Bob Nightengale of USA Today thinks the Dodgers-DBacks brawl will be a boost to the the Dodgers spirits.
Maybe this wasn’t Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around Jackie Robinson, but rookie Yasiel Puig was not only accepted by his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Tuesday, he also was embraced.
The Dodgers, a dysfunctional and underachieving team that has resembled a bad reality TV show all season, became an actual team during their fight night with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In fact, the brawl might have saved the Dodgers’ season.
In one night, pitcher Zack Greinke became a hero to his teammates, outfielder Andre Ethier showed some life, manager Don Mattingly was fiery and catcher Tim Federowicz proved he belonged. Heck, even hitting coach Mark McGwire was intimidating again.
And Puig, who rubbed some teammates and coaches wrong in spring training with flamboyant behavior, was officially welcomed into the Dodgers family.
Sure, whatever you say Bob. The problem still remains that the Dodgers, as presently constituted, are not very good. They are 28-37, 8 1/2 games out of first and three games behind the Padres, who are in fourth. And the Dodgers are 13th in the NL in runs scored. (Ken Rosenthal was definitely not a fan of the brawl.)
Those big graphics that are hung outside the stadium with players pictures on them? You know what they’re for? To remind you, who is supposed to be on the team. Because it is easy to forget.
The Dodgers will be losing players to suspensions. It’s possible Yasiel Puig could be hurt more than we thought. Hanley Ramirez, in theory, should play Friday, but he didn’t look great on Wednesday. A.J. Ellis and Matt Kemp may be back soon. Chris Capuano could come back soon, but he will likely be suspended because he left the bench to participate in a fight while on the disabled list. Carl Crawford seems to have no timetable. And Andre Ethier is the center fielder.
And there was Bill Shakin’s report in the Times about how the Guggenheim Group set up their purchase of the Dodgers in such a way that if an NFL franchise were to go in Chavez Ravine, the landlord would be… that guy. Whoops, wrong image, this guy. Oops, wrong again, here it is.
May your Thursday not be as bleak as mine.
Anonymous
“Yasiel Puig was not only accepted by his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Tuesday, he also was embraced.”
What a bunch of horsecrap. If hitting four homers in your first five games, hitting .486, and throwing guys out at third and home from right field, one to end a game, doesn’t cause your teammates to accept and embrace you, then your teammates are asses.
Tim Federowicz got one key hit. Andre Ethier hit a home run for the first time since the end of the Space Shuttle program. McGwire can’t seem to teach anybody to deliver a knockout punch on the field, so he turned to his fists instead.
I’m leaving town for a week, and ordinarily I’d be disappointed over missing so many games. Right now, though, it sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
Anonymous
Plenty bleak, but thanks anyway, Bob.
Anonymous
This is simply silly. That said, I’m no longer persuaded by arguments against firing Mattingly, whose bullpen management has been stunningly inept.
Anonymous
It’s well past time for MLB to end the stupid brawling. Most of it amounts to nothing anyway – just stare-downs, but guys can get hurt. It’s NOT an important part of the game that needs to be protected so that men can be men. It’s dumb and pointless. Even the thuggish NBA has reined this in. If you leave the bench in the NBA, you’re ejected and then suspended. Same should be true for baseball. Any player not currently in the lineup should be ejected and suspended for 10 games if they join an on-field altercation. I suppose you can’t say “anyone on the bench,” because of course the defense has 9 guys on the field, compared with a max of 5 (including the on-deck circle) for the offense. But at least such a rule could limit the maximum possible conflagration to 18 players, and not 50+coaches.
Nearly all of the unwritten rules of baseball really tick me off. I’m mostly of German extraction (like Bob, I gather). I like written rules that are enforced.
Anonymous
If you made a rule against leaving the dugout during a fight, hitters would think twice about charging the mound for a 1-against-9 beatdown. That wouldn’t stop every idiot in the world, but 99% of them.
Anonymous
Actually Mattingly had little choice in using Bellisario and League last night. He can use them and lose games or not use them and lose games. There needs to be a mechanism whereby players who were good and lose it, can be sent down to the minors to solve their problems. Under present rules the Players Association won’t allow it, but they might be talked into changing their minds IF the player kept his pay level and volunteered to do it for his own future good. Psychologically, it should remove the pressure and allow him to rebuild himself. Just an opinion, feel free to disagree as i know you will…
Anonymous
Does League still have options? Roy Halladay got sent all the way back down to A ball at one point, and came back the best pitcher in baseball.
Just saw this on b-r: League’s stats are most similar to Kerry Ligtenberg, another guy I hated looking at.
Anonymous
Ew, those sideburns.
Anonymous
I don’t think League can be sent down without his agreement.
Anonymous
They can do that by faking an injury and then designating the guy for a “rehab” assignment. but there might be a maximum time limit.
David Farinella
Dysfunction? I don’t see no stinking dysfunction, and boy howdy, do I know from dysfunction.
Anonymous
OK, I have gotten over it. When is the next game?
Anonymous
Funny how that happens. Me, too! But I’m telling you, we are like a tribe of Charlie Browns, revving up against all reason to once again kick Lucy’s football.
Anonymous
Broxton came in to start the bottom of the 14th and gave up a run
foul tip
Bryan Stow, the Giant fan beaten nearly to death by two thugs at Dodger Stadium, finally goes home after two years. Needed more rehab, story says, but insurance ran out. Imagine that! Cutbacks in therapy also mean he’s not doing as well. (That just couldn’t be right either, could it? )
He will have to be cared for at home. Insurance also will not pay for that. Who woulda thought!
I join my fellow Dodger fans in being sure that Frankrupt McTort will do the right thing tomorrow and step forward to use a tiny bit of the jackpot he won selling the Dodgers to take care of Stow for life.
Eh, what’s that you say, Frank? Suddenly hard of hearing and conveniently blind?
Maybe Jamie would chip in some of her $131 mil and embarrass him. Let’s hope.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130613/bryan-stow-returns-dodger-stadium-giants-fan.ap/?sct=hp_t2_a9&eref=sihp
foul tip
Interesting RE one of many peoples’ fave umps–
@jay_jaffe
dumbpire RT @BryanHoch: CB Bucknor rung up Seth Smith on a called third strike. Too bad it was only strike two.
Anonymous
NPUT