Auto Collection: Johnny Podres 2004 UD Ultimate Game Materials

Johnny Podres was the hero of Brooklyn. His arm turned the "Bums" into champions. He will always be remembered for his World Series exploits in 1955.

Here is my 2004 Upper Deck Ultimate Game Materials card that features both an autograph and a small piece of a game-used uniform worn by the hurler. It's not a very pretty card, especially that busy looking sticker with the autograph, but you really can't go wrong with having a card from this Dodger legend.

Hunt Auction: Dodger Memorabilia

Hunt Auctions is currently running their 7th Annual auction at the Louiseville Slugger Museum and Factory. There is a whole bunch of different items in it; including Work Out Day/ Home Run Derby used and signed 2010 All-Star jerseys from Broxton, Kuo, Furcal and Ethier. Below are a couple of other Dodger related memorabilia items.

Here are a couple of vintage, circa 1960's, Los Angeles Dodger neck tie and bolo style bow tie.

(Auction Link)

This is probably one of the more unique Dodger related World Series items you'll ever see. This champagne bottle is purported to be from the Dodger celebration of the 1965 World Series. It comes directly from a former Dodger clubhouse employee.

(Auction Link)

A Willard Mullin Cartoon: WWII

Willard Mullin is known around these parts for his fantastic sports cartoons. He invented the Brooklyn "Bum" and is generally regarded as the greatest sports-cartoon editorialist to ever be. That being said, he has been known, on a rare occasion, to dip his pen into the realm of news/ current events. SCGaynor has an example of this kind of work on eBay.

Obviously, it's hard to take the sport out of his drawings entirely. Here, Mullin draws about the inevitable end of World War II as the umpire lets the batter (Japanese Prime Minister Tojo) know that he now has two strikes against him. Keep in mind that this was drawn the day after the second atomic bomb had fallen on Nagasaki.

Of special note: It had been originally drawn for Irwin Hasen, who was a cartoonist for DC Comics. He had worked on the Green Lantern and created the character Wildcat. During WWII he edited a military newspaper called the Fort Dix Post.

(Auction Link)

eBay 1966 Dodgers vs. Orioles World Series Megaphone

Since the World Series is here this eBay auction is very timely. It is from 1966 and was, if I'm not mistaken, a stadium give-away during the World Series against the Dodgers.

(eBay Auction Link)

Auto Collection: Green Monikers

The other day I shared 2004 Donruss Leaf Monikers insert autographed card of Maury Wills. Well, here is a Shawn Green to go with it. It is numbered 6 out of 10.

"We hate the Giants!"

Today is the start of the 2010 World Series and I call on Dodger Nation to send along all the bad mojo and losing wishes to our neighbors to the north. Pull out your voodoo dolls and make your sacrifices to the mighty Dodger in the sky because this Dodger fan just cannot accept a Giant victory parade this year. No- I cannot accept that!

In light of this I want to pass along a story I may have told several years ago on this blog. An old friend of mine used to work at a shirt manufacturer which happened to have an account with the Dodgers. In 2002, the last time the Giants were in the World Series, he was chatting with someone in the Dodger front office about an order when he brought up an aged old question. Since the Dodgers are not vying for the ring who do you root for? Do you favor the National League club?

Then, in the background, he could hear the screams of an old man cursing at the top of his lungs. At first he could not make it out, but soon realized what he was hearing. Tommy Lasorda was in the room and was screaming at the phone chastising my friend. He repeated over and over the following mantra: "We hate the Giants!"

"We hate the Giants!"

"We hate the Giants!"

"We hate the Giants!"

The Other Dodger Stuff at SCP Auctions

Along with the Kirk Gibson items all of LA have been gawking over the past week there are a couple of other notable Dodger related items available at SCP Auctions.

Here is a 1966 National League Champions Banner stadium flag that has been signed by both Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. The auction description does not actually state it, but I wonder if this actually flew at Dodger Stadium.

(Auction Link)

Here is an original vintage 1950 advertising movie poster featuring "The Jackie Robinson Story."

(Auction Link)

Did CNBC Find the Gibson Ball?

Check out this great story on CNBC that goes through a flurry of tips about the whereabouts of the Gibson World Series Home Run ball.

We received over 250 e-mails with supposed tips, with 31 people claiming that either they had it or they knew who had it.

After going through all of the muck they think they found the most likely destination. Only one story seemed to make the most sense.

It came from a man named Ed Moran, who showed us a video of what we’ve never seen -– apparently following the ball through the crowd and he says, landing in the hands of his uncle Carlos.

Read the article and check out the above link which goes to a website claiming to know who ended up with the ball. Unfortunately, as you'll read, the actual ball is not in their possession anymore and may never be found.

(Hat Tip: Sports Collectors Daily)

Auto Collection: Maury Wills Monikers

This insert set has always confused me. It is called "Monikers" and is a 2004 Donruss Leaf Limited card. Nowhere on the card does it actually provide a nickname or moniker for the player shown- even though the set is called "Monikers." They could have put in "Speedy" or some other similar name for Maury Wills since I'm not aware of an actual pseudonym for him. Maybe the "Banjo Man" would be best. Anyway, here is Maury's card from my collection. It is numbered 66 out of 100.

Glendale Day: August 12, 1956

This is a great little auction item I ran into on eBay over the weekend. It is a cardboard advertising sign promoting a Dodgers/ Ebbets Field promotion geared towards residents of the Glendale neighborhood in Queens, New York. The promotion includes a free ride to the game on a chartered bus. In fact, according to the auction seller the ride was a large part of the thrill. The chartered buses were actually "beer buses." There were kegs, sodas and snacks to occupy the appetites of the Glendale revelers who would be coming directly from their favorite watering holes. Heck, even the famous Dodgers "Sym-Phony" band would be on hand to accompany the Glendale crowd.

Don't believe me? Well, the seller is including some photographic proof of this event. He had apparently purchased the sign from Alan Rosen (a well known dealer) in 1990 and it included a couple of photo albums documenting the day. He has included the below photos in his auction. Check them out. Click on any of the pics to enlarge.

(eBay Auction Link)

1955 World Series, As You've Never Seen Before

Who'd a thunk that a sporting event that occurred 55 years ago would continue to hold the attention of fans today. Heck, you'd have thought that everything to be seen about the showdown would have already been presented for fans to gawk at. Not so, says LIFE. They have uncovered a group of 27 never-published photos of the 1955 World Series. Go here to see them all.

(Hat Tip: Huffington Post)

Vintage Fan Made Dodger Snapshots

There is nothing better then vintage fan-made photo snapshots. As I've written many times before, there is no better perspective than the photos made by fans at a game. This week a Tennessee dealer pulled out a photo album find of one fans view of the game at Wrigley Field, circa 1941. Below are a group of the Dodger players.

Here is Hall of Famer Joe Ducky Medwick. He only spent 5 seasons with the Brooklyn squad after a spectacular 9 seasons with the Cardinals. The auction description has a great biography on him so I'll repost some of it here.

Fans nicknamed him "Ducky" and "Ducky Wucky" because of his waddle, but his build led to the nickname of "Muscles," which meant that none of his teammates dared to use the name "Ducky" to his face. His hard-charging style of play got him pulled out of the seventh game of the 1934 World Series by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, when Detroit Tigers fans started pelting him with garbage after he slid hard into third on a triple. Medwick helped lead the Dodgers to a pennant in 1941, but had lost much of his dominance after being nearly killed by a beanball thrown at him by a former Cardinal teammate 6 days after his 1940 trade. He eventually returned to finish his career with the Cardinals in 1947 and 1948. During a USO tour by a number of players in 1944, Medwick was among several individuals given an audience by Pope Pius XII. Upon being asked by the Pope what his vocation was, Medwick replied, "Your Holiness, I'm Joe Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."

(Auction Link)

Below is Dixie Walker. He spent 9 of his 18 Major League seasons with the Dodgers where he enjoyed his greatest on field success. He was an All-Star 4 times and batted .311 with the Boys in Blue.

(Auction Link)

Whitlow Wyatt poses before warming up.

(Auction Link)

Here is Mickey Owens. Below is from the auction description.

After his discharge from the military in 1946, Owen expected to return to Brooklyn, but he failed to reach an agreement with the Dodgers and signed a contract to be a player-manager in the Mexican League. There were others several big leaguers that fled to Mexico, attracted by good salaries. In retaliation for the defections, Commissioner Happy Chandler sought a lifetime suspension for them, but his penalty was later reduced to three years.

(Auction Link)

Leo Durocher.

(Auction Link)

Auto Collection: Billingsley by the Letters

I love the concept of these letterman autograph patch cards. Basically, they are non-game used letter patches that are signed and placed in a super thick card. Every letter in the players name is used creating a great set if you can track them all down. Above and below is my Chad Billingsley 2006 Upper Deck SP "By the Letters" autographed card.

My early attempt at building a complete set of these Billingsley auto-cards failed miserably. I got just this one card and never got close to getting another one on eBay. I kept getting outbid. In fact, (and this is entirely true) before the days when you could see the complete name of those who you were bidding against, I was continually getting beat out by a bidder who used the name ChadBillingsley. (See his profile on eBay here)

Now, I don't know if it was just some guy who happened to share the same name or was actually the Dodger pitcher, but he was really getting on my nerves. I didn't feel aggravated because I couldn't complete the set (I'm fine with that), but I soon found that I couldn't get any auto cards of Billingsley. This eBay bidder wanted every Billingsley card out there.

So, this is my message to you Mr. Billingsley, or who ever you are, please stop and let some of us win a few.

Auto Collection: Welch & John

You can't go wrong with these two vintage former Dodgers. Bob Welch was drafted by the Dodgers in the 1st round of the 1977 draft. Then went on to pitch 10 glorious years for the team, compiling a 115-86 record and a 3.14 ERA. Before the magical 1988 season he was a part of a 3 team trade that netted us some needed pieces for that improbable World Series win- Jesse Orosco, Afredo Griffin and Jay Howell.

Tommy John was phenomenal for the Dodgers. In 6 Dodger season he recorded a 87-42 record with a ERA of 2.97, and even won 20 games for us in 1977. On top of that, he is probably one of the more well known Ballplayers outside of Baseball fandom circles. After all, how many folks have a surgery named after them?

Here are the front and reverse of the 2006 Topps Co-Signers card featuring autos of Bob Welch and Tommy John.

Auto Collection: Beltre's Timeless Treasures

Donruss really made some beautiful insert cards. This one is especially nice. I love the sepia toned design. It gracefully highlights the autograph and bright blue jersey swatch piece. This is a 2005 Donruss Timeless Treasures card of Adrian Beltre. It is numbered 2 out of 29.

The Auction of All Auctions: 1988 Gibson Momentos For Sale

Holy Mackerel!

Where you as shocked as I was when you read the story written by Tom Hoffarth, of the LA Daily News, yesterday. The most recent and cherished Dodger memory featuring a World Series title for the ages is about to be on the auction block later this month. Southern California Auctioneer, SCP, has been chosen to sell Kirk Gibson's entire 1988 treasure cache. There's his World Series trophy, his MVP award, and the uniform, bat and helmet he wore in Game 1. We all remember Game 1 don't we?

This kind of material is so incredible, so awe inspiring, that I can't believe it will really be available to the highest bidder.

Please! Please! Will some benevolent patron put this up for display for all of us to enjoy?

Below are some pics of the treasures of '88, and here is a link to a press release from SCP Auctions.
BTW, all of sale proceeds from the trophy and MVP award will benefit the Kirk Gibson Foundation.
This upcoming auction will also feature a whole bunch of other Baseball material- from a Pete Rose corked bat to a T206 Wagner.

Dodgers Police: 1981 Set - Part 4

I am back with the final installment of cards from the Dodgers 1981 Police set. Check out Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.
I don't remember Pepe at all, but your afro is awesome! Plus, your helpful tip on the reverse of this card is surprisingly simple and needs to be taught to every kid out there.
Hey, Bobby. 1981 was Castillo's last year with the Dodgers.
Skateboarding is not a crime!
I love Mickey Hatcher, and I will never forget his incredible performance during the 1988 World Series run. Unfortunately, Mickey was traded to the Twins for Kenny Landreaux just before the start of the 1981 season. So, this card is a bit prematures and we would have to wait a few more years before experiencing the magic from the man who would lead "The Stuntmen."
RIP Steve.

Auto Collection: Green Auto Patch

I apologize for my disappearance over the past week or so, I've just been buried by other things. On top of that, with the Dodger season over I figured a few days off from the virtual world might do some wonders.

Anyway, now that I'm back I figured I'd start nice and easy with a pic of another card from my own collection. Here is the front and reverse of Shawn Green's 2004 Upper Deck SP Game-Used patch and auto card, numbered 48 out of 50. This card is much cooler in person. It is very thick with the front die-cut along the sides to give it a 3-D look. Plus, I love that the patch is obviously from his Dodger uniform. There is nothing worse then getting a patch from a uniform you know isn't Dodger related.

Dodgers Police: 1981 Set - Part 3

Here is part 3 of the 1981 Dodgers Police LAPD cards. Go here for part 1 & part 2.