Dodger Blue Dream

The heat and humidity in the Southland have the Dodgers heating up on the ballfield, as September kills off an all-August-long team-wide slump. Richard shares a piece he made for his local public radio station, KCRW, about a new independent baseball team in Long Beach, The Long Beach Coast. And last, Richard shares some news about the future of Dodger Blue Dream, in a PSA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our 2024 episode "Mookie's Best" about Mookie Betts' improbable late-career transition from right field to shortstop... still relevant as ever, as we head down the stretch and look toward October. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re getting down to the wire, folks. As the Dodgers suffer their third straight loss to the Atlanta Braves, who thereby completed a sweep against the Boys in Blue Thursday night, Richard breaks down the MLB playoff format, how it might impact the Dodgers, and digs in deep about this series against the Braves – and the concerns it raises for the Dodgers 2026 post-season run. This is an unusually "cup half empty" episode, for DBD, but hey, we just got swept by the Braves! The sky's falling! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kyle Tucker signed a record-high contract with the Dodgers this past off-season, worth $60M a season. Tucker came to the Dodgers with Hall of Fame-caliber numbers. But so far in 2026, he’s been mired in a season-long slump. Things reach a low point this week, in a game where Tucker went 0-5 and dropped an easy fly ball in the outfield. Richard looks back on Tucker’s signing, the expectations, and the way the season has played out so far for "King Tuck" in Los Angeles. Let's Talk Kyle Tucker Turkey! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it the low point of the 2026 season? Richard checks in from a disappointing loss against the Brewers at Dodger Stadium this weekend, where it felt like it is. Tommy John, the long-time Dodger, and namesake of the revolutionary, career-saving elbow surgery, has died at the age of 83. Maybe you know the name Tommy John, but you don't know much about him. In this episode, we take a look at John's long, excellent career, and the then-experimental surgery, performed on John in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe, that now carries name. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A rebroadcast of our episode "Shohei's Breath" from 2024. Swing gurus, a mystery, mindfulness, yoga... a very "L.A." ep from our archives. Please help us reach our goal of 200 ratings on Apple Podcasts by rating & reviewing the show, today! We'll be back soon with new episodes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the “dog days” indeed, and the Dodgers have hit the skids, riding a 6-game losing streak into the desert heat, in Arizona, where tonight, they kick off a 3-game series against the Diamondbacks. But there are always silver linings. Richard takes stock of the whole enchilada: recapping Tarik Skubal’s first start as a Dodger, summarizing the injuries affecting the franchise, presenting (without comment) a little Pete Crow-Armstrong conspiracy theory, and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time American League Cy Young Award Winner Tarik Skubal is a Los Angeles Dodger! In this special “Extra, extra, pod all about it!” episode, Richard delivers everything you need to know about the most important development in the 2026 baseball season so far: the Dodgers acquisition of the most coveted arm in baseball, just before the MLB trade deadline passed on Monday, in exchange for three promising prospects from the Dodgers expansive farm system. Listen today, before Skubal's first start as a Dodger at Wrigley Field, at 5 p.m. Pacific, against the Cubs. The Skubal trade sent ripples throughout the baseball world, and stirred up something of a controversy about the perceived imbalance in MLB during this, the Dodgers era of dominance. But haters are gonna hate, and at the end of the day, if the Dodgers are the contemporary baseball world's super villains, so be it. Thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the nickname "Skubie Doo(dger)"? It's just a game, folks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dodgers went to the White House, and that created a bit of a stir. Now, they're rumored to be trading for 2-time American League Cy Young Award Winner, Tarik Skubal, before Monday's trade deadline. Jupiter is in cazimi. Richard sums up the last week in Dodger baseball, as it relates to his favorite storylines and players-to-watch. Monster ep, TBH. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max Muncy passed Ron Cey on the all-time Los Angeles Dodgers homerun leaderboards this week, and he now has the second-most homers in L.A. history (behind Eric Karros) and fifth-most in Dodgers (Brooklyn and L.A.) history. With his All Star Game selection this year, Max is having a moment. Richard looks back on the past almost-decade with Funky Muncy, now the longest-tenured Dodger (!) and a glue guy in a clubhouse on a dynastic run of World Series wins -- and delivers a story of grit, determination, and doing things the right way. Also, Richard breaks down the bizarre game-ending double play in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, that has everybody talking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the All Star Break, Richard checks in on the Dodgers, and re-caps this year's Mid-Summer Classic from a Dodger-fan perspective. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard digs into the top stories in Dodgerland this week: Shohei Ohtani's 300th homerun, Justin Wrobleski's All Star snub, and Alex Call's misuse of the ABS challenge system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the eve of the United States' Semisesquicentennial, Richard brings you this special ep. He eulogizes three recently-closed Echo Park eateries with strong associations with Dodger Stadium: The Brite Spot, Taix, and Burrito King. He breaks down the All Star Game, and the Dodgers connections thereto. And he proffers an interpretation of Dave Roberts' successful managerial methods, with Doc logging his 1000th victory as manager of the Dodgers. (The quickest ever to get there.) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Dodgers 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, Dodgers backup catcher, rookie Dalton Rushing, had what must have been one of the worst games of his life, including going 0-4, with three strikeouts, and having some significant miscommunications with his battery-mate, starting pitcher (and global superstar) Shohei Ohtani, who is vying to win a Cy Young Award this year. The game has become the talk of the baseball world. Richard breaks it down for you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a monsoon rolling through the ballpark in Pittsburgh, a group of rowdy Pirate fans in the right field stands removed their shirts, and taunted Shohei Ohtani, as he stepped into the batters box for his fourth at-bat of the day. And then, the baseball gods intervened on behalf of the Dodgers, who went on to score 10 runs in their biggest single inning of offense in almost a decade. Then, as the rain cleared, a double rainbow filled the sky, framing the bright yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge and the downtown skyline. Also: Freddie Freeman's 2,500th hit! And: LGBTQ+ night at Dodger Stadium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard is joined by fellow Dodgers podcaster Jeff Snider, to discuss the possibility of a Cy Young Award for Shohei Ohtani in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Richard and Chef Wes on the banks of the L.A. River, to talk about the Dodgers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard and Chef Wes meet up in Griffith Park to co-raw-dog an ep about this week's Dodgers vs. Padres series, that rivalry, fandom in general, and much more, in this mega-chill ep. Richard also reports on the fires on Santa Rosa Island, off the coast. This one is chill and different, folks. Be well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dodgers have been slumping. But with the help of key players like Shohei Ohtani (and the co-hosts of DBD, of course) that could be changing... in the midst of a historic Dodgers losing streak, Richard and Chef Wes cruise the streets of L.A. in Wes' 1979 C10 pickup truck, "The Mamalona," and stop in for tacos at Birrieria Nochistlan in Boyle Heights, to eat their feelings -- and to discuss Dem Bums' team-wide slump, which is hopefully ending, after a 4-game losing streak skid, losing to the rival Giants, no less. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Follow Richard as he follows the Dodgers across the last week of road games against the Cardinals, in St. Louis, and the Trashstros, in Houston. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.