but it sure doesn’t look like the pressure of playing SS has hurt Mookie’s offense.
In alumni news, the Mets did well to bring JD Martinez in on a one-year, $12-million deal. He’s a big upgrade for that lineup. Unless I missed something, it now looks like Montgomery is the only big FA who remains unsigned.
I am not worried at all. Not at this point. My only concern is the media circus that is coming because of the Mizuhara stuff. This could end up being a huge distraction. How Ohtani handles all this will be huge. Right now, I think not talking to the press and letting his lawyers handle things is the best route. I am going to be heading out to California for my brother in laws funeral. It is also Easter week and I want to wish everyone a very happy Easter.
Admittedly I didn’t see Yamamoto’s inning but I did notice in his previous game hitters were attacking his first pitch get it over fastball. I’ve heard it’s straight. The split finger is a strike out pitch that hits the ground occasionally. Put a wrinkle in the first pitch fastball with a slight grip change or find a downward spin pitch he can throw for strike one. He’ll be fine once he finds his footing in a new, and better, league.
Yes, it’s way too early to evaluate the stress on Mookie. But if he keeps playing at this pace he might wear down by October. Or even September.
It’s time we all face the fact that this is not a great fielding team. I don’t believe they are even a good fielding team. Middle of the pack at best.
Now back to Spring Training at home before the season resumes. Weird.
It was close to a team batting practice. The Padres teed off on anything he threw. Never seen anything quite like that. 47? pitch inning? Whoa. If his other 2 prior outings weren’t so bad, I could easily chalk it up to nerves. He seems too rigid and serious. This is a problem. Hopefully Kike will lighten him up with his humor.
Consider that many major leaguers who sign huge FA contracts often struggle out of the gate with their new team. It’s human nature to feel the pressure and want to perform for their new club. Then consider Yamamoto, who has the entire nation of Japan watching his every move Not to mention Dodger Nation. I think a little patience will be in order with him but in the end he will be fine.
My concern on the other hand is the potential for the Dodger infield to be a defensive mess. Not just because of this game, but more due to the fact that guys are not playing in their natural positions. But again, it’s only two games and hopefully they figure things out.
His problem was just flat out no control over his pitches. Couldn’t locate literally any pitch. His deadly splitter started high in the zone and then dropped to belly button height instead of starting low in the zone and crashing into the terra firma. Is just one example of how bad Yamamoto pitched.
So Bidenomics crashed into the Dodgers plans. $325M just doesn’t buy much anymore. Thanks Joe!
Muncy as a 3B, got charged with one error, reality, in practicality could have been charged with 2 errors. For God’s sake, at least smother that ball down the line instead of the Olay move. I said it before, I don’t see how Max stays very long at 3B, he better put of Ruthian stats at the plate. Don’t get me wrong, I love his grit and effort but it just ain’t good enough without HUGE numbers in the box.
He was charged with 2 errors, not one. And Outman had one too. Muncy isn’t going anywhere. He has a two-year deal, and the Dodgers with this offense can live with his fielding. He got better as the year wore on; he will do the same this year. He only made 16 errors last season in almost 300 chances. It is a little early to be so critical of one game performance. Muncy will be close to 35 long balls, 100 ribbies and an OPS of over .800 almost guaranteed even with his K rate. In full seasons, that is what he has put up. 2 errors on a field that is artificial turf and that he had only played a couple of games on??? Get real. They get home, he will do better.
Please pass the Muncy joint that you are bogarting. So you must think Muncy needs to platoon based on playing surface. Whatever, roll mine not to tight.
No, I just have a little more faith in the guy than you do and judging someone after two games is just way too premature. He did fine after he got acclimated last season. He was also sick for a couple of weeks and lost about 10 pounds just before they went to Korea. By the way, I do not smoke anything, never have and never will. I don’t use drugs unless a doctor prescribes them. Maybe that is your form of entertainment. I also know that Muncy has a 2-year deal. Unless he is traded, doubtful, he is the Dodger third baseman for the next two years. The Dodgers front office trusts him, maybe you ought to too.
Jeff
thanks for an unbiased look very refreshing as oppossed to defensive if your opinion is different
Yes, the Yamamoto outing was a bit discouraging. But, to me, not unexpected. When you consider all the changes and variables has faced and will face it understandable he might have some trouble initially on the mound. Let’s see what he looks like in two or three months and then make a fair evaluation. Yesterday the defense surely didn’t help him out. But, the offense almost did. And, as Jeff suggested the rest of the staff wasn’t very effective either. I think once they return to the USA and Dodger Stadium, overcome their jet lag, and adjust to the newer additions to the team things will even out and winning games will continue.
I, like Badger, don’t see why the Dodgers have to open their season in a far off foreign land. And, then wait a week to start their season again. With many games available on world wide streaming services that are watched on 72″ screens is it really necessary?
When I heard about the Ohtani – Mizuhara situation my reaction was “What?” “You got to be fricking kidding” “Why?” And, that it had become messy in less than 24 hours
And then, of course, the Boob Manfred factor. If, or when, he gets his hands on this I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to drag this on as long as possible in order to stick it to the Dodgers again (Bauer resolution). I’ve got my uninformed thoughts on this, but I will refrain from expressing anything further and let the processing grind through the gears of MLB and its incompetent commissioner.
Who, in $700MM, would ever think that Ohtani would be involved in a scandal like this. Unbelievable.
Carry on.
A lot more being written today. The Times and The Athletic have articles about it. ESPN said something but I haven’t read it yet. MLB can’t just hope this goes away and the Dodgers can’t hide from it.
The thing about Muncy’s defense is that he was a horrible defensive 3B last year, so it isn’t really a small sample size. He’s just not good at 3B. He’s in the “best shape of his life” as they say, but he’s just not a good defensive player. If he was the only Dodgers’ infielder that you could say that about, it would be one thing. But Mookie’s a Gold Glove RF who hasn’t played SS regularly since high school and Lux – well, he can’t throw.
And this team is supposed to win the World Series with that infield?
“And this team is supposed to win the World Series with that infield?”
Yep. We’re gonna beat ‘em into submission with a relentless offense and overpowering pitching.
Except for Lux, it is basically the same guys who won 100 games last season. Lighten up dude.
really? Betts started at SS last year? I seem to recall he played about 15 games there. Dude.
What I meant DUDE, is that all of them except Lux played the infield at some point last year. Rojas got the bulk of the starts at SS with Taylor, Betts and Kike filling in. Muncy played the majority of the games at third, and Betts played a little over 70 at second. Betts is an athlete, if anyone can make the move to SS and be successful, it is Mookie. Muncy is no gold glover over there, but he only made 16 errors last year, most of them coming at the beginning of the year. You guys losing your minds over one game is comical. Shows a definite lack of just how baseball works. One game does not a season make DUDE.
Great perspective Jeff.
We should not overreact to one game played on March 21 in South Korea at 3am in the morning. The Dodgers have committed to Yamamoto for the next 12 years. He will hopefully have over 300 starts with the Dodgers, so one bad inning as he adjusts to MLB baseball is not a big concern. Muncy should have knocked the ball down at third and to me it looked like a foul ball anyway. But no need to make excuses for Yamamoto as he was not good yesterday.
The Dodgers were celebrated for spending $700 million ($460 million adjusted for deferrals) for Ohtani and $375 million for Yamamoto. Those contracts may turn out to be great for the franchise, but they represent the most paid to any MLB player ever and the most paid to any MLB pitcher ever. Baseball is a team game and investing so much capital into any two players is risky, but especially when Ohtani is coming off his second TJ and is a DH only this year, and Yamamoto had not pitched a single game in the MLB. I said this at the time of the signings, and I still feel this way even after Ohtani has been impressive this spring.
The Dodgers had JD Martinez as an all star DH last year who had a 893 OPS and 33 HR in 2023 for a one year $10 million contract. He just signed with the Mets for a one year $12 million deal with deferrals that make the AAV under $9 million. JDM is not Ohtani but he was a team leader and a very good DH. And even if JDM regressed this year, existing players like Muncy, Smith, Heyward, Taylor, and Lux could have adequately filled in at DH.
Other recent signings seem to be much better values than the Dodgers obtained this offseason. Lorenzen just signed for $4.5 million with the Rangers, which is half of what the Dodgers paid for Joe Kelly. Blake Snell signed for only $62 million guaranteed over two years, compared to $375 million over 12 years for Yamamoto. Chapman, a gold glove 3B, signed for $54 million over 3 years, JT signed for one year $13 million, and Adam Duvall signed for $3 million. The Dodgers caught the two big fish this year, but they may have missed a lot of little fish as a result.
The Dodgers massively overpaid for Kelly.
The Dodgers obviously disagree with you.
Well Duh.
I think Max should have hired Kelly’s agent a few years ago.
While much-maligned Max won’t win a gold glove, he is paid well-below market value as a guy who posts 35 HRs a year. (About $12 million per year for the next two seasons.) On most teams, he’d be at first base–and he was a pretty good first baseman for the Dodgers before Freddie took his job.
Max is getting paid less than Taylor, a utility guy who plays parttime. Teoscar salary for one season is nearly double what Max is getting for two.
They massively overpaid for Taylor also.
AAV on JDs deal is 4. 7.5 million is deferred. You just do not realize how much money Ohtani generates. His Jersey sales are already #1. He can defer that money because he makes close to 65 mil a year in endorsements. The Dodgers are happy with their signings and don’t need armchair GM’s telling them how they should have spent their money. I think they know a little bit more than we do. All those guys are over 30.
If you want to see a prime and blatant example of service time manipulation as it happens, find a local Orioles blog or Twitter feed and follow any Holliday mention.
I wish more steps had been taken in the CBA to avoid this kinda crap.
It is an absolute shame. Jackson Holliday has done nothing to show that he should have been reassigned. In 48 PA, he hits .311/.354/.600/.954, 3 doubles, 2 doubles, 2 HR. If there is any semblance of a downside, he has 3 walks against 15 K.
Coby Mayo and Connor Norby also had good springs (especially Mayo), but they have also been reassigned.
Holliday (Dec 2026), Mayo (Dec 2024), and Norby (Dec 2024) are not yet eligible for the Rule 5 draft.
I think this will be a significant discussion point for the MLBPA in the next round of negotiations.
Yep. A pretty clear manipulation of service time. They can wait 3 weeks and bring him up so as not to start his service clock. However, if he comes up in the first couple of months, he will probably be a Super 2.
Jackson Holliday is a great prospect but I don’t think this is clearly service time manipulation. Holliday just turned 20 in December. Yes, he is hitting 311 in spring training, but he is only 2-14 against LHP with 9 strikeouts. His overall strikeout rate is 30 % in spring training.
Other considerations:
He has only played 18 games in AAA in his career, and he hit 267 in those games last year.
He has played just over one year in the minors with a total of only 13 HR.
His natural position is SS, and but he would play second in the MLB with limited experience at 2B.
The Orioles face several LHP early in the year and Holliday has struggled against LHP. They may just prefer to get him full time at bats at AAA instead of platoon against RHP in the MLB.
A few years ago, there was a huge uproar about Jared Kelenic and the alleged service time manipulation. Most experts criticized Seattle for not starting Kelenic in MLB in 2021. He was later called up and hit only 181in 2021 and 141 in 2022. He obviously wasn’t ready for the MLB, despite the protests to bring him up even earlier.
The Orioles may just believe that Holliday needs a little more experience in AAA than just 18 games.
A few years ago I participated in Trivia Night in the bar section of a restaurant. Everybody sat on wobbly stools so we called ourselves Loose Stools. That name would be appropriate for the Dodger brass if Yamamoto doesn’t have a good outing next time out and if the Ohtani story doesn’t quickly fade away.
Every time someone said they wanted Adames I would counter with yeah sure if he were assigned third base. Betts and Lux will be fine up the middle and better than the Rangers tandem.
Last year I was enthusiastic with a rotation that included Miller, Stone, Sheehan, and Pepiot. I’m glad only Pepiot is gone and excited about what Glasnow might achieve. By July the Dodgers will know more about Kershaw, May, and Gonsolin and next year they will probably add Ohtani and one or more prospects that will be pushing for a Dodger job.
The Dodgers are going to make a trade or two to make the “best team in the history of baseball” better.
I’ve been thinking about this and I believe I have a solution. MLB should take a football approach and have a defensive squad that takes the field and an all DH offense. I came up with this idea sitting on one of those Loose Stools.
My prediction is Betts and Lux will not be the worst up the middle tandem in baseball. Also Mookie will need more days off this year. And if you remember he ran out of gas in September last year and was on oxygen in the playoffs.
A few observations after the Korea trip.
I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff in that it’s far too early to get too worried about a poor performance in game 2.
I watched both games in their entirety and rather than disappointment I actually felt the opposite.
I also watched the two games against South Korea, which all took place in that Seouless cavernous stadium.
Of course it would be incorrect to say that no one pitched well in the 4 games, but it’s safe to say that all the Starters struggled.
Glasnow started best of the lot, and Darvish was ok, but both of them lost control quickly. Yamamoto didn’t have any control to lose and in fact he looked incredibly nervous more than anything. Jeff is right, his achievements in Japan warrant the utmost respect. I suspect that once he gets into his stride he’ll be a formidable competitor. Musgrove also struggled, with traffic problems in every innings. Across the board there were an awful lot of walks. I have a feeling that the dynamics and possibly atmosphere in the Stadium were not conducive to good Pitching.
Some of the relievers did well, but many struggled too, especially the Padres. I think the Pitching results might be an Outlier, not the norm.
like I said, I don’t feel disappointed or pessimistic about what I saw. I thought that our offensive side of the game looked frightening.
I cannot see a game this season where we are going to be out of the game even facing a hefty deficit.
Lux is key in this team. His bat in the 8 hole is a game changer, and if anything he looks better than ever. He also looks far more comfortable at second. He will be ok and we need him. He lengthens the lineup considerably.
That being said, we are going to see a lot more of the running game in 24. You could feel a real shift towards this, with aggressive steals from
the start. That’s why Shohei in batting second.
Lux, Mookie and Ohtani is frightening.
Unfortunately we are going to see quite a few runners stranded because we are going to get a lot of traffic.
Freddie wasn’t at his best (still walked a ton), and Teoscar and Max will have better series, as will Outman who like Freddie still contributed with a number of walks.
Jason Heyward hit the ball hard in nearly at bat and Will Smith certainly looks to have put his injury behind him.
It was interesting to see Doc run the same lineup there 2 games running. He never does that.
The Bullpen looked good, given that both Graterol and Trienen were absent.
Hurt will go down, and Vesia must be walking a tightrope.
if I’m AF iI’m looking for a dominant LHRP.
This is going to be a special year. Nothing I’ve seen this week changes my view on that, rather it enhances it. It’ll take a good team to beat the Dodgers to the WS in 24z
Should say Lux in the 9 hole
I am not at all concerned about the lineup. This team will score. At the present time there are only a few concerns, all of which have been addressed here.
Well at least you did not call him an a hole…be gone a while gang. Leaving for LA.
Neither the Dodgers nor Padres pitchers were effective as a group. There were isolated successes, but as a collective, they were not very good at all. We do know that the mounds in the JPL are softer than the mounds in MLB…different soils. Could there have been sub-optimal mound soil/conditions affecting MLB pitchers? Mound condition has a great deal to do with control and command. Could be a consideration since pitching as a group was not good. I am not saying that is the reason. And I am sure that the pitchers will not be coming out and saying it. Still…
I prefer Milky Ways over Mounds.
MLB announced that “earlier today” their department of investigations “began their formal process investigating the matter” involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari.
No surprise. What would be one though is for it to be quick.
Maybe they can defer their findings for about 10 years. Then if found guilty of anything Ohtani could appeal a few times and drag it out another 2-3 years.
Even though I understand very little about the Ohtani/Interpreter/bookie story, I think I like EVEYTHING about it. It hits almost all my story archetypes:
fish out of water: I feel like Ohtani and the interpreter don’t understand gambling as part of American culture, and that Ohtani basically felt a loyalty to friends that will be a little alien to us.
2. Star-crossed relationships: the sheer scope of Ohtani’s wealth is awesome, especially with the dutiful Sancho Panza-esque interpreter friend. It reminds me of the anecdote about Elon calling Larry Ellison while Ellison was on the Hawaiian island of his. And Ellison agrees to casual loan Elon two billion dollars to help buy Twitter.
3. The unlikely protagonist : Imagine Ohtani’s lawyer? Who probably thought he/she had the easiest client EVER. can just imagine the call to Ohtani’s lawyer. Oh, you loaned your interpreter some money? How much? Whoa. And why does he need it? a bookie?!?!??it’s kinda amazing.
I don’t know what happened yet, the story has changed and will likely be evolving. Ohtani has been in country for over 6 years. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
I totally agree. It almost seems like we’re cursed, and I’m sure fans from every other team are loving this. The story just smells bad and I’m expecting the worse. Even If he authorized the payment for his guy to help him out it’s still a crime to pay an illegal bookmaker. The flip flopping of the story is classic coverup. This just sucks for the Dodgers.
Eh. I tbink it’ll end up fine.
The league wants Ohtani, may even need him.
But the league didn’t need Bauer? That’s fair right, Pluto?
Ohtani represents hundreds of millions, to this league, even billions going forward It’s not a stretch to say he’s the face of this league. It is also not a stretch to say some people are above the law. In fact, I know it isn’t.
If crimes have been committed, I have no idea how they can be covered up, but I do know if necessary every effort will be done to do so. It’s going to be interesting. It already is.
Ohtani just needs to come out as a democrat supporting Biden, the cover up will be taken care of.
Ayebatter, batter…Ayebatter, batter.. .
Swing!
And miss.
Take the politics to another site.
Its an interesting contrast. That’s for sure!
We have to wait on this one. How long is anyone’s guess. In the meantime is there a distracting cloud over the team?
I hope the league learned from the Bauer situation where they suspended him with pay and royaly screwed the Dodgers. They had to suspend him with pay because they didn’t know if he had done anything “wrong”. I understand that needs to happen in dome cases but only for a short period of time. But the Dodgers had to pay his salary for a year and a half!
I might be missing something about the law or mlb policies but it just seems unfair to the employer.
What do you think the league might have learned from the Bauer situation? It didn’t hurt anyone but Bauer and the Dodgers and the league might be very happy that their actions helped bring the Dodgers back to the pack a bit.
They suspended a player who was, in general, very unpopular and probably did their best to keep him off the field as long as possible, not giving a damn if it hurt the Dodgers in the pocketbook or not.
The Ohtani situation is the total opposite. Now we have the most popular and revenue producing player in the sport. My guess is that they will do whatever they have to in order to keep him in front of the public.
Exactly.
No, the league doesn’t need Bauer. In fact, the MLB has decided it is better off without Bauer.
Still it is totally wrong to blackball a guy because you don’t like him (hmmm, where else are we currently seeing that type of control in America?), they went after him based on some floozy porking him and framing him. Really disgusting and underhanded treatment of any individual, damn where the hell did America go off the rails (it’s a rhetorical question OldDUDE69, you don’t have to respond with some ridiculous reply).
I do t think that’s an example of a rhetorical question.
America isn’t off the rails. It’s never been better!
nor was anyone ever part of this discussion ever “blackballed.”
Let us know when you are off the meds.
Wow Pluto, that’s a damn amazing view. Dream on Pluto
Blackball was a reference to what happened to Bauer. Wow, you really are a strange character.
Hmm.
Hmmm indeed
He wasn’t blackballed because he was disliked.
stay off the drugs.
stay positive. Life is great!
I’m glad at least you,Make Mine Blue, understand. My pt was about the MLB policy of suspending players while they are being investigated. If the player is found innocent then he and the team were unjustly penalized. In the Bauer case he has been blackballed, or use another term if you prefer, and the Dodgers had to pay his salary for a yr and a half!
I’m disappointed in some others here who think the popularity of a player or a team should have any impact on how their case is handled. And yes if that’s the kind of justice some Americans believe in we are going off the rails.
Ohtani’s case is about profit. It will always be about profit. Bauer meant nothing to the league in the profit column. Ohtani is very different
I do agree that the Bauer situation was a bad deal for the Dodgers. But Bauer got paid and if a team wants to hire him they can.
*sigh* Oh, Bluto! LOL! Glad you found a little corner here where you can be you.
You know, I say this partly facetiously – partly – but I blame Jon Stewart for your behavior. I know! I know! Hear me out, though.
You see, when Jon Stewart was at his peak of popularity, many MANY left-of-center males emulated his style, as well as relied on him for news and their understanding of current events.
Out was making rational arguments and using sound reasoning and logic, in was relying on snark and sneering condescension and dismissing opposing viewpoints as self-evidently stupid. Stewart could pull it off because he actually is smart and funny. The problem is, he conditioned a whole cohort of people who aren’t smart and funny to act the same way, so instead of being smart and funny, those who emulate the polemical style he introduced are just insufferable.
Not saying you’ve ever even watched Jon Stewart, or know who he is, but I see this behavior enough to think Stewart has had an outsized influence on the zeitgeist and behavior traits of a certain demographic.
What could be worse than a gambling scandal in baseball? Gambling is that third rail you never EVER touch, and the two previous gambling scandals are baseball’s two most notorious.
Yet, according to you, Ohtani is no big deal and will blow over …BUT … Bauer’s continued obvious exile from baseball based on what we now understand was a blatant extortion attempt is completely rational, above board, by-the-book and follows the “rule of law.” RULE OF LAW!!
What was that word you used before? …..Ah yes! “Tertiary.” There were “tertiary” factors that played into the disparate treatment of Bauer vs. Ohtani.
I wonder what those “tertiary” factors could be. I’m sure his relative “popularity” as influenced by his public commentary and perceived politics have nothing to do with that. I’d have to literally be on drugs to believe anything else.
A lot of this i cannot grok.
But the first part is dead on. I didn’t watch Stewart, and i just know him as a comedian.
That said, if people took him as a newsman it’s lamentable. Its just as bad as the dingbats who take Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow or any other opinion person as a newsperson.
I think we agree about Ohtani too, but again its hard for me to tell. As Badger has correctly stated, ignorance is not an excuse for lawbreaking. If Ohtani gets to an actual case, i think he is in deep dog doo.