Proceeds from the ads below will be donated to the
Bob Wuesthoff scholarship fund.
Saturday, August 05, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
John Hale LAN b. 1953, played 1974-1977. Two years ago, in the heat of a late-season pennant race that saw the Dodgers' comfortable lead evaporate to a 50-50 proposition, Jon contemplated the roles of then-starting catcher Dave Ross and even worse backup Brent Mayne, both of whom had been mired in terrible slumps:
Prediction: Dave Ross or Brent Mayne, if not both, will have more than one key hit to help the Dodgers down the stretch. They're not great hitters, but they're better than they have shown. And they will have the chance to prove it.Sure enough, Ross homered in the bottom of the 11th in a September 30 home game against the Rockies, and Choi drew a clutch walk in the bottom of the ninth in the Dodgers' October 2 division-clincher against the Giants.
Speculation: The same would go for Hee Seop Choi, if he were given the chance to play. But even if he isn't, the Dodgers may still be okay.
I bring this up because one of the ongoing themes of the daily birthdays series is the recurring fable of the mouse and the lion, and how the least may help the greatest. John Hale was a fifth outfield bat, with a Mendoza-line career batting average of .201. Yet, for one day, he was the hero who got the Dodgers into the postseason. On the morning of October 1, 1974, the 100-60 Dodgers were two games up on the Reds with two games left. Hale, a September callup, replaced Willie Crawford in right and Don Sutton as a pinch hitter in the top of the sixth; he doubled and scored in that inning, and with the Braves pounding the Reds 7-1, the Dodgers clinched.
The next game was a wild one, too, with the Dodgers winning on Hale's single followed by an RBI double from Lee Lacy in the tenth. Hale, who had been called in as a pinch hitter for starter Andy Messersmith in the top of the sixth, had already collected a leadoff single in the eighth and finished the season with a perfect record. It was the best year of his career. Sometimes, magic just happens.
Jerry Nielsen CAL b. 1966, played 1993
Third Place: Rangers 7, Angels 3
I said this team was a second-place team, by which I mean to say I am optimistic about the Angels' season.Seven Wins: Dodgers 6, Marlins 2
This team's capable of some awful losing streaks. And then they get on some tears. Trouble is, none of their winning streaks are against the first-rate teams they're liable to see in the postseason, should they end up there somehow.
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.