2014 Topps Update Baseball - All the Dodger Base Cards

Featured here are all of the Dodger base cards found in packs of 2014 Topps Update.  This late-season companion set to Topps flagship Baseball card product was release last week and it shows many of the newly acquired Dodgers added at the end of the season.  It also includes All-Star cards and some rookies.  Go here to check out a complete checklist of the set.

Clearly, the best of the bunch is the Justin Turner card.  Check it out directly below.  What a phenomenal photo for arguably the most impactful player on the team.  I have to consider it one of the best Dodger cards of the year.  The Zack Greinke card, on the other hand, might be the goofiest looking card of the year.  Those All-Star caps look hideous.

BTW, there are a bunch of short-printed Dodger cards available; including sparkle and photo variations.  I'll have pics of all of them to share tomorrow.

#US-67 Scott Van Slyke                          #US-68 Justin Turner

Blog Kiosk: 10/20/2014 - Dodger Links - The Ethier's Inducted into Collegiate Hall of Fame

This past Friday the ASU Sun Devils inducted six new members to their Athletics Hall of Fame and it included both Andre and Maggie Ethier.  Check out the photo above of the group being honored during the schools game against Stanford on Saturday, via @TheSunDevils on twitter.

As you may know, Andre was a two-time All-PAC 10 player at ASU.  He finished up his collegiate career hitting .371 with 113 runs, 27 doubles, seven triples, 14 home runs, and 118 RBIs.  Maggie Ethier (wife of Andre) was an accomplished gymnast at ASU.  Per an ASU press release:

Maggie (Germaine) Ethier was one of the most successful gymnasts in ASU history.  She achieved All-American status in 2001 on the vault and again in 2003 for floor exercise.  She also received first-team All-Pac-10 Conference accolades on the floor and in the all-around in 2003.  She scored nine perfect 10.0s in her career, the most in Arizona State history—including two on the vault, one on the beam, and six on the floor.  In 2004 alone, she recorded five perfect scores.  In 2003, Ethier posted the second-highest all-around score in ASU history, a 39.775 versus UCLA.  She was also a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic honoree.  Overall, Ethier posted seven of the top-18 all-time all-around scores in Sun Devil history. 

They are the first husband and wife team ever inducted into the Sun Devils Hall of Fame.

Below are some links to check out:

• As you know, the big news of the weekend was the official press conference and introduction of new Dodger executive Andrew Friedman.  Also, as you might expect, there wasn't much substance to it.  He supposedly said some controversial things, but did he really?  Did he say anything worthy of deep discussion?  I don't think so.

Friedman said that Don Mattingly is his guy behind the bench for 2015, and guess what?  There's nothing earth-shattering about that announcement.  Management (Kasten and the boys) have given Donnie their approval and no amount of screaming from the gallery changes that position.  For better or worse he is our manager, and believe it or not Donnie was better behind the bench than most fans give him credit for. 

Do I think Joe Maddon will come to the Dodgers?  No, I do not.  Not that I don't like the guy.  I think he'd make a fine manager in Blue.  I just don't believe Friedman would actively lobby for him; thereby destroying his relationships in Tampa Bay and breaking league rules for tampering.

The Dodgers will focus on the farm system and Friedman is an ideal candidate to head that process.  This part of the grand Dodger plan is nothing new.  Stan Kasten has spoken frequently about this phase of the Dodgers rebuild, so anybody who is surprised that the Dodgers will effectively cease being a free agent buyer hasn't been paying attention.  Also, anyone who thinks we should trade our young farmhands for aging veterans isn't paying attention either. 

We are about to embark on a new Dodger era, and I am excited to see what happens.  I am excited to see how our prospects do, and I look forward to see how they transition the old with the new.  These next few months and years are going to be fascinating.

• BTW, the most interesting part of the Friedman press conference was the surprise appearance of Adrian Gonzalez.  Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA tells us all about it.
• Mark Langill at Dodger Insider checked in with former Dodger World Series hero Carl Erskine to find out his top-5 World Series memories.  Go here to to check that out.
• Via Roger Mooney with the Tampa Tribune writes, "(Andrew) Friedman’s best, worst moves with Rays."  Here's a little look at his track record.
• Via Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, "Josh Byrnes seen as a leader for job under Dodgers president Friedman."

Byrnes is viewed as a strong possibility to get the coveted job, as sources familiar with the situation say his experience is viewed as a plus for a storied, big-market team with heavy media coverage and add that his philosophy aligns with that of Friedman. The pair are also said to be fairly close, though a prior relationship had been less than obvious.

• Adrian Gonzalez works year-round, via a tweet from David Vassegh.

Fans want players that work. They r all working, got to see w/my own eyes. Adrian Gonzalez working out in the Dodger Stadium gym right now.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) October 17, 2014

• Bianca Barragan at LA Curbed writes, "Looking Back at Five of Los Angeles's Long-Gone Old Stadiums."  Hat Tip: Alex at Sons of Steve Garvey.

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