Collection: 2005 UD SPx Houlton & Izturis

I thought I would take a moment to share a couple more 2005 Upper Deck SPx autograph cards of some former Dodgers.  Check out the DJ Houlton and Cesar Izturis cards above and below.

There was a time when I was sure Izturis would be our long term solution at shortstop.  In 2004 he had a big season where he continued to shine on the field, but also added a little spark with the bat.  He hit .288 and had a respectable OPS of .770 as a lead-off hitter.  Izturis had nearly 200 hits while stealing 25 bases and scoring 90 times.  For his efforts the Dodgers signed him to a mutli-year/ multimillion dollar contract.  However, it was obvious by the next season that 2004 was a career year.  He came back to earth offensively, and was subsequently traded in 2006 for Greg Maddux.

DJ Houlton could never quite stick.  Not that the Dodgers didn't give him a bunch of opportunities.  He started 19 games in 2005, but looked no better then an end of the rotation pitcher.  Ultimately, he was a stopgap until someone better came along.  Today, Houlton has found his grove in Japan.  He has played there since 2008.  In five season in Japan he has a 47-33 record with a 3.32 ERA.

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 7/6/2012

Confidence breeds winners.  Kershaw shows off a All-Star game shirt for all to see, via @Dodgers instagram.

• Gordon down, Guerra up.  Via a Dodgers press release.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed infielder Dee Gordon on the 15-day disabled list (right thumb UCL tear) and reinstated right-handed reliever Javy Guerra from the disabled list. Gordon was hitting .229 with 36 runs scored, nine doubles, a homer, 17 RBI and a Major League-leading 30 stolen bases.

Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, Gordon is expected to be out for 6 weeks.  Goodness!

• You really should check out the Baseball Hall of Fame podcast called "Cooperstown Conversations".  Their June and July episodes include a complete recording of the very first Hall of Fame ceremony in 1939. 

• SoCal Sports Media was with Andre Ethier when he recently helped out at the Union Rescue Mission.  See that story here with video.  Then, they receive some advice from Andre on how to grill a dog.  See that story here with video.
• Eye on LA Sports post about his very successful autograph weekend at Dodger Stadium.  He's got tons of pics.
• David Park shares his incredible day at Dodger Stadium on July 4th.  He gets a whole bunch of autographs.
• LA Blue Crew has audio from a Clayton Kershaw interview with Fox Sports Radio.
• Chaos and Kanji, a card blogger turned American teacher in Japan blogger visits a park with monuments and temples.  He also stumbled upon a ballfield.
• Awesome!  The Stanley Cup reaches Slovenia, via LA Kings Insider.

(pic link: twitter @AnzeKopitar: Great view from atop Castle Bled here in Slovenia! )

• The Kings are suddenly the most popular team in the league.  From the NHL Director of Entertainment Publicity.

(Pic link: twitter: @NHLnlm)

(Pic link: twitter: @NHLnlm)

• Steve Fiorindo at Bullpen Banter was at the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes game the other day and has a couple of videos on his site featuring Matt Kemp.  Check them out here.  He has complete footage from two different angles of Kemps at-bats.  Below is a pregame video Matt gave to the press.

Video Link:

Collection: 1989 Dodgers Police Set

Following up on my previous post focused on the 1988 Dodgers Police set, I thought I would finish off the week by sharing the 1989 Dodgers Police set from my collection.  (You can see all of the other Police Set I've shared so far by going to this link)  Notice that on the top right of each card is a congratulatory note from the LAPD to the Dodgers for their 1988 World Series Championship.

Below is an example of the reverse of the cards.  There is a short player biography and a "Say No to Drugs" message.

 Here is the remainder of the set.  Be sure to click any pic to embiggen.

Hunt Auctions: All-Star Auction with some Old-Time Dodgers

With the All-Star game around the corner collectors know that Hunt's annual All-Star Game FanFest Auction is coming up.  For the past several years Hunt Auctions has teamed up with the All-Star Game FanFest to organize a live auction of vintage Baseball memorabilia.  This year features collectibles from the personal collection of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, items from the collection of Eddie Onslow (a pre-War Ballplayer), and several awards from Jim Palmer (3 Cy Young's and 2 Gold Gloves).  Check out some of the Dodgers related memorabilia that caught my eye below.  Be sure to click any pic to embiggen.

Here is a 1951 Pee Wee Reese game-used jersey.  It is expected to reach $20k to $30k.

(Auction Link)

Below are items related to Eddie Stanky Day at Ebbets Field in 1946.  There is a Presentation Good Luck Charm and several vintage photos.

(Auction Link)

Here are a couple of great vintage photographs signed by some vintage Dodgers.  Eddie Stanky and Pee Wee Reese is directly below.  This photo was also taken by noted Brooklyn photographer Barney Stein. 

(Auction Link)