Johnny Podres: 1932 - 2008

I'm a little late on this front, but it's been a crazy couple days.

As a Dodgers fan and a fan of the game in general, I mourn the passing of Johnny Podres, who died Sunday at the age of 75.

The Dodgers have quite a history with legendary lefties

Without Johnny Podres, the Dodgers wouldn't have won their very first World Series in 1955. Most sports fans know the lore: The Dodgers faced the Yankees in the World Series five times before 1955 and lost every single time. Despite being a consistent Top 5 team, Brooklyn could never manage to clinch the Series.

In 1955, the Dodgers faced the Yankees in the World Series for the 6th time. After losing the first two games, 23-year-old lefty Podres pitched a complete 7-hit game and lead the Dodgers to a Game 3 victory. In a now infamous story, Podres told his teammates before the climactic Game 7 at Yankee Stadium to just get him one run and he would guarantee them victory. The team got him two and Podres pitched a complete game shutout, leading the Dodgers to their first World Series championship (and only one in Brooklyn). His performance in the Series earned him the first-ever World Series MVP award and ended the decades-long suffering of the Brooklyn faithful.

At Yankee Stadium, just after the final out of Game 7 in 1955.

1955 is, without a doubt, the most pivotal year in Dodgers history, and it wouldn't have happened without Podres. Nothing is held more dear by Dodgers fans than that first championship: we had to fight like dogs to get it, running into the seemingly untouchable behemoth that was (and is) the Yankees over and over again. Just when it seemed like it would never happen, we finally broke through and beat the unbeatable Yankees. And it wouldn't have happened without Podres' masterful performances.

I want to paste the following paragraph from Wikipedia, just because it's nothing short of amazing: "In his 15-season career, Podres compiled a 148-116 record with 1435 strikeouts, a 3.68 ERA, and 24 shutouts in 440 games. He was at his best in the World Series, losing his first Series game (in 1953), then winning four straight decisions over the next decade. In six Series games, he allowed only 29 hits in 38⅓ innings, with a 2.11 ERA adorning his 4-1 won/loss record."

Podres was also on the Dodgers' championship teams in 1959, 1963 and 1965. I would feel like a blasphemer if I even deigned to think that he was better than Koufax (because no one is or has been better in the history of the game) but his contribution to the sport of baseball and to the rich history of the Dodgers is almost beyond measure.

His presence in the baseball world will be sorely missed.

Who's that manager?

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We'll set aside for a moment how I had to fight the urge to punch myself in the face for putting a picture of anyone (let alone Torre) in a Yankees uniform on my blog. It makes me feel a little bit dirty.

Grady Little resigned as manager of the Dodgers yesterday. Can you blame the guy, really? I mean, he's not exactly a slouch as a manager. All of the teams he's managed had a winning record. He took the 2003 Red Sox to the ALCS in his second year at the helm (those of you piping up with "But...Pedro!" right now, sit down and be quiet). In his first year with the Dodgers, he took them to the NLDS (somewhere they'd been only twice before since winning the '88 World Series). On top of that, he's one of the most genuinely nice guys you're ever going to meet. And yes, I know that firsthand.

The problem? He's not Joe Torre.

I understand why those four words make such a strong argument. I know you can't compare Little, with his four seasons of managerial experience, to the man who steered the mighty Yankees dynasty for 12 years - into 12 postseasons and six World Series (four of which resulted in Championships). It's apples and oranges. But he deserved better.


There are reports of end-of-season unrest between veteran and rookie players and a blowup between Colletti and Little. The latter is said to have lead to Grady deciding to step down. I hope that's true. I hope that Little resigned of his own accord and not because Dodgers upper-level management realized there might have been something better out there. A classy guy like Grady (who was quoted trying to debunk any rumors that the decision to leave wasn't entirely his own) deserved that much.

When Torre declined Steinbrenner's offer, I'll bet there wasn't an owner or GM out there that didn't daydream for a moment or two about good old Joe donning their team's cap and filling out lineup cards. I bet there wasn't a manager out there who didn't wonder in the back of his mind about his job security. Unfortunately for Little, his wondering turned into reality. But you know what? That's baseball. That's business.

There is no deal yet between Torre and the Dodgers. Ned Colletti was barely willing to admit that the two parties had spoken at all. But these stories never come from nowhere, so I'd say, should all the details of contact and coaching staff and whatnot get sorted out (and we all know how easily THAT can go awry), Torre may very well be steering my boys in blue come March.

How I feel about that is something I'm still working out. He IS a friggin' Yankee, after all.