Mastro: Burn That Jersey

Here are some goodies from Mastro's recently closed auction; including a jersey that makes me want to cringe.

Why bother buying packs of cards searching for "big hits" when you can make your own? Here is a custom homemade card featuring a authentic cut signature of Lou Gehrig. I've seen these before on the internet and am always amazed how great these custom cards look compared to today's cards found in boxes. This particular card sold for $2,100.00.

Auction Link: Lou Gehrig Custom Made Auto Card:

This is the first time I've seen a store display box flap for the 1950's Jackie Robinson dime bank. I would be surprised if any more existed. It sold for $275.00.

Auto Link: Jackie Robinson Dime Bank Display Counter:

Can you ever get enough of Babe Ruth in a Dodger uniform? It sold for $225.00.

Auction Link: Ruth in Dodger Uniform Pic:

Someone must be able to figure out who this guy is. Below is a unknown Brooklyn Dodger cabinet photo from the late 19th century. It sold for $500.00.

Auction Link: 19th Century Unknown Brooklyn Baseball Player Cabinet:

Must burn this now! This is a work of Dr. Frankenstein. Below is a split jersey of the Dodgers and Giants featuring autographs of Ralph Branca and Bobby Thompson of "The Shot Heard Round The World" fame. In this lot you also get a signed bat, ball and photo. It sold for $225.00.

Auction Link: Shot Heard Round the World Lot:

Finally, A Counter

After 4 offers from the Dodgers, Boras finally decides to make a counteroffer to the Dodgers. It took long enough didn't it.

Scott Boras made a counter offer using the same basic language and numbers of the club's two-year, $45MM offer, but without the deferred payments. Boras told the Dodgers that they have until noon to strike a deal.

I don't blame McCourt and company for the last offer with deferred payments. After all, the framework of a $45MM deal over two years is the most important ingredient. The deferred payments is just a ploy to finally get Boras to make a commitment because, at this point so far, Manny and Boras have refused to negotiate in good faith.

When one side refuses to formally counter several other offers (especially good offers) how can the offeror be expected to continue to bid against themselves? This entire process is a negotiation that requires that both sides work together to hammer out a deal. One side, the Dodgers, in my mind, has gone above and beyond in their duties in this negotiation. They have made 4 offers! It is incumbent on the offeree to come back with a counter. Apparently, Boras finally has. And now, we have the makings of a potential deal. (It took longer than desired to get Boras off his perch) Nevertheless, it is now time to get it done.

Update: I wanted to add that you shouldn't expect a done deal until this weekend at the earliest- probably early next week. Boras's deadline for noon today is irrelevant.

Hunt: February Internet Auction

Another Hunt Auction, More Dodger Goodies.

This is a rarity. Below is a 1951 photo postcard featuring Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Roy Campanella and Dan Bankhead with restaurateur Jason Bowman. It advertises Bowman's Cocktail Lounge on the reverse and says,

"Having a wonderful time at Bowman's. There's never a dull moment when the Dodgers are playing baseball."

It sold for $210.00.

Auction Link: Vintage Postcard:

This is the perfect gift for a child spending the afternoon with Dad at the ball game in Ebbetts Field. Below is a circa 1950's doll measuring 8 inches tall. It sold for a affordable $50.00.

Auction Link: Dodger Doll:

This is the ultimate vintage Dodger photo scrapbook. 60 autographs are featured in this 1950's Montreal Royals album with many of them having corresponding photos attached. I would love to see all of the other pages. It's a treasure trove.

Includes Al Giofriddo, Bobby Morgan, Bert Haas, Don Thompson, Carman Mauro, Shotgum Shuba, Tom Lasorda, Dan Bankhead, Clyde King, Jim Hughes, John Podres, Walt Alston, Chuck Connors (yes the actor), Jim Gilliam, Duke Snider, and others.

It sold for a healthy $440.00.

Auction Link: Montreal Royals Auto Book:

Here are 2 pairs of game worn jerseys and pants, a batting helmet, cap and game ball of Dodger hurler Chad Billingsley. He wore our colors during the 2002 IBAF World Junior Championships and won a bronze meal. He won 3 games and lost none with a 2.45 ERA. It sold for $201.00.

Auction Link: Chad Billingsley Game Used Uniforms:

B&L Auctions: Baseball in Germany 1870

Above may be the earliest evidence of American Baseball being played outside of the United States. It is a cabinet photo of the 1870 Lincoln Baseball Club.

They played in Bonn, Germany. Little is known of this team. All of the players are named on the back of the cabinet and thru research we have learned that several of the young men were from the New York city area. They attended the Kortegarn Institute in Bonn during the 1870 period. Whether the team was formed in America and traveled to Germany or was formed there is unknown. Most of these boys originated from the New York area and may well have known each other. Two were brothers, two more it appears were cousins... This cabinet presents the team in their uniforms with their baseball gear, including several bats and interestingly enough what appears to be American flags in the background... Kaiser Wilhelm is said to have played baseball with the young men.

eBay: Color Me In

Here is a great well worn Jackie Robinson pennant from the 1950's.

eBay Auction Link: Jackie Robinson Pennant:

How did this thing ever survive without being colored in? Below is a unused vintage Dodgers coloring book from the 1960's. It has 12 pages and features players like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Maury Wills. It originally sold at stadium souvenir stands for 60 cents.

eBay Auction Link: 1960's Dodgers Coloring Book:

Prospect Pipeline Appears Thin

Baseball America just released their list of 100 top prospects and the Dodgers only have 2 representatives. At #49 is Andrew Lambo and at #56 is James McDonald.

It appears that Chris Withrow and Ivan DeJesus, Jr. have been overlooked.

Hat Tip: MLB Trade Rumors:

Manny Rumors

Is Manny geting closer to wearing Blue this year?

MLB Trade Rumors has a great rundown on the Manny Ramirez sweepstakes. Check them out here.

Videos: Campy and Manny

Check out Roy Campanella hitting a home run.

YouTube Link: El Tiant:

The Ebbetts Field funeral.

YouTube Link: El Tiant:

Unemployed Manny.

YouTube Link: PedroPetTheMovies:

Martin Maturing and Finds Some Love

Russell Martin's growth can be seen through his growing pains. While struggling with the workload a young catcher must endure, Joe Torre gave him the straight scoop.

"Baseball is like this," he (Joe Torre) says, moving his hand steadily. "You need to get rid of this." Now the hand is making a sine wave, with peaks and troughs. "We play every single day. You have to stay here emotionally" — the steady hand again.

Still, Russell struggled with his emotions.

"I'd just get pissed. It wouldn't be consistent. Some days I'd be having good days and I'd be like, okay, this is fun. And some days I'd miss my pitch or make an error and I'm pissed, and the pitcher's wondering what's going on. The goal is to stay as smooth as I can. The goal is to help, that's what I'm here for, really."

At least he's getting some help to reach an even keel with the help of a certain lady friend.

He's settled down with a steady girlfriend, and while babies aren't in the picture, "We are practising a lot," he says, smiling.

Check out the entire article here from The Globe and Mail.

Blog Kiosk: 2/22/2009

Are you sick of the whole ARod thing too?

• FallingLEAVes of Sunshine shares her pics from the Dodger caravan here and here; then she shares her autograph scrapbook. Nice collection!
• Jo Anna does the Dodger Stadium tour. She took plenty of pics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
  
• The Topps Archive matches up the backgrounds of the 1955 Topps Doubleheader Set. Check them out here.
• Say hello to this new Dodger blog: Dodgers Blue Blog.
  
• Garvey Cey Russell Lopes Blog shared some Goose Joak original Baseball cards. Go here to see the rest if them. Here are some other ones.
• The Peck & Snyder 1869 Trade Card featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno sold for an astounding $64,073.00. Considering it's condition I think someone overpaid.
• I second that! Bring back Oil Can Boyd!
• Ike's Cards introduces us to the photographic works of Don Hamerman.

  ”I began collecting these baseballs in the winter of 2004-2005. Discovered in the park near my house where I walk my dog daily, they went unnoticed by others. Abject, rejected and forlorn, their state depended on the season of their discovery. Some hid in the high grass, gutted by lawnmowers, or under leaves, rotting, the leather skins long since decomposed. Covered in ice crystals on a February morning or shrouded in summer moss, they all hinted at mysterious pasts.”

  
• Dinged Corners discovers the 2009 Topps American Heritage Set.
• Have they found Atlantis?
• REA discovers a previously unknown variation to the N172 Baseball card set.
  
• Check out Halo Heaven's 1966 aerial photograph of Angels Stadium.
  
• Ernie's Imaginary Baseball Game. (Hat Tip: Walkoff Walk)
  

YouTube Link: Nanto Vision:

Goodwin: Dodger Related Rarities

Goodwin & Co. recent auction features some very significant Dodger related Baseball cards. The first gem is the below Mint graded 1948-49 Leaf rookie card of Jackie Robinson. You just don't see cards looking "pack-fresh" like this. It sold for a well deserved $23,183.93.

Auction Link: 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson:

Branch Rickey is one of the great pioneers of this great game. Below is a 1914 Cracker Jack card of Rickey that sold for $2,590.88. Cracker Jack cards have grown in popularity due to its scarcity and fragility. The cards are paper thin and are easily damaged. Also, mint examples feature a deep bright red background that makes the player look like he's jumping out of the card. This set is one of my favorites, and if I ever have enough dough it would be my first purchase.

Auction Link: Cracker Jack Branch Rickey:

The 1968 3-D Set is one of the rarest test issues made by Topps. They date two years before the very popular Kellogg's sets of the 70's and feature just 12 players. The only Dodgers available were Willie Davis and Ron Fairly. The backgrounds are purposely blurred with a sharp photograph of a players portrait. The Willie Davis and Ron Fairly cards each sold for $426.53 a piece.

Auction Link: Willie Davis 1968 Topps 3D:

Auction Link: Ron Fairly 1968 Topps 3D:

Vintage Baseball Passion

I love Baseball. It's the greatest game around. It's nice to see that back in Chicago 1922 that passion was also shared. Here is a Attendance Notice postcard found on eBay from Schurz High School inquiring about a truancy. Flora missed a week of school. Unfortunately, she got whacked pretty bad, but she seems to not care. She can't wait to get back on the bike after falling off.

"(I) was absent because Verna Arton, by accident, hit me in the mouth with a (base)ball bat. Cut my lip open and knocked 1 (one) tooth out and (the) rest were knocked crooked."

Then she follows with this.

"What a feeling of rejoice(ing) to get back to play(ing) (base)ball."

Rejoice! Yes, getting back to playing ball is a reason to celebrate.

Troy Can't Sing

This video is absolutely awesome! Thanks to Robert at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy for originally posting it and special thanks to Troy for making it. It's a classic.

YouTube Link: TroyFromWestVirginia:

This Day In Dodger Baseball

Today is an important day for Los Angeles Dodgers history. 49 years ago today Walter O'Malley purchased the land at Chavez Ravine that would eventually become Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles Dodgers fans still flocked to see their new team at the L.A. Coliseum, but Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley had a larger vision. And on Feb. 18, 1960, O'Malley purchased land at Chavez Ravine just north of downtown Los Angeles for a reported $494,000.

By that time, the San Francisco Giants -- who moved west with the Dodgers prior to the 1958 season -- were preparing to open Candlestick Park, which hosted its first game on April 12, 1960. But the patient O'Malley believed that after years of legal wrangling Chavez Ravine would be worth the wait. After two more years in the Coliseum, O'Malley proved to be right.

"I Want Jeter, Not Rodriguez"

I would like to apologize in advance for my lack of blogging the past several weeks. It's just that work and the surprising play of the LA Kings has got me concentrating on things other than Baseball. Fortunately, a recent interview happened that instigated a sports collision between the bat and the puck.

It is not often that Baseball and hockey collide, but this morning there was a clear crash that got me thinking about a potential blog post. Rich Hammond, writer of the "Inside the Kings" blog (Tony Jackson's peer at the Daily News) is in the midst of posting a lengthy interview he recently had with Kings GM Dean Lombardi.

Lombardi was asked about the status of winger Alexander Frolov as a core member of the team, but what is a core player? Lombardi went on to define "core" as player who gives to the team more than just his stats. A core player is someone who cares about winning and being a teammate. He then adds this line.

"I tell these kids, the difference between (Alex) Rodriguez and (Derek) Jeter is a huge friggin' difference. They better understand that I want Jeter, not Rodriguez."

Well said.

So who on the Dodgers do you consider a core member? Who do you consider to be "Jeter-like?"

BTW, "Inside The Kings" is, by far, the best team blog, for any team or sport, from a mainstream news source there is. Rich Hammond is a miracle worker for information-starved fans. My apologies to Dodger Thoughts.

H&S: Jerseys, Bats and Trophies, Oh My!

Even with the slumping economy sport auctions continue unabated. Huggins & Scott recently closed their February auction that featured many Dodgers related items.

Here is a Tommy Lasorda game worn jersey that dates to the 1981 season. It even features a UNICEF patch on the left sleeve. It sold for $850.00.

Auction Link: Lasorda Jersey:

This is an item I would proudly put up on my wall. Below is a game used jersey and bat of Fernando Valenzuela. In pristine condition it dates to the early to late 1980's.

A white knit button-down garment with “Dodgers” angled across the chest in solid blue twill, “34” sewn to the back in blue-on-white double twill and “VALENZUELA” arched just above in like fashion. In a style unique to the Dodgers (and temporarily copied by Montreal), the uniform number appears on the left front in red. A “W.A. Goodman & Sons” size “44” local manufacturer's label resides within the collar.

It sold for a relatively affordable $600.00.

Auction Link: Valenzuela Game Used Jersey & Bat:

Below is a game used bat used by "should be" Hall of Famer Gil Hodges. It's in great condition and sold for a lofty $2,300.00.

Auction Link: Hodges Bat:

I always wonder how something as wonderful as this World Series trophy ends up on the auction block. Below is Derrel Thomas 1981 World Series trophy. It sold for $3,750.00.

Auction Link: 1981 WS Trophy:

I'm pretty sure I've briefly written about this set in the past. This auction features a complete 10 card set of 1952 Coca Cola Playing Tips. It features players from the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees and are very difficult to find; especially in good condition. Dodger players Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges and Carl Furillo are featured. The team schedule and a color drawing of the player are featured on the front. This complete set sold for $7,500.00.

Auction Link: 1952 Coke playing Tips:

Videos: If You've Got Time to Waste

Here are 2 videos of the recently unveiled Sports Museum of Los Angeles.

YouTube Videos: SoCalShooter:


YouTube Videos: losangelestimes:

Watch Snider and Maglie fool the guessers on "What's My Line."

YouTube Video: crepehanger47:

Meet Sue Falsone. She is a Dodger physical therapist and first woman in Baseball with that job.

SUE FALSONE, DODGER'S PT first female physical therapist in ML baseball @ Yahoo! Video

YahooVideo Link: cobrandit:

Open For Business

Pic Link: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers 2009

The season is just about to start. Pitchers and catchers have reported. The smell of Spring is in the air. Our temporary respite has ended as the glory of Summer begins anew.

Rare Card Found by California Couple Now on Auction

As I'm sure most of you have heard, a California couple found a rare 1869 Peck & Snyder Cincinnati Red Stockings trade card that they tried to sell on eBay. As the flurry of inquiries mounted they yanked it off the online auction house and went on a national tour to show it off; including a stop at Jay Leno's tv set.

Well, they have finally consigned the card to Memory Lane Auctions and it is currently available for sale in their auction. Go here to check it out. At the time of this post it is already at $31,573.00 with over 4 days remaining.

Boras Speaks About Manny

I don't like this guy one bit.

Video Link: ESPN:
Hat Tip: underdog from Dodger Thoughts:

Dodgers Make New Offer to Manny

The Dodgers have made a new offer to give Manny some options. He has been offered

"a one-year, $25 million offer Monday, according to a baseball source, a substantial departure from the two-year, $45 million offer they extended in November at the general manager meetings."

He can't say he feels unloved now. Colletti has decided to bid against himself.

Blog Kiosk: 2/1/2009

The Game I Love

The days I miss of the game I love,
early Spring, my Mazeroski glove,

-John McCluskey (read the rest of the poem here)

• A Must Have for Any Dodger Fan! Jon Weisman, proprietor of the Dodger Thoughts blog, has just written a book that should be coming out soon. It is called "100 Things Dodgers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die."
• On Saturday, February 7th check out these Baseball themed fundraisers to benefit the surviving members of the Ortega Family- they were involved in the Christmas Eve slayings in Covina. It includes a Baseball camp in Ontario and a University of La Verne alumni game in Upland.
  
• Tommy Lasorda has had a very busy Winter. Check out his blog to read all about it.
  
• Dinged Corners discovers the Dodgers 100th Anniversary Baseball card set from 1990 that was made by Target. I've been meaning to get this set for years, but, for whatever reason, have never gotten it. It consist of 1144 cards and features every player to ever wear a Dodger uniform.
• The father of Reflections of Blue reminisces about the early days of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Go check out his vintage fan pictures from Fan Appreciation Day.
  
• Both Upper Deck and Topps lose their license to produce NBA Basketball cards. Now, Panini, an Italian company and maker of sports sticker albums, will be the lone producer of officially licensed NBA Basketball cards. This seems to be a major blow for the two American companies. Look out though, Panini may be working on making a big splash in the American collector market.
  

  The NBA have had two substantial Trading Card producers involved as their licensees over recent years but from the new 2009/10 season Panini will take worldwide responsibility for Trading Cards and Sticker Album collectibles on an Exclusive basis.

  In the USA Panini will create a program of activity which will focus attention on the NBA brand through an unprecedented Marketing Campaign which will re-create the domestic trading card market. To enable this strategy Panini is proud to announce that a new subsidiary business will be set up immediately entitled "Panini America, Inc".

• The Baseball Hall of Fame has been featuring some great items within their collection in their weekly emails. I would highly suggest getting on their mailing list. This week they tell us about a pre-Civil War homemade Baseball.

  J.J. idolized his brother and kept the baseball. He wrote on it: "This Ball was made by David Edgerton Wheeler the last one he made and used the last term of school he attended."

  Hart believes the ball was made in 1859, when David finished eighth grade in his one-room country school. It is the only artifact in Hart's collection that David made.

• The rivalry doesn't die because of snow. Taken at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (Hat Tip:Home Run Derby)
• FBI is watching for autograph forgers.

  “The system of buying and selling over the Internet depends on trust,” said acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid. “This defendant abused that trust to enrich himself. Hundreds of collectors thought they were purchasing valuable books bearing the signatures of renowned authors. In reality, their appreciation for the book or the author was being exploited to satisfy one man’s greed.”