Neyer: The greatest scouting report of all time
From SABR member Rob Neyer at Baseball Nation on October 15, 2013:
A few weeks ago, I read a book about longtime scout Mel Didier, and then I turned that into a brief post in these pages. Within, I cited the old story — as recounted by Didier and co-author T. R. Sullivan — that the Dodgers tried to trade Orel Hershiser (and others) to the Texas Rangers for Jim Sundberg, but Sundberg vetoed the deal. That worked out really well six years later when Hershiser pitched the Dodgers to a World Championship.
Well, today is the 25th anniversary of the Dodgers’ greatest home run. And Didier claims a role in that glorious event.
Didier, along with three other Dodger scouts, were instructed to put together a big report on the Oakland A’s, the Dodgers’ opponent in the ’88 World Series. On the eve of Game 1, Tommy Lasorda asked the scouts to present their report to the players.
Read the full article here: http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/10/15/4840914/kirk-gibson-homerun-dodgers-1988-world-series-dennis-eckersley-slider
Related link: View the original Mel Didier scouting report at Diamond Mines (BaseballHall.org)
Originally published: October 16, 2013. Last Updated: October 16, 2013.