1983 Fleer Project

The 1983 Fleer Project is one of the more unique Baseball collector sites on the Internet.

Have you ever written a player and requested that they sign a card for you? Have you ever thought about trying to complete a whole card set with autographs?

Well, this guy is doing both of those things all at once. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone. No, exactly like that. He is trying to complete an entire 1983 Fleer card set with autographs requested through the mail. There are 660 cards in the entire set!

I love checking out this blog every couple of weeks, just to see what shows up. Today, I wasn't disappointed. Below, is a signed card of former Dodger Dusty Baker. 1983 Fleer Project Link:

Padres are Shelling the Rangers: Gagne Gets Hammered

As I write this it is the bottom of the 8th inning and the Padres are killing the Rangers by a score of 23 to 7. The reason I note this is that Gagne pitched 1 inning. Below is his pitching line for the day.

1.0 IP, 5 Hits Allowed, 4 Earned Runs, 0 Strike Outs

Three of the hits Gagne allowed were doubles by D Macias, C Huffman and P LaForest. Yup, my thoughts exactly, who the heck are they?

Box Score Link: Yahoo:

Fox Sports Believe Schmidt Holds the Key to Our Season

Fox Sports lets us know who are the top 10 "Must Stay Healthy" players this year. On their list is new Dodger Jason Schmidt.

Schmidt's health woes are overstated in some quarters (he's averaged roughly 200 innings per season over the last five years), but he does have a history of arm trouble. The Dodgers won't have much of an offense this season, so they need Schmidt and rotation to live up to the press clippings.

Let's hope that his lack of velocity this Spring is as normal as Colletti and Conte say it is.

Fox Sports Story Link:

OT: LA Kings: Jack Johnson is Coming to Town

I've been a rabid Kings fan for almost as long as I've been a lifelong Dodgers fan. So, imagine my elation when I found out yesterday evening that heralded defensive college star Jack Johnson had officially signed with the Kings and would be joining the team this coming Thursday for a scrimmage against Vancouver. WooHoo!

This guy can not only hit with the power and force of a young Rob Blake, but he can score like a Chris Pronger.

From the Kings press release today:

A three-time CCHA Defenseman of the Week winner, Johnson set career highs with his 39 points, 23 assists, 16 goals and 10 multi-point games. His 16 goals were the second-highest single-season goal total by a U-M defenseman and a sophomore defenseman record while his plus-26 rating ranked second on U-M. His 87 penalty minutes were a team-high, he tied for fourth on U-M with four power play goals, he tied for second on U-M with two short-handed goals and he recorded his first career hat trick on January 26 versus Ferris State.

During his sophomore season at Michigan, Johnson also played for Team USA at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship tournament in Sweden and earned a bronze medal. At the tournament, Johnson played in seven games and had three points (all goals), which tied for the team lead. He was also one of three Kings prospects -- Trevor Lewis (center) and Jeff Zatkoff (goaltender) were the others – who played for the United States as the Kings had the most players named to the squad of any other NHL club.

During his first season at Michigan (2005-06), he set a freshman record for scoring as a blueliner with the Wolverines with 32 points (10-22=32) in 38 games. A finalist for the CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman award and a member of the CCHA All-Rookie Team, Johnson also had five power play goals and two game-winning goals while finishing with 149 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating. Prior to playing at Michigan, Johnson played at renowned Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Faribault, Minnesota.

Johnson’s participation in the 2007 World Juniors was not the first international experience of his young career. He was an All-Star selection at the 2006 World Junior Championship where his six points (1-5=6) in seven games helped the U.S. to a fourth place finish. In addition, Johnson has earned gold medals with Team USA at the 2005 World Under-18 Championship, the 2005 Five Nations Tournament (U.S. Under-18 Team) and the 2004 Compuware Four Nations Cup (U.S. Under-18 Team).

At Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep he was a teammate of the Penguins Sidney Crosby. Now if only we had a goalie, then I think we are finally headed in the right direction. Next season should be exciting.

Wait Til Next Year!

Below are some YouTube Videos featuring Jack Johnson.



YouTube Link: dtopdat:

Jack Johnson knocks the helmet off the goalie with a slap shot.


YouTube Link: dcnole:

Jack does some htting.


YouTube Link: dcnole:

Hat Tip: Let's Go Kings Message Board:

Feeling Bad for Loney

What more does this guy have to do. He is ready for the big show. Unfortunately, the Dodgers are not ready to keep him in Los Angeles. There are roadblocks everywhere. No room at 1st-base and the outfield is looking crowded. Usually this is a good problem, but I fear that Loney's patience may start to wear thin.

"I came here to work hard to help the team win and I can't do that in Las Vegas," he said.

This is the second day in a row he has made some disconcerting remarks. Grady Little adds the following.

"We have to consider the number of at-bats we'd get James," Little said. "We don't want to slow him down and have him go backward and then something happens here and he has to jump in. He needs to be ready."

At the end of the day, it is my belief that the aging veterans on the team will need intermittent rest throughout the season- if not replacement due to injury. In a long Baseball season it is bound to happen. So, even if Loney is sent to Las Vegas now, I expect he will end the season with more at-bats then in 2006. I just hope James understands the plan.

In agreeance with SoSG, if Colletti trades Loney, or even welcomes the thought of it, I will go crazy.

LA Times Story Link:

RotoWorld Link:

YouTube Video: Nathan is a Smart Kid

Fellow blogger Dodger Gal finds a great video of one of our youngest and brightest Dodger fans. Meet Nathan. Oh, and his parents have taught him right. He hates the Giants too!



YouTube Link: nathanzdetroit:

Hat Tip: Dodger Gal Link: