Hollywood tidbits

December 21, 2009 by dodgerkramer

Thoughts on the news of the weekend in Hollywood…

  • Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers got married on Long Island. I fully expect that marriage to last forever.
  • Brittany Murphy, 32, died at home in the Hollywood Hills. I don’t believe it was natural causes. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more on this one for quite some time.
  • The number of young celebrities who have died over the years is absolutely astounding. This continues to be one of the most intriguing phenomenons of our world.
  • Want to live to a ripe, old age? Don’t go into show business.

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Today’s trivia: Who took over at second base for the Dodgers in 1982 after Davey Lopes left the team?

Bonus question: Which Iowa college did Lopes attend?

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We’re supposed to get a huge winter storm again this week. I hope it doesn’t prevent us from traveling back to Farley.

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Trivia answer: Steve Sax took over for Lopes in 1982 and promptly won the National League’s rookie of the year award. Sax was a big part of the 1988 world champion team, and he’s still one of my all-time favorite Dodgers. Sax also has been known to hang out with my buddy Luke W. down in Vero Beach, Fla.

Bonus answer: Lopes attended Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant.

Maisa meets Santa

December 20, 2009 by dodgerkramer

Alston and Lasorda

December 20, 2009 by dodgerkramer

An interesting post about Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda on the Dodger Thoughts blog today. Click here to read it.

•••

Today’s trivia: What record is held collectively by ex-Dodgers Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey?

•••

Today we’re hoping to find a Santa Claus for Maisa. The snow is flying but so far the streets aren’t bad.

I just hope we don’t have to stand in line too long, like Ralphie and Randy in ”A Christmas Story.”

Speaking of movies, I watched “Serpico” last week. I believe it was Al Pacino’s first film after “The Godfather.” It was OK.

I also finished reading a couple novels recently — “Brooklyn” by Colm Toibin and “Santa Fe Rules” by Stuart Woods.

Woods is my favorite author and I plan to get another one of his books today (if I can get to the library). 

•••

Trivia answer: Infielders Cey, Russell, Lopes and Garvey played together for 8 1/2 years — longest of any infield group in baseball history.

Pierre trade nets two pitchers

December 19, 2009 by dodgerkramer

From the Los Angeles Times:

Of the two pitchers the Dodgers acquired from the Chicago White Sox to complete the Juan Pierre trade, Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti said 25-year-old reliever Jon Link was the closest to being major-league-ready.

“He has a chance to be on our club this year,” he said.

Link saved 13 games and had a 3.99 earned-run average in 48 relief appearances for triple-A Charlotte last season.

The Dodgers also received John Ely in the deal. Ely, 23, was 14-2 with a 2.82 ERA for double-A Birmingham last season.

Crisakes, that seems like a heck of a good package for the Dodgers. I didn’t expect they’d get anything of value in the Pierre trade. Shoot, that Ely dude went 14-2 last year in double-A. Yeah, we’ll take him!

33 going on …

December 19, 2009 by dodgerkramer

I am 33 years old today. Dec. 19, 2009.

That means I’m closer to 45 than 20 — if my math is correct. Numbers are not my forte, so double-check me on that.

I’m definitely in worse shape physically than I was at, say, 30. Jill’s outstanding cooking and my tendency to skip the gym has added too many pounds to my frame. Maybe I can work on that before I turn 34.

Anyway, happy birthday to Mike B. and all the other Dec. 19 folks out there.

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Today’s trivia: Can you name all the Dodger managers from 1954 to 1996?

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TV note: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my best buddy, Al in D.C., watches the new show “Men of a Certain Age.” It’s an excellent show, and I noticed it’s getting pretty good ratings.

TV note II: Friday’s “Oprah” showcased the 1960s, with an emphasis on AMC’s “Mad Men.” There’s another show everyone should watch.

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Trivia answer: The Dodgers were a rock of stability in the 20th century, employing just two managers from 1954 to 1996. Walter Alston managed from ‘54 to ‘76, and Tom Lasorda managed from ‘77 to ‘96.

Friday, Dec. 18

December 18, 2009 by dodgerkramer

I’ve received a lot of nice feedback on my 25-man Dubuque County baseball roster. It’s nice to hear people say they enjoy reading this blog. The roster is a couple posts below this one, if you haven’t seen it yet.

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Today’s trivia: Frank McCourt purchased the Dodgers in 2004. Before that, they were owned by Rupert Murdoch for about seven years. Can you name the family that owned the Dodgers from 1950-1998? 

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Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday. Nothing planned, just another day at the office.

I share a birthday with Al Kaline, the Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer and one of my Dad’s favorite players.

Actress Alyssa Milano, one of the biggest Dodger fans in the country, also shares my birthday.

UPDATE/CLARIFICATION: I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that my brother-in-law Mike shares my Dec. 19 birthday. I should have made note of that on the original post.  Sorry, Mike!

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Trivia answer: The O’Malley family owned the Dodgers from 1950 through 1998.

Kobe does it again

December 17, 2009 by dodgerkramer

Defying the broken index finger on his shooting hand, Kobe Bryant sunk a 15-footer Wednesday night to beat Milwaukee in overtime 107-106.

The guy is unreal.

And speaking of Kobe, who would have ever guessed that his public image would be more favorable than Tiger Woods’ public image? Tiger has made Kobe look like a choir boy and/or a devoted family man.

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Today’s trivia: On Sept. 18, 2006, the Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs to tie the score in the bottom of the ninth inning. They won the game in 10 innings. Can you name the four Dodgers who homered in that ninth inning?

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Tiger Woods was named athlete of the decade in a vote by Associated Press sports editors. Lance Armstrong was second, Roger Federer third and Michael Phelps fourth.

Athletes in individual sports apparently have an edge over athletes in team sports. Not sure why, but it’s true. Tom Brady was the highest “team sport” athlete on the list, and he finished fifth.

Moreover, Albert Pujols is one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and he received a grand total of ONE vote.

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Trivia answer: Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back homers to tie the score. After the Padres took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th, Nomar Garciaparra won the game for the Dodgers with a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th.

If I were building a team

December 16, 2009 by dodgerkramer

There were a heck of a lot of great baseball players in Dubuque County when I was growing up. I’d put Dubuque County’s talent up against any county in the state.

I’ve always thought it would be fun to build a 25-man roster of the players I watched when I was a kid. Today that’s what I’ll attempt to do.

This is not meant to be the end-all, be-all, definitive list of the county’s best. Rather, these are the best players that I watched regularly. This list will not end any debates, but it will undoubtedly start a few.

Here goes nothing (ALL CAPS denotes former professional baseball player)…

Starting pitcher No. 1: JOHN ACKERMAN, Farley – Without a doubt, the best local baseball player I ever saw. The most exciting, too. Originally from Cassville, Wis., “Ack” spent enough time with Farley to be considered a Dubuque County native. The guy threw about 90 mph with a wicked slider, and he had a rubber arm. Did I mention he could hit the crap out of the ball, too?

Starting pitcher No. 2: TOM WEGMANN, Dyersville – The best-pitched game I ever saw was at the Holy Cross Tournament, where Ackerman beat Wegmann 1-0 (Loras Simon had an RBI triple to boost Farley). Wegmann pitched as high as triple-A for the Mets and Orioles. He was best known for his change-up and his outstanding control.

Starting pitcher No. 3: Pat Weber, Cascade – The most intense competitor I’ve ever seen. Nasty slider. Never afraid to pitch inside or put one in the batter’s ribs. Yipe has gotta have about 300 wins by now.

Starting pitcher No. 4: NIC UNGS, Dyersville – Ungsie is younger than I am, so his best days came after I stopped watching him. Still, the guy has been in triple-A for years, so he deserves a spot in my rotation. Sort of a side-arm delivery. Great control.

Starting pitcher No. 5: Dave Schenk, New Vienna – Nasty, nasty stuff. Hard thrower. Good breaking ball. Rubber arm. Confidence bordering on cockiness, but he could back it up.

Reliever: Frank Dardis, Peosta – The craftiest veteran you’ll ever find. He would be my situational lefty, or I’d bring him in if I needed to pick off the runner at first base. Legend has it that Frank is the only Loras pitcher to beat the University of Iowa.

Reliever: MIKE UNGS, Epworth — I caught the tail end of Ungs’ career, when he was a regular for Farley. He was still good at that point, but I’m told he was a real stud when he pitched for Epworth.

Reliever: Larry Jansen, Dubuque– The Dubuque Budweisers were a powerful team when I was a kid, in large part because of this right-hander.

Catcher: PAUL SCHERRMAN, Farley – There was a season right around 1991 or 1992 when “Sharm” (about 40 years old at the time) simply dominated the Prairie and Eastern Iowa Hawkeye leagues. Watching Paul that season is one of the great memories of my childhood. I can still remember his bat from that season (a white ceramic Easton). Paul was a great hitter and catcher for about three decades. Quite simply, Paul Scherrman IS Farley baseball.

Catcher: Tim Boge, Dyersville — I believe he played for the University of Alabama. Enough said. He could hit, and he threw lasers to second base. I think arm injuries might have sidelined his career.

First base: Dave Simon, Cascade – Swung for the fences every time, and often found them.

First base: Marty Till, Farley — I’ve never seen a better defensive first baseman … anywhere. Seriously, Marty was as good or better defensively than most major-league first basemen. And he was a fine, fine hitter who batted cleanup for the great Farley teams of the late 80s and early 90s.

First base: SCOTT SAVORY, Dubuque — Smooth operator with the glove and bat, this lefty caught scouts’ attention with his surprising foot speed.

Second base: Chris Hoefer, Epworth — This guy could pitch, too, and threw extremely hard. But he makes my team as an infielder because of his powerful left-handed bat.

Shortstop: Tim Felderman, Rickardsville — A remarkably gifted athlete out of Dubuque. He can catch it, throw it, hit it.

Shortstop: Ron Wedewer, New Vienna — He and Pat Weber had legendary battles back in the day. Probably still do, for all I know. A frighteningly good hitter with matching intensity.

Third base: Mark Pins, Farley – Pinsie has been a great player for the Hawks since he joined the team straight out of high school 20 years ago.

Third base: Chris Kerper, New Vienna – Izzy was a terrific all-around player at Beckman and with the N.V. Stars. He plays for Farley these days and is still pretty good, from what I hear.

Outfield: Shane Simon, Cascade – Built like Schwarzenegger. Grew up with a batting cage in his backyard, and he always knew what to do with a fastball.

Outfield: Scott Harris, Farley – Possibly the best hitting technician to ever come out of Dubuque County. Scottie knows as much about the mechanics of hitting as anyone I know. Go-to line was “Top hand over!”

Outfield: Jeff Nadermann, Dyersville – I didn’t see him play a lot, but a good friend of mine (whose opinion I respect) said Nadermann belongs on this list. Good enough for me.

Utility: Sean Dardis, Peosta — Frank’s son was such a natural. It seemed like there was never any wasted motion when he threw the ball, swung the bat, ran the bases.

Designated hitter: Justin Pierro, Epworth – Joined Epworth from Loras College via Chicago. He could hit a ball as far as anyone.

 Designated hitter: Dennis Jaeger, New Vienna – Part of New Vienna’s “Murderer’s Row” of hitters. If you held that lineup to five runs, you did a good job.

Late-inning pinch-hitter: Loras Simon, Bernard/Cascade/Farley — Honestly, is there any other person for this job? “Si” was best known for that gravelly voice, his roofless International Scout, and his fearless disposition at the plate. 

WITH APOLOGIES TO … Guys like Terry McDermott of Epworth, Hank Lucas of Holy Cross, Lenny TeKippe of Rickardsville and Don Till of Farley. There were a lot of very, very good players whose careers were over by the time I started paying attention. The only reason they aren’t on this list is that I was born too late.

 OK, gang, who do you think should be on this list? Take your best shot!

Catching up with my teams

December 16, 2009 by dodgerkramer

This blog is, after all, dedicated to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers. So I need to get with it.

Dodgers: The Bums made a good move Tuesday by trading Juan Pierre to the White Sox. The Dodgers did not need Pierre, and he is owed $18.5 million over the next two years. The Sox agreed to pay $8.5 million of that salary, and also sent two minor leaguers to Los Angeles.

Pierre is a good, solid player, and I wish him well with Chicago. He just happened to be the fourth-best outfielder on the Dodgers’ roster.

This is the first transaction of any significance involving the Dodgers this offseason. The team is not expected to be involved in negotiations with big-name free agents because our owners (Frank and Jamie McCourt) are in the middle of nasty divorce proceedings.

Dodger fans won’t even know who legally owns the team until May. So, best-case scenario, GM Ned Colletti will find a surprisingly good starting pitcher on the scrap heap. I find ex-Yankee Chien Ming Wang to be an intriguing possibility. If he ever finds his sinker again, he could dominate National League hitters.

Lakers: The Lake Show is 19-4 and seemingly rolling along. Superstar Kobe Bryant scored 42 points with a broken index finger Tuesday in a win at Chicago.

I’m not convinced that Kobe can continue to play with that injury. It’s the pointer finger on his shooting hand — arguably the most critical body part for a jump shooter. But if there’s anything we’ve learned in recent years, it’s that Kobe plays hurt. More important, Kobe plays well when he’s hurt. I believe he’s the toughest athlete in the world.

Meanwhile, Andrew Bynum is among the league leaders in FG percentage, and Pau Gasol is among the leaders in rebounding and FT percentage. Gasol has had consecutive games with 20, 20 and 16 rebounds. Nice work by the Spaniard!

Blockbuster trade

December 15, 2009 by dodgerkramer

Apparently Cliff Lee wasn’t good enough for the Phillies, despite his dominance in the October/November postseason.

The Phillies are trying to acquire Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay in a deal that would send prospects to Toronto and Lee to Seattle. Toronto would also receive some Seattle prospects.

A very curious trade, considering how good Lee was last season. Philly must really love Halladay.

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Today’s trivia: The 1985 Dodgers are one of my favorite teams of all-time. Their starting rotation was brilliant and carried the team to the NL West title. Can you name the pitchers in that 1985 rotation?

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Now I know why they call ‘em Little Rascals.

Yesterday, Maisa …

  • got stuck in the tiny space under an end table;
  • tried to stand up on a large, swivelling chair;
  • tried to pull a telephone cord out of the wall.

Good thing Daddy was around to prevent things from getting out of hand.

:-)

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Trivia answer: Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Bob Welch, Jerry Reuss and Rick Honeycutt were the Dodgers’ starting pitchers in 1985.

  • Valenzuela had a 17-10 record
  • Hershiser was 19-3
  • Reuss was 14-10
  • Welch was 14-4
  • Honeycutt was 8-12