A Visual Checklist of Sandy Koufax Baseball Cards - 1955 to 1959

With the silly season (i.e. Baseball hotstove) in full swing I thought I would take some time this winter to put together comprehensive checklists of cards for select Dodger players (both retired and current).  In the past I did this for Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw and Vin Scully.  Today, I share with you Part 1 of a checklist for Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.  This listing include all known cards from the 1950's - 1955 to 1959.  Click on any pic to embiggen.  BTW, if I am missing any card issues please let me know.

UPDATE:  You can view Part II here.  This covers 1960 to 1962.  Part III can be viewed here.  It covers from 1963 to 1964.  Part IV can be viewed here - covers 1965 to 1967.

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All Dodger collectors know this card, and certainly most want it in their collection.  It's a must have for any vintage collector.  The very first card in this Koufax checklist is his 1955 Topps rookie card.  See it directly below. 

Hilariously, the cartoon on the reverse is obviously wrong.  It is a "True of False" quiz that ask where Baseball was first played.  It states incorrectly that Cooperstown is the birthplace of the game.  As we know now, that story was just an elaborate marketing ploy.  The games origins is far more complex than a simple birthplace.  Instead, I think it's fair to say that it grew organically over a period of decades prior to the Civil War.

#123 - 1955 Topps

   

#NNO - 1955 Golden Stamp Book - Blank/Stamp Back

Blog Kiosk: 11/17/2015 - Dodger Links - Genovese, Anderson and Yimi Signing Cards

Yimi Garcia is seen hard at work during the off-season signing cards for Topps in the photo above, as tweeted by Yimi.  I'm not entirely familiar with the design he's signing, but I'd place my bet on those being an insert from the upcoming 2016 Topps flagship set.  I can't wait to find one.

Below are more links to check out:

• Mark Langill at Dodger Insider writes a great piece, "Remembering scout George Genovese (1922-2015)."

“George was one of the greatest scouts there ever was,” said Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, a Dodger scout between 1960 and 1965. “I scouted against George and I scouted with George. He put a lot of guys in the big leagues. He was an exceptional man and one of my best friends. I’m going to miss him.”

...

“Believing in a player you have discovered is really believing in yourself, your judgement, your evaluation and projecting skills,” Genovese said in his 2015 autobiography, “A Scout’s Report: My 70 Years in Baseball,” co-written with Dan Taylor. “It can bring a scout tremendous satisfaction, but he has to be prepared because it can also bring its share of disappointment.”

• Via Josh Jackson at MiLB.com, "Verdugo, Bellinger on the rise for Dodgers." (Hat Tip: Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider)  Gabe Kapler shares his thoughts on a number of different Dodger prospects; including Julio Urias and Corey Seager.  Here's more quotes from Kapler from the same interview.

On Bellinger: "He's got a loose, athletic, flexible, whippy swing that generates bat speed and he identifies he pitches he can drive and attacks them," Kapler said.

On Verdugo: "With Alex, it's cut and dry. He took huge steps forward -- his ability to be a good teammate and control his emotions on the field and to prepare his body and mind every single night on and off the field," Kapler said. "He has a strong arm and the ability to play all three outfield positions.

• Via Rachel Heacock at Beyond the Boxscore, "Assessing the Dodgers' managerial options."

Black has experience, but if the Dodgers were impressed enough by Kapler and Roberts to let them get this far, it stands to reason that one of them would get the job. If the Dodgers were looking for a seasoned manager, they could have kept their old one. Instead, it looks like they'll be charting a new course, and Kapler or Roberts would serve as a good choice to do so. Soon enough, the Dodgers will name their 2016 manager and relieve themselves of the weight of being the last team in Major League Baseball without a skipper.

• Joc Pederson came in 6th place in the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year race, via the BBWAA website.  He received one single third place vote from an Agence France Presses (a French news service?) reporter Marcos Enrique Hernández out of the MIA chapter.  Kris Bryant, of course, took home the prize.
• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shares some quotes from Brett Anderson that answer why he took the Qualifying Offer.  He just likes it in LA.

“My situation is a little bit unique in the fact that I’m younger than most to have been offered a qualifying offer,” said Anderson, who will be 28 next season. “I liked being in L.A., and I liked my teammates and I liked everything about it, other than the ending to the season. Everything in consideration, the one-year deal fit myself again, and hopefully (with) the stigma of a health record off my back, go into next year and see what happens.”

• Via Tyler Maun at MiLB.com, "Glendale notes: Farmer catches up in AFL."

"It's definitely a learning process," Farmer said. "Especially if you want to make it to the big leagues, you have to know what the pitcher has, what he's going to throw, what his put-out pitch is, what he likes to do behind in the count to a hitter.

"There are so many things, it's like a chess match. Each inning, with a pitcher you don't know how to catch, it's a different chess match, and it's a tougher chess match when you don't know how to catch them. Once you see what they have, everybody's objective is to get the batter out."

• Congrats!  Via Chris Cwik at Big League Stew, "Yogi Berra and Willie Mays to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

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