LA Kings Night at Dodger Stadium

I love me some LA Kings gear. It's black, silver and white all over. If you don't already know, the Kings will be going back to the colors of Gretzky, and this hat helps usher in that era. I've read some gripes about how ugly they are, and, I have to admit, the mock-ups look horrendous. I'm hoping the real thing is nicer.

It will be a stadium give away on July 29th for only those who purchase a ticket through their special promotion. Check it out here. You must get a voucher to get the hat. I know, dumb, right? Below are the details provided by the Dodgers.

The second annual L.A. Kings Night at Dodger Stadium will take place on Friday, July 29, the Dodgers and Kings announced today. The July 29 game will include pregame ceremonies involving the L.A. Kings as well as a special ticket offer.

To celebrate the announcement, Kings forwards Jarret Stoll and Brad Richardson will throw out a ceremonial first pitch at tonight’s Dodger game. They will also participate in a hockey putting contest with Dodger pitcher and hockey fan Blake Hawksworth before the game. Stoll and Richardson are both scheduled to play in the Dodgers Dream Foundation Charity Golf Invitational on June 16.

On L.A. Kings Night, Preferred Field seats will be available for $35 and Infield Reserve and Preferred Loge tickets will be available for $25. Each ticket purchased will come with a voucher for a limited edition Kings-themed Dodger hat. Tickets are available at www.dodgers.com/kings

This year’s L.A. Kings Night will be the latest in a series of Dodgers-Kings promotions. At last year’s event, Kings forward Dustin Brown and defenseman Matt Greene, as well as mascot Bailey and the Kings Ice Crew, participated in the ceremonial first pitch. This past January, the Kings hosted Dodgers Pride Night at STAPLES Center and Manager Don Mattingly dropped the puck before game. Several of the Dodgers’ top minor league prospects enjoyed the game from a suite and met with Hockey Hall of Famer and Kings President, Business Operations Luc Robitaille. Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda and former Dodger Eric Karros have also recently dropped the puck at L.A. Kings games.

What a Screwed Up Mess We Have

You know things are bad when the Dodgers saving grace may be the cheating estranged wife of Frank McCourt. Jamie McCourt has asked the court to sell the team, via the LA Times.

In the filing, Jamie McCourt alleged that her ex-husband, Frank McCourt, had endangered the value of the Dodgers through his "mismanagement," and she requested that the judge overseeing the couple's divorce put the club up for sale so both parties could reap the maximum value from the primary asset of their marriage.

Forbes provides some more context.

Yesterday I wrote that the Dodgers were likely to be auctioned off by MLB because the team does not have the cash to meet payroll this month. In March we valued the Dodgers at $800 million with operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the 2010 season of $32.8 million. But after interest payments on debt the Dodgers do not have enough cash to cover expenses.

Jamie’s logic is that she and Frank could get a better price for the Dodgers than MLB. It is hard to disagree with her given the calamity over the sale process of the Texas Rangers. Like the Rangers and its previous owner, Tom Hicks, the Dodgers and Frank McCourt have debt problems with hordes of creditors chomping at the bit to get what is owed them. And Jamie knows that an auction open to as many bidders as possible will get a higher price than a sale controlled by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

At this point, I care less who owns it as long as the process is open and it gets done sooner rather than later. With this recent move the above appears likely to be the case. Anything that kicks this piss-poor of an ownership group out the door right now would make this year a success.

REA: Not Just Vintage But Historic, Part 1

As I had written yesterday, REA recently closed up their always anticipated annual auction, and it was filled with Baseball history. The quality of the artifacts that come through their doors is amazing as their catalogs have become more than just guides for the auction. They are history books about the game. I hope that all of this stuff eventually makes its way into a museum. Although, I can't blame an owner for wanting to financially benefit from them.

Here are a couple of items I thought were very significant and museum worthy. Check them out. I plan on following this post up with several other items pointing to the history of the game.

Here is a Baseball bat attributed to George Wright. It is believed to have been used by him during the 1869 season with the Red Stockings. From the auction description:

It is a monumental museum-caliber bat dating from circa 1869 (identical in style to those used by professional players of the era including the 1869 Red Stockings) accompanied by the two finest, most extraordinary, and desirable baseball trophy ribbons of the era (one Brooklyn Atlantics, and one Cincinnati Red Stockings), which are each the only examples known in private hands, and which could only have originated from someone directly involved with these teams during that era.
...The Brooklyn Atlantics were one of the top teams in New York in 1869 and, in 1870, were the first team ever to defeat the Cincinnati Red Stockings. All silk baseball ribbons dating from the 1865 to 1875 era are extremely rare, due to both their fragile nature and the fact that they were intended to actually be worn by players, pinned to their uniforms during games. (The game's elite clubs normally exchanged team ribbons before the game and wore them on their uniforms, a practice which largely ended by 1875.)

It sold for $19,000.00.

(Auction Link)

Trophy balls are also great artifacts of the game in the 19th Century. It was common practice for the victor in important games to be presented with a game-used painted ball. It would celebrate the match with the score and any other important details. They are extremely rare and are usually only found in elite collections and museums like the Baseball Hall of Fame. This ball is notable because it features two famous New York area teams.

from an 1859 match between two of the greatest teams of the era, both New York clubs that were charter members of the National Association of Base Ball Players: the Unions of Morrisania (based in the Bronx) and the Excelsiors of Brooklyn.

This single ball sold for $20,000.00.

(Auction Link)

eBay: Snapshots of Jackie and Duke

No doubt, one of a kind. Here are a couple of fan made vintage photographic snapshots taken in 1953 during Spring Training in Florida. They feature two immortal Dodgers as they interact with the fans- Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. The Seller wants quite a bit for them- much more than what I would be willing to pay. On the other hand, like I said, they are one of a kind.

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)

Blog Kiosk: 5/19/2011

• I don't much care about having a local NFL team, but if you do care check out this petition, via Sons of Steve Garvey.
• Check out these great pics from Boston.com of Dogs in the news. The below photos is from K9 Storm Inc./Handout/Reuters.
• If you don't already know, get a limited Fathers Day cooking apron at Dodger Stadium on June 19th. Pic below features Rod Barajas sporting the apron. (Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers)
• The reward for the capture of the vagrants who attacked Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium has been upped to $200k, and news just came out about a female driver who helped the attackers to escape, via ESPN.
• Imagine finding this on a hike. It's a giant pink bunny in the Italian Alps. Find out more from an art group called Gelitin. (Hat Tip: Cellar)
• This is so very cool. The Solar System Scope. (Hat Tip: The Big Picture)
• I thought this was a great story about 3 teenagers stranded on a small boat lost at sea for 51 days, via GQ.