Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 11/27/2012

Check out the above pic tweeted by Luis Cruz of the cover of the September 2012 issue of Beisbol Total.

• RIP, Marvin Miller. Via Ronald Blum at AP:

"All players – past, present and future – owe a debt of gratitude to Marvin, and his influence transcends baseball," current union head Michael Weiner said. "Marvin, without question, is largely responsible for ushering in the modern era of sports, which has resulted in tremendous benefits to players, owners and fans of all sports."

• I was excited about seeing and posting some great vintage negatives of Dodgers from the Legendary Auctions sale last week, but I'm even more thrilled that FLP told me on facebook that he would colorize them.  Awesome!  Check out the Duke Snider and Campy/Pee Wee/ Hodges colorized pics.  Hopefully, he does a whole bunch more; especially the Babe Ruth ones.
• I haven't commented about the impending cable tv contract with FoxSports that was recently revealed, but I think it's becoming more clear that the Guggenheim folks did not overpay for the Dodgers.  I do think it's unfortunate that McCourt financially benefited from something that was entirely out of his control. 
• Clayton Kershaw gets new representation, via Jon Heyman at CBS Sports.  Well, actually, he changed agencies to stay with his longtime agent, JD Smart.  This may not be indicative of anything since his former agency has been going through an extended brain-drain.  Still, I can't help but think that maybe this is a sign that talks regarding a new long-term contract may be in play.
• The Dodgers have made some additional changes in the scouting staff, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.
• Evan at I Bleed Dodger Blue 2 shares a couple of fan submitted pics of the ongoing construction work at Dodger Stadium.
• Stacie Wheeler at Lasorda's Lair puts together a great write-up on Dodgers bench coach Trey Hillman.

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Collection: Johnny Podres 2003 Topps Legends Autographed Card

“Sometimes when I’m home doing nothing, I’ll put the video in,” (Podres) told The Philadelphia Inquirer 50 years later. “I get the feeling that I’m young again. What a time that was.”

That just goes to show there's a young person in all of us.  I grabbed the quote above from a story about Johnny Podres by Richard Goldstein of the the New York Times.

Featured here is a 2003 Topps Legends autographed card of Johnny Podres.

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SCP Auctions: Jackie, Dixie, and the Lip

I think I'm back in the saddle again.  Initially, I had wanted to post this up yesterday, but the chaos of the day at work had me unable to finish up this post.  Fortunately, I found a little time today to fix that. 

Featured here are some Dodgers related memorabilia currently on auction at SCP.  As always, they never fail to delight me like a child looking through an online catalog of toys.  I feel like my 7 year-old nephew as he hammers away on the keyboard while yelling "Ninjago!"  If you don't know, that's a Lego toy that currently has my brother-in-law tied up in knots as he tries to satisfy my nephews desire for more.

Anyway, there was one item that had me screaming like a little child.  "Jackie!"  Directly below is a Jackie Robinson card that is just perfect.  It is a 1949 Bowman rookie card of Jackie, and it at one time resided within his personal collection.  Heck, it even comes with a "Letter of Provenance" from Rachel Robinson.  See it below.

This particular card in this condition would normally sell for $400 to $500, tops.  But, since it used to belong to the Jackie it will sell at a steep premium.  It currently sits at $1,952.00.  Wow!

(Auction Link)

Frankly, the jersey below is a run-of-the-mill when compared to Jackie's card above.  Still, I can't say no to a game-worn vintage jersey of Leo "the Lip" Durocher.  It is from 1939.

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)

Below is an interesting Dodgers memorabilia piece.  Check out the Silver Slugger bat that was presented to former Dodger Dixie Walker, but it was not made by Louisville Slugger.  Instead, it was made after the fact by the old boss wanting to acknowledge a former players great season.  I'll let the auction description take it from here:

In 1971 Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley sought to acknowledge an important achievement in his team’s history, that being Dixie Walker’s 1944 NL batting title. Because Walker’s achievement pr-dated the issuance of silver bats, O’Malley rectified the matter by having the offered item produced. This full size, H&B Louisville Slugger model 125, Dixie Walker signature model bat bat, finely crafted in sterling silver by Hillerich and Bradsby was issued in 1971 in recognition of Walker leading the National League in 1944 with a .357 batting average. Dixie Walker was a popular outfielder, often described as “The People’s Choice,” for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1940s. Walker hit his stride with the Dodgers from 1939 to 1947. While navigating the difficult right field wall in Ebbets Field, Walker played a key role in the Brooklyn pennants of 1941 and 1947. Walker followed up his batting title in 1944 by leading the league in RBI (124) the following year. After the 1947 season and some controversy surrounding Robinson coming to Brooklyn, Walker was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played for two more seasons.

I guess in the mind of O'Malley, Walker had made amends for his past indiscretions regarding Jackie Robinson coming to the big leagues.

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)

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