Blog Kiosk: 7/3/2011

Vote for Andre!

(Pic Above: TwitPic: DylanHernandez)

• Dodger fans were heard loud and clear in Anaheim. As LFP says,

  "The TV cameras showed the players in the dugout while you were yelling LETS GO DODGERS! and you could see it light up their faces. Maybe now the press will realize we never gave up on the team. Just the owner."

• Smart Money looks at 7 lessons from the Dodger bankruptcy, here.
  
• Dylan Hernandez writes about what impresses Don Mattingly most about Dee Gordon at the LA Times.
• Bill Shaiken tells us about the kind of things McCourt is seeking through the discovery process. This could all get very interesting.
  
• The Infield Dirt tells us about the Baseball Reliquary as they present a new exhibit called the Patriotic Pitch: The Empire of Baseball at the Pasadena Central Library.
• Beyond the Boxscore takes a look at how run scoring varies from inning to inning.
  
• David Pinto of Baseball Mussings passes along a interesting study from The American Economic Review on racial bias by home plate umpires on calling taken pitches.
  
• What a great website. Baseball in Wartime. And to think, it's been around for 10 years, and this is the first time I've run across it. A big thanks to Tom at Baseball by the Letters for pointing it out.
  
• ESPN gets it right with this short video. (Hat Tip: LFP)
  

YouTube Link:

Vote for Andre!

Vote for Andre Ethier. Do it now!

From Jill Painter's story at the Daily News:

"I hope they can show a little more support for another four or five days and rally behind me and I guess show they're still Dodgers fans who are faithful," Ethier said. "It's a great opportunity to prove that they're still backing the players."

Remember vote for Ethier now! BTW, apparently you can vote as many times as you want- hundreds even, thousands!!!

(Pic: Los Angeles Dodgers/ Jon SooHoo)

Reese Likes Wheaties and Now, So Do I

I'm a sucker for a good ad. Aren't you? Throw in a little splash of color, and maybe a nicely drawn cartoon to put a smile on my face. Heck, have one of my favorite stars endorse it and I'll melt in your arms. I am, after all, a capitalist dream.

To celebrate this one indisputable fact I bring you this vintage 1950 Wheaties magazine advertising featuring Brooklyn Dodger Pee Wee Reese.

"Wheaties, with milk or cream and fruit, is my favorite training dish. It's easy to digest, nourishing- and loaded with swell flavor.I'd recommend Wheaties to anyone."

I'm sold, where's a bowl. I'm hungry.

Daily Conlon: 145 through 153

Here are the Daily Conlon cards numbered 145 through 153, and it continues with 9 more members of the 1916 Boston Red Sox.

There really is only one card here I could ever feature. It is of a young pitcher on the top row, far left. His name is Babe Ruth and he would be an important member of this team. He was primarily a starter for the club, going 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA. He would also bang out 3 home runs, which at the time, was a lot. In fact, with only 150 plate appearances that home run total tied him for the team lead. He would only pitch one game in the World Series against the Dodgers that season, but it was a good one. He went 14 innings to complete the game and earn a win in Game 2, 2 to 1.

Mailbag: A Dodger Scout

Many collectors out there might think I'm crazy, but I love this card. Of course, I didn't pull one out of a box of 2009 Bowman wax otherwise I might have been a little disappointed that this card would count as a hit. Nevertheless, this card is one of my favorites. It is a Baseball scout card autographed by former Dodgers scout Clarence Johns.

As the card states on the reverse, Clarence Johns was the man who saw potential in a stocky kid from Canada named Russell Martin. He convinced the Dodgers to pick Martin in the 17th round of the 2002 draft and signed him to the club, thereby foregoing a scholarship to go to North Carolina State. Clarence Johns also was responsible for the signing of former Dodger prospect Xavier Paul.

Johns is not longer in the Dodger organization, but sits in a rosier position today. He is currently the East Coast Scouting Supervisor for the Houston Astros. I had actually sent a message to the Astros PR department seeking a brief email interview with Johns, but was rebuffed. Unfortunately, the Astros have a policy to not allowing interviews of their scouts. Oh, well.