Blog Kiosk: 12/19/2011

And the process begins. Thank goodness! (twitter: @BillShaikin)

• Charlie Sheen helped the Dodgers do some winning in the 80's, via High Heat Stats. There is a complete video of the interview at the above link.
  

  Last week, actor Rob Lowe appeared on Conan, hosted by Conan O'Brien, and claimed that in the late 1980s, Charlie Sheen would invite his hometown Cincinnati Reds over to "party" when they were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers, and then bet against them.

• I don't consider this big news, but the Dodgers just signed John Grabow to a minor league deal, via MLB Trade Rumors. He's a lefty and probably an insurance policy- just in case Elbert fails to impress in the Spring.
• GCRL continues on with his series on the Evolution of the Dodgers Right Fielder.
  
• Don Mattingly plays the role of Mother Ginger in the Evansville Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker.Check out the video, here.
  
• The year in photos from Boston.com.
  
• As proof of its popularity, another T206 card site is now up and running. It may be the best of the bunch as it includes several top collectors and hobbyist as participants. Check out T206 Resource.
  
• I'm a bad person. This runaway cart made me chuckle. Fortunately, there was no serious injuries. Check it out, here.
  
• Check out the top 16 funniest tweets from athletes at SportsPickle.com.
• Wow. A Lingerie Football League fight. That's right, I said Fight. Via BroBible who has video.
  
• This is how you celebrate a victory.

Video Link:

Collection: Orlando Rodriguez

There isn't much to say about this gentleman. Orlando Rodriguez played most of his professional career for the Dodgers farm system. From 2001 to 2005 he toiled on the dusty diamonds of Baseball dreams, but never had an opportunity to taste the nectar of the Major League world. At one time, he was thought to be a potential situational lefty out of the pen. As the reverse of the two cards featured here state, he had a knack for striking folks out. Heck a strike out ratio of over 12 is a good foundation to build on. As he advanced up the ladder, though, his effectiveness diminished, and so did his dreams of the show. He played in a few independent leagues after being released, and was last seen playing in Mexico.

Featured here are his 2004 Donruss Playoff Leather & Lumber autographed rookie card and 2005 Donruss 'The Rookies' card.

Topps Archives Coming Back in 2012

The Topps Archives set was one of my favorites. It has been a decade since a set was released, so finding out recently that it will be unearthed again has been a nice surprise. Unlike in the past, it will not only feature vintage players on reprinted cards. It will also include current players in the mix. Recently, Topps unveiled some preview pics on their Facebook page. Check them out here. Below is the Sandy Koufax on a 1966 Topps card design with a brand new period photo.

(Pic Link)