My 2013 Hall of Fame Induction Class Fantasy Baseball Card

I decided to make a fantasy Baseball card in honor of the BBWAA recent vote to not elect any new members into the Hall of Fame.  Check it out below.

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Welcome to the Hall, Nobody

For the first time since 1996, nobody has been elected in the Hall of Fame.

Can you say "STATEMENT VOTE!"

I want to add that this years Hall of Fame weekend will probably be the best time you could ever go.  I suspect attendance numbers will be muted, but it is expected that the largest contingent of Hall members ever assembled will be there anyway.  There will be no better time to visit Cooperstown.   

UPDATE:
And I speak from experience.  My one visit to Cooperstown was when Ryan, Brett and Yount where inducted.  It was a mad house, and still ranks as the highest attended ceremony in Hall of Fame history.  Still, even with all of the madness it was a phenomenal experience.  I would do it again- even knowing how difficult it would be to navigate the streets of that fabled town.  Like I said above, if you are planning on going there in the near future, you should go for this ceremony!

Check out the BBWAA website for more of the story:

As part of the Induction Weekend ceremony Sunday, July 28, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., in which three Pre-Integration Committee electees – umpire Hank O’Day, New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and 19^th-century player Deacon White – will be inducted, the Hall of Fame will recognize 12 individuals previously counted among its roster of members who never had a formal induction due to wartime restrictions. They are BBWAA electees Lou Gehrig (1939) and Rogers Hornsby (1942), along with the entire class of 1945 selected by the Committee on Old Timers: Roger Bresnahan, Dan Brouthers, Fred Clarke, Jimmy Collins, Ed Delahanty, Hugh Duffy, Hughie Jennings, King Kelly, Jim O’Rourke and Wilbert Robinson. Paul Hagen, the J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner for baseball writing, and the late Tom Cheek, the Ford C. Frick Award winner for broadcasting, will be honored during the Awards Presentation Saturday, July 27, at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.

Here are the complete results.  Click pic below to embiggen.

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Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 1/9/2012

Hanley Ramirez recently tweeted the above pic, as he gives out some toys to some neighborhood kids.  There's even a video on yfrog.

• My brethren within the Baseball Bloggers Alliance selected only one player as worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame- Jeff Bagwell.  See the press release here.
• Left Field Pavilion compares 1963 Dodger Stadium with the artists rendition of future Dodger Stadium.
• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA has complete details on the JP Howell contact.
• Baseball Prospect Nation ranks the top 15 Dodger prospects. 
• Jon Weisman wrote something about Baseball.  Check it out here.  It's his thoughts about the quagmire that is the Hall of Fame voting.
• Ramon Troncoso took a liner to the face and lost 4 teeth.  Check out a tweet by Polo Ascencio to see a pic.  It's a bit nasty.
• The Dodgers will be playing a Spring Training exhibition game against the the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on March 28th at the Quakes home park in Rancho.  See info here.
• Take a look at the WBC Baseballs, via Naver.com.  See it right.
• Here is another incredible vintage Baseball card find.  A Maine antique picker found it in a yard sale.  It is a 1865 CDV featuring the Brooklyn Atlantics.  It is one of only two known to exist- the other being in the Library of Congress. It was initially listed on eBay by the picker, but a flurry of emails and questions by collectors caused them to pull it and have it authenticated. It will now be for sale on auction and is expected to sell for more than $50,000. Sports Collectors Daily has the story; including a video.  These are the kind of stories I can only dream of, but I still look.  Heck, I still hope to one day find a vintage Walter Johnson collectible in an Orange County yard sale some day.

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Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Dodgers Night in Bakersfield & the SoCal Baseball and Sports Collectors Expo

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events 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.  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.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

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Dodgers Night at a Bakersfield Condors Hockey Game

On Saturday, January 12th the Bakersfield Condors will be hosting Dodgers Night at their evening game at 7 PM.  Go here for more information.  Maury Wills be in attendance to sign free autographs for fans.

Hat Tip to Jose for passing this information along.

UPDATE:  I've just been told that a mystery Major Leaguer will also be on-hand to sign autographs for fans.  It is suppose to be a current Dodger.  Stay tuned!

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The SoCal Baseball and Sports Collectors Expo from January 11th to 13th

This is a big show with plenty of guest.  there will also be a bunch of tables selling cards and memorabilia, as well. Below is a list of players, times and prices.  General admission is $10.00 a day.  Go here for more information, or call 909-590-3713.

*****Times subject to change*******

Bill Mueller 1/11 4 pm – 5 pm Sm: $29 Lg: $49 Ins.: $15

Hubie Brooks 1/11 5 pm – 6 pm Sm: $29 Lg: $49 Ins.: $15

Lisa Fernandez 1/11 6 pm – 7:30 pm Sm: $39 Lg:$59 Ins.: $20

Rudy Law* 1/11 7pm – 8 pm One free per person/family Additional: $10

Brett Buttler 1/12 10 am – 11 am Sm:$29 Med: $39 Lg:$49 Ins.: $15

Matt Kemp 1/12 11 am – 1pm Sm: $79 Med: $89 Lg: $109 Ins.: $39

Bobby Castillo* 1/12 1 pm – 2 pm One free per person/family Additional:$10 Ins.: :$5

Luis Cruz 1/12 1 pm -2:30pm Sm:$29 Med: $39 Lg:$49 Ins.: $15

Adrian Gonzalez 1/12 2 pm – 3:30 pm Sm: $69 Med: $79 Lg: $99 Ins.: $30

Jered Weaver 1/12 3pm – 4:30 pm Sm: $89 Med: $99 Lg: $119 Ins.: $39

Jesse Orosco 1/13 10 am – 11 am Sm: $25 Lg: $35 Ins.: $10

Tony Gwynn 1/13 10:30am – 12pm Sm: $69 Lg: $99 Ins: $30

Kevin Mitchell 1/13 11am – 12 pm Sm: $25 Lg: $35 Ins.: $10

Paul LoDuca 1/13 12pm - 1:30PM sM: $25 lG: $35 Ins: $10

Robin Ventura 1/13 12 pm – 1:30 pm Sm: $59 Fight Photo $99 Lg: $89 Ins.: $25

Dave Justice 1/13 1:30 pm -3 pm Sm: $39 Lg:$59 Ins.: $20

Robb Nen 1/13 2:30 pm – 4 pm Sm: $25 Lg: $35 Ins.: $10

Dick Nen* 1/13 3 pm – 4 pm One free per person/family Additional: $10

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UPDATE:  I cen't believe I forgot to list this event down.

 

Go here for information.   Several MLB stars will be their including Mike Trout Mark Trumbo and Steve Garvey.

Join Trinity Bat Company this January ^12th and experience the Second Annual Trinity Bat Co.  Home Run Challenge hosted at Mater Dei High School Baseball.  Come out for this exclusive event and help support Cory Hahn with all proceeds being donated to the Cory Hahn Fund.   Only $10.00 will get a ticket into a community fighting with Cory and a front row seat to a big league derby.  High school, college and open (adult), will compete for the ultimate prize. 

Following the competition will be an opportunity to watch big league batters up close and personal, competing for bragging rights while putting on an unforgettable hitting display. Event participants will dine on some of Southern California’s best food trucks, have the opportunity to get autographs from MLB players and get a chance to have their photo taken by the Orange County Register, and be on FOX Sports West - Angels Monthly.  Be a part of our silent auction and raffle and have a chance to win signed memorabilia. Come on out with the baseball community and help Cory fight!     #CORYHAHN

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Nate Silver Was on Reddit Doing an "Ask Me Anything"

2012 American election guru and renowned Baseball sabermatrician, Nate Silver, spent an afternoon on reddit doing a "Ask Me Anything" question and answer session yesterday.  As you would expect, most questions were related to the Presidential elections, but sports was also touched upon.  Check out the entire reddit thread here.  There is a lot to go through, so for the sake of brevity you can also just check out the answers he gave here.  BTW, he also wrote a piece on his NY Times blog about Piazza and Bagwell potentially be left out off the Hall of Fame this year.

I decided to put together some screen grabs of his sports related comments on reddit in order to share.  He wrote a bit about statistical analysis in other sports and the timely topic of the Hall of Fame.  See them below.

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I guess it figures that rotisserie Baseball played a large part in his love for statistics.

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I've always wondered whether you could apply sabermetrics to other sports.  The remaining few comments below deal with the Hall of Fame. 

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Check out some 1954 Red Heart Dodger Cards

I am just getting around to scanning a handful of my vintage Dodger cards to share here.  First up to bat are my Brooklyn Dodger 1954 Red Heart Dog Food cards.  There are 4 Dodgers in the 33 card set: Jim Gilliam, Billy Cox, Duke Snider and Carl Erskine.  Click any pic to embiggen.

These cards were issued as mail-in premiums to Red Heart Dog Food customers.  They were issued in three color-coded series (red, blue and green), with the red background cards being the scarcest.  11 players are available in each color-coded series.  I should add that scarce is a tough word to use for this set.  It has been reported widely that collectors continued to receive cards direct from the company as late as the early-70's, so they are hardly rare.  Although, with the passage of time they have gained a significant following.

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