- Filed under "It's About Time." The MLB Network will feature former Dodger and the only active MLB'er to be a Vietnam War Veteran Roy Gleason over Memorial Weekend.
This Memorial Day weekend, MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian will tell the story of Roy Gleason, the only active Major League Baseball player to serve in the Vietnam War. Featuring exclusive interviews with Gleason, his sons Kaile Gleason and Troy Gleason, and Lost In the Sun: Roy Gleason's Odyssey from the Outfield to the Battlefield author Wallace Wasinack, as well as photos and items from Gleason’s personal archive, including his Purple Heart Medal and the Dodgers game jersey that he wore for his only MLB at-bat, Vasgersian narrates Gleason’s journey from a Dodgers’ prospect to a soldier in the U.S. Army. The feature will premiere on MLB Tonight this Sunday, May 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT.
Gleason on being wounded in action:
It was just a big explosion. The shrapnel had torn through my left wrist and my left calf. I was actually going into shock and didn’t realize that I was shivering in Vietnam. It’s pretty hard to shiver in 110 and 115-degree heat, but I was because I was going into shock from the loss of blood.
Gleason on being wounded in action:It was just a big explosion. The shrapnel had torn through my left wrist and my left calf. I was actually going into shock and didn’t realize that I was shivering in Vietnam. It’s pretty hard to shiver in 110 and 115-degree heat, but I was because I was going into shock from the loss of blood.
- Eric Stephen at True Blue LA writes about the "Dodgers Making History at Home."
- Check out this incredible tribute to Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game by Neil Scherer. (Hat Tip: Sports Collectors Daily) It includes autographs of every player to appear in the game (Dodgers and Cubs), wire photos of the event, a ticket stub, a record of Vin Scully calling the game, team memorabilia pins, a game program, and an actual scorecard. A video of Scherer talking about this piece and other items can be seen here. His website can be found here.
- Bark in the Park at Dodger Stadium will be on Saturday, and is sold out. Demand was so high for this annual event the Dodger will do it again later this season. It will be on September 1st. Go here for details.
- Beckett has some background on a new Topps product slated to some out in September. It is called Topps Heritage Minor League and will borrow the old 1963 Topps design in the base set. Also of note, one lucky collector will win a REAL one-day players contract to play Minor League Baseball for the Corpus Cristi Hooks- a AA affiliate of the Astros, and get you own card in a future set release. This is probably the coolest prize EVER!!! To have your name immortalized in the record books for eternity would be boss.
- I love Hunter S. Thompson. He is one great writer. Check out today's Letters of Note as they share Hunter's last news release he wrote for an Air Force base newspaper. It's classic Thompson.
An apparently uncontrollable iconoclast, Thompson was discharged today after one of the most hectic and unusual Air Force careers in recent history. According to Captain Munnington Thurd, who was relieved of his duties as base classification officer yesterday and admitted to the neuropsychological section of the base hospital, Thompson was "totally unclassifiable" and "one of the most savage and unnatural airmen I've ever come up against."
- There is so much awesome in this video. From the description: "This is not a trailer for a real film. Bill Murray was kind enough to grant us our wish of walking down the hallway in slow motion - simple. This is better than autograph." (Hat Tip: Reddit)
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