Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Welcome to the new home of Dodger Thoughts

Three years ago, full of piss and vinegar, I took Dodger Thoughts from its idyllic home at Baseball Toaster to the Los Angeles Times. I wrote a farewell to the Toaster that evoked my excitement of moving to a bigger stage, on which I had long dreamed of performing. While I wondered what I was leaving behind, I was filled with confidence.

The journey that followed was better for me professionally than for Dodger Thoughts itself. While I was taken more seriously than ever for my work on the Dodgers, and (in a welcome relief) compensated for it, the site itself suffered. The commenting community, which I valued immeasurably, broke apart. Readers remained, but despite joining a mainstream site with wide reach, the page views for Dodger Thoughts did not rise. Commenters, by and large, had other places to go.

For several months in 2009, I was hoping that improvements could be made at the Times that would bring that community back, but they were neither sufficiently fast nor user-friendly. I value those who have stuck around and who have come anew, but essentially, that Toaster wonderland was gone.

By the time I moved two years ago to ESPN Los Angeles, I was left to focus on doing the best work I could, hoping to at least retain readers if not commenters. As far as my professional life, I dreamed big again.

Well, now I’m back on my own. For now, anyway. The reasons, I think I can say without being indecorous, relate to shifting priorities over there in the big city. So what are you gonna do?

Start over. Reboot. So here we are. I could be here for 10 days or 10,000. Still figuring that out. Still figuring a lot of things out. There’s still so much I dream of accomplishing, but my path is still around a bend or two. I’m eager to see what happens.

So, if you’ve made it this far, here to home No. 6 (four more to catch Tommy Davis), thanks for stopping by. I’ll do my best to provide informative, meaningful and fun posts as much as or more than ever before.  Hope you hang out a while.

Note: The commenting system should be up and running Tuesday morning.

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175 Comments

  1. Ken Arneson

    Ok, testing the new comment system from Disqus.

    • Ken Arneson

      That worked, but the layout isn’t exactly beautiful.

      • Greg Hao

        disqus will never be confused with being beautiful.  But it is functional.  

  2. Ken Arneson

    All right, I’m going to bed now.  Will play with the layout of these comments sometime in the morning.

  3. Anonymous

     Good night, Ken.

  4. Channa Coggan

    Just dropping in from Israel to wish you a hearty Mazel Tov on your move.

  5. Anonymous

    I’ve been with you from the beginning, Jon; no sense stopping now. Keep up the great work and I’ll see you out at the Ravine.

    PS: Love the graphics!

  6. Anonymous

    We done bugged out!

  7. G B

    We’ve come full circle in a way. I’m looking forward to the return of vibrant discussions as well.

  8. Anonymous

    dodger thoughts forever

  9. Still reading DT after all these years, and hope to for many more. Thanks for all your hard work at keeping this going.

  10. Anonymous

    Can’t get rid of me that easily.

    See?

  11. Anonymous

    Whoa, that’s just way cool.  Signed in with Facebook under my real name, easy, no problem.  Then registered as LBB, again, easy as pie.  Very nice Jon.

  12. Anonymous

    You can run, but you can’t hide! Good luck, Jon, you’re already bookmarked and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

  13. Anonymous

    Hello again …

  14. Anonymous

    Congratulations on the move.  I hope everything works out to keep Dodger Thoughts as vibrant, respectful, and informative as ever.

  15. Anonymous

    Keep up the great work, Jon.

  16. Anonymous

    Victory in the Occupy ESPN movement Jon! I also almost have my toaster name back

  17. So, I take it the Baseball Toaster has come back to life? Sort of?

  18. Anonymous

    This is more like it Jon. following you since about 2005

  19. Anonymous

    Well done Jon. Like everyone else, I look forward to many great conversations here about the Dodgers, baseball and life in general.

  20. So long, Worldwide Leader.

    Now, let Corduroy Thoughts commence!

  21. Anonymous

    I didn’t see a link here, but also checked Facebook, saw you have a presence there, and “liked” the site.  I’m relatively new to Facebook, but I find to my chagrin that it does send me to sites I might not otherwise get to in a given day.

  22. Keep up the good work Jon!!

  23. Anonymous

    Best wishes on the move, Jon. I’ve really enjoyed your site since the days at the Toaster, and I’ve missed the feeling of community that existed there before you left.

  24. Anonymous

    Love the new site.  Nice work, Jon!

  25. Anonymous

    :)

  26. Anonymous

    Do I get to post the first complaint? Actually just a suggestion… It gets annoying having to click on “Load more comments” after every 5 posts; Anyway to eliminate that?

  27. Anonymous

    Test from mobile phone.

  28. Followed you for several years but never have commented. Just a note to say thank you for all your hard work, and that I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for all us Dodger fans when our new owner takes the reins. Your stories are some of the most thoughtful out there, so the name of your site is very appropriate. Congratulations!

  29. Been following Dodger Thoughts since 2003, thanks for all the great work you’ve done over the years, Jon.  I look forward to the new Dodger Thoughts. I have to admit, your work was always great, but I wasn’t a fan of the espn format.  Glad to see a toaster-like reincarnation.

  30. I’m going to  try to make it more of my daily routine to drop in over here and see what dissenting opinions have to say.

  31. Is there an app I should be getting so I can follow you on the cellular device?

  32. Greg Hao

    Jon, as always, my love for your content, both Dodgers and (increasingly more) the tidbits about you and your family, has led me to follow you here.

    I can only ask that you don’t truncate the RSS feed!  Cheers.

  33. Anonymous

    Hey Jon, 

    Still reading, rarely commenting. I have to admit I’m less intimidated by this format to comment. 

    Best of Luck.   – Jason in Canada

  34. Dodger Thoughts is the best! I’ll follow wherever you go! Thanks for keeping me plugged in as a fan and I’m excited for the new site and the new ownership of the Dodgers. Thank You!

  35. Checking out the new digs

  36. Oh the ever serious Joseph is just your friendly neighborhood HJ – will follow you to hell and back Jon.  Your writing   soothes the savage beast

  37. Phil Gurnee

    i will follow you
    where ever you will go

  38. Anonymous

    Hey Jon.  Like many here, I’ve followed you through the many versions of Dodger Thoughts since 2002-2003.  I don’t comment very often, and I hope to change that, but you are probably my one everyday, go-to site that I visit.  I can’t wait to see what the new site brings.  Thanks for all of your work.  It’s much appreciated!  Best of luck with the new site. 

  39. Daniel Renneisen

    Best of luck with the switch, Jon. I’ve followed you at every stop and am confident you will continue to produce great content.

  40. Anonymous

    If you walkaway, walkaway
    I walkaway, walkaway…I will follow

    I will follow
    I will follow…
    /U2

    • Eric Stephen

      Classic Xeifrank pop culture reference.

    • Anonymous

      Wait…you got a space (between first and last name).  How is that accomplished?

  41. Jon does all the heavy lifting, all we have to do is pack the receiver!

  42. I found DodgerThoughts at ESPN, but I’ll definitely be following the new site. Best of luck, Jon!

  43. Anonymous

    Best of luck, Jon.

  44. It doesn’t look beautiful but in a way it does.  It’s Dodger Thoughts, standing alone, and it’s all ours.  It’s good to be here, and good luck, Jon!

  45. Welcome back to independence. I love your blog and look forward to many more years of Dodger discussions

  46. Anonymous

    So you are, or aren’t, merging with Magics group…

  47. Anonymous

    So excited Jon.  This will be great!

  48. Doesn’t matter to me where you post, Jon.  I always enjoy your work.  Good luck.

  49. Anonymous

    Best o’ luck in the new digs!  We’ll keep reading!

  50. Anonymous

    Congrats on the move, Jon (I think).  I am one of the postings that you lost over the last three years.  It certainly was not due to the content of the site, but I somehow did not find the conversations as stimulating as they were at the Toaster.  Anyways, no matter where you go, I will be 2-3 of those page views and will hopefully get back in the conversation more.

  51. I rarely comment but never fail to read what you write, Jon.  I hope you enjoy the new digs, and I’m sure I’ll continue to enjoy your commentary

  52. Anonymous

    And … we’re back…. 

  53. Well, Bob’s here now so we can officially start the party!

    I came in about the last two years of the Toaster.  Now this place looks warm and inviting, so I’ll give it a try.  Congratulations Jon on your good work.  It is greatly appreciated during the bleak winter of our discontent…

  54. I love seeing the parade of names, old friends and new.  LONG LIVE DT!!!

  55. Anonymous

    At one point, after reloading, the site said that it was showing 35 of 30 comments.

  56. Anonymous

    Feels like a new fielders glove.  Now let’s break it in!  Congrats Jon.

  57. Eric Stephen

    Jon and Ken, back together again!

  58. Anonymous

    I like the new digs.  I even registered a disqus profile, which I’ve been resisting for quite some time.  

  59. Anonymous

    I love the new site. Dodger Thoughts forever!

  60. Anonymous

    Good luck Jon! I’ll follow where ever you go. Really enjoy reading your posts, especially since I live in New York and don’t get to read about Dodger baseball in other news outlets.

  61. Wake up, Ken! Numbered comments!

  62. Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following you; For
    wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you blog, I will comment; Your
    people shall be my people, and your Dodgers, my Dodgers.

    (With apologies to Ruth. ;)

  63. Thomas Beatty

    Well, for what it’s worth I’m commenting for the first time since Baseball Toaster in order to wish you luck Jon, and to say that I will follow you wherever you go!  Here’s to a new exciting eria for Dodgerthoughts and the Dodgers!

  64. Anonymous

    Always nice to start a new chapter. 

  65. One hour in and I’m already making demands. Sheesh!

    On a somewhat sunnier note, why not set up a paypal acct. for annual blogathons?

  66. Anonymous

    Perhaps I’m just being nostalgic, and I should probably give the new format here a chance, but I think it would be great to resurrect the format from the Toaster. I liked having the numbered comments, and being able to use brackets to refer back to previous comments. I feel like it’s harder to have a cohesive discussion using the “reply” button.

    Also, it would be fun to do a Toaster reunion game thread this season.

    • Anonymous

      You don’t need numbered comments when you can reply directly to another comment, right?

  67. Anonymous

    I remember when the Toaster closed there was a post with the 100 most frequent commenters. Can we do a roll call to see who is still around, and what screen names people are using these days?
     

  68. Joey E

    i like this better than espn
    hopefully it allows for more commenters because with espn you have to be a member to comment

  69. Ken Arneson

    Well, as usual, the comments look way better on a Mac than a PC.

    OK, I’m going to be fiddling with it a bit.  So if the comments turn pink or something, don’t panic.

    • Ken Arneson

      As for Toaster-like numbered comments, I don’t think I can hack Disqus enough to make that happen.  Using Disqus mostly to avoid the overhead of managing a new set of users and keeping spammers out.

      • Yeah I think it’s worth not having numbers in exchange for using Disqus, which is pretty smooth. Thanks!

        • Anonymous

          Is there a way to maintain continuity with this “reply” system? For example, if you reply to an early comment, it seems unlikely that anybody will see it since it’s automatically buried under the newer comments.

          • Hit refresh and then comments are put in the right order (underneath)…? Hm, wait, this one appears under yours automatically. Maybe depends on browser and OS?

  70. Anonymous

    Still here, best wishes on continued success.

  71. Great to see the ol’ DT graphic up there, and to have DT independent again. Studio interference can counteract all the studio support.  Look forward to hanging here for the 2012 season! 

    Will you invite Bronx Banter folk and Mr. Cardboard Gods and all them for the grand opening party? :D

  72. Anonymous

    Jon and Ken,

    Long time lurker. So great to be back.  This already feels like home again.

  73. Anonymous

    Nice place ya got here. Toaster-esque even. Congrats on the move, sir. Looking forward to the great writing and conversations to come.

  74. Josue Hurtado

    Jon,

    I’ve been reading your work since the Toaster days.  I don’t post too often, but check in daily.  I’m happy to follow you to your latest  version of Dodgerthoughts.  Keep up the good work and best of luck

    Go Dodgers and go (Stanford) Cardinal!

  75. Anonymous

    Congratulations on the new home, Jon, and pulling for you in all things.

  76. To Ghost_of _Carlos_Perez:

    Annnnddd underdog was the number one Toaster commenter. Since then he’s gotten a life!

  77. Anonymous

    If I offered some Dodger Thoughts T-shirts on Cafe Press, would there be any interest? I haven’t used them before.

  78. Good to be back at the toaster. I personally didn’t care for the ESPN thing. Thanks Jon

  79. Anonymous

    Congrats on the new digs, Jon.  Nobody tell Colletti where we are – let’s hope he gets lost and just calls it quits.

  80. Anonymous

    Heck ya.  My original D-Thoughts t-shirt is a bit of a disgrace at this point.  I still wear it to ride my bike to work, but I don’t think it’s appropriate any more for fancy restaurants.  Need a fresh one.

    ….
    EDIT: Huh – that was supposed to be a reply to Jon’s query about Cafe Press. Didn’t end up in the right place.

  81. New to your work, looks like I will enjoy it as the season approaches and once the other big blue in my life wins us a superbowl!

  82. Aloha Mr. Hand

  83. Jon, hopefully you realize that true Dodger fans will seek you out no matter where you land. And I hope to see even more informative, nuanced, and THOUGHTFUL analysis on a daily basis. Dodger fans are lucky to have you dude. 

  84. Anonymous

    New ownership, new DT, let the season begin

  85. Today in Jon SooHoo: Guzman, Broxton, Aybar, Martin, Kemp, Ethier in 2006  http://bit.ly/zzCdzF

    • Anonymous

      Joel Guzman.  There’s proof that not all highly regarded prospects pan out.

  86. Anonymous

    Keep up the great work Jon!

  87. Anonymous

    So far as I can tell, the comments do not refresh automatically.

  88. Does this mean my comments won’t end up on ESPN? Ha!

    Good luck, Jon. 

    (This gives me the opportunity to change my screen name, which makes me very happy… Formerly bumpindonuts)

  89. Anonymous

    If you move it, we will come.

  90. Anonymous

    That is so 2002.

  91. New post up top.

  92. Daniel Paul

    No matter where you go I will follow!

  93. Anonymous

    I like it!

  94. For various reasons I never recovered from the death of the baseball toaster. I hope this season to visit Dodger Thoughts a little more frequently.

  95. Anonymous

    Best of luck in the new locale and continued thanks for all of the great content you provide.

  96. Anonymous

    My earlier post did not go through…Good luck with the new endeavor and I hope to be more frequent with my comments on the new site…

  97. Anonymous

    I discovered Dodger Thoughts when it moved to latimes.com and have been a daily reader ever since. Best of luck with the move Jon.

  98. Anonymous

    Looking forward to pure, unadulterated Dodger stuff. No more of that glitzy espn nonsense.

  99. You da man, Jon. Follow you anywhere.

  100. Andrew Shimmin

    Feels like home.

  101. Anonymous

    I, too, haven’t posted since you left the toaster before, but here I am. Thanks, Jon, and glad to be here with you guys, and yes, I’d buy another t-shirt. Last time I wore it to a game, guess who I met? Ummm, that would be you. (And your wife, in her matching dodgerthoughts t-shirt).

  102. William Crain

    Very,very cool

    Already I’ve been LATed.

  103. Anonymous

    I’ve been a long-time lurker. Thanks, Jon, for all the work and passion you put into this site.  I will definitely make sure i check in everyday and try to comment more

  104. Anonymous

    Oh, and thanks to Ken also

  105. Anonymous

    Not too bad for your first day with the new site, Jon!

  106. Hey Jon! Started following your blog daily when it was on the LA Times website, then made the switch to ESPN LA. Glad to see you are continuing the blog here. Will definitely continue to follow (and hopefully comment more).. 
    Thanks again and I wish you the best of luck! 

  107. Daniel Zappala

    Awesome. I may actually come back!

  108. Wow! This is Awesome!   I wish you the best of everything Jon. Yes to t-shirts. I bought a long-sleeved one before, and one of the arms actually was so worn it came off in the washing machine about a year ago.

    I guess my one regret with this move is that LAT couldn’t be the first to get “LATed” here.

    Ken, thanks for your part in this as well.

    I got a lot of enjoyment just looking through these comments and seeing a bunch of names that I have not seen in years. I guess many of you were commenting but under different names because of the site.

    Thanks guys! This is going to be a fun place.

  109. Anonymous

    Glade your doing OK and I look forward to following your new site

  110. Anonymous

    Glade to see your a survivor, will be following you every day. BTW, is Tony Jackson moving on as well ?

  111. Jon, great stuff. I know there’s a NPUT, but I’m commenting on this thread as it’s more relevant for the convo. This is my first comment SINCE you left Baseball Toaster. Used to comment quite regularly back then. The LA Times and ESPN platforms just kind of made me less interested in commenting. But… I still read every post. So I, for one, am happy you are back on your own, and plan to actually comment more. Congrats.

  112. Gary Smith

    test

  113. I loved the old Toaster…great fun following along with the ball game and comments.  Keep up the great work Jon!

  114. Jon:

    You da Man! Congratulations and keep up the good work.  Viva Dodger Thoughts.

  115. Anonymous

    Following you from Mumbai India – it’s more fun to see you own site anyway and independent again!

  116. if u go to the moon…I will follow. 
    ESPN is boo boo anyways.

  117. I’m actually glad to see you on your own again.  “Back to the Future”.

  118. Anonymous

    Jon, I’m a long-time reader… but never a
    participator of the comments section. I’ve always enjoyed reading some of the commenters’
    opinions; but, had I known that perceived success of a web page was measured in
    comments accumulated, I personally would have made an effort to regularly thank
    you for insightful baseball analysis.

    Now that it’s a new year, I’ll make it a point to
    comment when the mood strikes right. Thanks for the quality work and keep it
    up!

  119. Hi Jon, just tried to share your new location on Facebook, but ESPN still pops up in their auto-URLmangler. I don’t know if this is something you can yell at them about, but you should…

    Glad to see you out of the ESPN cage.

    • Thanks.  I don’t think that’s really on ESPN – I’m guessing it has to do with Facebook, its servers and what have you.  However, if you put a specific DT post on there, like this one, it should work.

  120. David Nims

    Will read whatever the domain is.  Good luck being back on your own and I’m sure Dodger Thoughts will continue to be great!

  121. Anonymous

    Good to see you back at the corner store Jon.  Read you daily at the big warehouse sites, but this just feels better.  Like so many others, I’ve enjoyed your musings about our Boys in Blue but it was always your willingness to share a slice of your life with us that made Dodger Thoughts the brilliant site that it is.  Keep up the great work, you truly are a magnificent writer!!!

  122. Anonymous

    So, buh-bye to Jon from ESPN seems kind of like Fox buying the Dodgers — hire content you don’t know how to make the most of, but you don’t care because it establishes your new franchise, and you can dump it once it served its purpose? amirite commenters?

    Well, this place looks a lot better than McCourt buying the Dodgers from Fox, so, good job Jon (and I see you there, Ken. Thank you.)

  123. Come on Jon…if you ever want more people to take you seriously…proofread what you write.

    “I wrote an farewell to the Toaster…”? 

    Really?  And you call yourself a professional writer?  Or does being a “blogger” give you permission to be sloppy?  Ugh.  Sorry man, because I know your heart is in the right place, but you’re a pro.  You expect the players on the Dodgers’ roster to be their best…and put in the time…do the same and re-read your articles for the love of Vin.

  124. Wil Huddleston

    Yes!!! For some odd reason, I could never get into the swing of reading the blog on ESPN. I read the old blog, but for some reason the ESPN blog was just too overwhelming for me…maybe because there was so many other writers stuff mixed in with your writing. Now that you’re back on your own domain, I’m definitely making it a point to visit the site daily, along with my old standbys at MSTI and what I still like to call FNCN.

  125. I love your site, and if it wasn’t for twitter links I would hardly read your content when DT was on ESPNLA.  

    Glad you are once again independent, ESPN was too cluttered…

    Hope to comment more

  126. The new site looks great, Jon. While I am not at all certain about what the upcoming season will bring for the Dodgers, I AM certain that your writing will bring interesting and thought provoking insights to the season. Thanks for the labor of love service you provide for Dodger fans. BTW…I work with your brother on YJ. Go Dodgers!

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