Tonight is Hello Kitty Fleece Blanket Night at the Dodgers game. 50,000 blankets will be given out. Also, Hello Kitty will throw out the first pitch and help fans sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” on the field. Oy Vey!
- You must watch this video from 2011 of Tony Gwynn Jr being heckled in Colorado, and Gwynn heckling back in his own special way. (Hat Tip: Reddit: SirEinstein)
- Rob Neyer at Baseball Nation takes a look at the villains featured in the Jackie Robinson biopic "42". He does a great job of telling us how many of them changed.
- Dave Cameron at FanGraphs writes of "The Rejuvenation of Carl Crawford."
Through it all, Carl Crawford has been held up as more than just another player; he’s been the bully pulpit for both sides. Now healthy and away from the spotlight on the west coast — yes, he’s in LA, but he’s playing fifth fiddle to Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, and Zack Greinke — Crawford has been given a chance to get his career back on track. And he is taking full advantage.
- Larry Granillo at Baseball Prospectus tells us about Jackie Robinson in Boys' Life.
- Via Bill Shaikin at the LA Times, Hanley Ramirez expects to be back on the field quicker than expected.
"Everybody is going to be shocked," Ramirez said.
- Brad Richardson, an LA Kings centerman, can't be serious. John Hoven at Mayor's Manor caught him wearing a SF Giants cap, and he provides the worst reason in the world for his transgression.
- Get'r Dunn at hockey blog Battle of California collects and laughs at the various twitter post making fun of outdoor hockey at Dodger Stadium. Stop whining, Minnesota! No one likes your team anyway.
- Score! The Dutch Card Guy is an active Dodger fan and card collector. He recently posted up a wicked card purchase that includes 30+ Clayton Kershaw cards. See his first post of this recent find here.
- "Upper Deck Creates Card for 7-Year-Old Cancer Patient", via Susan Lulgjuraj at Beckett.
- Check out the below vintage video of Jackie's first visit to Wrigley Field in 1947. (Hat Tip: 2 by 3 Heroes) From the video description:
On May 18, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his first career appearance in Chicago, in front of a sold out Wrigley Field crowd. It still remains the largest paid attendance in the ballpark's history. When the Dodgers announced that Jackie Robinson would be playing for them that season, the Cubs players held a closed door vote about whether or not they would take the field when he came to Chicago. The final vote tally was not released, but the Cubs voted no. Their owner, Phillip Wrigley, also voted no. He was afraid that the white North Side neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field would rebel and take it out on the Cubs. The players and owners were overruled by Commissioner Happy Chandler, who forced everyone to accept Robinson or be barred from the game.
Video Link:
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