Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Tim Leary, Charles White and Andrew Heaney

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

---------------------------

Current Angels pitcher and one of the shortest tenured Dodgers of all-time, Andrew Heaney, is signing autographs this coming Saturday, August 8th from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the OC Dugout in Anaheim.  Go here for information.

The OC Dugout
1238 S. Beach Blvd. Ste. K
Anaheim, California 92804

---------------------------

Both Charles White, a former Ram, and former Dodger pitcher Tim Leary will be signing autographs for fans at Iguana's in Pico Rivera on Sunday, August 9th.  Go here for more information.

Charles White will sign from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Autograph Pricing: $10 cards, $20 any other item
Includes FREE Photo-Op, Inscriptions $10 each

Tim Leary will sign from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. 

Autograph Pricing: $5 cards, $10 any other item
Includes FREE Photo-Op, Inscriptions $5 each

Iguana's Bar
8528 Rosemead Blvd
Pico Rivera, California 90660

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

A Personal Letter from Happy Felton to Walter O'Malley About that "Idiot" Son at SCP Auctions

As I had previously intimated, SCP has an auction that just opened up, and I've got quite a few items from my collection in it for the taking.  Hopefully over the next few days I'll share some of them with you.  In the meantime, I thought I would bring up an item (that's not mine) that has me wallowing in laughter.  Heck, I know if I had more details about the incident I would probably be busting a gut right now.

Featured below is an letter between Happy Felton, an entertainer who had a popular Dodger pregame youth show called the "Knot-Hole Gang", and Dodger owner Walter O'Malley.  It begins innocently enough with Felton seeking financial compensation for his frequently being a host to various special guest at Dodger games.  I assume that he would provide a tour and introduce folks to the players before or after games.  What strikes me as hilarious, though, is the postscript about one particular special guest.  Check out what he writes below:

PS: Mr. & Mrs. McNulty, who received our Special Services yesterday, at your request, thoroughly enjoyed themselves -- as did their idiot son who was aged about 34 and 6'3" tall.  I am sorry to report that the younger McNulty was severely gashed by one of the ball players who shall be nameless but whose initials are Footsie Belardi, and that he, the son, lost some teeth when hit by a line drive from the bat of one Preacher Roe.  I imagine the McNulty's will sue the ball club, myself and the manufacturers of Red Barber's "Bowena", as a matter of course.  See you in court.

I'm not sure if "gashed" is meant to be literal.  Maybe Wayne "Footsie" Belardi decided to give good ol' "youthful" McNulty a ribbing.  I dunno.  What is clear is that he got hit by a batted ball (likely during batting practice) and he didn't like it one bit.  It could be that the rancor of said incident caused Felton to finally decide that he wasn't being paid enough to deal with this.

I can't imagine that anyone has any specific details beyond that, but if you do please pass it along.  This Dodger fan would love to know.

(Auction Link)

**Photo at the very top of Happy Felton via Snider's Photo Album

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 8/5/2015 - Dodger Links - Wood, Pederson and Jimmy Rollins

Alex Wood had a very good start with the Dodgers yesterday evening, and if not for a 7th inning snafu we might be focused on only that.  Unfortunately, the balk happened.  Then, the wheels fell off the Dodgers wagon.  Not that it's Wood's fault.  He pitched great.  It's just that his balk lead to an unfortunate outcome.

If you haven't seen Wood's pitch (Come on, really? It's only become the web's most recent sensation) check it out here at Cut 4.  As you can see, during mid-windup the ball slipped out of his hand and headed towards first base.  That put runners on second and third base.  The batter then walked to load the bases for Maikel Franco; who proceeded to hit a grand slam.  A game that was once tied at one was now a 5-1 Phillies advantage.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It's been a weird eight days, for sure," said Wood, who also singled in his first at-bat. "I put us in a bad situation in the seventh, they ended up capitalizing. That's not the way I envisioned the first one going."

A game that looked like it would be remembered as an outstanding beginning for the former Braves pitcher would now become an viral internet sensation. 

The pic above is via @SportsNetLA on twitter.  Below are some links to check out:

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers sticking with Pederson despite slump."

"I think really now is not the time to start messing with the club and getting away from playing great defense in the middle of the field," he said. "Right now we have Joc sitting in the eight-hole, where there's really no pressure. We're not asking for a lot of offense. Really, there's been no talk of anything different."

• They still love Jimmy Rollins in Philly.  Via Ryan Lawrence at Philly.com:

"It was cool," said Rollins, who had to step out and raise his helmet a second time. "It was greatly appreciated. It went longer than I thought . I came out, they clapped, I nodded and got back in the box. And they just kept going. I was like,'Geez, we do have a game to play.' But it was a great moment for them to show their appreciation. I'm glad it was that way."

• Walker Buehler, the Dodgers 2016 1st round draft pick, has an inauspicious start to his Dodger career, via a tweet from Dodger broadcaster Alanna Rizzo.

1st round selection, Walker Buehler, will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow. His expected return is 12-18 months. #Dodgers

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) August 4, 2015

• JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers shares a quote from Farhan Zaidi regarding Buehler and his surgery:

“As far as signing him, we still think he is one of the top pitching talents in the draft,” Zaidi said. “We have the luxury of being able to play the long game. Even if it puts him a year behind, we think when he comes back he’s going to justify where we selected him. Obviously we signed him for a reduced number that allowed us to do some other things in the draft.”

• Via George Vrechek at Sports Collectors Digest, "Former Employee Butch Jacobs Explains How Topps Picked the Pictures."

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *