Friday, July 11, 2014

Some Great Dodger Memorabilia on Auction at the National in Cleveland

The National Sports Collectors Convention is the premier hobby event in the country.  Collectors and dealers from throughout North America come out in droves to talk sports and collecting.  For folks who love the hobby there is no better place to be.

Unfortunately, being Southern California based means having to travel far distances to enjoy the show.  So, I usually have to depend on the goodwill (and photographs) of others to enjoy what it has to offer.  BTW, I have it on good word that it could be years, if ever, before they bring "The National" back to the West Coast. 

I plan, like always, to share some of my favorite pics from the web when the show opens.  So, stay tuned for that.  In the meantime, Heritage Auctions is running a Live Auction concurrent with the convention, and they recently opened it up for collectors to look through.  Below are some of my favorite Dodger items.

Wes Parker is easily the greatest defensive 1st baseman to ever put on Dodger Blue, and maybe even in all of Baseball history.  He won 6 consecutive Gold Gloves and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Time Gold Glove team in 2007.  In his 9 year career he had a .996 fielding percentage and recorded only 45 errors total.

Below is Parker's 1967 Gold Glove from Rawlings - his first in his career.  This award comes direct from Wes Parker.
(Auction Link)

Get a look at this!

Below is a player contract for Roy Campanella covering the 1947 Season.  It indicates that he is moving from their minor league club in Nashua, NH to the Dodgers tops farm team in Montreal, and that he would be earning $250.00 a month for his services.  Based on an inflation calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that is equivalent to $2,667.04 per month.
(Auction Link)

Don Zimmer was one of the more beloved men to ever get on the field.  He played for 5 different clubs over a 13 playing career.  Then, he either managed or coached in the game for the remainder of his life.  Overall, he was active in professional Baseball for over 65 years.  Don Zimmer passed away last month at the age of 83. 

Featured below is a game-used Brooklyn Dodger jersey once worn by him in 1954.  It is from his first season in the Major Leagues.
(Auction Link)

Below is Don Zimmer's 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship ring.
(Auction Link)

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* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 7/11/2014 - Dodger Links - Kershaw Streak Stopped at 41 and Babe Ruth's 100th Anniversary


Clayton Kershaw was incredible last night, once again.  He pitched a complete game in the victory; striking out 11, waling 1 and giving up only 3 hits.  Unfortunately, his scoreless-innings streak was stopped at 41 innings (now 3rd on the Dodgers all-time list) by a Chase Headley home run in the 6th inning.  Nevertheless, the Dodgers eked out a 2 to 1 victory on the backs of Kershaw and some timely hitting.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Check out more of his photos from yesterday here.
  • ICYMI:  Carl Crawford is now back with the Dodgers following his rehab stint in Albuquerque.  Clint Robinson has been designated for assignment. 
  • So, do you want to work for the Dodgers?  Is social media your forte?  Well, check out what Josh Tucker just posted on twitter:




Kim Ng's name is being thrown around more and more as the ideal candidate for the Padres' vacant general manager position, which would make her the first female GM in a major professional sport. But could these endorsements simply be the byproduct of our desire to witness history? 

Actually, no. That's not it all. Ng, who will likely interview with the Padres this week, just happens to be the most qualified candidate out there.
  • Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Alex Guerrero homers in first rehab assignment game."
  • Via Cory DiBenedetto at the Daily Gammons, "Home Run Derby: Can it hurt your game?"  Based on the numbers provided it sure does.
  • BTW, today is the 100th anniversary of the debut of Babe Ruth.  As a special treat check out a Jim Axelrod story at CBS News that includes a recent interview with Babe's daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens.  Holy moly, she is 97-years old.  A video is included.
She still calls him "Daddy." She says, "I always did. When I think about Daddy. I think about him just being my father, but he really belonged to the world."
  • Also, via Lee Sinins at the Daily Gammons, "Stats report: Adrian Beltre sets a major league record."  It was for career total bases by a 3rd baseman.  Still think he's not a future Hall of Famer?

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *