The Trolley Dodger

Negotiations between the Twins and free agent Eric Gagne have reportedly broken down after nearly coming together on a one-year, $3-million deal.

Also reportedly, the Dodgers want to pick up some more bullpen help after their first two priorities — Manny and a starting pitcher — are taken care of.

If you’re Ned Colletti, do you bring Gagne back as a middle reliever?

Does Gagne have any value to the Dodgers?

Would he even come back?

Too much baggage?

Update: So much for that idea…

An MRI recently revealed that Gagne has labrum and rotator cuff damage in his pitching shoulder. He was given the option of having an injection and trying physical rehab, or undergoing surgery.

Either way, Gagne was not going to be able to make the Brewers’ roster this spring. He signed a minor-league deal that guaranteed him a $1.5 million salary if added to the roster by March 26. That deadline became moot when Gagne was unable to pitch in a game.

Update 2: …or maybe not

With the bullpen being the Dodgers’ greatest question mark, who should make an appearance at Camelback Ranch on Friday but the team’s greatest reliever of all time, Eric Gagne.

Gagne, the 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner and three-time All-Star, said it’s not “Game Over” for him just yet.

I caught Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) last night on Turner Classic Movies. Hilarious film, starring Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it (the late 80s or early 90s I believe), so I had forgotten the amusing baseball beginning. Start watching the video below around 1:10, with the title,

This is a Halloween tale of Brooklyn, where anything can happen…and it usually does.

(Unfortunately the sound is a bit out of sync, but you’ll get the idea.)

From 1913, here’s the first pitch ever at Ebbets Field, thrown out by Miss Genevieve Ebbets, daughter of Charley Ebbets.

I’m pretty sure that’s her father sitting next to her, too.

From the Library of Congress at Flickr.

UPDATE: And here is Miss Ebbets in mid-throw…

As I’m observing my 40th birthday this week, I thought I’d have a look see at the 1969 Dodgers season. This was the 7th year in Dodger Stadium and 11th in California.

100th anniversary celebrations for MLB saw the addition of four expansion teams in 1969: the KC Royals and Seattle Pilots in the AL, and the Padres and Montreal Expos in the NL.

Not a great finish for the Dodgers in 1969: 4th place in the newly formed National League West division. The teams in the NL West from 1969-1992:

• Atlanta Braves
• Cincinnati Reds
• Houston Astros
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants

(Colorado was added in 1993, while the Braves, Reds, and Astros moved away in 1994. Arizona came in 1998.)

The Dodgers finished 85-77, eight games back from the division-winning Braves. The opening day Dodger starters:

• CF Willie Crawford
• RF Len Gabrielson
• 3B Bill Sudakis
• 1B Ron Fairly
• LF Andy Kosco
• C Tom Haller
• 2B Jim Lefebvre
• SS Ted Sizemore
• P Don Drysdale

That was April 7, 1969, at Cincy. LA won, 3-2. Don Drysdale won, with Bill Singer getting the save — the first official save in baseball history.

While the 4th-place finish wasn’t great, it was a bit of an improvement over their awful 76-86 and 73-89 performances the previous two years. One step closer to the glory years of the mid-to-late 1970s.

Two highlights from 1969:

• On January 21st, Roy Campanella was elected to the Hall of Fame.
• On August 11th, Don Drysdale retired. He was the last active Dodger who had also played in Brooklyn.

Transactions that year (from Wikipedia):

• March 30: Acquired Jimmie Schaffer from the Cincinnati Reds for Ted Savage
• April 17: Acquired Al McBean from the San Diego Padres for Tommy Dean and Leon Everitt
• June 5: Bob Randall was drafted by the Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft (Secondary Phase).
• June 11: Acquired Maury Wills and Manny Mota from the Montreal Expos for Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich
• August 15: Acquired Jim Bunning from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ron Mitchell, Chuck Coggin and cash
• September 1: Acquired Jack Jenkins from the Washington Senators for cash

More info:

• 1969 Dodgers at Wikipedia
• 1969 Dodgers at Retrosheet
• 1969 Dodgers at Baseball Reference
• 1969 Dodgers at Baseball Almanac
• 1969 MLB season at Wikipedia