Mitch Poole Shares his Bobble Collection

This is just another reason to be envious of Dodgers Clubhouse Manager Mitch Poole.  Not only does he appear to have one of the greatest jobs in the world, but he happens to have a bobblehead collection that is awesome.  Check out the video at the very bottom to see what I mean.

Poole has been collecting bobbleheads for more than 20 years and has a collection of 600 to 700 different ones.  In the video he says that his favorite is a Jaime Jarrin bobble from several years back.  That bobble wasn't given away at a game, and according to Mitch only about 50 copies were made.  Unfortunately, they do not provide a close-up of it.

As you may know, Mitch Poole has been with the Dodgers for more than 25 years, and until now was more known for his amazing artwork he creates for Dodgers' players on milestone mementos like Baseballs and bases.  Tom Hoffarth at Further off the Wall wrote a great piece on his work a few years back that is definitely worth a read.  Check that out here.

Video Link:

(Hat Tip: Cut4)

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Blog Kiosk: 5/2/2013

Check out Julianne Hough and Ginny Goodwin with Matt Kemp in the Dodgers dugout.  Pic via Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2013.

• The Bleed Blue Crew has some email responses to the recent Dodger fan incident in Arizona where fans sitting in the expensive seats behind home plate were asked to either leave of take off their Dodger Blue.

Kristin sent me another email saving the best stuff for last, “Nat forgot to mention in his email that the AZ marketing team were actually calling our group and asking if we would be back this year knowing we are Dodgers fans. They all knew us and pursued our business knowing we are Dodgers fans. That BS about policy wasn’t true. We felt welcomed last year. The D-backs staff were so cool. It was an on the spot policy because the owner didn’t like what he saw and just came up with that policy. The D-backs comments are damage control BS.”

• Howard Cole at LA Weekly introduces us to the Dodgers twitter guy- Josh Tucker.
• Alex Belth at Bronx Banter passes along an old 1992 article from GQ that features Tommy Lasorda Jr. and his relationship with his father.  (Hat Tip: Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts)  Jon is right about this piece being excellently written and timely; considering the recent James Collins news. 
• Aaron Gleeman at Hardball Talk notes that, "Dodgers may move Dee Gordon to second base."  Makes sense, doesn't it?  With Dee's defense at SS being questionable, it makes sense to give him some experience in another infield position to broaden his appeal.  Besides, with Hanley expected to around for awhile, another option looks warranted if they want to keep him in Dodger Blue.
• Josh Beckett provided a surprisingly blunt assessment of his pitching yesterday, via JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers.

“I’ve just got to get back to work, figure something out,” he said. “That’s what this business is all about. They’ve made an adjustment to me. It’s a pretty good one. I can’t just go out and keep pitching like s—.”

• "Guggenheim's Todd Boehly Talks Dodgers Purchase at Milken Conference," via Alex Ben Block at the Hollywood Reporter.

Guggenheim Partners president Todd Boehly told a Beverly Hills audience Wednesday that his company's winning $2.1 billion bid for the Los Angeles Dodgers was a reflection of how the consortium of new owners see the team: As an entertainment property.

• "Juan Uribe, Paragon of Plate Discipline," via Mike Petriello at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness.  Shocking, I know.

And somehow… he hasn’t been awful. I’m not going to say he’s been good, because he’s still hitting just .200, but by the standards of the atrocities he’s provided over the last two seasons, he’s… actually been pretty good. His wRC+ is 119 — 100 is average — and when his solid defense is factored in, he’s been slightly above replacement level this year.

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Pay Homage to a Pioneer! REA has a couple of Harry Wright Cards on Auction

Following up on last weeks post featuring Dodgers memorabilia in REA's current auction, I've decided to focus my next post on a handful of 19th Century cards featuring an important Baseball player who we all should call "PaPa".

Harry Wright is the father of professional Base Ball.  He put together, managed and played for Baseball's very first professional ball team - the Cincinnati Red Stockings.  Wright also was the first person to actually pay someone to play the game.  In fact, the below card is a byproduct of that.  It is recognized within the hobby as one of the earliest known cards to ever exist- if not the first.  It was produced in 1863 and was a promotion card that was sold in order to provide admittance into the Grand Match At Hoboken Benefit.  This was a game between the New York Knickerbockers and the Brooklyn Excelsiors, and is the only example of this card known to exist.

(Auction Link)

Here is another 1863 Grand Match At Hoboken Benefit card, but this time it features Harry Wright and his father Sam Wright, Sr.  Sam was a noted cricket player in his day.  Furthermore, this is also the only example of this card known to exist, and is brand new discovery to the sports memorabilia hobby. 

(Auction Link)

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A Jackie Robinson Game-Used Glove Goes to Auction

This is a wonder to behold.

Steiner Sports just began their most recent auction and it includes the only game-worn fielding glove of Jackie Robinson ever to come to auction.  It is believed to have been used by Jackie during his last 3 seasons in the majors - 1954 to 1956.

From my understanding, it does not come directly from his family.  Instead, it was found by the family of the property owner of a New York City office building where Robinson once had an office.  According to Steiner executive vice president Brett Schissler, it was tucked away in a garage and wrapped in plastic, along with a game-used bat and several caps.  

From the auction description:

The glove shows extensive wear and aging on the leather throughout which attributes to the three years of use. The glove has number "42" written in black felt tip on the intact wrist strap, signifying that the glove belonged to Jackie. Some Restoration has been done to the glove to preserve the historical significance of this iconic relic. This included cleaning, and re-attaching the web. The solid V Anchor web that was attached to the pocket had separated. The glove remains original except for a period correct Rawlings label that was utilized only for the aesthetic viewing of this piece of history. The glove is photo matched and authenticated by Dennis Esken The lead Glove Authenticator, A full letter of Authenticity is included.

Schissler adds, "the Robinson glove is the rarest piece of memorabilia sold at auction by Steiner. It is sure to spark spirited bidding by collectors." 

In fact, it is believed that it may eclipse the $1Mil mark.  In just one day of bidding it is already over $310,000.00.

It goes without saying that the provenance isn't exactly ideal.  Still, it would be great to see in person.  Furthermore, I greatly dislike the Rawlings patch (as seen below).  I would prefer to see it in its original condition, without the ugly patch.  Of course, who cares what I say?  I could never add something like this to my collection, and I'm no expert when it comes to game-used material. 

I wonder if Rachel Robinson can add any more info about this item.

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