The John Roseboro 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet

Here is another post featuring the 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet set.  Go here to see my past post showcasing this set; including complete scans of both the Vin Scully/Jerry Doggett and Sandy Koufax booklets.  This time I share the John Roseboro Booklet.

John Roseboro is a part of a long line of Dodger catchers well regarded for their abilities behind the plate.  He was one of the best defensive catchers in the game; which coincidentally, led to constant talk about a Dodgers catcher problem.  You see, much like today, folks look down on a catcher who is all glove but no bat.  On the other hand, I would suggest that the real measure of a catcher is not what he bats at the plate, but how his pitching staff performs with him behind it. 

Roseboro manned the position for 3 World Series Championship teams, and was a quintessential part of a pitching staff that blew away the competition.  Seven times in his career as the Dodgers primary catcher the staff recorded an ERA of 3.50 or less; three times it was under 3.00.

Something I didn't know about Roseboro until recently was his gift of song.  In the mid-60's, Chevrolet was a sponsor of Dodger games on the radio, so they had Roseboro, along with some other Dodgers, sing the famous tune "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" for their commercials.  Dodger announcer Jerry Doggett said that Roseboro was a singer "whose singing career was destined to go absolutely nowhere."  Unfortunately, I have yet to find a recording.

Below are complete scans of every page from John Roseboro's 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet.  Click any pic to embiggen. 

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2014 Topps Museum Baseball - The Dodger Base Cards

With the regular season just beginning for the rest of the Major Leagues, Topps released their newest 2014 Baseball card set last week.  It is their high-end Museum offering, and it includes plenty of Dodger goodies to gawk at.  For now, I'll start by showing you the Dodger base cards to the set.  Over the next few days I'll share the various inserts, relics and autographed cards that are available.

Base Set

#3 Yasiel Puig                                     #18 Ricky Nolasco

#41 Adrian Gonzalez                              #44 Clayton Kershaw

#76 Sandy Koufax

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Blog Kiosk: 3/31/2014 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends to Start the Season

The photo above is from the Dodger exhibit at the Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles, pic via Armando Arorizo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Check out more pics here.  Mark Langill at the Dodger Insider wrote a story about the exhibition, here.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Clayton Kershaw to be placed on 15-day DL."  Again, I think this is all about staying on the side of caution.

 "I can't pitch right now, so I'm going to have to take a few extra days," Kershaw said. "It's frustrating. Right now, it's just not getting better fast enough."

• Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times, "Turns out there is winner for rotation's fifth spot — Josh Beckett ."  Via Don Mattingly,

“We always felt like Josh had the upper hand. But we really didn’t know where the health was going to be, how that was going to go.

• Via Scott Miller at MLB.com, "Ellis appreciates ground swell of support."  AJ was at the plate when the earthquake happened on Friday.

"It felt like the crowd really came to life when I was at the plate," Ellis said Saturday afternoon. "I was like, 'I appreciate that. These guys are really into my at-bat.' "

• Chad Moriyama at Dodgers Insider writes, "Yasiel Puig’s 2014 at the plate, regression, and his late-season ‘slump’"
• David Laurila at FanGraphs writes a bit about the Dodgers biomechanical assessments of Seth Rosin and Withrow's development.

“Once I got Rule 5’d over here, they said they’d watched a lot of video of me,” said Rosin. “They saw an opportunity for me to become more efficient with my body. The process of incorporating those things began at a camp in January, and I’ve continued to work on it since that time.

• Mark Townsend at Big League Stew notes that the Puig team meeting was set up by Yasiel.
• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA sums up the whole Figgins vs. Kennedy brouhaha nicely.
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Brian Wilson and the fickle nature of relief".

"I’m not particularly used to having 'one of those nights,'" Wilson said. "Normally, it might have something to do with not making proper pitches. Tonight was about not being able to get ahead in the count, and they took advantage of it. Just forgive and forget." 

• Zach Hample shares his experience at the Australian ballgames.  Go here to check it out.  He has a ton of photos of areas in and around the stadium that I guarantee you haven't seen yet.
• Juan Uribe wore this into the Dodger clubhouse before the game in San Diego, yesterday.  I kid you not!  Via Hanley Ramirez's Instagram.

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Meltdown on Park Boulevard - Dodgers Lose 1st Game of the Year

This team shouldn't have to rely on winning 1 to 0 games.   We have too much offensive potential, and spend way too much money to get just one run.

Having said the above, I won't fret too much about Brian Wilson's meltdown on the mound this evening.  He came into the game in the 8th inning to close the door, but instead left open a gaping hole that allowed the Padres to score 3 runs.  Seth Smith hit a game-tying home run that appeared to rattle Wilson.  Then, a flurry of walks, hits and defensive misplays buried him.  Overall, he gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits, 1 walk and 2 errors on the field (one of which was his own).

Unfortunately, the Dodgers loss wasted an excellent outing by Hyun-Jin Ryu.  After shaking off some early butterfly's in the game, Ryu went on to go 7 strong innings.  He gave up just 3 hits, walked 3, struck out 7 batters while not allowing a run.  It was an excellent way to start the season back in the States.

The Dodgers offense was nowhere near as good.  The top-5 batters in the order went a collective 1 for 19.  They struck out 7 times and left 4 runners on base.

Frankly, it's way to early to worry about much of anything.  The team is 2 and 1 for the season, and there are still 159 games left to play before the season ends.  BTW, the Dodgers lost 3 to 1.  Go here for a complete sumamry of the game via YahooSports.

I thought I would add that Don Mattingly is absolutely correct about what he said in postgame discussions.  You have to feel good about giving our bullpen the lead going into the late innings.  Sure, it didn't work this time around, but overall I'll take a game like this any time.  After all, more often than not, the Dodgers bullpen will shut it down.

Fortunately, there is still plenty of Dodger Baseball left to be played.

Pic at the very top of Hyun-Jin Ryu, via @Dodgers on twitter.

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Dodgers Reset their 25-Man Roster

With the regular part of the 2014 MLB season about to begin in North America, the Dodgers have just released their newest version of the their 25-man roster.  Check out their 25-man roster for the Australia games here.

They placed Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day DL, and optioned reliever Jose Dominguez to AAA.

Note that Josh Beckett and Matt Kemp (along with Kershaw) will soon be placed back on the 25-man roster, so expect more changes over the coming days and weeks.  I suspect Mike Baxter will be the odd man out when Kemp is ready to go.  The moves the Dodgers make when Kershaw and Beckett are ready are a little more complicated.  Since Withrow and Rodriguez have options they may be the logical choices for being sent down.

Now, here is the current 25-man roster:

Pitchers (12):

Zack Greinke
Dan Haren
J.P. Howell (L)
Kenley Jansen
Brandon League
Paul Maholm (L)
Chris Perez
Paco Rodriguez (L)
Hyun-Jin Ryu (L)
Brian Wilson
Chris Withrow
Jamey Wright

Catchers (2):

Drew Butera
A.J. Ellis

Infielders (5):

Dee Gordon (L)
Adrian Gonzalez (L)
Hanley Ramirez
Justin Turner
Juan Uribe

Outfielders (5):

Mike Baxter (L)
Carl Crawford (L)
Andre Ethier (L)
Yasiel Puig
Scott Van Slyke

Infielder/Outfielder (1):

Chone Figgins (S)

Disabled List (6):

Josh Beckett, RHP (15-day, right thumb contusion, retroactive to March 19)
Chad Billingsley, RHP (15-day, right elbow surgery, retroactive to March 19)
Scott Elbert, LHP (60-day, left elbow surgery, retroactive to March 22)
Onelki Garcia, LHP (60-day, left elbow surgery, retroactive to March 22)
Matt Kemp, OF (15-day, right ankle surgery, retroactive to March 19)
Clayton Kershaw, LHP (Teres Major strain, retroactive to March 23)

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Sunday Dodger Videos: The Earthquake, Uribe and the Dodgers New Plaza Area

Here are this Sunday's Dodger Videos.

ICYMI: Listen to Vin Scully call the recent earthquake.

Video Link:

Watch Juan Uribe demonstrate a bobblehead for photographer Cho Mi-ye: 3-28-14; from StadiumBound.

Video Link:

Watch the Dodgers (Stan Kasten, Janet Marie Smith & Tommy Lasorda) unveil a new plaza area, which includes a Tommy Lasorda's Italian Trattoria restaurant and a hot-off-the-grill THINK BLUE BBQ.

Video Link:

Robin Thicke shares a special message for Dodger fans.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 3/29/2014 - Dodgers Links - Gordon Ready to Start, Kemp Ready to Play and Ryu Ready to Pitch

The field at Dodger Stadium looks fantastic, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dee Gordon ready for everyday opportunity".

"I'm just learning what I can handle and what I can't handle, what swings I need to take and can't take, just little things like that," Gordon explained. "Knowing what I should have done on certain pitches, being more selective at the plate, not panicking so much when I get a strike or two on me. Just ready to hit."

• Eric also writes, "Matt Kemp says he'll be ready to play home opener April 4".

"One of my biggest obstacles was trying to slide and see how that would feel," he said. "But I've conquered that."

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shares some more pics of the new stadium plazas in right and left field.
• Congratulations, Joe!  Via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors, former Joe Beimel has made the Opening Day roster for the Mariners.  Somewhere in West Virginia, Troy is dancing.
• Via Scott Miller at MLB.com, "Beckett appears to have stranglehold on rotation spot".
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Ryu cleared to pitch Sunday's opener".

Ryu threw a 30-pitch bullpen session before Friday’s game and said he felt no further pain in his right foot. He was questionable after tearing a toenail in his first start, Sunday in Australia. 

• Rich Klein at Sports Collectors Daily writes, "Rare Old Judge Card May Have Been 19th Century Inside Joke".  There are unique and unusual cards like this found all of the time.  This one, though, might be one of the better stories.

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: March 28, 2014 vs. Angels

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Los Angeles Dodgers
RHP Garrett Richards vs. RHP Zach Lee
Friday, March 28, 2014, 7:10 p.m. | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: SportsNet LA RADIO: AM 570 KLAC (ENG), KTNQ 1020 AM (SPAN)

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(Pujols, Mota, Puig and Gonzalez, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

BACK TO SPRING TRAINING: After opening the 2014 Major League regular season with a pair of games against the D-backs in Australia last weekend, the Dodgers returned to exhibition play last night, losing 7-5 to the Angels. The clubs meet again tonight at Dodger Stadium before the series shifts to Anaheim for the Freeway Series finale tomorrow evening. Los Angeles won the Freeway Series last year, 2-1, and then the clubs split their four regular-season meetings, with each club protecting their home field. The clubs will play four times during the regular season this year, two games at Dodger Stadium, August 4-5, and two games in Anaheim, August 6-7.

• The Dodgers open their North American slate on Sunday evening against the Padres on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Los Angeles will also battle the Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday before its home opener on Friday, April 4 at 1:10 p.m. against the Giants.

(At Camelback Ranch, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

LIFE IN THE DESERT: The Dodgers went 6-10-5 during Cactus League play as they matched a Los Angeles record for Spring Training ties set in 2006 (15-13-5). In 12 home dates at Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the Dodgers drew 114,402 fans, with an average crowd of 9,534, their highest average since moving to Arizona in 2009.

HIGH NUMBERS: The Dodgers’ roster will be supplemented by minor leaguers RHP Matt Magill (#36), C Tim Federowicz (#26), RHP Sam Demel (#38), RHP Zach Lee (#64), RHP Red Patterson (#78), C Jose Capellan (96), INF Miguel Rojas (#72), INF Corey Seager (#94), INF Darnell Sweeney (#87), OF Joc Pederson (#65), OF Trayvon Robinson (#90) and LHP Tom Windle (#97).

GONE HOLLYWOOD: For the second consecutive season, the Dodgers will treat their fans to baseball-themed movies after three games – Saturday, April 26 “Field of Dreams” (6:10 p.m. vs. COL), Saturday May 31 “A League of Their Own” (4:15 p.m. vs. PIT) and Saturday, August 16 “The Natural” (6:10 p.m. vs. MIL). These three iconic and family-friendly baseball films will be screened for fans following each game and screenings are free with a game-day ticket. Fans sitting in the right field pavilion and left field pavilion will be invited down to the field postgame for a better viewing experience.

ALL DODGERS, ALL THE TIME: All three of the Freeway Series games will be televised by SportsNet LA, the exclusive new 24/7 TV network of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The network takes fans behind-the-scenes with the team and offers in-depth access to the organization, providing an immersive experience with never-before-seen content and thousands of hours of comprehensive Dodger programming. SportsNet LA will televise more than 140 live, regular-season Dodger games, plus a full slate of original, classic and live studio programming that focuses only on the Dodgers, covering the team in a way that it’s never been covered.

JOB FAIR: Tomorrow, the Dodgers will host their 19th annual Community Job Fair starting at 10:00 a.m. and more than 100 companies will be on hand to meet with members of the Los Angeles community. Last year, more than 5,000 job seekers from throughout Southern California gathered at the stadium to meet potential employers. This year’s Job Fair features training providers, government agencies and employers including: Kaiser Permanente, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fairplex, Lowe’s and many more. Parking at Dodger Stadium and admission to the job fair is free. Also, free shuttle service into the stadium will be provided from the corner of Elysian Park Ave. and Sunset Blvd. Participants are encouraged to dress in business attire and bring their current resume. 

CHECK IT OUT: Tomorrow, Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game, a new exhibition exploring the team’s storied past through four players and a Hall of Fame manager, will open at the Japanese American National Museum. Jackie Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, and Tommy Lasorda—each of whom made history in his own right—will be prominently featured, as will owners Branch Rickey, Walter O’Malley, and Peter O’Malley. The exhibition continues through September 14.

(Bullpen overlook, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodger 2014)

NEW AND IMPROVED!: The latest round of stadium improvements are being unveiled this week, including:

• Expansion of the entries at the field level, with two new 25,000 square-foot plazas in right and left field.  Each plaza houses a 5,000 square-foot new team store, tickets and concessions space, as well as memorabilia to celebrate Dodger history.
• Seating and lounging areas at bars and drink rails overlooking the bullpens in the outfield, giving focus to pitchers warming up, as well as infield game views. 
• Two new restaurants in the outfield entrance plazas; Tommy Lasorda’s Italian Trattoria, in the right-field area of the plaza, and THINK BLUE BBQ in left-field.
• A new public wireless system.
• Sunset Blvd. Gate A, along Elysian Park Avenue, will feature a dedicated pedestrian entrance with new lighting in an effort to encourage fans to utilize parking lots 13 and 14.

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: MLB’s new instant replay system will be on display for the Freeway Series games as managers will have the ability to challenge one call through the sixth inning (and receive another challenge if successful) and be able to request a review of any play after the seventh inning. Los Angeles had five test runs with the system in Cactus League play.

(Zack Greinke, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodger 2014)

ZACH ATTACK: Minor league right handed-pitcher Zach Lee will make his third start of Cactus League play tonight and posted a 1-0 record with a 5.79 ERA thus far. Lee last started in an exhibition game against Team Australia on March 20 and struck out six, allowing one run on three hits in 4.0 innings, which did not count toward Cactus League stats. The 22-year-old, who was selected by the club in the first round (28th overall) of the 2010 MLB draft, went 10-10 with a 3.22 ERA in 28 games (25 starts) with Double-A Chattanooga last year, ranking among the Southern League leaders in wins (T-9th), innings pitched (142.2, 9th), strikeouts (131, 3rd) and WHIP (1.17, T-3rd).

• Kenley Jansen is scheduled to make his eighth appearance of the spring and has allowed only two hits in 7.0 innings in his previous outings. Jansen earned his first save of the 2014 regular season on Saturday night in Australia after finishing the 2013 campaign with a career-high 28 saves in 32 opportunities and ranked among the NL relief leaders in saves (T-11th), ERA (1.88, 6th), opponents’ batting average (.177, 7th), WHIP (0.86, 2nd) and strikeouts (111, 2nd).
• Also scheduled to pitch today are Jamey Wright, Chris Perez and Chris Withrow.

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Job Fair This Saturday at Dodger Stadium and a 'Ballgame and a Movie' at 3 Games this Season

There is a Job Fair tomorrow at Dodger Stadium, and you are all invited.   More than 100 companies who will be on hand Saturday, March 29. This year’s Job Fair features training providers, government agencies and employers including: Kaiser Permanente, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fairplex, Lowe’s and many more.

Parking at Dodger Stadium and admission to the job fair is free. Also, free shuttle service into the stadium will be provided from the corner of Elysian Park and Sunset Blvd. Participants are encouraged to dress in business attire and bring their current resume.

WHEN:           Saturday, March 29
                        10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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Back by popular demand, the Dodgers will offering a ballgame and a movie to fans in attendance at three games this season.  As you may recall, they showed 'The Sandlot' and the Jackie Robinson biopic '42' last year.

“We’re excited to provide fans with family-friendly entertainment on the field and on the big screen with the Dodger Stadium Movie Series,” said Dodger Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Lon Rosen. “Last season’s screenings were so popular, we are delighted to once again offer Dodger fans the opportunity to watch their favorite baseball films here at Dodger Stadium. There is nothing quite like the atmosphere of an iconic baseball stadium as a venue to watch some of the greatest sports films.”

Here is the schedule:

• Saturday, April 26: “Field of Dreams” (6:10 p.m. game start against Colorado)
• Saturday, May 31: “A League of Their Own” (4:15 p.m. game start against Pittsburgh)
• Saturday, August 16: “The Natural” (6:10 p.m. game start against Milwaukee).

We do not know yet if any actors or others involved with these films will be making an appearance that afternoon.  At both games last season, several actors and persons involved in the making of 'The Sandlot' and '42' were on hand.

Below is a pic shared by a fan (@MEGrube) on twitter from last seasons showing of The Sandlot at Dodger Stadium.

Crowd coming onto the field to watch The Sandlot at Dodger Stadium: pic.twitter.com/gHUvAXzMg1
— Meg Grube (@MEGrube) September 2, 2013

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A New Martin for the Collection

I declare that Russell Martin is the best defensive catcher in Baseball.  Really, he's that good.

So good, in fact, that I believe he helped stabilize a fledgling pitching staff that had floundered in the past.  The Pittsburgh Pirates went from losing 83 games in 2012 to winning 94 the next.  It was a spectacular turnaround that saw the team become playoff contenders for the first time in recent memory.  Not one of their regular starting pitchers had an ERA above 4, and team ERA improved by over half a run.  He also helped keep base runners at bay by throwing them out at a 40% clip.

With all of this in mind, I am happy to share the newest Russell Martin autographed card for my collection.  It is a 2007 Bowman Best card.  It is super shiny.

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Spotting a Unique Ryu Patch Relic

With Opening Day about to begin in the States and Hyun-Jin Ryu the odds-on favorite to be our starting pitcher for the game, I thought it would be fun to take a look at Ryu card that striked my fancy.

I was recently perusing eBay and came across a 2013 autographed Triple Threads relic card of our Korean starter.  Check it out below.

(eBay Auction Link)

As you can see, the game-used uniform piece does not include your typical Dodger Blue patch in it.  Instead, it sports camouflage brown, and I had to find out more about it. 

(Pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

As you may recall, on Memorial Day last year (May 27th, 2013) the Dodgers wore commemorative camouflage uniforms in honor of the armed forces, and Topps was able to acquire Ryu's uniform to put into some of his cards.  Like the various cards of Puig and Kershaw that have popped up with St. Patrick's Day green uniform pieces, this Ryu card captures a unique time in Dodger history on cardboard.

Due to the wonderful work of Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo we can see photos from that day.  Go here to check them out.  I wonder if the Dodgers will wear similar uniforms later this year.

(Hyun-Jin Ryu, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

BTW, it appears that Topps has decided to use these unique Memorial Day Ryu patches on cards with very limited print runs, so they appear to be scarce.  Below is another card (this time a '1 of  1') with the camouflage brown patch.

(eBay Auction Link)

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Feels Like We're Treading Water - Kasten Speaks About Cable Impasse

Prior to Thursday's exhibition game, Dodgers President Stan Kasten spoke with the press regarding the frustrating mess the current cable TV negotiations have been.  As you surely know, besides a handful of smaller providers, only Time Warner Cable customers have the ability to enjoy the Dodgers television channel - SportsNet LA.

Facing the pressure of an unhappy fanbase, Kasten made some comments, and I'm sure you'll want to check them out.  So, here they are.  BTW, I also added my own comments.

Please keep in mind, these quotes were provided to me by Time Warner Cable's PR group, so take this with a grain of salt.  I'm certain that this press conference was a desire to express some real frustration and part orchestrated PR move.

• "I've been in the cable TV business my entire professional life, including 27 years at TBS, and I have never seen a better quality baseball broadcast than the one SportsNet LA now puts on."

OK, so Kasten is laying it on thick... And, I don't blame him.  SportsNet LA has been good, but I do see room for improvement. 

• "I am disappointed that deals haven't been closed yet...With the first regular season game coming on Tuesday, I am now concerned that some fans are going to start to not be able to see the games. And that's disappointing and shouldn't be happening.

Frankly, I find the above a bit dishonest.  What did they expect would happen when they signed the mega-tv deal?  Hasn't it been the norm for carriage disputes to last unit the very last moment?  What we are seeing now between TWC and all the carriers should have been expected.

• "I do occasionally see rhetoric that is disappointing because it's disingenuous. For instance, when some cable providers say, 'Gee, we think the Dodgers should be a la carte.' All these providers know that there is not another team in all of baseball whose games are a la carte anywhere. Including, interestingly enough, on the cable systems owned by these same providers with their own RSNs. They don't do it for themselves and by the way those same providers have their deals at higher prices for bigger packages than have been offered to them right now.

I agree with the above.

• "The other thing that's particularly irritating in terms of disingenuous rhetoric is when some of them say, 'We're not really seeing the demand for the Dodgers.' That doesn't pass the laugh test because you know about the attendance not just here, but we also led baseball in road attendance. We have the highest number of season tickets we've ever had; it is the highest in all of Major League Baseball.  Last year our TV ratings didn't go up by 2% or 4%, they went up by 40% and look to be higher this year. So come up with some other excuse because the reality is, in the history of this franchise, it is likely that right now is the time with the greatest interest that our team has ever had."

All of the above is true.  The Dodgers have signed up 35,000 season ticket holders and have already sold 3,000,000 total tickets before the season has even started.  The demand for the Dodgers is there, and I suspect the fans will roar when they realize the season has started and they can't watch Dodger Baseball.

• "My suggestions to the fans that still do not have Dodger games is to tell your provider that you want the games. If you do that, you will get the games. They  have to be told as many times as necessary that you want the games, that's what they're in business for. If you tell them that, they will provide it. And if it's not happening quickly enough for you, my other suggestion is to go to a provider that is providing it....Letting your provider know is at the end of the day what's going to get all of the games on TV."

Unfortunately, the burden of this mess falls on the fans.  We are left to scream and beg, while at the same time knowing that it is all out of our hands.  If cable providers haven't heard the demand from fans yet, I suspect they will once the season starts. 

Heck, I know of more than one fan who is willing to cut cable out of their life entirely if they can't get SportsNet LA.  Who needs cable if you can watch all your shows online, and its only benefit is sports?

• On price: "Let me assure you that we're talking about market rates and very consistently what's out there now, and that's what's disappointing...This is not about price, the price is consistent with the market place. In fact, to be blunt, some of these people, and they know who they are, are already on their own systems paying more than the price that's out there to teams in smaller markets. That's the truth. This is not about price, it's about the negotiating game."

Unfortunately, this whole situation puts egg on everybody's face.  They all look bad.

Pic at the very top of Stan Kasten, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014

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Blog Kiosk: 3/28/2014 - Dodgers Links - Guerrero Strained a Muscle, Kershaw UNder Watch and AGon Leaves Game Early

Check out Trout and Puig at the Freeway Series, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.

• Via Howard Cole at LA Weekly, "10 (Mostly) Dodgers Books to Get You Through the TV Blackout".  It's a good list.  I think my favorite of the bunch is the Charles Conlon book of vintage photographs.  Conlon was a photographic master, and his photos of the game from the early part of the 20th century are a must see for any fan.
• Via Dan Arritt at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Guerrero latest to suffer an injury".

Alex Guerrero had strained the intercostal muscles that run along his ribs, sidelining him indefinitely. 

• Via Matt Snyder at CBS Sports, "Dodgers ticket sales are ridiculous, per Stan Kasten".  The Dodgers have already sold 35,000 season tickets and 3,000,000 total game tickets before the start of the regular seson.  Wow!
• True to the Blue shares their experience at the TWC SportsNet Dodger viewing party for the games in Australia.
• Scott Miller at MLB.com, "Dodgers wait to reevaluate Kershaw's status".

"[Friday] he's allowed to play catch, so we'll see where he's at," manager Don Mattingly said. "He's really on hold."

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Hanley Ramirez homers twice in Freeway Series opener".
• Via Dan Arritt at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Gonzalez ends his night a little early".

"He had two at-bats, he was going to get one more, [but it] didn't seem to be worth it," Mattingly said. "Might as well get ice on that thing and try to keep the swelling down." 

• Josh Tucker at Dodger Insider shares, "Olympian Kate Hansen on Dance Cam".

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: March 27, 2014 vs. Angels

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Los Angeles Dodgers
LHP Hector Santiago vs. RHP Zack Greinke
Thursday, March 27, 2014, 7:10 p.m. | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: SportsNet LA RADIO: AM 570 KLAC (ENG)

(Dodgers lineup via @Dodgers on twitter)

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(Tommy Lasorda sharing some cannoli's, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

BACK TO SPRING TRAINING: After opening the 2014 Major League regular season with a pair of games against the D-backs in Australia last weekend, the Dodgers return to exhibition play and take on the Angels tonight in the first of three Freeway Series games. Los Angeles won the Freeway Series last year, 2-1, and then the clubs split their four regular season meetings, with each club protecting their home field. The clubs tied, 4-4, in their only Cactus League game on March 6 in Tempe and will play four times during the regular season, two games at Dodger Stadium, August 4-5, and two games in Anaheim, August 6-7.

• The Dodgers open their North American slate on Sunday evening against the Padres on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Los Angeles will also battle the Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday before its home-opener on Friday, April 4 at 1:10 p.m. against the Giants.
• One of the world’s top jockeys, Victor Espinoza, will throw a ceremonial first pitch tonight. Espinoza, who has won more than 3,000 races in his career, will ride the favorite, California Chrome, in next week’s Santa Anita Derby.

(The crowd at Camelback, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

LIFE IN THE DESERT: The Dodgers went 6-10-5 during Cactus League play as they matched a Los Angeles record for Spring Training ties set in 2006 (15-13-5). In 12 home dates at Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the Dodgers drew 114,402 fans, with an average crowd of 9,534, their highest average since moving to Arizona in 2009.

ROSTER ROUNDUP: The Dodgers have made several roster moves since returning from Australia. On Monday, infielder Alex Guerrero was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque and outfielder Carl Crawford was reinstated from Paternity Leave, while yesterday right-handed pitchers Seth Rosin (Rangers) and Javy Guerra (White Sox) were claimed off waivers. The Dodgers now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.

• Guerrero will remain with the Dodgers for the Freeway Series and tonight, the club will also supplement its roster with minor leaguers C Tim Federowicz (#26), RHP Sam Demel (#38), RHP Zach Lee (#64), RHP Red Patterson (#78), C Jose Capellan (96), INF Miguel Rojas (#72), INF Corey Seager (#94), INF Darnell Sweeney (#87), OF Joc Pederson (#65) and OF Trayvon Robinson (#90).

(Hanley Ramirez in Australia, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

DOWN UNDER: The Dodgers returned from Australia on Sunday afternoon following a week Down Under, with a 4-2 exhibition victory over Team Australia and two regular-season wins over the Diamondbacks. Scott Van Slyke was the offensive hero in the season-opening 3-1 victory with a double and a two-run homer in support of Clayton Kershaw, who struck out seven and allowed one run in 6.2 innings. In the series’ second game, Hyun-Jin Ryu fired 5.0 scoreless innings and Dee Gordon, Juan Uribe and Yasiel Puig chipped in three hits apiece in the club’s 7-5 win.

• The Opening Series marked the first time that the Dodgers played regular season games outside of North America and the club’s ninth official team trip abroad: 1956 (Japan, postseason), 1964 (Mexico, preseason), 1966 ( Japan, postseason), 1991 (Mexico, preseason), 1993 (Japan/Taiwan, postseason), 2003 (Mexico, preseason), 2008 (China, preseason) and 2010 (Taiwan, preseason).

ALL DODGERS, ALL THE TIME: All three of the Freeway Series games will be televised by SportsNet LA, the exclusive new 24/7 TV network of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The network takes fans behind-the-scenes with the team and offers in-depth access to the organization, providing an immersive experience with never-before-seen content and thousands of hours of comprehensive Dodger programming. SportsNet LA will televise more than 140 live regular season Dodger games, plus a full slate of original, classic and live studio programming that focuses only on the Dodgers, covering the team in a way that it’s never been covered. 

NEW AND IMPROVED!: Last night, the Dodgers held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the latest round of stadium improvements, which included:

• Expansion of the entries at the field level, with two new 25,000 square-foot plazas in right and left field.  Each plaza houses a 5,000 square-foot new team store, tickets and concessions space, as well as memorabilia to celebrate Dodgers history.
• Seating and lounging areas at bars and drink rails overlooking the bullpens in the outfield, giving focus to pitchers warming up, as well as infield game views. 
• Two new restaurants in the outfield entrance plazas; Tommy Lasorda’s Italian Trattoria, in the right-field area of the plaza, and THINK BLUE BBQ in the left-field area of the plaza.
• A new state-of-the-art public wireless system.

(At the ribbon cutting ceremony, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

CHECK IT OUT: On Saturday, Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game, a new exhibition exploring the team’s storied past through four players and a Hall of Fame manager, will open at the Japanese American National Museum. Jackie Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, and Tommy Lasorda—each of whom made history in his own right—will be prominently featured, as will owners Branch Rickey, Walter O’Malley, and Peter O’Malley. The exhibition continues through September 14.

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: MLB’s new instant replay system will be on display for all three Freeway Series games as managers will have the ability to challenge one call through the sixth inning (and receive another challenge if successful) and be able to request a review of any play after the seventh inning. Los Angeles had five test runs with the system in Cactus League play.

• Another addition for 2014 is experimental rule 7.13, which regulates home plate collisions.

(Wright, Jansen, Howell and Greinke go through drills, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

ZACK ATTACK: Zack Greinke will make his third official start of the spring tonight after going 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA (3 ER/2.1 IP) in two Cactus League starts. Greinke suffered a mild right calf strain in his first start of the spring Feb. 27, causing him to miss two weeks of game action and the Australia trip. Greinke last pitched on Saturday against Cleveland’s Single-A team in Glendale, allowing just one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings.

• Greinke made 13 starts for the Angels in 2012 after he was acquired from Milwaukee in a midseason trade and has gone 1-4 with a 4.10 ERA (24 ER/52.2 IP) in nine career games (eight starts) against the Halos.
• J.P. Howell is also expected to pitch tonight after walking one and striking out one in 0.2 innings of relief in Sunday’s win over the D-backs in Australia. Howell went 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA (2 ER/5.2 IP) in seven Cactus League appearances.
• Brian Wilson struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning on Saturday against the D-backs in his last appearance. He allowed two runs in 4.1 innings in five Cactus League appearances.

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Another Clayton Kershaw Autographed Card - BTW, He Will Miss His Next Scheduled Start

I am one happy Dodger collector.

In a span of just a few weeks, I've gone from having zero autographed Kershaw cards to recently adding my second beauty.  Check it out here.

Featured is a 2007 Bowman's Best Prospect Autographed card of Clayton Kershaw. It's not quite a rookie card, but it'll have to do for now.  His Bowman 2006 rookie card sells in the hundreds, and I will likely have to pass on owning one in the foreseeable future. 

Anyway, I thought I would let you all know that Kershaw should be alright - after hearing news of a MRI yesterday evening that showed some inflammation in his shoulder.  Yahoo Sports reporter Tim Brown noted on twitter that Kershaw was adamant about wanting to pitch in his next scheduled start, but the Dodgers decided it was best to be cautious.  They are holding him back, and will watch his development over the next several days.

Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"I really wanted to pitch," he said. "I just had to admit I don't feel right. When they laid it out to me, we have guys who can fill in the spot, and with off-days, I'll just push back a few days and not miss a start."

In the meantime, it has been suggested that Hyun-Jin Ryu can take over, but he is battling his own issues.  Ryu stubbed his toe during the second game in Australia, and has had to see a podiatrist about it. 

If Ryu can't go, then it is expected that Dan Haren will be next in line.  As it stands right now, he is the only Dodger starting pitcher to not have had an reported injury all Spring. 

Either way, it's nice to have a deep starting pitching staff, and goes on to prove that you can never have too many Major League starters in the hopper.

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Speaker Series - "The Rundown with Steve Garvey" - Featuring Garvey, Davis and Wills on Jackie Robinson Day

You might want to head to Palm Desert on Jackie Robinson Day (Tuesday, April 15th) for this event.  Starting in a few weeks, Tommy Bahama Restaurant and Bar in Palm Desert will hold a regular Speaker Series on the great game of Baseball hosted by Steve Garvey.

It is called "The Rundown with Steve Garvey", and its first event will feature Garvey having a Q&A with former Dodgers Maury Wills and Tommy Davis.  They will be speaking about Baseball, the Dodgers and Jackie Robinson.  It promises to be a fun and enlightening experience.  Check out the flyer below.  BTW, the event is in benefit of the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) - an organization committed to helping ex-ballplayers in need, and 10% of all retail sales at Tommy Bahama will go to BAT on that day.

Only 100 tickets are available and they are priced at $195.00 each.  Call here (760-836-0188) to purchase. 

Per a press release:

Guests will meet Steve, Tommy and Maury, take pictures with them (bring your camera!), and receive a Rawlings baseball autographed by all three of these baseball greats! Afterwards, Steve will host a fun and informative Q&A session where Tommy and Maury will take questions from the audience about their lives in baseball, the upcoming MLB season, and of course the legendary Jackie Robinson.

Also, a second Speaker Series event has just been confirmed for May 15.  That will feature Steve Garvey speaking with Hall of Fame Catcher Johnny Bench.  I'll provide a link and more information when available.

Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar
The Garden on El Paseo
73-595 El Paseo
Palm Desert, CA 92260

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The Johnny Podres 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet

Here is another post featuring the 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet set.  Go here to see my past post showcasing this set; including complete scans of both the Vin Scully/Jerry Doggett and Sandy Koufax booklets.  This time I share the Johnny Podres Booklet.

What could I write about Johnny Podres that you don't already know.  The youthful looking left-hander was a World Series hero for the Dodgers in 1955; winning two important games, including a Game 7.  He would also go on to become an important cog on two more World Championship Dodger clubs before hanging it up in 1969 as a member of the Padres. 

Did you know, though, that Johnny Podres suffered through an back ailment early in his career.  Read what Dodger GM Buzzie Bavasi said of it:

"Podres is the only pitcher in the world, " he said, "who develops a chronic back ailment every January.  He called me long distance - collect - from Witherbee, New York, and moans: 'My back is killing me, Buzz.  Send me transportation money so I can get out there.'"

Ever the joker, that Podres was.

Below are complete scans of every page from Johnny Podres's 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet.  Click any pic to embiggen. 

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