An Invitation Game to Circumvent Blue Laws - Let's Play Some Sunday Baseball

Once upon a time it was illegal to have any fun on Sundays.  It was the day of prayer and reverence, and folks throughout America were required to abstain from leisurely activity.  This even included a restriction on professional Baseball teams playing a game on that day. 

How crazy is that, right?

It's hard to imagine a Sunday afternoon in the middle of summer without Baseball.  They go hand in hand, and I dare say that if not for the melding of the two it would be that much harder to get up the next day for the start of the work week.  I think that we as a country and culture need Sunday Baseball, and from what I understand Baseball owners needed it too.

A Duke Snider Fantasy Card on Canvas

This is gorgeous.

Painted by noted sports artist Arthur K. Miller, featured above is a Duke Snider "Card that Never Was" showing him on a 1948 Leaf Baseball card design.  It is currently on auction at Heritage (Auction Link Here).

Duke Snider had spent a few months in Brooklyn in 1947, and if the card hobby was anything like what we have today he would have an Baseball card to call his own the following year.  Heck, collectors would have had some cardboard gold to put in their album when he first signed with the franchise.  As it were, fans had to wait another year for Bowman to put him in their 1949 set.

Since Leaf missed their opportunity to include the future Hall of Famer into their set Arthur K. Miller decided to do it for them.  Now if only I had enough scratch to put this on my wall.

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Blog Kiosk: 4/22/2016 - Dodgers Links - Grandal, Kershaw and Joc Pederson

Yasmani Grandal is smokin' hot... Like, he's hittin' with the kind of magnificence we expect of a Roy Hobbs.

Yesterday afternoon Grandal came off the bench and proved to be a difference maker at the plate.  Having spelled Ellis in the 8th inning, he walked in his first at-bat.  It was in extra innings, though, where his presence was felt.  In the 10th inning and the game deadlocked at one run apiece, Yasmani slammed a double to deep left centerfield to drive in Hernandez (watch it here), who had singled just before.  Then, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen quickly shut to door in the bottom half of the inning to secure a 2-1 victory over Atlanta.

Since coming off the DL, Yasmani Grandal has been slashing an incredible .438/.609/.688/1.296.  In just 23 plate appearances he has tied the team lead in doubles (four) and walks (seven).  Watch him talk about this past game with Alanna Rizzo, here.  Pic above via Dodgers Blue on twitter.

BTW, Kershaw was far from being his best on the mound yesterday.  In eight innings of work he gave up ten hits and had to scramble quite a bit.  Still, he only gave up a single run to keep the Dodgers in the game.  Per Doug Padilla at ESPN:

“Weird day,” Kershaw said. “You give up a bunch of runs and give up 10 hits, you say you got shelled. You don’t give up a bunch of runs and you give up 10 hits, you scattered it, as they say. It was just a weird deal. Five hits in the first two innings, you just turn the page after that. You really look at it as two games almost.”

Go here to watch some highlights of him on the mound.  Also, Clayton commented about that weird pitch from the 4th inning that you can see below.  Here are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  Today is the 69th anniversary of the infamous game where Phillies manager Ben Chapman and his team hurled racist epitaphs at Jackie Robinson during the game - causing quite an uproar throughout the nation.  Chapman would eventually be forced to take the infamous photo on the right soon thereafter.
• Happy Birthday, Dee Gordon!