June 18, 1949

Over 32,000 fans came to Wrigley Field on a Saturday afternoon to watch one of the least remembered of the "Boys of Summer", Rex Barney, shut out the Cubs 2-0. Barney held the Cubs to just five hits while striking out seven. The loss was the seventh straight for the Cubs and their eighth straight loss to Brooklyn. The Dodgers improved to 35-22 and stayed 2 games in front of second place St. Louis.

1949 would be one of the most written about seasons in baseball history. There were exciting pennant races in both leagues. The Dodgers and Cardinals would be close all season and the Dodgers would not clinch until the last day of the season. The Dodgers were 97-57. In the AL, the Yankees won two straight games from the Red Sox to end the season to win the pennant by one game also.

1949 was Jackie Robinson's MVP season. He led the league in hitting at .342 and in stolen bases with 37. Robinson also hit 16 home runs and drove in 124, a mark no second baseman in baseball would top until Jeff Kent drove in 128 in 1998.

The Dodgers also had the National League Rookie of the Year in pitcher Don Newcombe, who went 17-8 with a 3.17 ERA. Newcombe would eventually add an MVP and a Cy Young Award to his credit in 1956,

But the pitching ace on June 18 was Barney. The young right-hander had made his major league debut at age 18 in 1943. He moved into the Dodgers rotation fulltime in 1948. Barney threw hard but was plagued with wildness in his career. In 1949 Barney would go 9-8 and walk 89 batters and strike out 80 in 140 2/3 innings. His wildness would get only worse and after 1950, Barney was out of the majors. He would later go on to greater fame as the public address announcer for the Baltimore Orioles with a trademark "Thank yooouuuu!" after most announcements and also saying, "Give that fan a contract!" after a fan made a nice catch of a foul ball. Barney passed away in 1997.

The Dodgers had the best offense in the National League in 1949, scoring 879 runs, but they were only able to scratch out two against Cubs veteran Dutch Leonard. A pair of infield hits by Gil Hodges contributed to both runs.

In the second, Hodges squirted a ball that Leonard couldn't come up with cleanly and reached with a hit. Carl Furillo singled him to third and Hodges came home on a force out by backup catcher Bruce Edwards.

In the third, Pee Wee Reese led off with a single and went to second a ground out and third on a wild pitch. Duke Snider then grounded to Cub first baseman Herman Reich who threw out Reese at the plate. Robinson singled Snider to third and Snider scored when Hodges hit a bouncer that Cub third baseman Andy Pafko couldn't make a play on. After that, neither team was able to put together any sort of threat. The normally wild Barney walked only two batters.

In the World Series, the Dodgers faced the Yankees for the third time in the 1940s. The Dodgers lost Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, 1-0 on a 9th inning homer by Tommy Heinrich against Newcombe, but bounced back to win Game 2, 1-0 on a shutout from Preacher Roe. The Yankees closed out the series at Ebbets Field, winning 4-3, 6-4, and 10-6, with Barney losing the finale. It was the second World Series loss for Dodgers manager Burt Shotton in 3 years. Shotton was the last manager of the Dodgers who did not dress in a uniform while on the job.

The Dodgers were solidly established as the dominant team in the National League, but the next two years were going to end even more unhappily than 1949 did.

Thanks to the New York Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

http://tinyurl.com/e3k4r

(Yankees-Red Sox)-centric, as usual with the literary types, but it's still a good book.

http://tinyurl.com/cy7d3

PTF: "Timmy, what do you think of our new invention?"

T: "Golly Gee Whillikers, Mr. Farnsworth, it's neat-o, but there's only one problem."

PTF: "What's that, Timmy?"

T: "Well, sir, when I try to watch Chicago's American League baseball club, there are always these two idiots destroying my enjoyment of the game."

PTF: "What do you propose we do about it, Timmy?"

T: "Gee, sir. Wouldn't it be swell if there was a button that would allow you to watch what was going on but not have to hear the chimpanzees in the broadcasting booth?"

PTF: "By gosh, Timmy, that's a wonderful idea. We'll call it a mute button, and we will be remembered always as those who saved the public from Hawk Harrelson."

T: "Hooray!"

And so they were remembered, the beautiful saviors of eardrums and common sense that are our friends, Philo and Timmy.

Hope the exams went well. Picked out a powdered wig yet?

Five walks for Garcia. How about we, uh, score some runs.

Dear CWS Fans,

You may not keep up with the National League West, so let me just fill you in. Getting twenty straight outs against the Rockies isn't quite the feat it used to be.

Sincerely,

Steve

Also Memo To Jim Tracy:

Dear Jim Tracy,

Why in the world are you getting Oscar Robles thrown out when this guy can't throw a strike to save his life? Why are you getting him thrown out by five feet? Are you stupid? Are you drunk? And why would you give Harrelson a reason to say "He gone," which annoys me EVEN WHEN I'M ONLY READING IT ON MY CLOSED CAPTIONING!

Thank you for blowing up this inning. I still have 50 multiple choice questions to do tonight anyway.

Also Very Sincerely,

Steve

We realy are an AAA team

"what is robles doing? Caught stealing when freddy is walking everyone, then the next guy swings on 3-1? What the hell?"

I suspect he is watching because Freddy is pitching for his fantasy team.

The answer to your question is yes. Remember Kramer and Mary Hart's voice?

Koufax remembers 1959 WS against CWS:

http://tinyurl.com/7mcn4

It's the Mercury News, so you may have to register. What the heck is Sandy doing living in Pennsylvania?

That was true survival.

They also urged Iguchi's fly ball to "stretch" to clear the wall.

They also refer to Sox players by their first names. That bugs me a lot, although I think Vin does it sometimes too.

http://tinyurl.com/79c6u

Oh I don't know Charlie, how about every time Scotty E pitches.

Did I say AAA, make that little league.

= 2 runs

I just went to MLB.com; Yahoo didn't show me a bit of the top of the 4th.

Yes, WGN is going retro today.

Our bullpen has been solid.

Solidness (from least to most)

Shingo
Vizcaino
Marte
Cotts
Hermanson
Politte

alright, maybe not that slow....but you get the picture.

Oy.

Hmmm...

Too close to call.

Steve, I have the closed captioning on, but for me the announcers are kind of a MST3K thing. I love snarking.

If it's Carrara, then under no terms should Dessens come out.

Weird bounce, but I think the blue got it right.

If Sanchez comes in, I promise to turn off the TV until he's finished.

When I saw the score really get out of whack, I ended up being grateful for my cellphone malfunction.

Oops, Sanchez is warming up - turning off TV. Sigh.

AZ 1 - Cle 3 Top 7
SF 2 - Det 6 Bot 5
SD 3 - Min 1 Top 7
Col - Who cares

Of course, last night the Phillies had Macha's "shift" to help hand them the game anyway.

And that reminds me, I was watching Zito dealing last night and thinking that I really would love to see him in Dodger blue this season. (I love the As, but I love the Dodgers more. Besides, this may be hard to believe for those who don't follow the As closely, but Zito would actually get more run support from the Dodgers.) Only problem is I worry JT wouldn't pay attention to Zito's 100 pitch ceiling, just like Macha doesn't.

How 'bout Elmer and Duaner tonight? Maybe the season isn't over. . .

Then in the sixth he went over 100 pitches, with the usual predictable results and finally the hook, but it was Calero who really let the inning and the game get completely out of control.

The 7th, by the way, was much like the Three Stooges were out there. Some weird, weird plays.

An important factor to consider is that Zito has no history of injuries.

Sanchez is up again, so off goes the TV again...

152 - that's a good question, since unlike many I don't think that Beane and Podesta's prior relationship will make either inclined to cut the other a sweetheart deal.

I know the As wouldn't ask for Izzy or for one of our minor league 3B prospects because they've got Chavvy and Crosby. They need bullpen help, and they could use an upgrade in the outfield.

Or maybe the deal I suggested the other night: Tracy for a bat boy and Gatorade cooler.

We all knew that was coming.

I replayed it just now because I wasn't crazy about the way Kent kind of jogged towards it, but on my rewatch I concluded he couldn't have reached it at full speed, and that he knew it and slowed down.

It must be killing Gagne. Its killing me.

It must be killing Gagne. Its killing me.

I blame Tracy. A team reflects the personality of the manager. Tracy has no personality, hence the team has no character.

206 - we were without Gagne for the 12-2 start, too. Yes, Yhency blew the save tonight. But that does happen, even to the best closers, and especially when a pitcher is rusty.

Personally, I'm looking on the bright side. Yeah, this loss sucked. But we nearly beat a team that's a division leader, and lost because our closer blew the save, although I realize that we left too many men on base, etc. etc. But we were still up 3-1 when Yhency came in.

But I'll admit I'm having painful flashbacks to the struggles in the 80s and 90s to identify a quality third baseman, and being forced to put our hopes into Mike Blowers or Jeff Hamilton. I'm a broken record in hoping DePo is talking to Tampa Bay about Aubrey Huff, who plays a lot of positions; third is one of them.

I am starting to develop the same kind of irrational hatred for Jim Tracy that I have for Russ Ortiz and Bobby Valentine. Even his facial expressions (or lack thereof) piss me off at this point.

The only good thing to come out of all of this is that my yard is going to look much better this summer, because I don't think I can watch much more of this. Radio might be a better, less frustrating way to follow these 2005 Dodgers.

Werth is still in spring training mode, but he'll get it together.

Milton, Choi, Drew, Kent, Phillips, Antonio need to be in their on a consistent basis.

Once Ledee is back we and play the 3 hottest OF'ers and bench the struggling one.

We're not that far off from winning the NL West. Take 3 of 4 from the Pads next week, and most will be forgiven.

As long as were within 5-6 games, I never go into panic mode.

Look at it this way. We are DUE to beat the Padres. After we lose tomorrow, we'll have lost 6 in a row.

Only one way to go is up after that.

Scott Podsednik has not hit a hopme run or triple yet this season.

Scott Podsednik will hit both his first HR and first triple of the season tomorrow.

Any other ChiSox players without a HR yet this year? TOmorrow's their lucky day!

I just slogged back in from the game. Thanks, Ghame Over for truly ending a memorable night for me and my daughter. It was her first game. Way to introduce the Dodgers to the next generation.

Thanks, JT, for proving that you truly are one of the dumber managers I have ever seen. From the line-up (Perez DH?!?) to the steals (Robles belongs back in Mexico) to pulling Duaner for Braz. How about taking a chance on either Elmer or Duaner pitching an extra inning? They were doing fantastic (Elmer holding Sox to two hits!)

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is just pathetic. So this is life after Gagne?

Unfortunately. I'll be spending Father's Day with JT's terrible managing for my third day at the park. I'm tired of hearing from the Sox fans that my team sucks. Unfortunately, they're right.

BUT

Tomorrow is another day, and another game; Brazoban gave up big homeruns last year and bounced back; and with this bad division if the Dodgers are within 3 or 4 at the All Star break anything can happen.

Having used up all my optimism, the only thing left to say is that DePo better start dealing fast to keep this team above water.

Let's not blame the injuries. I think we all knew in our hearts at the beginning of the season they weren't going to be good.

Tracy has completely lost the team and his mind (Robles cs twice, Phillips at 1st, Perez at DH???)

Dodgers are done for '05

I guess I won't be having to name any pets Elmer.

We did?

First of all, .500 is between good and bad, by definition. I don't know on which side of .500 they'll finish, but it's certainly in doubt. And certainly - again, by definition - the injuries have played some role. Just as they have with the Giants, just as they even have with the Cardinals, but more with the Dodgers than most teams.

Second of all, it's pretty evident that there was no agreement in March or April that the team would not be good.

Let's relax the rhetoric or invented hindsight, or at least not start speaking for everyone.

Plus, Elmer really is a cool name for a pet. But what do I know. I named my parrot Seamus.

If the Dodgers win tomorrow, I would name a cat Weaver. I don't think Jeff is a proper name for a cat.

Matt Herges was DFA'd today and Russ Ortiz was put on the DL.

and in sort-of defense of robles, i think the caught stealing incidents tonight both looked like botched hit-and-run plays in which robles was hung out to dry. the first one, perez didn't swing because the pitch almost hit him, and on the second one, perez did swing, but he missed. so that's either bad luck or bad play calling. on the other hand, if robles had just beaten the throws he would've been safe, but that's a little harder to do when you're looking back for a hit.

My present cat is named Emily, but I will let others guess the significance of that name.

Isn't DePo in charge of the roster?

Tracy can only use what he's given. If there's people who don't belong in the Major Leagues, it's not Jim Tracy's fault.

But you're a librarian; I don't know you personally, but as a group you delight in the obscure. The esoteric. The, er, prissy. Could it be my favorite Emily? The very best Emily ever: Emily Post?

Matt Herges has now been DFAed twice; Scott Erickson not at all. That is obscene.

Not that I read it, but Vin Scully quotes that line a lot.

And since her work is both short AND in the public domain:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

2004 Houston Astros were 34-32 as of 6/18.

They were 61-62 on 8/22.

Baseball is a long season and some funny things can happen along the way. I'm not sure I agree with all the capping on JT to this point, but a good portion of it is surely deserved. I think if we get healthy and DePo pulls a rabbit out of his hat, we stand as good a chance as anyone in the West (er, the NL West anyway).

Injuries have played a part. However, Ledee was not/is not going to the answer in the left. His return will provide the most modest return. O. Perez has been consistently mediorce throughout his career and his return will provide some stability but he is not the panacea.

Jose Valentin had cooled off significantly prior to his injury. To say, we would be markedly better with him is just speculation. The only person we are truly missing is Bradley and he cannot make-up said deficincies all by himself.

Basically, our injuries have to been to non-integral parts for the most part. What if Kent went down? JD? Phillips? Then, we could blame the injuries. Our hopes for this season did not rest on the Valetines and Ledee's. They rested on Lowe, Penny and to a lesser extent, Gagne.

This team has over-achieved since the start. It pains me to say this because I am a devout Dodger fan but I see a lot of denial and blind optimism lately.