Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw is a Fraud, Says Fox Sports Radio Host Ben Maller

Clayton Kershaw consistently underperforms in the playoffs. We know this and have heard about it for years now. However, the media continues to add insult to injury for the greatest pitcher of the generation. This time, Ben Maller of Fox Sports Radio called Clayton Kershaw a fraud.

This narrative has substance, but it is really starting to get old hearing the same thing over and over again.



Maller: Clayton Kershaw is a ‘Stiff’

To begin the radio segment regarding the Dodgers, Ben Maller went on to say that he hates the Dodgers because they are ‘thieves in the night’. He called the entire team ‘stiffs’, before he absolutely hammered Kershaw for his poor performance:

“The game was lost by Clayton Kershaw. This guy is a stiff. I don’t know how many times he has to go out there and do this before somebody with the Dodgers says ‘enough is enough’.”

He makes a decent point. Eventually, enough is enough with October Kershaw, yet it seems the Dodgers have failed to realize it. They continue to put him in the biggest spots to be their savior and he simply has not come through when the club needs him most.

Maller Tells Kershaw to Retire

Although radio hosts like to get a bit dramatic often, Maller really dug deep at Kershaw in this monologue — so much so that he called for the retirement of Clayton Kershaw.

“Kershaw — retire! Keep the ball in the ballpark! Twice! Hall of Famer? My ass. The guy is a fraud. Kershaw has consistently served up warm poop sandwiches in big moments.”

Where Do Dodgers Go Now?

This is a good question that Maller poses. Where do the Dodgers go from here? We won’t find out for another few months, but it appears obvious that they have to make a big move or three.

Kershaw: Old Faithful

Maller also went on to talk about Kershaw as ‘Old Faithful’ the geyser and not in a good way.

“Clayton Kershaw in the playoffs — you put him in there and it’s unreal. People in the media were all groaning in the press box. The entire stadium was murmuring. It’s like everyone was saying ‘Why are they bringing in Kershaw? Why would they do that?’.”

The events that occurred were frankly seen from a mile away.

Overall

While Ben Maller was a bit dramatic throughout his rant regarding Kershaw and the Dodgers, there were some points that he made that do have a ton of substance.

Daniel Preciado

My name is Daniel Preciado and I am 19 years old. I am a sophomore Sport Analytics major and Cognitive Science and Economics dual minor at Syracuse University. When I am not in New York, I live in Whittier, California --- not too far from Chavez Ravine. I am pretty old-school for being an analytics guy and I will always embrace debate. Also, Chase Utley did absolutely nothing wrong.

24 Comments

  1. What does thieves in the night mean seems kind of random and off point with no explanation. But regarding Kershaw he’s right

  2. Who the hell is Maller? Kershaw is still one of the top ten starters in the NL. The Dodgers need to stop treating him like he is #1, but he is still good and some day will be in the HOF, while Maller will be doing sports on some AM station in Wyoming.

  3. the “they” keep putting him in there is Dave Roberts.he is about as dumb as a holeless bowling ball.he has no clue who or when to put in a game at all.crucial games Roberts has blown by not pitching the right people and we fans that have followed the Dodgers for years see this.it’s a shame the millionaire G.M. is to stupid to also see what fans see.analytics will only get you so far and common sense ought to then kick in.with Roberts he has none sadly so the Dodgers will never be a world championship team under his lack of leadership. just a regular season champion and maybe not even that next year.

  4. Maller shouldn’t blame Kershaw! He got his man in the 7th! No one thought he’d come back out in the 8th but Dave Roberts who sent him back out in the 8th! It’s Dave Roberts who is to blame for not bringing in Kenta Maeda to get the last 6, yes 6 outs as he had plenty left in the tank with KJ ready just in case! Maeda was quietly lights out throughout the series.

  5. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. It’s done, over, end of story. Another winter of “wait til next year”.

  6. We’ll look Gerrit Cole got hammered for 5 runs I first 4 innings,not everybody is great in post season

  7. This is a ridiculous article, this man has no data to support this opinion of Clayton Kershaw. There is however significant data to prove Kershaw is one of the best pitchers in the Major League in the last 50 years. Has he had bad games, has he choked, yes. Find me a player who hasn’t.

    1. There are many…Sandy Koufax and The Mad Bum to name 2, I could probably go on with more but you are off point there. You have to admit this was historic making 2 successive pitches for 2 home runs to tie the game and deflate whatever chance your team had to win. It’s hard even in Home run Derby to hit 2 on 2 pitches. That was awful and puts a huge exclamation point on the Kershaw legacy that he is plain bad in the Post season. Just can’t deny it any longer.

    2. Hershiser – you hear about Mad Bum all the time but rarely about Orel who was just as spectacular in ’88.

    1. And there’s the big problem. Kershaw will be hanging around with that 30 mil per year winning 10 to 12 games causing some fairly wasted cap space.

  8. This guy, while making a few good point, completely lost all credibility saying Kershaw is not a HoF guy. That’s just stupid.and in the last NLDS game, it was Roberts that sent him back out for the 8th (as someone noted above). Roberts was the only guy on the planet who thought this was a good strategy. Three pitches later, he brings in Maeda. Too little, too lete. Kenta had been being
    primed for the relief role that Roberts put Kershaw into since August. And when Roberts said before Game 5, something like “we’re going with Buehler as long as he can go, then we’re going to Kershaw,” Roberts painted himself into a losing corner. A complete idiot of an in-game manager and even worse in the post-season. Horrible pitching decisions throughout his play-off history. He seems to think a short playoff series can be managed like one game of 162. You can get away with stupidity over a 162 game season, but not in the playoffs. And now look at the momentum the Nats have taken on since that fateful Kershaw decision. LA won’t win a WS as long as Roberts is their manager.

  9. Maller is an asshole and fox sports, like the whole network, sucks. They are the fraud and the liars.

  10. As a starter in the playoffs, Kershaw’s ERA is substantially higher than it is during the season. However, prior to this last relief appearance when he gave up the two home runs on two pitches in the 8th inning, he had not given up any runs in relief in any of the prior relief appearances in the playoffs, which were several.

    Even in his starting appearances, especially with the Cardinals, he was lights out for about 6 innings, and then had problems in the 7th inning. So taking out the 7th inning in a few of those playoof games his ERA and record might not be so bad. That is a managers responsiblity to monitor the starters as the pitchcount and innings mount in a game.

    What is even more of a joke, is that someone could have the audacity to say he is a “fraud” and a “stiff”, and not HOF worthy. Kershaw is a HOF pitcher first ballot based upon what he has accomplished over his career, and more importantly a HOF person, based upon his actions away from the field which has had a positive impact on many families and children all over the world.

    It seems to me that the only “fraud” and stiff” is the person who could actually publish something like about such a quality person and player.

  11. Let’s dig a little deeper here. Pycologist say that when we are in a pressure situation, we automatically resort back to our training. Clayton has never been in a more pressure situation so when he pitches in the post season he gets confused & doesn’t know what to do!

  12. Maller should retire retire. He keeps serving fake news and his mother should wash out her son’s potty mouth

  13. The next time someone wants to publish an article on Kershaw in the postseason it should be substantive and not filled with unexamined claims like “ They continue to put him in the biggest spots to be their savior and he has not come through when the club needs him most“. It is just plain false. Nobody is arguing that Clayton is superman in the playoffs. In fact he is pretty average overall. But this cycle of trashing him based on gut, feeling and disappointment has to end. It’s not good journalism. Not inspiring or entertaining. I will support any writer on this site producing articles with detail and mental gymnastics. I would read that! I also think the DN site would grow. Daniel I hope you keep writing. I also wish for you to dig…dig some more. And then write.

    Lets remember for a minute that CK is actually a real person. He makes a lot of money, is a public figure and it seems that too many fans and sports writers think he deserves any and all criticism they can dish out. I disagree. Not just because CK is a real person with a family, young kids and is dedicated to funding projects that benefit underserved communities at home and all over the world. Along with that, the analysis is just lazy and self serving. This guy Ben Maller who “absolutely hammered Kershaw” is a bully capitalizing on a manufactured drama to promote his own career. If it’s not CK it will be some one else. In my mind it boarders on unethical. But as a sports fan I feel it contributes to a dumbing down of our capacity for critical thinking and enjoyment of the game. In past comments I have pointed to Verlander…Max is struggling as I write but holding steady after giving up 2 in the first. Now Cole is getting ambushed. There are so many untapped examples of why the pile on Kershaw is so selective, misguided and absolutely self serving. And let us also remember, it’s sports. I worry more about paying my bills every month than whether or not CK will be perfect. Mostly…Many of us have religiously watched Kershaw pitch over long regular seasons. At my house it’s “Kershaw Night”. And for 11 years I have been tuned in to some of the best pitching in the history of the game. Other fans should be so lucky. Lets not take that for granted because CK has not been superman in the postseason for so many reasons….I don’t want to contribute to that. It’s ugly. Actually it’s cruel. There is too much of that as it is in our day to day. Kershaw has never backed down from the spotlight. He has never made excuses. But anyone of us who’s had a complaint about the company we work for or our jerk boss would say so if we could. We watch sports because we love them. Let’s not make our heroes into saviors.

    2015 Kershaw down 1-0 after 6 innings. Leaves game with two outs and runners on in the 7th. Baez gives up hit, two inherited runners score. Dodgers lose 3-1. CK walks 4 and strikes out 11 in that game.
    Game 4 in NYC following a 13-7 loss in game 3. Kershaw goes 7 innings allowing 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 K’s for the win sending the series back to LA for a game 5.

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