RIP: Dodger Chef Dave Pearson Passed Away

The Dodgers' longtime chef Dave Pearson passed away Saturday afternoon after a battle with lung cancer.  He was 75.

Pearson had worked for the team for over 50 years.  He primarily prepared meals in the Dodger press dining area, named "Dave's Diner," and served everyone from team executives, broadcasters and the media.  Dave Pearson recently told Bill Plaschke of the LA Times:

"The best part of my job is cooking food that makes people happy," he said. "If I can't get them my food, how am I going to make them happy?"

I can vouch for how happy his cooking can make you feel.  I had the pleasure of enjoying a meal at "Dave's Diner" the onetime I worked the press box.

Pearson worked daily at the stadium until a few months ago when a bad cough lead to a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis.  Below are some great stories written about Dave below:

• Bill Plaschke at the LA Times, "Dodger Stadium chef Dave Pearson savors life as he battles lung cancer."
• Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Dodger Stadium beloved chef Dave Pearson passes away."
• Via Jill Painter at the LA Daily News, "Longtime Dodgers chef steps up to the plate for television debut on Cooking Channel."
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Behind every great man there stands a great chef – even for Vin Scully."

Per a Dodger press release:

Pearson worked at various locations within Dodger Stadium for more than 50 years, creating sumptuous meals for a vast array of individuals, including sports greats, Hollywood stars and even presidents of the United States. While food preparation was what he enjoyed most, Pearson’s hobbies included model trains, building dollhouses for his granddaughter, travel, tennis and a huge love for jazz music.

A native of Brooklyn who cheered the Dodgers as a child, Pearson moved with his mother to Southern California at age 16. After learning to cook at a small restaurant in Boyle Heights, Pearson earned a part-time job at Dodger Stadium, launching a career that would span decades.
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“Dave always took tremendous pride in his work and it was reflected in the countless creative meals he prepared for all the staff and guests through the years at Dodger Stadium,” said Dodgers’ President and CEO Stan Kasten. “’Dave’s Diner’ will never be the same.”

“Besides being a wonderful cook, Dave had a great personality,” Scully said. “Regardless of the demands that came with serving so many people at a venue like Dodger Stadium, he always maintained his composure. To look at Dave, everything was always fine. He was always smiling. He was a great gift to us, both his cooking and the type of person he was. He will be deeply missed.”

Pearson is survived by his wife of 10 years, Sherry, his daughters and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Watch Dave Pearson with Mo Rocca of the Cooking Channel below.  He shows Mo the proper way to crack an egg and gave him a new nickname.

Video Link.

The photo above is of Yasiel Puig with Dave Pearson, via Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers.

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Blog Kiosk: 9/12/2015 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

Check out this fantastic vintage 1920 International press photo from game 2 of the World Series.  Hall of Fame pitcher Burleigh Grimes is shown scoring the second run in the game on a double by Tommy Griffith.  As you can see, Cleveland Indians catcher Steve O'Neil is unable to make the tag on a sliding Grimes.  Although the Dodgers didn't win the crown this season there were plenty of highlights.  For instance, Burleigh Grimes would go on to pitch a seven hit shutout to bring the Robins (Dodgers) to a series tie of one game apiece.  The above photo is via RMY Auctions and is currently on auction there.  Check out the listing here.

Below are more links to check out:

• Via Brandon Lennox at True Blue LA, "OKC Dodgers eliminated from PCL playoffs."
• Listen to Vin Scully speak with Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports talk about Sandy Koufax here.

When I walked in the clubhouse I saw the fella who was going to try out, and my first thought was, ‘he’s got a big back’ and my second thought was, ‘he’s all tan, fully tan. So he’s probably spent the summer on the beach, I can’t imagine he’s that good of a ballplayer.’ So, I failed as a scout. I went down to the bullpen at Ebbets Field and I stood along with maybe two or three other people and watched this kid throw. He threw hard, bounced his curveball. I had just finished playing ball for college the previous summer, so he was like I thought, a lot of the pitchers that I saw in college; threw hard and was wild. And of course the next thing I know, he is a magnificent pitcher, awesome, and inspiring and every adjective and participle you can think of. He was really special.”

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Seager growing into a major role with Dodgers."

"He's very process-driven and you see that here, too, just the way he plays the game. He doesn't show much emotion when he plays, similar to his brother," said Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis. "He just goes out and competes and tries to make the right baseball play."

• Via Maren Angus at MLB.com, "Five questions with the Dodgers' top prospect and September callup Corey Seager."

Q: What was the conversation like when you got "the call?"
A: Our [Oklahoma City] manager D.B. [Damon Berryhill] called me around 1:00 and just said, "Congratulations, you're going." I freaked out a little, I almost hung up on him and called my parents. It was fun. I called [my brother] Kyle about an hour after I talked to my parents.

• I got a chuckle out of this.  Via Tom Ley at Deadspin, "Good Dodgers Fan Flips Off The Whole World." 
• Jusr being mindful appears to be the key.  Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "What's behind the Dodgers' better baserunning?"

Two things happened when the Dodgers got to Oakland for a quick two-game series Aug. 18 and 19. First, Ron Roenicke was brought in to replace Lorenzo Bundy as the third-base coach. Second, the coaches convened the players for a team meeting and showed them the metrics the front office compiled.
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“We’re leading the way, stealing more bases. That probably made Jimmy [Rollins] want to steal more bases because he hadn’t been doing it before,” Crawford said. “I’d like to say we helped it. That’s what we’re trying to do, make guys more aggressive and run the bases better.”

• I thought I'd pass along photos of a new piece by noted Baseball artist Sean Kane who uses vintage gloves as his canvas.  He recently completed is a fantastic drawing commemorating the poem "Casey at the Bat" using three old catchers mitts side-by-side.  Check out a pic below.  He also shares a video on his website featuring a "making of" collage of the painted gloves.  Watch the video here.  You can also check out an interview I did with the artist a few years ago here.

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