Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 12/29/2012

12 of the @Dodgers favorite celebrities to visit Dodger Stadium in 2012 are featured in the pic above, tweeted by @Dodgers.  Can you name them all?

• Mike Newman at FanGraphs notes that the Dodgers have a pair of power left-handed pitchers.

In 2012, four left-handed pitchers touched 93-plus on my radar gun. In Onelki Garcia and Chris Reed, Dodgers prospects accounted for half the list. This is nothing new. Two minor league baseball seasons living in the Atlanta area has yielded many hard-throwing Dodgers prospects. What’s new is every top prospect I’ve seen from the Dodgers has been right-handed before this.

• Ken Gurnick at MLB.com writes a great story about the Dodgers newest bullpen coach Chuck Crim.

"I compare it to the same feeling I had when I was called up," said Crim, who pitched for the Brewers, Angels and Cubs. "You see how hard coaches work to get through the Minor League system. I feel blessed. I love what I do. It's a dream come true to accomplish this." 

• An old friend report:  Takashi Saito is said to have signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan, via MLB Trade Rumors.
• Greg Zakwin at Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle recently got a couple of Corey Seager autographed card.  Congrats!  I hope to add one, as well.
• Night Owl Cards completes his list of the best Dodger cards ever made with #10 through #1.  This has been a great list.  I especially love his choices for the Top-10 cards of all time.
• Steve Dilbeck at the LA TIMES lets us know that the Dodgers are exploring a fan rewards program for using social media sites.

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A Group of Paul Konerko Autographed Dodgers Cards

It's easy to forget that Paul Konerko started his professional career within the Dodgers farm system.  He was drafted by us in the 1st Round of the 1994 amateur draft as the #1 ranked prep catcher in the country. Steadily, he rose up through the ranks by exhibiting good power with a knack for getting on base.  Konerko soon switched to a corner infield position and earned a spot as one of the top prospects in the country.  Unfortunately, his initial foray into the Majors was underwhelming.

In the middle of the 1998 season he was traded to Cincinnati for a deal that still makes me wince.  Along with reliever Dennys Reyes (my namesake), Konerko was exchanged for aging closer Jeff Shaw.  Just over 4 months later he was shipped to Chicago for Mike Cameron.  There, he would stay for the remainder of his career. 

It was reported earlier this year that 2013 may be his last in the Majors.  Via Chuck Garfien at CSNChicago.com.

Konerko has two years remaining on his contract, and while he's focused on having another big season for the White Sox, he gave his first hint that 2013 might be his last in a big league uniform.

"No doubt it could be," Konerko said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet. "Yeah, in all reality I would see it ending after next year or maybe another year. I mean, at some point you got to go home and be around your kids and have other things to do."

Featured in this post are 3 different autographed Baseball card of Paul Konerko in Dodger Blue.  Above is a 1998 Bowman certified autographed card.  Directly below is a 1998 SP Authentic Chirography autographed card.

 

1998 Fleer / Skybox "Signature 2001" autograph

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