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“NFL Draft..Cut & Paste”

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The NFL Draft is coming.

A draft loaded with QBs..WRs…OT…CBs

Where does your team draft?  How many picks do they have?  Who will deal up or deal down?

Take a look at the draft board-cut and paste and get ready.

 

Round 1
1) Jacksonville Jaguars
2) New York Jets
3) San Francisco 49ers (from HOU through MIA)
4) Atlanta Falcons
5) Cincinnati Bengals
6) Miami Dolphins (from PHI)
7) Detroit Lions
8) Carolina Panthers
9) Denver Broncos
10) Dallas Cowboys
11) New York Giants
12) Philadelphia Eagles (from SF through MIA)
13) Los Angeles Chargers
14) Minnesota Vikings
15) New England Patriots
16) Arizona Cardinals
17) Las Vegas Raiders
18) Miami Dolphins
19) Washington Football Team
20) Chicago Bears
21) Indianapolis Colts
22) Tennessee Titans
23) New York Jets (from SEA)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)
26) Cleveland Browns
27) Baltimore Ravens
28) New Orleans Saints
29) Green Bay Packers
30) Buffalo Bills
31) Kansas City Chiefs
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 2
33) Jacksonville Jaguars
34) New York Jets
35) Atlanta Falcons
36) Miami Dolphins (from HOU)
37) Philadelphia Eagles
38) Cincinnati Bengals
39) Carolina Panthers
40) Denver Broncos
41) Detroit Lions
42) New York Giants
43) San Francisco 49ers
44) Dallas Cowboys
45) Jacksonville Jaguars (from MIN)
46) New England Patriots
47) Los Angeles Chargers
48) Las Vegas Raiders
49) Arizona Cardinals
50) Miami Dolphins
51) Washington Football Team
52) Chicago Bears
53) Tennessee Titans
54) Indianapolis Colts
55) Pittsburgh Steelers
56) Seattle Seahawks
57) Los Angeles Rams
58) Baltimore Ravens
59) Cleveland Browns
60) New Orleans Saints
61) Buffalo Bills
62) Green Bay Packers
63) Kansas City Chiefs
64) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 3
65) Jacksonville Jaguars
66) New York Jets
67) Houston Texans
68) Atlanta Falcons
69) Cincinnati Bengals
70) Philadelphia Eagles
71) Denver Broncos
72) Detroit Lions
73) Carolina Panthers
74) Washington Football Team (from SF)
75) Dallas Cowboys
76) New York Giants
77) Los Angeles Chargers
78) Minnesota Vikings
79) Las Vegas Raiders (from AZ)
80) Las Vegas Raiders
81) Miami Dolphins
82) Washington Football Team
83) Chicago Bears
84) Philadelphia Eagles (from IND)
85) Tennessee Titans
86) New York Jets (from SEA)
87) Pittsburgh Steelers
88) Los Angeles Rams
89) Cleveland Browns
90) Minnesota Vikings (from BAL)
91) Cleveland Browns (from NO)
92) Green Bay Packers
93) Buffalo Bills
94) Kansas City Chiefs
95) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
96) New England Patriots (compensatory selection)
97) Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory selection)
98) New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection)
99) Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection)
100) Tennessee Titans (compensatory selection)
101) Detroit Lions (from LAR; compensatory selection)
102) San Francisco 49ers (special compensatory selection)
103) Los Angeles Rams (special compensatory selection)
104) Baltimore Ravens (special compensatory selection)
105) New Orleans Saints (special compensatory selection)
Round 4
106) Jacksonville Jaguars
107) New York Jets
108) Atlanta Falcons
109) Houston Texans
110) Cleveland Browns (from PHI)
111) Cincinnati Bengals
112) Detroit Lions
113) Carolina Panthers
114) Denver Broncos
115) Dallas Cowboys
116) New York Giants
117) San Francisco 49ers
118) Los Angeles Chargers
119) Minnesota Vikings
120) New England Patriots
121) Las Vegas Raiders
122) New England Patriots (from AZ through HOU)
123) Philadelphia Eagles (from MIA)
124) Washington Football Team
125) Minnesota Vikings (from CHI)
126) Tennessee Titans
127) Indianapolis Colts
128) Pittsburgh Steelers
129) Seattle Seahawks
130) Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)
131) Baltimore Ravens
132) Cleveland Browns
133) New Orleans Saints
134) Minnesota Vikings (from BUF; conditional)
135) Green Bay Packers
136) Kansas City Chiefs
137) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
138) Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection)
139) New England Patriots (compensatory selection)
140) Pittsburgh Steelers (compensatory selection)
141) Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection)
142) Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)
143) Minnesota Vikings (compensatory selection)
144) Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory selection)
Round 5
145) Jacksonville Jaguars
146) New York Jets
147) Houston Texans
148) Atlanta Falcons
149) Cincinnati Bengals
150) Philadelphia Eagles
151) Carolina Panthers
152) Denver Broncos
153) Detroit Lions
154) New York Jets (from NYG)
155) San Francisco 49ers
156) Miami Dolphins (from DAL through PHI)
157) Minnesota Vikings
158) Houston Texans (from NE)
159) Los Angeles Chargers
160) Arizona Cardinals
161) Buffalo Bills (from LV)
162) Las Vegas Raiders (from MIA)
163) Washington Football Team
164) Chicago Bears
165) Indianapolis Colts
166) Tennessee Titans
167) Las Vegas Raiders (from SEA)
168) Minnesota Vikings (from PIT through BAL)
169) Cleveland Browns (from LAR)
170) Jacksonville Jaguars (from CLE)
171) Baltimore Ravens
172) San Francisco 49ers (from NO)
173) Green Bay Packers
174) Buffalo Bills
175) Kansas City Chiefs
176) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
177) New England Patriots (compensatory selection)
178) Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)
179) Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection)
180) San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)
181) Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory selection)
182) Atlanta Falcons (compensatory selection)
183) Atlanta Falcons (compensatory selection)
184) Baltimore Ravens (compensatory selection)
Round 6
185) Los Angeles Chargers (from JAX through TEN)
186) New York Jets
187) Atlanta Falcons
188) New England Patriots (from HOU)
189) Philadelphia Eagles
190) Cincinnati Bengals
191) Denver Broncos
192) Dallas Cowboys (from DET)
193) Carolina Panthers
194) San Francisco 49ers
195) Houston Texans (from DAL through NE)
196) New York Giants
197) New England Patriots
198) Los Angeles Chargers
199) Minnesota Vikings
200) Las Vegas Raiders
201) New York Giants (from AZ)
202) Cincinnati Bengals (from MIA through HOU)
203) Houston Texans (from WAS through LV and MIA)
204) Chicago Bears
205) Tennessee Titans
206) Indianapolis Colts
207) Kansas City Chiefs (from PIT through MIA)
208) Chicago Bears (from SEA through MIA; conditional)
209) Los Angeles Rams
210) Baltimore Ravens
211) Cleveland Browns
212) Houston Texans (from NO)
213) Buffalo Bills
214) Green Bay Packers
215) Tennessee Titans (from KC)
216) Pittsburgh Steelers (from TB)
217) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (compensatory selection)
218) New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection)
219) Atlanta Falcons (compensatory selection)
220) Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)
221) Chicago Bears (compensatory selection)
222) Carolina Panthers (compensatory selection)
223) Arizona Cardinals (from MIN; compensatory selection)
224) Philadelphia Eagles (compensatory selection)
225) Philadelphia Eagles (compensatory selection)
226) New York Jets (from CAR; compensatory selection)
227) Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection)
228) Chicago Bears (compensatory selection)
Round 7
229) New Orleans Saints (from JAX)
230) San Francisco 49ers (from NYJ)
231) Miami Dolphins (from HOU)
232) Tennessee Titans (from ATL through MIA)
233) Houston Texans (from CIN)
234) Philadelphia Eagles
235) Cincinnati Bengals (from DET through SEA)
236) Buffalo Bills (from CAR)
237) Denver Broncos
238) Dallas Cowboys
239) Denver Broncos (from NYG)
240) Philadelphia Eagles (from SF)
241) Los Angeles Chargers
242) New England Patriots
243) Arizona Cardinals
244) Washington Football Team (from LV)
245) Pittsburgh Steelers (from MIA)
246) Washington Football Team
247) Arizona Cardinals (from CHI through LV)
248) Indianapolis Colts
249) Jacksonville Jaguars (from TEN)
250) Seattle Seahawks
251) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from PIT)
252) Los Angeles Rams
253) Denver Broncos (from CLE)
254) Pittsburgh Steelers (from BAL)
255) New Orleans Saints
256) Green Bay Packers
257) Cleveland Browns (from BUF)
258) Miami Dolphins (from KC)
259) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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“Padres-Dodgers–What a Weekend”

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It was electric.  It was loud.  It was edgy.  It was controversial.

It was indeed a message that was delivered, that this is a different era in Padres-Dodgers baseball.

Take out 1-bad inning, the 12th inning meltdown on Friday night, when the Padres ran out of pitchers, it was 3-days of playoff like baseball.  Yes LA won 2-of-3 in the series.  Yes the Padres have fallen a bit farther back in the NL West, but they held their own for 29-innings of intense baseball at Petco Park.

If you were keeping score at home,,they started chanting ‘Beat LA’ at 7:05pm on Friday night, 5-minutes before the first pitch, and they were chanting it at 4:25pm on Sunday as the Padres were rallying to win.  We have everything in the series.  The Padres burning thru 10-pitchers in one game.  A bench clearing incident.  Monstrous HRs.  Bold baserunning.  Errors.  Crap umpire strike zones.  Alot of yapping.

Just add water and we have a rivalry renewed.

Observations from Press Row:

DODGERS…The arrogance is still there, and they are off to a (13-3) start, tying the best start of a season ever, with the 1955-Brooklyn Dodgers.

KERSHAW-BAUER-BEUHLER…That’s a pretty good front 3-in the rotation, and the Padres did not even see Julio Urias and Dustin May.  For the record, Kershaw is now (22-7) against the Friars in his career and (178-77) in the major leagues, likely building Hall of Fame credentials.

RIVALRY…Dodgers Blue is now (120-62) vs San Diego over the last decade.

TATIS:  Fernando went (1-for-13) in the series..hit a long HR..showed great restraint swinging the bat, holding both hands on it to limit the torque to protect his injured shoulder.  This will be work in progress.

MANNY:  Machado was hurting on Friday, back, hip, shoulder, but grinded his way thru the game.  He had a good weekend going (6-12) and playing rock solid defense.  That’s what he is supposed to do, lead and produce, for his 30M paycheck.

PROFAR:  What a nice start to the season.  What a pest in the batters box and on the basepaths.  Way to get under LA skin and ignite your own dugout.

MYERS:  Some good, some bad.  Worry about this patella tendon issue in knee.  Killed a couple of rallies taking pitches.

BULLPEN:  They entered the series with a (0.84-ERA), but the group gave up 12-runs in the series.  Worried about over-taxing them.

THE KID:  Ryan Weathers, no fear out there, in that Friday night start.  Stage not too big for him, though he threw alot of pitches, but his toughness to scrap for strikes was impressive.  Showed some real bulldog.

SNELL: His pitch counts continue to be pretty high, he had 78-thru 3-innings on Sunday but he competes like hell out there.  Maybe this is just who he is.

PHAM:  He is struggling and had a (.122) batting average before finally stroking a 2-run double in the 8th inning rally on Sunday.  Finally a hit.  Maybe will be a streak guy.

CAMPUSANO:  The kid catcher is struggling in calling games, as witnessed by all the meetings he has with his pitches on the mound about what to call, what to throw.  Defense seems shaky at times.  Not sure he is ready for everyday duty.

CARATINI:  This is a find behind the plate.  Calls a good game.  Catches virtually everything.  Has the trust of alot of people.

DARVISH:  Dazzling against the Dodgers, giving up just 1-hit to that lineup, but then has a clinker of an inning where he loses homeplate and his stuff goes away, but what stuff when he is on.

MATT STRAHM:  Lousy news, heading to the 60-day DL as he continues to rehab this off season knee surgery.

ADRIAN MOREJON:  Padres not saying the extent of his elbow-forearm injury but seeking a second opinion means they have yet to figure out a game plan.  Rest and rehab, or Plasma Platelet injection, or outright surgery.  An operation is last resort.  An injection takes him out for four weeks.  This may take awhile.

PADDACK:  Rock solid start vs Pirates, but then again that’s lowly Pittsburgh.  See what happens if he faces the Dodgers next weekend.
He has only 5-quality starts in last 14-starts dating to last summer.

HOSMER:  What’s with the multiple errors from a former Gold Glove first sacker.  He did not have a great defensive season last year either.  But he’s hitting.

GRISHAM:  Gold Glove award, hitting leadoff, gets on base, steals bases, how did Milwaukee let this guy get away?

FANS:  They had a good time, all 15,000 plus each game, but I will ask, no masks in the stands-why?  I hope all these fans have been vaccinated.  I hope they’re not stupid, risking their health just to go to the game.

TV: What a weekend for the popular  broadcast crew, Don Orsillo-Mark Grant.  They were on the edge for all three games of the series. Talked about being focused.  Fun broadcast.  Only negative, way too many analytic numbers from analyst Bob Scanlan.  Let him talk baseball, not 1st-2nd-3rd pitch comparisons.  His assessments of who can doctor, not doctor, the ball were fun.  Fans don’t need an assortment of metrics.

PADRES-DODGERS:  Just think, we have 16-more of these games to be played between these two teams, with the next chapter, 4-straight at Dodgers Stadium, home of the Evil Empire.  Think there will be some more ‘Electricity’ in LA?

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“NFL Draft–Clubs Last Minute Thoughts”

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The rumors are everywhere.  Who is going where.  How are teams to going to trade up..Who is rising…Who is dropping…Will it be a Quarterback draft right at the top of the board.

NFL thoughts heading into the weekend.

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For now, let’s take a look at how the first 10 picks may go, based on things we’re hearing and various reports and rumors and other information making the rounds only 16 days from the launch of round one.

No. 1, Jaguars: They’ll surely take quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

No. 2, Jets: They’ll most likely take quarterback Zach Wilson. If they don’t, they’ve made no effort to push back against the presumption that Wilson is the guy. Which will set the stage for a P.R. nightmare if the pick ultimately is, for example, Justin Fields.

No. 3, 49ers: They essentially control the board, and they have no reason to be coy. Some think they’re embracing the mystery, if for no reason other than to enjoy the attention to the brand that comes from it. Others think they’re doing their due diligence. Regardless, they’ve made a huge investment (three ones and a three) for one player; presumably, they had a good idea who the player would be before making the move. Many think that quarterback Mac Jones will be the pick. Others think it will be quarterback Trey Lance or quarterback Justin Fields. Regardless, it will be a quarterback.

No. 4, Falcons: Here’s where it gets interesting. The Falcons could go with a quarterback, they could take the first non-quarterback off the board, or they could trade down. They’re sending signals that they’re looking at a quarterback, but that’s possibly to get maximum value for the pick if/when they trade.

No. 5, Bengals: Tackle Penei Sewell is expected to be the pick, but they also could go with tight end Kyle Pitts or receiver Ja’Marr Chase or one of the Alabama receivers, Jaylen Waddle or Devonta Smith. They also could trade out of the spot for a team, like the Broncos, that may want to jump up for which quarterback is left.

No. 6, Dolphins: They’re expected to take a receiver, with Chase and Waddle believed by some to be higher on their board than Smith. (The fact that Chase opted out in 2020 due to the pandemic could boost Waddle, at it relates to this specific selection.) They also could take Kyle Pitts.

No. 7, Lions: They have plenty of needs. It will be interesting to see what they do if Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields remains on the board. Will former OSU standout Chris Spielman, who has much more power and influence in the building than most realize, be able to resist drafting Fields? Jared Goff seems to be a short-term fix. If he flamed out in L.A., why would he be expected to perform significantly better in Detroit? Thus, if Fields is there, maybe he’s the pick.

No. 8, Panthers: After trading for quarterback Sam Darnold, they can take the best player available. Would they take a quarterback if one of the top players slips through the cracks? They have a two-year commitment to Darnold, and they could in theory fall out of love with him after a year, the same way they fell out of love with Teddy Bridgewater after a year.

No. 9, Broncos: They clearly want an upgrade at quarterback. The question is whether there will be one they like at nine, whether they’ll have to trade up, or whether they’ll just kick the can — especially if they can add Teddy Bridgewater to a depth chart that includes Drew Lock.

No. 10, Cowboys: Dallas needs defense. They could end up with the first defensive player in the draft. The question is whether they can resist the temptation to tight end Kyle Pitts if he’s there at No. 10, or the possible opportunity to trade up to get him.

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“Dodgers vs Padres–When Is It a Rivalry”

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They are almost here.  Petco Park will be rocking on Friday night.
The Dodgers and the Padres…will roll into town for what many think will be the beginning of a season long war to see who is best in the NL-West.

It will be the first of 19-meetings this season between them.

Dodgers Blue with its 254M payroll.
Padres Brown with a (160M) budget.

Oh so much history.  Tommy LaSorda…Randy Jones…Orel Hirshiser…Tony Gwynn…Fernando Valenzuala…Ken Caminiti…Greg Vaughn…Eric Gagne…Trevor Hoffman…Clayton Kershaw…Robbie Alomar..Pedro Guerrero.Jack McKeon. Peter O’Malley.

Pick a name, remember an incident, a game, a series, a piece of history.

Close your eyes and you can see and hear Petco..”Beat-LA-Beat-LA”…Do the same up at Chavez Ravine and it echoes..”Let’s Go Dodgers”.

But what makes a rivalry go?  Beating the other guy for sure.  Hasn’t happened much in this I-5 Series.  Former Padres exec Larry Lucchino coined the phrase ‘Evil Empire’.  When he ran the Red Sox he referenced that, referring to the Stienbrenner led Yankees.  Now he has transferred that to San Diego’s view of Los Angeles and how the Dodgers operate their franchise.

But you have to beat the other guy for it to be important don’t you?  The scoreboard does not lie.

Dodgers-a (118-61) record against the Padres in the last decade.
Dodgers-8 Division titles in a row
Padres-5 division titles in 53-years
Dodgers-21 World Series appearances
Padres-2 times in Fall Classic
Dodgers-7 World Series rings
Padres-Zero.

The Scoreboard does not lie.  The Padres can make a statement if they hold their own in this 3-game series in Petco Park.  See me September 30th after they play the final game of this 19-game series this year, to see if it is a real rivalry.

By the way, want to see what a real champion looks like.
A look at the Dodgers in the World Series over all the years, from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.

Courtesy: LA Magazine.
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1916 World Series: Brooklyn Robins versus Boston Red Sox

Managers for the Red Sox and Robins meet at 1916 World SeriesBefore the Dodgers became the Dodgers, the team was known for a time as the Robins (they were also the Superbas, Trolley Dodgers, Bridegrooms, Grooms, Grays, and Atlantics at various points, though technically the name during this period was only ever Brooklyn Base Ball Club). In 1916, the team made its first play for the World Series. It didn’t go great for them. In game two, it started strong. Hy Myers hit a home run at the top of the first, but it would be the only time they scored in the whole game. Babe Ruth pitched 13 of 14 shutout innings for the Sox, who would win that game and three others to take the World Series, four games to one.

1920 World Series: Brooklyn Robins versus Cleveland Indians
Ebbets Field, 1920 World SeriesPlayers were leveling up their game by 1920. This series included the first triple play, grand slam, and home run hit by a pitcher in World Series history. It was played as a best-of-nine series, as were the 1903, 1919, and 1921 championships. The Robins lost the series, but each player on the losing team still took home a check for $2,419.60 according to Baseball Almanac–that would be worth roughly $34,123 today.

1941 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
Brooklyn Dodgers 1941 World Series starting lineupPHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS / ERNIE HARWELL SPORTS COLLECTION

In 1941, the Dodgers were still based in Brooklyn, which made their first World Series matchup with the Yankees the team’s first “subway series.” (However, in 1889, 14 years before NYC’s subway opened, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms had met up with the New York Giants in an American Association “trolley series.”) The Yankees had failed to make it to the World Series in 1940, but otherwise had been on a long winning streak. That resumed with the Yankees taking the championship in 1941–and the win cemented a rivalry between the Dodgers and Yankees that has continued for decades.

1947 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
Jackie Robinson in 1947One of the most important years in Dodger history, 1947 was the season when Jackie Robinson first hit the major league field. And while he might have been the most historic of players at the ’47 World Series, it was an era of legends. The Dodgers faced a team of Yankees that included Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra. The teams went back and forth for six games, going to a tie-breaking seventh, but in that final game, the Yankees pulled out a decisive five-to-two win.

1949 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
1949 World Series Official ProgramPHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS / ERNIE HARWELL SPORTS COLLECTION

You may be noticing a pattern. Another year, another Dodgers-Yankees World Series–and, sadly for Dodgers fans, yet another loss for the team. The Yankees made fairly quick business of their opponents this time around, though the Dodgers did have one thing the Yankees did not: During game five, the Dodgers’ stadium, Ebbets Field, turned on electric lights, marking the first time any World Series game would be illuminated that way.

1952 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
Billy martin makes a climactic catch during the 1952 World SeriesThe Dodgers kept doing their best, and the Yankees just kept coming out on top. But, on the other hand, if you had caught the broadcast, you would have heard the voice of a new, young announcer named Vin Scully, so how mad could a Dodgers fan really be?

1953 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
A diagram of Micky Mantle’s grand slam during the fifth game of the 1953 World SeriesEven if you have no knowledge of Dodgers history, you can probably guess what happened in 1953. The Dodgers played an incredible season, racking up the best winning percentage in the franchise’s history–a record that still stands today. But then they got to the World Series and the Yankees were there, and the Yankees won handily, yet again.

1955 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
Yankee Stadium, 1955 World SeriesFinally, a World Series win for the Dodgers. The Yankees had every World Series match-up with the Dodgers since 1941, so to knock them off their pedestal in the seventh game of the ’55 Series was a big moment for the Dodgers. This was also the first championship ever televised in color as watching games on TV was becoming a more popular activity.

1956 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers versus New York Yankees
Ebbets Field, 1956 World SeriesIt was a rematch of 1955, but with a different outcome. The New York Yankees regained their wining position. The 1956 series would be the last time two New York teams met in the finals until 2000. After the 1957 season, the Dodgers would move to Los Angeles, and the third New York team, the Giants, would relocate to San Francisco; the Mets wouldn’t exist until 1962.

1959 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Coliseum, 1959 World SeriesThe Dodgers were finally in L.A., the Yankees weren’t in the World Series at all. You might say 1959 was a…whole new ballgame. Both teams put on strong showings, but the Dodgers ultimately won, bringing a World Series victory to the West Coast for the first time in baseball history.

1963 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus New York Yankees
1963 Dodgers LineupPHOTOGRAPH COURTESY LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Facing off against rivals the Yankees yet again, the Dodgers went in strong. Lead by MVP Sandy Koufax, the Dodgers trounced the Yankees in a rare four-game shutout. The final two games were the first two World Series contests to be played in the brand new Dodger Stadium.

1965 World Series: Los Angeles Doders versus Minnesota Twins
Sandy Koufax in 1965The first game of the 1965 World Series was scheduled for Yom Kippur, so star player Sandy Koufax had to sit it out. In the rest of the series, he managed to pitch his way through intense pain from arthritis in his left elbow, which would become aggressive enough to force him to retire the next year. The Dodgers would ultimately push out a 2-0 win in the seventh game to take the World Series for the third time since moving to L.A.

1966 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Baltimore Orioles
Orioles players celebrate a win during the 1966 World SeriesPHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MAJOR LEAUGE BASEBALL

The Dodgers’ ’60s momentum promptly ran out of gas in the 1966 World Series. The Orioles, a newly ascendent team, handily beat the Dodgers in four games. The Dodgers scored only two runs total in all four games–and would not see themselves back to the World Series stage for nearly a decade.

1974 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Oakland Athletics
1974 World Series official programA lot of things happened in the world while the Dodgers took their time rebuilding between 1966 and 1974, among them the move of a team known as the Kansas City Athletics to Oakland. The team moved in 1968, and then won the World Series in 1972 and 1973. By beating the Dodgers in the all-California series of ’74, the A’s continued the three-year streak.

1977 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus New York Yankees
1977 World Series official logoIn 1977, the Dodgers met yet again with their old nemeses, the Yankees. This time, they didn’t fare as well as they had in 1963. The Yankees took home their 21st World Series victory and the Dodgers, newly under the management of Tommy Lasorda, went home empty handed.

1978 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus New York Yankees
The Dodgers play a regular season game against the Mets in 1978The Dodgers made it to the championship in back-to-back years–just to lose to the Yankees in back-to-back defeats. It was probably never going to be their year. The Dodgers had barely scraped it together to win the pennant at all and then, just two days before the World Series began, their coach, Jim Gilliam, died of a brain hemorrhage.

1981 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus New York Yankees
Yankee Stadium, 1981 World SeriesPHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

The Major League Baseball Players Association went on strike in the middle of the regular season of 1981. When players went back to work after two months the league organized a split-season format, with a complicated multi-part playoff. The Dodgers advanced through the system to face the Yankees once again, but maybe the mid-season break did them some good, as they finally won a World Series against the Yankees for the first time in almost 20 years.

1988 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Oakland Athletics
Pitcher and World Series MVP Orel Hershiser waves in a victory parade after the Dodgers win the 1988 World SeriesPHOTO BY MIKE POWELL/GETTY IMAGES

Going into the ’88 series, the smart money was on the Oakland Athletics. The team had performed well through the season and the Dodgers looked like major underdogs. The series was a dramatic one, but in the end, the Dodgers were able to come from behind and make an improbable win.

2017 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Houston Astros
Dodger Stadium, 2017 World SeriesIt was a long wilderness period for the Dodgers, who went from 1988 to 2017 without so much as making it to the championship. Which is why, when #ThisTeam finally made it, Angelenos went berserk. They didn’t pull off the big win, and the Astros were subsequently found to be cheating by using electronic devices to steal signs. “Everybody warned us. A lot of people told us to worry about them,” utilityman Kiké Hernández said during an interview in early 2020. “We just thought it was just rumors, but I guess not.”

2018 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Boston Red Sox
HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES

In 2018, after a heartbreaker of a 2017 World Series, the Dodgers 30-year championship drought continued. The series ended after the Sox’s decisive 5-1 win in Game 5. Clayton Kershaw took heat for allowing three Boston homers, and people questioned whether he’d opt out of the last two years of his contract (he didn’t). “Ran up against a very good ballclub,” coach Dave Roberts said. “And just a little bit too much for us.”

2020 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Tampa Bay Rays
The Dodgers celebrate their big 2020 World Series win in Arlington, TexasKELLY GAVIN/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

For the first time since 1988, the Dodgers took home the Commissioner’s Trophy in the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The season, which was shortened by the  pandemic, sadly wrapped up with a positive COVID-19 test result for Justin Turner, who was pulled in the eighth inning of game six. Perhaps the most consequential change in the game came when Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash pulled pitcher Blake Snell, who dominated the Dodgers in the first six innings. Cash will have to deal with questions about that decision, which almost immediately resulted in a Mookie Betts home run. We’ll be over here celebrating.

 

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“Pittsburgh-Great City-Bad Baseball”
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You fall in love with beautiful baseball stadiums.

Petco Park downtown..Camden Yards-Baltimore and its brick facade..PNC Park-Pittsburgh and its view of the city bridges-skyline.

You love the great old stadiums, Yankees-Fenway-Wrigley.

There are lots of nice places to live too, Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania included.

There are lots of fervent cities that root for their teams, and that includes people in the 412-area code.

That’s why what I see happening to Pirates baseball makes me mad, sickens me, and should be addressed by the media, the fans, and MLB.

The Pirates brought us the Lumber Company, ‘We are family’, Stargell-Oliver-Parker-Sanguillen.

We recall Roberto Clemente, Vernon Law, Bob Friend, Elroy Face and a World Series team.

And of course we all witnessed Barry Bonds and the Jim Leyland era.

Pittsburgh has given its fans some fabulous teams, but not recently, surely not now, and it’s about to continue..

Please don’t tell me about ‘small market baseball’, not when teams draw over 2M per year…get a nice chunk of TV revenue..and received  30-to-50M a year in revenue sharing.

Pittsburgh, don’t tell me small market, for if you win, you become a regional franchise and you draw, as witnessed by who-what the Steelers are to Western Pennsylvania.

I shook my head when the fans roared to PNC Park to see the Pirates drive into the playoffs.  They looked as if the rebuilding was about to bear fruit.

And then ownership traded away star outfielder Andrew McCutchen just like that, and the floodgates opened.

And since then, it has been another downward plunge, a composite record of (323-383) since 2016.

And it has been a constant exit of quality players for a wide variety of reasons, most of them related to ownership not showing a willingness to pay to keep its best players.

Take a look at the box scores around baseball this week.  Ex Buccos everywhere:

Tyler Glasnow-Tampa Bay..14-strikeout game this week
Gerrit Cole-Yankees..ace of the staff
Jameson Taillon-Yankees..part of the NY rotation
Joe Musgrove-Padres..No Hit-Joe

All could have been in the Pirates rotation if ownership wanted to compete rather than just put money in their pocket.

Mark Melancon-Padres
Keone Kela-Padres
Trevor Williams-Cubs
Chris Archer-Tampa Bay

Think they could have been valued pieces in the bullpen?

AJ Burnett
JA Happ
Charley Morton

Guys who went other places and did pretty well after they moved out.

And it’s not just pitchers, though the Pirates may have the worst pitching staff in the game.

They dealt away Josh Bell..Starling Marte..Josh Harrison..Francisco Cervelli..Neil Walker and young prospect Austin Meadows.  I’d take alot of those guys in place of whom I saw in the Bucs lineup on Tuesday night.

Of course a couple of players self destructed.  Francisco Vasquez is in some jail somewhere on a child sexual abuse case.  And Jung Ho-Kang was exiled after an ugly domestic abuse case.

All teams go thru bad times, but in Pittsburgh, it seems to be an on going story of lack of quality leadership and commitment from atop to what goes onto the roster, into the dugout and then on the field.

Anybody see a trend here in Pittsburgh?  How they operate?  What do they do with the money they get from fans, the networks, the league office?  Surely not spend it correctly

Ben Cherrington, a former Red Sox executive, has taken over as GM.  He is not going to fix Pirates baseball in 15 minutes.  It’s been wrecked over the last five years.

This is painful to see what Pirates baseball has become over the years and I lay it at the front door of ownership.  If you cannot afford to run a team in a beautiful city in a beautiful ballpark like PNC, then sell the franchise.

Pirates fans deserve better.  Pittsburgh deserves better.

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