Blog Kiosk: 6/30/2011

It's the last day to vote for Matt Kemp, so do it now, right here! (Pic above from Jon SooHoo/La Dodgers)

• Can Matt Kemp make the starting roster? Here is an update from MLB. Kemp is trending higher, but still about 200k short.
  
• Sports Illustrated takes a look back at the film Major League and has some choice quotes and comments from much of the cast; including Charlie "he thinks he's winning" Sheen and Steve Yeager.

  David S. Ward (writer, director) : Steve (Yeager) ended up doubling for Tom (Berenger) behind the plate too. Whenever you see Tom throw with his mask on, that's Yeager. The guys took hitting practice every day, fielding practice, throwing... . There's a lot of camaraderie that comes out of running sprints.

• MSTI puts together a nice rundown on the collective sins of the McCourts,
  
• Dodgers June in Review from True Blue LA.
• Here's another potential buyer of the Dodgers, former agent Dennis Gilbert, via The Daily News.
  
• GCRL makes a Pedro Guerrero card that should have been.
  
• Rubby De La Rosa is looking like a diamond- a story from Dylan Hernandez.
  
• True to the Blue reminds us that the anniversary of Fernando Valenzuela's no-hitter in 1990 was yesterday.
  
• For the Love of the Boys in Blue visited the Dodgers in Colorado and put up a bunch of pictures for all of us to enjoy.
  
• Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty has a great article up featuring long-time Kings trainer Pete Demers and the crazy happenings in the locker room. It's a fun read.
  
• Jimmy Fallon flips cards with Bob Costas.

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Another Koufax Sketch Card

Here is another 2011 Topps Series 2 sketch card of Sandy Koufax. This time it is a reproduction of his 1966 Topps card. It has been drawn by Brian Kong.

(Auction Link)

Daily Conlon: 109 through 117

Here are the Daily Conlon cards numbered 109 through 117.

Now, ya know, if yesterdays' cards were filled with some of the key side players from the 1927 Yankees, then sooner or later the big stars of the squad would be just around the corner. Well, here they are. Check out, in all their glory, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and Waite Hoyt. All members of the Hall of Fame.

There really isn't much more to say. I'm just sitting here in awe.

A Batting Babe Ruth and a Young Reese

Here is a great vintage photograph of Babe Ruth taking a swing during his time as a Dodger coach. He would often take batting practice before games to the delight of fans.

(eBay Auction Link)

And to follow that up is a great photograph of young Pee Wee Reese in his Louiseville Colonels uniform. The auction seller had a great description of how Reese went from being Red Sox property (Louiseville was a Red Sox minor league affiliate) to a Dodger player.

The “Little Colonel” was one of the top prospects in the minors, and so impressed Boston Red Sox farm director Billy Evans that he recommended the Red Sox buy the team. Evans and owner Tom Yawkey both knew that the Red Sox' longtime shortstop, Joe Cronin, was nearing the end of his career. However, Cronin was the Red Sox' manager as well, and still thought of himself as a regular shortstop. When Yawkey sent Cronin to Louisville to scout Reese, Cronin deliberately downplayed Reese's talent and suggested Reese be traded. On July 18, 1939, Reese was sent to Brooklyn for $35,000 and four players to be named later. This trade is now considered one of the most lopsided deals in the annals of baseball.

(eBay Auction Link)

A McCourt Update From SI

Here is a great updat from Sports Illustrated with a legal review of the situation.

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Daily Conlon: 100 through 108

Here are the Daily Conlon cards numbered 100 through 108, and it's filled with nothing but Yankees. But not just any group of Yankees- members of the 1927 Yankees.

Often consider one of the greatest teams to ever be assembled, it featured "Murders' Row" of which Earle Combs (located in the center row, far right) was a member. These group of batsman were the meat of the lineup, for which all of Baseball feared, and consisted the first 6 batters in the Yankees arsenal. They were Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Muesel and Tony Lazzeri. These guys decimated the opposition. Once, after a July game against the Senators, Senators first baseman Joe Judge said,

“Those fellows not only beat you but they tear your heart out. I wish the season was over.”

By the end, they had finished with a 110-44 record (best ever in Baseball at the time and until 1954) with a 19 game lead over the second place A's. Gehrig established the record for most RBI's in a season at 175, Ruth set the single season home run record at 60 that would last for decades and the Yankees rolled over the hapless Pirates in a four game sweep to win the World Series. Go and check out this great fan made site glorifying this team right here. It's pretty good.

Blog Kiosk: 6/29/2011

Takin' a collection for payroll. (Pic Link: TwitPic @dmitsy)

• Steve Garvey visited the Hall of Fame and received a special tour with his 12 year old son's Little League team, via Cooperstown Chatter.
  
• I'm Ballsy picked up some nice Dodger autographed cards.
  
• Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle shows off a card I've never seen before- a 1994 Leaf Slideshow of Mike Piazza. It came out at about the time I got out of the hobby. Man, there are so many cards from the 90's that I have never seen.
• You sir, Daniel Barber, are no Dodger fan.
• At the upcoming National, Topps will be giving away a promo card set to VIP attendees that includes Mantle, Gehrig, a Mantle/Maris combo, JFK and the below Jackie Robinson card.
• From Monday's shellacking of the Twins comes this tweet from the Dodgers.
• Agate Type has a great story comparing Babe Ruth's 60 dingers and a 60 goal accomplishment in Europe the next year.
  
• Frankrupt!
• Night Baseball.

Night Baseball from 5-Second Films on Vimeo.

SCP Auctions: Dodger Drawings

SCP is currently running an auction that ends next month, July 13th. It features a bunch of items related to Red Auerbach and his time as coach for the Boston Celtics. Since this is a SoCal blog I won't highlight those items, but if the Celtics are your sweet spot then I suggest going over there now. For this blog, I'll stick with a bunch of Dodger related original cartoons featured in their catalog.

First, here is a original drawing made by Karl Hubenthal, whose mentor was none other than Willard Mullin. He drew extensively for the Los Angeles Examiner for over 30 years. In this drawing he shows the Brooklyn Bum jumping from location to location looking for a home. At one point, the "Bum" wonders, "Could it be I should of stood in Brooklyn?"

(Auction Link)

The gems of this auction feature a whole bunch of original cartoons from Willard Mullin. In fact there are so many of them available I just can't post them all. So, I will feature some of my favorites below. As always, click any pic to embiggen.

Originally printed on September 1, 1962 in The Sporting News, this cartoon wonders aloud about how many potential 20 game winners there may be in Baseball that season. Don Drysdale is prominently features as the first 20 game winner as he direct Jeeves to set up a table for poker with some of his soon-to-be comrades.

(Auction Link)

Here, Mullin points to former Dodger outfielder Pete Reiser as the main factor in the Dodgers chances at a pennant that year. The Brooklyn Bum is being queried by a reporter,

"Is this our year? Or ain't it?
Ya gonna run those Cards outa th' league?
Tromple th' Jints?
Ruin th' rest of 'em?
Hang up th' flag at Ebbets Field?
How about it?"

Th' "Bum" jus' don't know.

(Auction Link)

In this drawing Mullin waxes poetically about how great and under-rated Dixie Walker is.

"Poor old second string Dixie!... He only led the league in RBI last year, and in hitting the year before"

Still, he's

"Not my kind of ballplayer,"

says Branch Rickey.

(Auction Link)

Scoring Koufax's No-Hitter

Do you know what's better than witnessing a no hitter? How about scoring the game at the same time. Here is a scored June 4, 1964 scorecard from Connie Mack Stadium, home of the Phillies, when Sandy Koufax blanked them 3 to 0. Check out the boxscore here.

(eBay Auction Link)

Blog Kiosk: 6/28/2011

Here is a great pic from Jon SooHoo from this past Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Remember, only a few more days left to vote in Kemp for the All Star game. Go here.

• Roberto has a bunch of photos from Dodgers Photo Day this past weekend at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy.
  
• Cardboard Junkie picks up some Brooklyn Dodger Bowman beaters, and they are glorious.
  
• Big League Stew interviews Orel Hershiser.

  I can juggle baseballs. That's not Photoshopped. I can do them behind my back, between my legs, whatever you need. I can't juggle more than three, though. I've tried to do four and five and I can't do that. Maybe if I sat down and practiced it, maybe. But once I learned to juggle three, it's like, "OK, I've accomplished juggling — let's move on [laughs]."

• Clayton Kershaw wins National League Player of the Week honors.

  In two starts last week, the hard-throwing left-hander was a perfect 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA while leading the Majors with 22 strikeouts, 18.0 innings pitched and two complete game performances. Kershaw allowed only eight hits and a single walk on the week while giving up just two earned runs.

• Here is the MLB press release regarding the Dodgers Chapter 11 BK.

  "The Commissioner's Office has spent the better part of one year working with Mr. McCourt and his representatives on the financial situation of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which was caused by Mr. McCourt's excessive debt and his diversion of club assets for his own personal needs..."

• I don't know if Mark Cuban is the answer, but these folks seems to think he is. Check out these "We Want Cuban" shirts here.
• A quirky look at Topps Baseball cards.

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Daily Conlon: 91 through 99

Here are todays' Daily Conlon cards numbered 91 through 99, and we finally get our first player in a Dodger uniform.

At the center row, far left is outfielder Johnny Cooney in a 1937 photograph. He played for the Dodgers from 1935 to 1937, and then came back again to play sparingly for them from 1943 to 1944. Cooney started his Major League career as a pitcher in 20's for the Boston Braves recording a 34-44 record with a 3.72 ERA. Then his arm went sore, and he rebuilt his career as a outfielder. To go from a Major League pitcher to a Major League outfielder is pretty remarkable. Heck, you might say that Baseball was in his blood.

Johnny Cooney was the youngest of the "Cranston Cooneys," a Rhode Island ballplaying dynasty begun in the 1890s by James Joseph Cooney, whose four sons all played pro ball. Two brothers never got to the majors, but Johnny strung together 20 seasons in the big leagues that saw him adapt from a pitcher to a potent hitter and outstanding outfielder. His career was spent primarily with the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers, where he thrived under the tutelage of Casey Stengel.

Stengel even said his fielding was comparable to Joe DiMaggio. After his playing career was over we went on to coach for the Braves for two decades.

As always, click on any of the pics to embiggen.

My All Star Ballot

First of all, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that voting for the All Star game is not yet over. So, you still have time to stuff that ballot box for Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Go here.
Anyway, I thought I would take this moment to share who got my votes for the starting lineup for this coming 2011 All Star game in Arizona. And I promise it's not biased.

For the American League:

• 1st base: Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox- What an amazing season he's having so far. Makes you wonder what he could have done wearing Dodger Blue.
  
• 2nd base: Howie Kendrick, Angels- I was initially thinking about writing in Michael Young, but he has only played the position a couple of times this season, and is really just a DH today.
• 3rd base: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees- I really tried hard not to pick a Yankee.
  
• SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians- I was torn between him and Jhonny Peralta.
• C: Alex Avila, Tigers- What a great season he's having.
• DH: Michael Young, Rangers- OK, now I get to pick Michael.
• OF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays- Is there really any other choice?
• OF: Alex Gordon, Royals- Has he finally broken out? I say yes, so he gets my vote.
  
• OF: Adam Jones, Orioles- He's having a great season so far. 13 Home runs, 45 RBI's and a batting average approaching .300.
• SP: Jered Weaver, Angels- It was close between Jered and Justin Verlander.

For the National League:

• 1st base: Prince Fielder, Brewers- 21 Home runs. Do I have to say any more?
• 2nd base: Rickie Weeks, Brewers- With a one-two punch of Fielder and Phillips you know why the BrewCrew sit atop the Central Division.
• 3rd base: Placido Polanco, Phillies- I wish I could give you a good reason, but I couldn't think of a better choice.
• SS: Jose Reyes, Mets- Batting .344 and an OPS of nearly .900. Wow!
• C: Brian McCann, Braves- 13 homers, 43 RBI's, batting .300 and a OPS of .891. No one is even close.
• OF: Matt Kemp, Dodgers- Even the unbiased would pick "The Bison" for the All-Star game.
  
• OF: Andre Ethier, Dodgers- No this is not a biased pick. His numbers warrant his selection this season.
  
• OF: Ryan Braun, Brewers- Man-O-Live, the Brewers are stacked!
• SP: Roy Halladay, Phillies- His 5 complete games really impresses me. Since I can't actually vote for a pitcher I don't feel bad for not picking Clayton Kershaw here. I hope, nevertheless, that he ends up on the squad.
  

eBay: Snapshots of Jackie

Taken in 1949, here are a couple of fan taken photographic snapshots of Dodger phenom Jackie Robinson. This auction item is also accompanied by a letter written by the fan asking for Jackie to sign them- a sort of vintage through the mail request. Unfortunately, it does not appear that the sender every mailed it- no postmark. Too bad, it would have made for a great heirloom.

(Auction Link)

A McCourt Fortune

Without a doubt, the drama that surrounds the Dodgers and Frank McCourt is worthy of ridicule, but it's even better for the lulz.

Check out this editorial cartoon put together by freelance graphic designer Gary Finkler at his new blog called 7th Inning Sketch.

(Cartoon from 7th Inning Sketch)

Bankruptcy Round Up

Here is a brief round up of bankruptcy related news:

• Bill Shaikin passes along a list of creditors that primarily include ballplayers- Manny Ramirez being the largest creditor the Dodgers have.
• Read the entire BK filing here, at the LA Times.
• Sons of Steve Garvey has a run-down; including some tweets. One of which says Jamie McCourt just wants the team sold.
• Here's the McCourt press release regarding todays' BK filing.

  "The Dodgers have delivered time and again since I became owner, and that's been good for baseball," McCourt said. "We turned the team around financially after years of annual losses before I purchased the team. We invested $150 million in the stadium. We've had excellent on-field performance, including playoff appearances four times in seven years. And we brought the Commissioner a media rights deal that would have solved the cash flow challenge I presented to him a year ago, when his leadership team called us a 'model franchise.' Yet he's turned his back on the Dodgers, treated us differently, and forced us to the point we find ourselves in today. I simply cannot allow the Commissioner to knowingly and intentionally be in a position to expose the Dodgers to financial risk any longer. It is my hope that the Chapter 11 process will create a fair and constructive environment to get done what we couldn't achieve with the Commissioner directly."

• The best pic of the day belongs to DodgerDivorce, via twitter, a great reader submitted photo.

Jackie Drinks White Rock

Here is another edition of Vintage Dodger Spokesman. Along with Yogi Berra and Bobby Thompson, Jackie Robinson pitched a refreshing sparkling soda drink to the masses in 1953. It was something called White Rock, which apparently still exist today. Here is what Jackie had to say.

"My favorite is White Rock orange beverage because of the true fruit flavor. And it tastes even better when mixed with ice cream. Try it, kids, for a real enjoyable treat."

Mmmmm... that does sound good.

Daily Conlon: 82 through 90

Here are the Daily Conlon cards numbered 82 through 90.

Billy Southworth, located on the bottom row at the center, is a Hall of Fame manager who went on to lead two St. Louis Cardinals clubs to World Series championships. He was noted for his strict adherence to the fundamentals of Baseball. Billy played small ball, he bunted, moved players over, and platooned. Southworth also had incredible instincts for the game.

"Watch this guy. He will do things you won’t believe and they will work for him," said Clint Conaster. For instance, he would take a guy off the bench hitting about .150 like Bob Sturgeon [whose ’48 batting average was .218] and he would deliver a clutch base hit. He just had a gut feeling about the right thing to do in that situation. The moves he would make would work for him--all the time, not occasionally. Leo Durocher was the same way. I don’t know what it is. It’s like some guys can pick horses out of nowhere. Southworth was a genius like that on the diamond."

Bankruptcy!

This week is starting out great. The Dodgers filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy this morning in hopes of thwarting MLB's eventual takeover of the team. Per the Wall Street Journal:

Mr. McCourt will ask the bankruptcy court to approve a new long-term media rights deal that he says will save his team from its liquidity crisis. The Dodgers' assets still outweigh their liabilities, but the team doesn't have enough cash to meet the June 30 payroll.

And here's the kicker- something we found out just a few days ago.

Fox, a unit of News Corp., hasn't commented on Mr. Selig's decision, but it is unlikely the media company will keep its offer on the table during the bankruptcy standoff, two people familiar with the matter said.

That's right. This whole process it ultimately an exercise in futility. How can the court approve a media contract that does not exist- if only verbal. After all, a media contract is more than just dollars and cents. There are details that I doubt have been hammered out in any meaningful way. Besides, what if Fox says to the court, as has already been intimated, that there is no contract; therefore, no deal to approve?

Folks, we are heading into probably the end, and most painful part of this entire process. Like McCourt's divorce the legal separation between the Dodgers/ MLB and the McCourt's will air out all of the dirty laundry and it ain't going to be pretty.

UPDATE:

We've got an answer to the above question. Apparently, McCourt has asked the court to create an open bidding process for a new media contract- thereby telling Fox to go "F" off.

eBay: a World Series Megaphone

The fluorescent yellow looks very out of place in the 60's. This is a souvenir 1965 World Series megaphone featuring the Dodgers versus the Twins. I can imagine hoards of fans sitting in the stands with this held up to their mouths. They scream taunts and jabs to get the opposition off their game. Unfortunately for Minnesota, it would do no good. The Dodgers were the team of destiny then as they won the series in 7 games.

(eBay Auction Link)

Viva Los Dodgers Sunday

With it being ThinkCure! weekend the Dodgers have a whole bunch of special events scheduled for before todays game; including an autograph sessions with Steve Yeager, Ron Cey and Manny Mota. Check out the schedule below.

This Sunday will feature an autograph session in support of ThinkCure! weekend. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., former Dodger greats Steve Yeager and Ron Cey will sign autographs for fans for a suggested donation of $5. Dodger coach Manny Mota will sign autographs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Fans can submit questions for a special Q&A session scheduled with Yeager and Cey at 12:30 p.m.

Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca will provide entertainment. Within Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca are several dance groups in different age categories: Michoacan Pollitos (ages 3-7), Nuevo Leon (ages 8-11), Jalisco de Listones (ages 8-11), Sinaloa Costa (ages 12-16), Nayarit (ages 17-20) and Guerrero. Univision Radio’s La Nueva KSCA 101.9 FM and DJ Chiquibaby will also be on site.

WHERE: Dodger Stadium Lot 6

11:10 a.m. Auto gates open
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Mota in autograph tent
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Yeager and Cey in autograph tent
11:40 a.m. Michoacan Pollitos performance
11:50 a.m. Nuevo Leon performance
12:00 p.m. Jalisco de Listones performance
12:10 p.m. Sinaloa Costa Performance
12:20 p.m. Nayarit Performance
12:25 p.m. Guerrero Performance
12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Q&A with Yeager and Cey

Sunday Dodger Videos

For your lazy Sunday viewing. Here are some Sunday Dodger Videos.

Let's start this off right with some doing some kids dancing at Dodger Stadium.

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OK. That was strange. What kind of dancing was that? Hey, and what the hell is this? Please lady, don't drink at games. I am thoroughly disgusted.

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I know, you hate me now for putting that up. Heck, I hate myself for putting it up. I need a diversion. How about some Ozomatli at Viva Los Dodgers. It features live footage, but has been dubbed with recorded music.

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That was more like it. Here, Matt Kemp talks about his favorite All-Star memory. You can still vote for Kemp and Andre Ethier for the All-Star game, here.

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Don Mattingley talks about his favorite All-Star memory.

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Blog Kiosk: 6/25/2011

The Dodgers ready the field for todays Dodger Photo Day. Pic via Joe Block on TwitPic.

• The Congressional Hispanic Caucus tells McCourt to pound sand, via Bill Shaikin.
• To little, too late? McCourt show a willingness to sell a portion of the team, MLB Trade Rumors.
• Edgar visited Jamey Carroll at a Hyundai dealership and got a couple of auto's, at My Autograph Signings.
• DodgerBobble introduces us to MLB Bobblehead Pros from 2K Sports. He's got a great video. And yes, it's a Baseball video game where the players are bobbleheads. Just brilliant!
• Panini shares some pics from the recently concluded NHL Draft in Minneapolis.
• LA Kings unveil their new road jersey for next season, via Inside the Kings, at the 2011 Draft in Minneapolis.
• Ted Sobel interviews LA Kings new Center Mike Richards.
• Check this out. It's a video from This Week in Sports where they feature their segment called, "When Athletes Act Like Kids."

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Daily Conlon: 73 through 81

Here are the Daily Conlon cards numbered 73 through 81. They feature some great portraits of players long forgotten.

Comorosky looks like he knows his days in the Majors are numbered, while Oscar Ski Melillo couldn't be happier to just be at the game. And what's with that name, Ski? Did you have hippy parents? Actually, it's a grammar school nickname that stuck for his entire life. Fortunately, he didn't just have one moniker. To prove that Baseball has the greatest nicknames, Ski's other name was "Spinach." I'm sure you're wondering, why "Spinach?" Well, Melillo had Bright's Disease which is a fatal kidney ailment that can bring about back pain, vomiting and, get this, testicular pain. Ouch! To cure himself Ski only ate Spinach, every day, 3 times a day.

“They told me to eat nothing but spinach for the next few months if I wanted to live,” he said. “I tried to talk them into letting me have a steak, spaghetti, ravioli, or goulash once in a while, but they said nothing doing. When I told them I couldn’t stand the monotony of spinach three times a day, they told me I could have some variety by boiling it for breakfast, making a salad of it for lunch, and baking it for dinner.” The Sporting News, November 30, 1963

I guess you can say he was Popeye before Popeye was Popeye. To add to his misery, Ski Melillo was also zoophobic, which is a general fear of animals. That's right, he was afraid of all animals, particularly rabbits, birds and snakes.