April 20, 2005 [LINK]

Dodgers on top

So what's up with those Dodgers, anyway? Has the spiffed up, more intimate Dodger Stadium spurred them to excel? Does their total dominance over other teams reflect anger at the Angels for (re-) invading their territory, in terms of urban affiliation? Barry M. Bloom at MLB.com recalls that this is the fiftieth anniversary of the Dodgers' World Series win over the Yankees. He notes the remarkable accomplishment that the Dodgers began the season without several of their top players, including reliever Eric Gagne, who is almost without equal. The Dodgers may have picked up a bit of good luck when they donned Brooklyn uniforms to mark Jackie Robinson Day.

Speaking of which, I hope the Nationals don't try to sweep under the rug their franchise history as the Montreal Expos the way the Senators-Twins, the Senators-Rangers, or the Browns-Orioles seem to have done. Neither the Pilots (1969) nor the original Brewers (1901) or Orioles (1901-1902) had enough of a history to warrant much commemoration.

Zach Day has quickly rebounded from a rough outing against the Marlins, pitching seven shutout innings, as the Nats beat the Braves 2-0. At least they're still above .500 in home games. Jose Vidro's homer in the third inning was all the Nats needed to win. ball Up in Toronto, meanwhile, the Yankees trounced the Blue Jays 11-2, apparently regaining their composure.

In addition to the new diagram on the The Diamond, page (home of the R-Braves), the updates shown on most of the non-stadium baseball pages are now automated.