Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 9/27/2012

This is how baseball fans got autographs in 1950.  These kids went all out to get something signed by Roy Campanella.  Pic via Andy Gray at SI Vault on twitter.

• Bloomberg makes note of a secret Dodgers TV deal with MLB.

A settlement ending their 2011 battle in U.S. Bankruptcy Court gives the Dodgers’ new owners a chance to cap income subject to revenue-sharing from a proposed regional sports network at about $84 million a year, according to five people familiar with the confidential “special terms.” With TV sports-rights experts saying the team could get as much as $225 million a year from a network’s rights fees, the Dodgers may enjoy an annual unshared windfall of as much as $141 million. 

• Gates open early for Dodger games this weekend during Carmageddon II, via the LA Times.

In conjunction with the Dodgers' annual Hispanic heritage festival Saturday, parking lots will open at 1:30 p.m. for a 6:10 p.m. first pitch. Sunday the lot will open at 10:30 a.m. for a game scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.

• Beltre, Ventura and Edwin Jackson respond to Eric Gagne's assertion that 80% of his team used PED, via Richard Durrett at ESPN.

"He should have mentioned names," Beltre said. "I know for sure I'm not one of them. I haven't read the book. I'm not interested in it. He should have come up with names instead of a percentage."

• This coming Saturday, Ron Cey will be signing autographs at the Time Warner booth from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

(twitter link)

• Athlon Sports brings to you the 30 greatest athletes in movies.
• In 2011 the Dodgers lost a member of its family to a senseless shooting in Arizona.  Christina Taylor, 9-year-old daughter of Dodgers scout John Green was killed during the assassination attempt made on Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. In Christina's honor her family fights against gun violence

Christina Taylor, shared his love of baseball, once telling her father that she wanted to be the first female major league baseball player. Nine-year-old Christina was also very interested in politics which is why she jumped at the chance to meet U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords nearly one and half years ago. She was killed while she stood in line to speak with the congresswoman in Tucson, Arizona. It was a day that has changed the Green family forever. Now, they hope to make a difference and want to speak out against gun violence in the United States. His profile is part of AC360's series "What Keeps You Up at Night," which focuses on election issues.

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A Fan Fight from the Brooklyn Dodgers Past

Earlier today, Andy Gray tweeted a photo on SI Vault that strikes me as both outrageous and hilarious.  Although, I am sure the subject of the beating above, umpire George "Mage" Magerkurth, doesn't think it's funny.

It is a Monday afternoon at Ebbets Field (September 16, 1940).  There was no pennant race.  The Cincinnati Reds had a comfortable 9 game lead over the Dodgers- who stood in 2nd place.  With only a couple weeks left in the regular season, there wasn't much left to fight over.  After all, the Dodgers would not be playing in October, and everybody knew it.

Maybe, that sense of a lost season contributed to the heated feelings that would bring about violence at the Brooklyn borough ballpark that day.  Were we looking for someone to blame? 

On that night in front of a crowd of 6,782 fans, the Reds were in town to play their final game against the Dodgers.  The Dodgers had taken the early lead in the 1st inning, but failed to hold on as the Reds rallied back to win it in the 10th inning.  Unfortunately, the Reds win wasn't uncontested.  It was as a result of a umpires ruling that allowed runners to be safe, and many folks that night were not happy about it.

All evening long, the Dodgers, especially skipper Leo "The Lip" Durocher, had it in for umpire George Magerkurth.  They complained of bad calls and continued to razed him all night.  Seeing this, a man named Frank Germano jumped onto the field at the end of the game to pummel George Magerkurth in retribution. 

Per the Gotham City Insider blog:

[The berserk Dodger fan] Frank Germano, an unemployed youth of twenty-one, who lives at 128 Thirty-third Street, Brooklyn, was arrested after the fight and taken to the 71st Precinct.  “Gernano was held in $500 bail in Brooklyn-Queens afternoon court for a hearing today on a charge of simple assault.

Germano was lucky he blindsided the umpire.  Mag, as he was affectionately called, was a former heavyweight boxer.  Germano is also lucky that Mag refused to press charges.  Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick, on the other hand, was not so forgiving.  For Durocher's part in inciting the fan, he was suspended 5 games.

Below is another press photo from the incident that I found at SB Nation.

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Collection: 1996 Roger Cedeno Leaf Signature

How many folks remember this guy?

Featured in this post is a 1996 Leaf Signature autographed card (both silver & bronze versions) of former Dodger Roger Cedeno.

Cedeno started his professional career as a Dodger prospect.  He signed as a free agent in 1991 out of Venezuela, and was being groomed to be eventually replace Brett Butler in the outfield.  Cedeno showed the brass that he had the wheels and a bat that might fit in perfectly as a lead-off hitter.  So, in 1995 he made his debut in Blue.  Unfortunately, his 4 years with the Dodgers were unspectacular.  Soon, he was shipped to the Mets for Todd Hundley, and immediately showed why the Dodgers were so high on him.  Cedeno stole 66 bases for the Mets in 1999 and batted an impressive .313.

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