Giants Series Starts Friday - Jackie Robinson Day - Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts Friday evening against the San Francisco Giants.  Below are some odds and ends for this upcoming homestand; including several autograph opportunities.  At this time I mainly have detailed Jackie Robinson Day information.  I will update this post with more info for the games on Saturday and Sunday as they arrive.  So, be sure to check back.

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Friday, April 15th at 7:10 PM
LHP Madison Bumgarner vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw
SNLA & MLB Network / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

 
It is Jackie Robinson Day!  This marks the 69th anniversary of the day Jackie broke Baseball's color barrier.  Rachel and Sharon Robinson, the wife and daughter of Jackie Robinson, will be the Dodgers’ guests of honor.  Furthermore, all players will be wearing #42.  Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager in MLB, will join the Robinsons along with Dodger owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Dodger Special Advisor Don Newcombe, Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodger teammate.

Friday's game starts at 7:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 4:40 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:10 PM. It is Friday Night Fireworks, so fans will be able to go down onto the field after the game to watch the spectacle. The night's theme will be Jackie Robinson.  Go here for more information on Friday Night Fireworks.

Skirball Cultural Center Baseball Exhibit is Now Open - Includes O'Malley Memorabilia

A few weeks back I had mentioned that a new Baseball themed exhibit was opening up at the Skirball Cultural Center, so I wanted to take a moment to let you all know that it is now open.  Go here for information.  Furthermore, there is another exhibit there that is also worth your time called, "The Unauthorized History of Baseball in 100-Odd Paintings: The Art of Ben Sakoguchi."  (Information Here)

The main exhibit is called, "Chasing Dreams: Baseball & Becoming American," and I recently discovered that there are several artifacts displayed within that were loaned by the O’Malley family collection.  Per a press release:

Peter O’Malley, president, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1970-1998, is lending the original Dodger Stadium model, made by renowned Hollywood producer-director Mervyn LeRoy from design plans and given as a gift to Peter’s father, Walter, in 1960. LeRoy had David Ernstein, a model-maker at Warner Bros. Studios create the model, circa 1960. The original model was exhibited in the winter of 1961-62, prior to the April 10, 1962 opening of Dodger Stadium, when it was on display at the downtown Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Bank of America headquarters building. The model shows the same pastel color palette as when Dodger Stadium opened and was in Walter O’Malley’s office until 1979.

Go Kings Go! Playoffs Start Tonight!

I've been largely silent about the Kings of late, but no more.  Today is the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the club, and I'll be spending this evening with about 18,000 of my closest friends at the Staples Center to cheer them on.

They'll be facing off against the hated San Jose Sharks.  As you may know, they are hockey equivalent of the Giants to us.  So, I expect plenty of jeering and mocking at their expense. 

As for the recently concluded season, the Kings barely missed winning their division for only the second time in their history.  They fought back after a dismal showing the season before, but couldn't stave off a resurgent Anaheim Ducks team.  I'd imagine there are folks who are disappointed about this, but I hardly care at all.  As Kings coach Darryl Sutter is wont to say, "that's just dirty laundry."  In other words, hanging a banner that doesn't say "Stanley Cup Winners" is a waste of time, and I have to agree.

The Kings are looking to win their third title in five years, and I am ever faithful that they can get this done.

So come along and cheer with me. 

Go Kings Go!

Graphic above via the LA Kings on twitter.

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2016 Panini Diamond Kings - The Rest of the Dodgers Insert Cards

Here is a final look at the Dodgers cards found in 2016 Panini Diamond Kings packs.  Go here to see all of my previous post on this set.  Featured below are the remainder of the Dodgers inserts I have yet to show; including a bunch of relic and autographed cards.

Diamond Deco

#DD-CS Corey Seager

Blog Kiosk: 4/14/2016 - Dodgers Links - Kobe, Kendrick and Justin Turner

Fans celebrate their favorite players in all sorts of different ways.  Some folks go all out by wearing a full length uniform to show their fanaticism.  Others simply follow, collect or are more subtle when it comes to expressing their fandom.  Yesterday, a couple of Dodgers' showed their appreciation to retiring forward Kobe Bryant in totally different ways, and it happens to coincide with what I said above.

On the top left is Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner in full Kobe Bryant regalia in honor of the Lakers great last NBA game.  He shared this pic of himself on twitter yesterday afternoon.  To the right are commemorative cleats and batting gloves provided by Nike to Yasiel Puig (as well as others throughout Baseball) that he wore during last night's game.  This photo was also shared on twitter.  Other players to get the Bryant Baseball gear include Adrian Gonzalez and Mike Trout.

Below are more links to check out:

• Those new "LA" logo helmet 3-D things are not faring so well.  Sax at Sons of Steve Garvey shares a pic from yesterdays game showing Puig's helmet in need of some repair.
• Via Jack Baer at MLB.com, "Kendrick to see more time in left field."