Join the #MeetMagic Signed Bobblehead Hunt Tomorrow

These social media styled treasure hunts are all the rage.

Starting tomorrow and extending everyday for the next week, the Dodgers will be hiding a signed Magic Johnson bobblehead somewhere in the Los Angeles area for a fan to find.  That person will also get a pair of free tickets to a suite for the Magic Bobblehead game at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, September 12th upon successfully answering a trivia question.  And then to top it off, Magic Johnson will be in the suite to greet you and your guest.

Go here for information.

"I really enjoy interacting with Dodger fans on my own Twitter handle and am so excited about this Dodger social media contest that allows fans a chance to get to a sold out game, especially on my bobblehead night," said Dodger owner Earvin "Magic" Johnson. "I look forward to meeting the winners of the 'Meet Magic' scavenger hunt and wish everyone participating in this contest the best of luck."

It all starts tomorrow (Wednesday, September 5th) and runs everyday through Wednesday, September 11th. At 2:00 PM each afternoon, the @Dodgers will tweet out a clue to the location of the signed bobblehead.

The first follower of @Dodgers to arrive at the designated location and correctly answer a trivia question will win a "Magic Ticket" good for two suite tickets for the September 12 game. Winners will get the opportunity to meet Johnson on sold out Magic Johnson Bobblehead Night.

Complete details can be found by visiting www.dodgers.com/meetmagic and fans can follow the Dodgers on Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/dodgers. Magic Johnson Bobblehead Night presented by Keck Medical Center of USC is sold out.

Pic above via @Dodgers on twitter

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Greinke Wins NL August Pitcher of the Month Award

So, who had a better month than Zack Greinke in August?

Nobody.

Zack has just been named the National League Pitcher of the Month for August.  Congrats, big guy!

This award comes on the heels of Clayton Kershaw's Pitcher of the Month Award he won for July.  That's right, Dodger pitchers have won consecutive awards.  The last time this happened for the Dodgers was in 1975 when Burt Hooton won it consecutively, for August & September.

Via a Dodgers press release:

Greinke was a perfect 5-0 in five August starts, tying for the Major League lead in wins while posting a 1.23 ERA (five earned runs in 36.2 IP), which was good for the fourth-lowest mark among qualifying Major League pitchers. His .211 (28-for-133) opponents’ batting average was tied for the eighth-lowest mark among N.L. hurlers. The Florida native fanned 30 in his 36.2 innings of work while walking just eight batters. Greinke helped the N.L. West-leading Dodgers to a 23-6 record during the month of August and combined with the rest of the Dodger pitching staff to post a 2.07 team ERA during the month, ranking first in the Majors

Pic above via Dodgers tumblr

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Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Manny Mota and the LA Kings HockeyFest

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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Manny Mota will be in Carpinteria to sign autographs at Risdon's 76 Gas & Car Wash on Saturday, September 7, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Risdon's 76 Gas & Car Wash
4401 Via Real
Carpinteria, CA 93013

Hat Tip: Vin Scully is My Homeboy

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This coming Sunday is the LA Kings HockeyFest at the Staples Center.  Go here for information.  It runs from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

The event will once again serve as the official start to the 2013-14 NHL season and it will feature Kings’ players, coaches, management and alumni interacting with fans through both special Q&A’s and autograph sessions.  Other scheduled highlights will include Kings President General Manager Dean Lombardi and staff addressing the crowd, a kids’ press conference with players (a fan favorite), an open skate at STAPLES Center and the unveiling of the 2013-14 Kings Ice Crew calendar.

“Hockey Fest is back and we as an organization can’t wait to celebrate our team and this great game with our loyal and passionate fans,” said Kings President, Business Operations Luc Robitaille.  “We’re excited about our team and the new season and can’t wait to get started.  This will once again be a must see event for anyone who loves the Kings and the sport of hockey.”

Pricing for LA Kings Hockey Fest ’13 is $20 for Kings Season Ticket Members and Partial Plan Holders, and $25 for the general public. A schedule of events will be released at a later date.

Fans are allowed to bring their own skates in for the Open Skate sessions, NO figure skates allowed on the rink. Bring them in a small carry-bag or duffel, but no full sized hockey bags or large sport bags will be allowed in.

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UPDATE: 

Baseball legend Tommy Lasorda will be at the Fullerton Skechers Factory Outlet in the Orangefair Marketplace this Thursday, September 5^th from 6 to 7:30pm.
First 100 purchases are guaranteed an autograph.
Meet the Dodgers icon only at the Fullerton Skechers Outlet!
Enter to win a pair of Dodger tickets.

1304 S. Harbor Blvd. Fullerton, CA 92832 / Orangefair Marketplace

Go here for more information.

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2013 Panini Cooperstown Baseball - Dodgers Base Set

Last week Panini released their 2013 Cooperstown Baseball card set, and it is impressive.  I really love the design, and the inclusion of Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully adds icing to the set.  Tomorrow, I'll share the various Dodger insert cards available.  They are even better then the base cards. 

There are 7 Dodger cards to the base set, and as always there are numerous parallels available.  Check out all of the normal Dodger base cards below.

#22 Zack Wheat                                    #42 Jackie Robinson

#55 Roy Campanella                               #58 Duke Snider 

#64 Pee Wee Reese                                    #65 Vin Scully

#102 Tommy Lasorda

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Striking Out on eBay - I Really Wanted this Puig Collectible

!&@%#&#*!!!

There are those times when I place a bid on something, at a steal of a price, hoping that I come out the winner.  If I win... great!  I got a good deal on something I'll enjoy having in my collection.   If I lose, then it's no skin off my back.  I didn't want it that badly, and it's sure to come up for sale again in the future.

Well, this eBay auction does not fit that scenario.

This scarce Yasiel Puig collectible may never see the light of day again, and I'm kicking myself in the rear end for not making a greater effort to win it. 

As you may know, Beckett has set up shop on eBay selling various items; such as graded magazines and their magazine printing plates.  Well, their September 2013 Beckett Baseball issue printing plates featuring Yasiel Puig came up for sale last week, and I jumped at the opportunity to own it.  See the auction here.

The sale consisted of all 4 color printing plates, and I was thinking it would look phenomenal framed and matted all together on my wall.  These plates have a strange, almost ghostly, kind of look to them.  The pastel tints of these printing plates, if framed right, might even have the feel of a modern art piece - a Warhol kind of collage.

Anyway, I was aggressive in my initial bidding, but was soon over-matched. I peaked at $85.  The Puig printing plates eventually sold at $128, and looked like it could have gone higher if someone else was willing to play war with the high bidder.

A part me wants to believe I could have, should have, gone bid for bid for it.  But, who am I kidding?  Based on the bidding history, it looks like the winner put in a huge number that I may not have been able to match - too afraid to try to match.

Oh well... Hopefully, there'll be other cool items for me to track down.

See the auction here.

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Blog Kiosk: 9/4/2013 - Dodgers Links - Magic Number is now 12

The Dodgers just keep rolling.  Their Magic Number is now 12.  Pic above via @Dodgers on twitter.  Check out Tony Jackson's (Dodger Scribe) great recap of the game here.

• Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers recalled Chris Withrow from AAA, yesterday.  He was temporarily sent down due to the recent pick-up of Edinson Volquez.  Per a Dodgers press release:

Withrow, who will be appearing in his third stint with the Dodgers this season, was optioned on Friday and made one appearance for the Isotopes, tossing a scoreless inning of relief on Sunday at New Orleans. On the season, the right-hander went 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA (5 ER/26.1 IP), while striking out 33 and walking 13 in 25 games at Albuquerque. In 17 appearances with the Dodgers this season, Withrow has posted a 2-0 record with a 3.38 ERA (9 ER/24.0 IP).

• "Clayton Kershaw and How He Ranks Historically," via Andrew Vigliotti at Outside Pitch MLB.
• "The reemergence of Ricky Nolasco," via Alex Skillin at Beyond the Boxscore.
• Matt Kemp is heading to Camelback Ranch to continue his rehab.  Tony Jackson at Dodger Scribe shares, "The plan for Matt Kemp’s trip to CB Ranch".

Don Mattingly said Kemp will get 10-12 at-bats a day, along with outfield work and running work, while he is there. Mattingly was non-committal on what happens after four days, but he did rule out any possibility of the Dodgers activating Kemp on this trip, which ends on Sunday night in Cincinnati.

• "Dodger Stadium map from 1957 proposal," via Josie Becker at True Blue LA.
• Via Ted Berg at For the Win, Yasiel Puig’s new walk-up song is called ‘Yasiel Puig’.
• Via Jeff Passan at Yahoo, Dodger prospect Joc Pederson makes the "Yahoo Sports' all-minor league team".  Corey Seager and Julio Urias are also mentioned.
• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA has the complete 2013 MLB Playoff schedule.
• "(Hanley) Ramirez has felt at home in L.A.," via Mark Saxon at ESPN.

"Nobody knows what goes on in that clubhouse. The last two years, wasn't fun for me. I got hurt a couple times and I was struggling," Ramirez said. "It's not the same when you're struggling. When you're hitting, everything is easy. What can I say, I'm just really happy to be in the Dodgers organization."

• "For your consideration: Dodgers' Ned Colletti, executive of the year," via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times.  Sounds crazy, I know, but Dilbeck has a point.

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