Dodgers on Vintage Advertising Pieces at Hunt Auctions

Advertising makes the business of Baseball go 'round.

Hunt's current Live Auction at Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory includes a handful of fantastic vintage advertising pieces featuring several Dodgers' of note.  Check them out below.

(Auction Link)

Red Barber, Ford C. Frick Award winner and legendary Brooklyn Dodger broadcaster, is featured in the large-sized Old Gold Cigarettes poster above.  He manned the mic for the Dodgers from 1939 to 1953, and is renowned for his folksy style.  He popularized phases such as; "can of corn,"sittin' in the catbird seat" and "back, back, back..."  The latter was eventually adopted by ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman.

As you may know, Barber was from the South, so he initially had some very mixed feelings about the Dodgers signing Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier.  In fact, he was determined to quit his position with the team.  Due to the prodding of his wife, though, he stuck it out and was witnessed to not only the fantastic play of Robinson but also the vicious verbal attacks by opposing fans.  Quickly, he became a cheerleader for Jackie, as well as the other black ballplayers to follow him.

One of those barrier-breaking ballplayers to follow Robinson was Roy Campanella, and featured below is a counter-top store display advertising Coca Cola with him on it.  It is dated to 1952.

(Auction Link)

Below is a 1950's era Rawlings advertising poster featuring Brooklyn Dodger centerfielder Duke Snider.

(Auction Link)

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2015 Topps Heritage '51 Collection - All the Dodgers' Cards

The hobby sure loves their vintage sets.  This week Topps released their newest card concoction, and it's in complete set form.  It is called Topps Heritage '51 Collection and it takes an old card design (1951 Topps) and inserts modern stars all over it.  They are sold as an complete base set (104 cards) and includes 21 mini parallel cards and one autograph card per box.  Go here for a complete checklist.  An unopened factory set will cost you from $80 to $90 a piece.  If you're interested in only the base set of 104 cards then that'll probably cost you about $50 (at least that's what current asking prices are on eBay).

Check out all the Dodger cards below.

#27 Joc Pederson                                #49 Zack Greinke

Blog Kiosk: 10/29/2015 - Dodger Links - Greinke, Sax and Vin Scully

After a little medical procedure during the recent playoffs - putting him out of commission - Vin Scully looks quite dapper just a few weeks later in the photo above.  He seems healthy, strong and prepared to tackle the oncoming 2016 Baseball season with his usual gusto.  The pic above is from a recent interview he had with broadcaster Alanna Rizzo, and it will air tonight on SportsNet LA at 7:00 PM.  So, if you've got the channel you should go check it out.  Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

“Yes,” Scully told Rizzo in regards to the 2016 season. “Oh yeah, definitely. I’m looking forward to next year, maybe because it’s my last year. I’m looking forward to it as much as my second year because I got by the first year and I was so thrilled there was another one coming up — well, that’s how I feel about ’16. I’m chafing at the bit.”

Ugh!  I still can't wrap my head around the notion that 2016 will be Scully's last year behind the mic.  Worse yet, there are hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of fans who will likely be unable to enjoy his words due to the Time Warner mess. 

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:

• Former Dodger scout Ronnie King passed away on Monday, via Jim Jenkins at the Sacramento Bee.  He was responsible for signing Steve Sax.

“He was like a second father to me,” said Sax, a former Dodgers second baseman. “He was a tutor to a lot of players, an unbelieveable man. He would work all of us out tirelessly to make sure we did things right. He knew just about everything in baseball. He wasn’t boastful but could always give you that special input. Between seasons, I’d come back home to meet with him. If it wasn’t for Ronnie, I probably would have never made it to the major leagues.”

• Zack Greinke was named to the 2015 Sporting News National League All-Star team.  Check out the story here. 
• Mark Saxon at ESPN writes an excellent profile on Dodger managerial candidate Gabe Kapler.

"He's incredibly bright, he's a tremendous leader of people, and he's an exceptional communicator. It's so hard for players, who are so mired in it, to sometimes see the bigger picture or even look at it from a different perspective. Gabe is incredibly skilled at seeing things at different perspectives."

• BTW, it appears that Don Mattingly has been hired by the Miami Marlins, via Molly Knight at Vice Sports.

Mattingly's deal is for four years, according to the source. He will be the club's eighth manager since 2010. The Marlins are thought to be waiting until after the World Series to make a formal announcement.

• Bud Black also appears to have already gotten a new managerial job.  Via James Wagner at the Washington Post, "Nationals expected to name Bud Black next manager."
• You know I love card collecting... And I love my LA Kings... So, when Sheng Peng at Jewels from the Crown put together, "A Hockey Card History of the Los Angeles Kings" blog post you know I'm gonna love it.  Check it out here.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *