Dodgers Blog Kiosk:1/18/2013 - Check Out Pope John Paul II in the Batting Cage!

Check out a pic tweeted by @Dodgers of Don Zimmer, Duke Snider, Carl Erskine and Walt Moryn in Vero Beach in the 50's.

• 7 current Dodgers are playing in the World Baseball Classic, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.
• Emma at Dodger Blue World continues with her biographies of every living Brooklyn Dodger with Lee Pfund.
• Scott Andes at Lasorda's Lair makes 19 predictions about the Dodgers.
• Tomorrow afternoon is the official banner raising game for the LA Kings.  There are some pre-game activities planned, so for information go here.  Also, both Marcel Dionne and Daryl Evans will be on-hand to meet and sign autographs for fans before the game.

(twitter link)

• Christopher Jackson at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness writes of the lack of shortstop depth in the Dodgers minor league system.
• Craig Muder at Cooperstown Chatter tells of the 1970 exhibition all-star Baseball game played in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• This is the best Baseball video I've seen all year.  Watch Pope John Paul II taking in some batting practice.  Really, he gets in the cage and takes some swings.  Apparently, he had played on a Vatican softball team.  (Hat Tip: thecolorblew on reddit)  The best comment I saw on youtube said this:

Nothing makes me feel less athletic/coordinated than realizing even a Polish man in his 70s is more comfortable in a batting cage than me.

PS.  I am now unsure if this actually him or a clever hoax.

Video Link:

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A Couple of More Duke Snider Autographed Cards

Here are a couple more autographed Baseball cards of Duke Snider in my collection.  Above is a 2004 Leaf Certified card numbered #94 out of #100, and below is a 2004 Playoff Honors card numbered #3 out of #50.

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Matt Kemp Will be Grand Marshall at Kingdom Day Parade this Saturday

This coming Saturday will be the 28th annual Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles, and Matt Kemp will be its celebrity Grand Marshall.

The Kingdom Day Parade was put together to recognize Martin Luther King day, and is southern California’s largest King Day celebration. It commemorates the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and wife Coretta Scott King.

Joining Kemp will be other Dodger alumni; including Bobby Castillo, Tommy Davis, Al “The Bull” Ferrara, “Sweet” Lou Johnson, Lee Lacy, Kenny Landreaux, Tim Leary, Wes Parker, Dennis Powell, Derrel Thomas and Maury Wills.  They will be riding atop the Dodger fire truck. The Dodgers are a sponsor of the 28th annual Kingdom Day parade, themed “His Dream Will Never Die.”

Below are the particulars:

• 10:30 a.m.  Parade begins from Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. and Western Ave. 
• 11:00 a.m.  Live telecast on KABC-TV starting from Crenshaw and King Blvd. 

Unfortunately, I will not able to attend (I'll be at the Kings Opening Night afternoon game), but if anyone happens to be there please pass along some photos for me to post up.

Below is a map detailing the festivities.  I know the map below is dated for the 2010 parade, but I understand that this coming Saturdays event will follow along the same route. 

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Happy Birthday, Danny Kaye!

Due to a reminder from Dodgers historian Mark Langill, we can celebrate the 100th birthday of the great singer, actor, dancer, and Dodger fan, Danny Kaye.  A consistent presence in Dodger clubhouses in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, he is best known to all us for his iconic song called the "D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song (Oh, Really?  No, O'Malley)".  So in honor of him, sing along to that song in the video below.  BTW, I've included the "B" side of the single below that, called "Myti Kaysi at the Bat".

Video Link:

And here is the song "Myti Kaysi at the Bat".

Video Link:

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