The Trolley Dodger

A syllogism.

1. Derek Lowe is a client of agent Scott Boras.
2. Clients of Scott Boras always test the free agent market, instead of re-signing with their clubs.
3. Therefore, Derek Lowe will test the free agent market.

See last sentence here.

On a happier note, some Dodger fans leaving the game saw an elegant gentleman in the car next to them and took a picture.

This links on this page have been moved to http://www.trolleydodger.com/international/

A new baseball blog has hit the Net, written by Jesse Michel — Playing4Shekels. The tagline:

Want to know what it’s like to be a local celebrity in Ra’anana, Israel? Don’t ask me…I’m just playing baseball there. But I am going to chronicle my journey through this blog, so enjoy.

As a boy, Jesse dreamed of being a major leaguer; like many of us with a similar dream, he had to adjust his expectations:

Growing up, I envisioned myself being the starting catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees. As I got older though, I came to the realization that most major league clubs aren’t looking to invest millions of dollars in a 5’8″ catcher with an average arm, speed like a Santa Cruz banana slug, and less power than it takes to light up Jerusalem on Shabbat.

However, he is doing something about his dream: going halfway around the world to play for the Ra’anana Express of the Israel Baseball League. (You can read more about it at this Wikipedia article.)

There will be six teams playing beginning this summer, and MLB.com is reported to be carrying games.

Dodger fans might remember hearing earlier this year about the IBL from the lovely moment of Sandy Koufax honored by being drafted by the Modi’in Miracle.

“His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league,” said former big leaguer Aret Shamsky, who will manage the Miracle. “It’s been 41 years between starts for him. If he’s rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team.”

I’m always fascinated by baseball’s reach across the world, particularly in places that aren’t already famous for it (e.g. Japan, Latin America), like Israel, Ireland, or Lithuania. That in mind, I’ve decided to assemble a page of international baseball links, which I’ll post later.

In the dugout after the blown save last night…

We’re big fans of the Turner Classic Movies Underground on Friday nights, lots of great cult films and B-movie gems. Usually a double-feature.

Tonight’s first flick was The Sadist (IMDB). It came out in 1963. The three characters at the beginning are traveling to Dodger Stadium to see a game when their car breaks down. It’s the Cincinnati Reds vs. the Dodgers, with Bob Purkey going up against Sandy Koufax.

I won’t give any spoilers in case you see the movie — suffice to say they don’t make it to the game. ;) However, at one point there is a radio broadcast with a play-by-play announcer (not Vin) calling part of the first inning. I didn’t catch all of it, but a Dodger hit a homer to left off Purkey, and the announcer describes Frank Robinson going back to the left-field wall.

In real life, on July 7, 1963, there was a game at Dodger Stadium with Purkey vs. Koufax (Retrosheet). There was no first-inning homer in that game, nor on June 22, 1962, when there was another Purkey vs. Koufax game (Retrosheet).

But still, a nice touch in the movie, and a fun addition to a frustrating (in a good way) movie.