Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Garvey & Cosmo

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

This is a very light weekend for autograph events in the southland.  I do not know of any signings, but there are a couple of events worth checking out.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.

UPDATE: I just added a Maury Wills signing in Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, below.  Also, former Angels pitcher Chuck Finley is scheduled to sign free autographs in Santa Fe Springs on Saturday.

 ----------------------------

Enjoy an evening out with Steve Garvey at the San Manuel Casino.  This PrimeTicket TV event includes a fully catered meal and interview session.  It is happening tomorrow, Wednesday, July 18th, and cost $40.00 per person.  Go to this link for more information.  


San Manuel Casino
777 San Manuel Blvd.
Highland, CA 92346 (map)

----------------------------

If you're in Las Vegas maybe a trip to the ballpark should be in your plans.  The Las Vegas 51's are hosting Cosmo Bobblehead Night on Saturday against the Reno Aces.  Only 2,500 bobbleheads will be given out.  Go here for their promotion schedule.

Cashman Field
850 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Las Vegas, NV 89101 (map)

----------------------------

UPDATE:  Via Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy.

Maury Wills be at the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes game on Sunday, July 22nd.  It is a 5:00 PM game.

Epicenter/Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
8408 Rochester Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

----------------------------

UPDATE II: via the comments section: Larry in the comments.

Chuck Finley will be hanging out at Mike Thompson's RV Superstores in Santa Fe Springs on Saturday, July 21, 2012 from 12:00 pm- 2:00 pm.

Santa Fe Springs
13940 Firestone Blvd.
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
(562) 921-0955

Welcome to the Blue, Stephen Fife

The Dodgers bring up Stephen Fife from AAA (Albuquerque Isotopes) to pitch tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies.  This will be his Major League debut.

Fife was place onto the roster after Chad Billingsley was sent to the DL over a sore elbow.  Via a Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today placed right-hander Chad Billingsley on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation (retroactive to July 8) and recalled right-hander Stephen Fife from Triple-A Albuquerque to make tonight’s start against the Phillies.

A second MRI showed no major damage to his elbow, so I would expect that this will be a short stay on the DL for Billingsley. He is slated to come back on July 23rd.

Stephen Fife was a 2008 3rd round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox.  For a closer look at Fife check out this recent video that features him.  I think this was put together by his college alma mater, the Utah Utes.

Video Link:

Also from the Dodgers press release:

 Fife, who will wear No. 56, is set to make his Major League debut tonight and has gone 7-5 with a 4.53 ERA in 18 starts with Triple-A Albuquerque this season. The 25-year-old has turned it on in his last eight starts and is 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA (14 ER/45.1 IP) since May 30, the fifth-lowest ERA in the Pacific Coast League in that span. Fife last pitched on July 6 against Round Rock (Rangers), allowing just two hits in 7.0 scoreless innings in the Isotopes' 10-1 win.

Hake's Auctions- Some Dodgers Negro League Rarities

Last week I featured a vintage Willard Mullin Brooklyn "Bum" drawing available through Hake's Auctions.  This time around, I focus on some vintage Dodgers to share. All of these items look back at these players careers in the Negro League or Cuban Leagues. 

Below is Acme Newspictures press photograph of Roy Campanella.  He is in  a familiar pose- in full catcher's gear looking up to catch a ball. It is dated to August 1942.  Campy was a member of the Baltimore Elite Giants in the photo.

(Auction Link)

The next two auction items were a part of the collection of Negro League collector Richard Merkin.  Merkin was a American painter and illustrator who taught his craft for over 40 years at the Rhode Island School of Design. His own works reside in the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian Institution. He also wrote for Vanity Fair and illustrated the book "Leagues Apart: The Men and Times of the Negro Leagues."

Below, is a very young Chuck Dressen.  He was the Dodgers skipper from 1951 to 1953.  This is 1924-25 Aguilitas Baseball card that features Dressen as a player in the Cuban Professional League.  It was not uncommon for American ballplayers to play in Cuba; especially during the off-season. 

(Auction Link)

This photo is phenomenal.  Here is soon-to-be Dodger hurler Joe Black wearing a homemade "Champion Pitcher" crown shortly after the end of the 1951-1952 Cuban League season.  He finished the year leading the league in wins and strike outs, no doubt proving to the Dodgers that he was ready for the show.  That upcoming Spring he would join the Brooklyn squad for his rookie season. 

(Auction Link)

Answering to Fuji: Cards w/ Character

The card blogger Chronicles of Fuji set a challenge.  He asked for collectors to dig deep within our collections to find "Cards with Character."  Fuji notes,

I have learned to appreciate cards with creases, pinholes, ink stains, collector's initials, and even peeled off backs. In fact, while many collectors feel these are major condition flaws... I prefer to look at it differently.

The more imperfections on the card... the more character the card has.

So today, I'm going to show off some recent vintage acquisitions that have a whole bunch of "character".

In keeping with that spirit, here are some of my less than mint Baseball cards with some scars, blemishes and tears. 

This item isn't exactly a Baseball card, per se.  It does feature a couple of Baseball players on a piece of cardboard, though.  Below is a 1907 postcard that has been, written on, postmarked and cut up to the delight of this collector.

Cub Infielder Frank Chance jokes around with Tigers players Hughie Jennings and Wild Bill Donovan.  The original mailer didn't write a message on the reverse, instead opting to write right on front.  He notes, "We lost the World Series but we're satisfied we won a pennant."  At least, I think that's what it says.  "Vanquished Victor" is also written on the bottom row.  Based on the postmark date on the reverse, the Chicago Cubs had just won the 1907 World Series against the Detroit Tigers just before this was originally mailed. 

Here is another vintage postcard below that has plenty of character.  It has been cut up and re-framed to feature two female Ballplayers.  It now measures a tiny 1.5" by 3" inches.  These ladies are sporting full Baseball uniforms.  This Real Photo Postcard dates from between the 1900's to 1930's.

For a time, I would scour eBay for vintage postcards featuring women ballplayers.  They are hard to come by and point to a part of the game that is hardly known about.  For various times throughout the early 1900's women played ball, and played it well.  Collectibles like this is a small reminder of those times.

These next grouping of cards are 1966 Topps Venezuelan Baseball cards.  I am painstakingly (and slowly, mind you) putting together a complete 370 card set.  As the name of the set suggest, these cards were made strictly for the Venezuelan Baseball collector market.  It borrows the exact same design as its American counterpart, but lack a couple of key ingredients.  This is no gloss on the front of the cards, so they have a pale appearance to them.  Also, the orange color on the reverse is a much deeper and darker color than the American version. 

On top of that, just about every Venezuelan card you come across from this time period will have serious back damage.  As was custom in the country, fans would collect the cards and paste them onto scrapbooks.  Check my Walter Alston and Frank Robinson cards below.  Click on any pic to embiggen.