Padres Series Starts Tonight - Scheduled Autograph Signings, Game Give Aways and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts this evening against the San Diego Padres, and several old-tyme Dodgers will be in the house to sign free autographs for fans.  Below are the scheduled autograph opportunities and other odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

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Tuesday, August 19th at 7:10 PM
RHP Ian Kennedy vs. RHP Kevin Correia

Tonight's game starts at 7:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 4:30 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:00 PM. UCLA men’s basketball team Steve Alford will throw the ceremonial first pitch.

The Dodgers and the California Fire Foundation will celebrate the first annual Firefighter Appreciation Night at Dodger Stadium.  Ralph Terrazas, the first Latino fire chief of the LAFD, will throw a first pitch.

Former Dodgers Ken Landreaux (in right-field pavilion plaza) and Lee Lacy (in left-field pavilion plaza) will be signing autographs for fans from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. 

• The Veteran of the Game presented by Bank of America is U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ricardo Flemate of Whittier. Flemate enlisted in 2005 and serves as an Infantry Squad Leader whose role is face-to-face combat. He is responsible for his teams’ readiness, health, welfare and morale. He has served two year-long deployments to Afghanistan, to the Korengal Valley in 2008 and returned in July from a combat tour in Logar Province. Flemate’s accolades include a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in combat and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for saving the life of a fellow soldier involved in a firefight. 

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Wednesday, August 20th at 7:10 PM
LHP Eric Stults vs. RHP Roberto Hernandez

Tonight's game starts at 7:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 4:30 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:00 PM.  It is another Dodger bobblehead day. The first 50,000 fans will receive a Zack Greinke Bobblehead.  See the bobblehead on the right.  BTW, this game will be aired on ESPN.

Former Dodgers Derrel Thomas (in right-field pavilion plaza) and Billy Ashley (in left-field pavilion plaza) will be signing autographs for fans from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. 

• The Veteran of the Game presented by Bank of America is U.S. Army Air Corps 2nd Lieutenant Wallace E. Hull of Hidden Hills. The U.S. Army Air Corps was in place before the U.S. Air Force began in 1947. Hull enlisted in 1943 following the attack on Pearl Harbor and was a co-pilot of a B-17. He flew combat missions in Germany throughout World War II. After one mission, his plane, called “GET ‘EM YANK,” had 33 holes from enemy fire. Following the war, he flew relief missions, dropping food to victims of war and flying POWs back to their home countries. Hull’s accolades include an Air Medal with three Clusters.

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Thursday, August 21st at 7:10PM
RHP Tyson Ross vs. RHP Zack Grinke LHP Clayton Kershaw

Tonight's game starts at 7:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 4:30 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:00 PM.

Jamie Chung, who will next be seen in theatres this Friday as “Miho” in “SIN CITY 2: A Dame To Kill For” will throw the ceremonial first pitch.  The Dodgers will pay tribute to the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics. The tribute will include 1984 Olympians Anita L. DeFrantz, Paul Gonzales, Danny Harris, Sherri Howard, Rafer Johnson, Greg Louganis and Cheryl Miller.  Steep Canyon Rangers, a Grammy award-winning American bluegrass band from North Carolina, will perform the national anthem.

Former Dodgers Al “The Bull” Ferrara (in right-field pavilion plaza) and Al Downing (in left-field pavilion plaza) will be signing autographs for fans from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. 

• The Veteran of the Game presented by Bank of America is U.S. Army Private First Class Sudy Ayvazia.

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2014 Topps Finest Baseball - The Dodger Autograph Cards

Here's a final look at the Dodger cards that can be found in 2014 Finest Baseball card boxes.  Take a look at the Dodger autographed cards below.  Of special note, this set features the very first Erisbel Arruebarrena autographed card.  Go here to check out my past post on this set.

Autographed Rookies Set

#RA-AG Alexander Guerrero               #RA-EA Erisbel Arruebarruena

#RA-OG Onelki Garcia

Finest Greats Autographs Set

#FGA-SK Sandy Koufax

Finest Vintage Autographs Set

#FV-DS Duke Snider

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Blog Kiosk: 8/19/2014 - Dodger Links - "Creeping Concern over Zack Greinke's Elbow"

I absolutely love this vintage photograph of Babe Ruth as a Dodger coach in 1938.  It comes from the Leslie Jones Colelction at the Boston Public Library, posted on twitter via @ToddRadom.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Colletti looking to make waiver deals to boost Dodgers."

"Adding a player in July and August to a contending team sends a message into the room that we appreciate what they've done and we're all on the same page to make us as good as we can get. It can give the club a burst of energy and focus. I think it's important, which is why we've done it every year but one."

Gurnick includes a list of waiver wire deals the Dodgers have made since 2006. BTW, Gurnick also throws in this little dity about a possible Greinke injury.

Nonetheless, already this month Colletti has shored up the suddenly vulnerable starting rotation with Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Correia, who have made three solid starts. Those were triggered by injuries to Josh Beckett and Hyun-Jin Ryu, as well as creeping concern over Zack Greinke's elbow (emphasis mine).

Oh, no!  Say it ain't so, Ned.

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider writes, "How easy the Dodgers’ remaining schedule is — and does it matter?"

They have 36 games remaining; 21 of them are at home and 27 of them are against teams with losing records. That’s right: Los Angeles has only nine games remaining against winning teams all season — and only three road games against a winning team (San Francisco, September 12-14).

• Via Chad Moriyama at Dodgers Digest, "Dee Gordon quietly changed his stance heading into 2014."

Dee opened his stance a bit, holds his hands lower, and has a pronounced crouch now.

• Via Brandon Lennox at True Blue LA, "Joc Pederson hits 30th homer, Julio Urias tosses a gem."  Joc is two stolen bases away from having a 30/30 season.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation held their 12th annual Charity Golf Invitational yesterday.  Go here to take a look at a bunch of photos from the event, via Jon SooHoo.  Michael Lananna at MLB.com, wrote a story about it: "Dodgers take their swings for a good cause."  Kenny Loften was in attendance.  Watch him chomp on a Double-Double below.

• Awesome!  Here is LA Kings coach Darryl Sutter getting doused for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge while holding the Stanley Cup, via the Kings Instagram account. 

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