I do like the painting.

It seems like it has been awhile since a pitcher dominated like this in the postseason. As much as I want the Red Socks to lose, it was fun watching Beckett last night.

I think Hershiser was the closest thing to Koufax that the Dodgers have had. There have been lots of good pitchers but Koufax was just overpowering.

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You know, looking back, I am remembering my Fantasy Baseball team from 2006. I drafted this team before I met DT, before I learned sabermetrics.

here's some of my starters:

Jim Edmonds
Juan Pierre
Julio Lugo
Raul Ibanez
Brian Roberts
Ryan Freel
Bill Hall
Javy Lopez

Outside of Hall and Roberts, this seems like the all NedCo team to me now. I can not express enough gratitude for learning from DT how to evaluate talent the right way. :)

It's not really done in a style that I care for much, but I do love the impending sense the fastball it creates.

When I looked it up I was pleased to see that his ERA+ for 1962-1966 were 141;159;187;160 and 190. (Can you imagine posting a 190 ERA+ and then retiring.)

Hershisers best 6 years (1984-1989) were 133;170;90;131;148 and 148.

Interesting contrast between Koufax the player and Koufax the private person. Excerpt from excerpt:

"Baseball, Koufax said at the time, was a form of warfare. He never believed in fraternizing with opposing players because he saw them as the enemy, and he could see no reason to get to know an enemy well enough to have any feeling towards him other than hostility.

"Baseball writer Roger Kahn recalled Koufax striking out the side against the Yankees with hard fastballs in the first inning of Game One of the 1963 World Series, and then fixing the Bombers' dugout with a hard stare that Kahn interpreted as meaning, "I can pitch to your power and I'll still strike you out."

Lots of other good stuff, even tho it's just an excerpt.

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/excerpts/excerpt.php?book=koufax

Yeah, it kind of looks like some imposter pitcher wearing a Scooby-style Sandy Koufax mask!

"Why, it wasn't Sandy Koufax who terrorizing the petting zoo after all --- it was old lady Murgatroyd!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have to say the artwork is kind of growing on me. I like all the different shadings of blue around the figure.

I've been wanting to ask Andrew and other's who keep saying that Koufax's numbers don't match up when you put in context the ballpark and offensive morass of the league during 62-66. Pedro's ratio's are out of this world at his peak but he never threw more then 240 innings. Is it hard to believe that if he had been part of a 4 man rotation and threw 320 innings that his ratio's would have cratered? Or is that made up by the fact he pitched in an offensive park in a league that used the DH? I can understand the argument the he might have been the greatest 6 inning pitcher ever, but I'm not sold on the arguement that he was the best starting pitcher ever, or even in the top 5.

Stan from Tacoma

Orel was great but it was a different kind of greatness -- more about finesse, pitch selection, making batters look foolish rather than overwhelmed. More comparable to Greg Maddux.

Stan from Tacoma

Can I say "disgusting?" That is truly "disgusting."

Carl Pavano comes to mind.

That might supress our score, although Nomar, Tomko, Saenz and Pierre didn't exactly bring it back up.

LuGo, Kent and Lowe were probably our most productive FA's this season. And they weren't great.

Did Saito count in our favor?

Game 7 of the 1965 World Series has not aged well. Because relatively few cameras were used at the time, you don't get a lot of the feel of the action.

Replays are sparse. Also in Game 7, Koufax was just throwing fastballs and you don't get to see his famous curve ball.

Oh and Stan it is great to see you still come by. You don't post much anymore. I missed the series you did when you were posting regularly.

Well, while catching up on the Uni Watch, I found this article from the 50s -- written by Gay Talese. It's all interesting, but the relevant bit comes at the very end.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/1562548099_a14b757436_o.png

He also looks kind of sad he's about to K another victim. Strike three!!

35 Oh, too late - I see you got there yourself.

Thanks for the list Toy. It is hard to see the amount of money we paid Schmidt and the fact that Pierre's salary will increase the next few years. 2009 does look pretty hopeful.

I have never, in all the years, seen any pitcher so totally dominating day in and day out, any situation...than Koufax...

that is, except for when he had to face the Colt 45's in that heat and humidity...

Red hat = hot headed (I don't think so)

I kind of understand the red arm cause he throws HEAT but I don't get the red hat.

There are plenty of excellent radio broadcasts of Vin and Jerry Doggett available for purchase. As I think Jon can attest, they are of extraordinary quality. A few weeks ago I picked up a 1978 Giant/Dodger game that is a classic Vin broadcast. The 1969 Met/Dodger game written about so eloquently by Jon on SI.com is available for purchase. I don't think the 1978 game is likely to be available commercially, which is a shame. The broadcast quality is not the best and it is missing some action from the bottom of the second and top of the third. Still, nontheless, it is a great game to hear.

Stan from Tacoma

Stan from Tacoma