Tuesday, April 17, 2007 |
Two Dodger Games
Jackie Robinson Day: Dodgers 9, Padres 3
Sunday's game marks the third straight that the Dodgers have won on Jackie Robinson day. Last year, they beat the Giants 3-1 while getting one of the last good performances by Odalis Perez in a Dodger uniform. The year before, why, they beat the Padres 4-0 behind a strong performance by Derek "It'll Be Jackie Robinson Day Every Day I Pitch" Lowe.Much was made of all the base pilfering going on by the Dodgers, who successfully took four in the contest, two of which ended up scoring. Word was, it was Jackie Robinson-style baseball, and to the extent that Robinson was an infamous base-stealer that was true; but of the late-40's, early-50's Brooklyn Dodgers teams that won pennants (through 1956),
That is to say, there is an old wives' tale circulating among Dodger fans that the Dodgers used to do it with pitching and defense. Not hardly, at least, not back in the Brooklyn days; those were teams that could wallop the ball hard. Along those lines, Andre Ethier actually got a ball out of the yard, and seven of the Dodgers' thirteen hits fell in for extra bases. So while the "winning like Jackie Robinson" comparisons were strictly speaking correct, it wasn't necessarily for the reasons Jon Miller and Joe Morgan claimed.Year SLG Rank HR Rank ========================== 1947 .384 5th 83 6th 1949 .419 1st 152 1st 1952 .399 1st* 153 1st 1953 .474† 1st 208 1st 1955 .448 1st 201 1st* Tied for 1st with the Giants.
† The second highest was the Cardinals, at .424 fifty points lower.
Jon said the event at the park (which I did not attend) was "meaningful instead of commercial, fulfilling instead of overwhelming", which probably marked an improvement over the last time I was there two years ago. Nonetheless, I found the "whole team plays as number 42" to be ridiculous and confusing, and I hope they never do it again, Jackie Robinson Day or no. But one area of agreement I do have is Rachel Robinson's comments; she's articulate and intelligent, and has the sense (much of it no doubt derived from the wisdom of age) to be politic.
Finally, I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed the telecast, even that part that included the prickly Frank Robinson. My favorite interviewees were Hank Aaron, who recalled a story about Jackie Robinson passing by the Atlanta clubhouse and yelling that he knew the players were all playboys, and if he heard their voices, he could say which ones. (The Braves lost the ensuing series.) Then there was Don Newcombe, who recounted a sanitized version of the story of his confrontation with Cincinnati Reds slugger Del Ennis. Finally, the ESPN crew interviewed an impressively eloquent Dave Winfield, who summarized the reasons for African-American non-participation in baseball to the three C's: continuity (where are the black major leaguers?), cost, and a third one I don't now remember because I didn't write it down at the time and hadda go to the gym. Highly enjoyable.
I should at last mention the unfortunate case of Dodger ballboy Johnny Garcia, who took a bad hop foul ball right to the face; he appears to be okay today, and walked off the field under his own power, but ouch.
Picket Fence: Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 1
Nomar was the offensive star in this game, driving in a pair, but maybe the game is, uh, a little more interesting if not for the acrobatics of Rafael Furcal, who helped make a one-out 7-6-2 play at home that preserved a then-Dodger shutout. Luis Gonzalez has a noodle arm, as do most of the alleged starting outfielders; it's probably a good thing if Jeff Kent and Furcal get used to those kinds of plays. Good show, kids.More: Brad Penny went seven economical innings, throwing 101 pitches. His strikeouts have declined, but he seems to have gracefully entered the right-handed Jamie Moyer part of his career, which is probably necessary because — and here I'm going on what they're saying in the radio booth, because I didn't see it at the stadium or on TV — he doesn't have his really hard heat anymore.
Labels: diamondbacks, dodgers, padres, recaps
: 4/17/2007 03:47:00 AM : 4/17/2007 08:29:00 AM : 4/17/2007 09:02:00 AM
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