Kershaw's Great Uncle is Heading Towards Pluto

It's an historic day.  Not only is Clayton Kershaw about to participate in his fifth straight All-Star Game, but his great uncle - who is a great Dodger trivia question - will make his closet approach to Pluto.

You heard me right.  Clyde Tombaugh, Kershaw's great uncle and discoverer of the former classified planet Pluto, has some of his ashes on board the New Horizons probe.  Check out a pic of the canister that's attached to the underside of the spacecraft above.  It reads:

"Interned herein are remains of American Clyde W. Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto and the solar system's 'third zone'. Adelle and Muron's boy, Patricia's husband, Annette and Alden's father, astronomer, teacher, punster, and friend: Clyde W. Tombaugh (1906–1997)"

As you may know, the New Horizons probe has recently been transmitting breathtaking photos of Pluto to us, and from what I understand it will pass by at its closet point today (7,800 miles from Pluto).  Check out one of those photos on the right.

If you want to learn more about this historic astronomer check out this little article by Meagan Campbell at Macleans, "Remembering Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the (dwarf) planet Pluto."  You cna also check out the New Horizon's website at NASA here.

Photo at the very top via r/Alantha on Reddit
Hat Tip: @JimmyBramlett on twitter

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Blog Kiosk: 7/14/2015 - Dodger Links - Greinke, Grandal and Yadier Alvarez

Congrats, Zack!

Grinke will start tonight's All-Star Game.  Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter featured Zack at yesterday's press conference in Cincinnati.  Via a Dodger press release:

Bochy has chosen Greinke as the NL’s starting pitcher. Greinke, a three-time All-Star and the 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner, boasts a Major League best 1.39 ERA at the All-Star break. Greinke (18 GS, 8-2, 123.1 IP, 84 H, 106 SO, 20 BB, 0.84 WHIP, .191 average against) is currently amid a stretch of throwing five consecutive scoreless starts, which comprises a career-high scoreless streak of 35.2 innings. The Florida native has allowed one run or less in 14 of his 18 starts on the season. Greinke, 31, will be the first Dodger hurler to start the All-Star Game since Brad Penny in 2006. Bochy’s lineup includes Dodger rookie outfielder Joc Pederson, who will bat eighth and play left field. The Dodgers now have two all-stars in the starting lineup for the first time since Hideo Nomo and Mike Piazza in 1995. 

Below are some links to check out:

• Via John Erardi at WCPO.com, "How Jackie Robinson made his mark at the 2015 All-Star Game in Cincinnati." 
• Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, "Champ Pederson and Albert Pujols gave us the Home Run Derby's most heartwarming moment."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "A Q&A with 'The Best Team Money Can Buy' author Molly Knight."

On Puig: Molly Knight: I have mixed feelings. I don’t want it to just be known as “The Puig Book,” but that being said, he’s also really, really fascinating, probably the most fascinating baseball player alive. He’s certainly a lightning rod. Everyone has an opinion about him. There’s a ton of support from people who love him and a ton of hate from people who don’t love him. I get it. It’s hard to get people to read a book on a topic they don’t have any interest in, and there’s a lot of interest in Puig. So I’m happy if it gets the book attention, and it’s overwhelmingly positive if it gets the book read.

• Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest also shares an interview with Molly Knight about her new book, here.
• Via Matt Calkins at the San Diego Union Tribune, "Padres blew it with Yasmani Grandal."

Yasmani said he he would have been more consistent with his bat if he were a regular part of the Padres' lineup, but he never approached then-manager Bud Black about it. He didn't talk to Cashner, Ross or Kennedy about his behind-the-plate banishment, either, although he has a pretty good idea of why it happened.

Despite the general San Diego approach being to throw down and away, Grandal thought the power pitchers should be throwing inside in the early part of the count before using the outer half of the plate to record the out. But the veteran hurlers weren't catching his drift, and as a result, he wasn't catching their pitches.

• Check out a couple of great fantasy cards at Cards That Never Were: "1982 All Star Game Honorary Captains: Duke Snider & Yogi Berra."
• Via Amy at FanDemonium, "Most Popular MLB Teams By US State."
• Via Nick Diunte at Baseball Happenings, "Mahlon Duckett, a tribute to the passing of a Negro League legend."

“I hit a game winning home run off of Satchel in Yankee Stadium in 1941,” he said. “I’ll never forget that; it was a great day, Yankee Stadium, about 45,000 people there. There were a lot of great things that happened in the Negro Leagues that a lot of people don’t know about. It was a great league with great ballplayers.”

• Well this is interesting.  Via Sports Card Info, "Super Break’s 2015 National VIP Set," includes a card for recently signed Dodger youngster Yadier Alvarez.  See it below.  You will notice that it is the exact same design used for his 2015 Onyx card.

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