RIP Preacher Roe

Via Dodger Thoughts, we find out that Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Elwin Charles "Preacher" Roe has passed away. The 5 time All-Star pitched for the Dodgers for 7 years. In 1951 he had his best season as he compiled a record of 22 wins and only 3 losses while winning Pitcher of the Year honors.

He pitched in three World Series before retiring in 1954, when he moved to West Plains and bought a grocery store. Roe later became involved with numerous community associations including the West Plains Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.

His legacy includes being elected to the Missouri, Arkansas and Dodger Halls of Fame.

Dodger Art: Robbie Conal

I'm not much of an art buff. I've never taken an art appreciation class, nor taken a serious art workshop class. In junior high I had taken a summer art class that included some sculpture work and drawing. I realized right there that I was not to be a Michelangelo.

I do, on the other hand, know when I like something. I've run across a painting that forced me to sit down and gaze. The "La Reve" by Picasso, currently owned by the Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, made me do that. I've been to exhibits that make me wonder "what the hell?" John Cage's "Rolly Holly Over Circus" at the LACMA in the mid-90's made me do that.

Well, a few days ago I got an email from a reader who works at the Track 16 Gallery. He pointed me to a couple of drawings of local artist Robbie Conal that I think most readers here will appreciate. He's a guerrilla artist who uses both Fernando Valenzuela and Sandy Koufax as subjects in his most recent installment.
Above is a drawing of the great Sandy Koufax with the impressionable words, "Thou Shall Not Hit."

Below is the recognizable Fernando Valenzuela staring at his glove just before he makes his pitch. "Annunciation of the Screwball." The words below say, "The Lord Sayeth unto Fernando: Thou Shall Put Some Spin on the Ball."