Blok Kiosk: 3/8/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

It's all about practice.

Featured above are Dodger first baseman Gil Hodges and catcher Roy Campanella stretching out to make a play during a spring workout at Vero Beach, dated Feb 26, 1952. (eBay auction link) Per the descriptor on the reverse:

TWO-WAY STRETCH---Vero Beach, Fla........Catcher Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers tries to match the stretch of Gil Hodges at first nbase as they reach for a wide throw in spring training workout at the Dodgers camp in Vero Beach. The Flatbushers who were as close to the pennant as one minute to twelve last season say this is the year.".

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1941 teammates Joe Medwick and Pee Wee Reese wear protective headgear during a spring exhibition game in Havana, Cuba. They placed plastic inserts -- dubbed an  “Brooklyn Safety Cap” -- inside their hats. Both players had missed significant time the previous season due to head injuries; including a scare that sent Medick to the hospital for fear of a cracked skull. You can see a patent design for the cap on the right, via Baseball Hall of Fame. Click pic to embiggen. In 2011 former Dodger Assistant General Manager Kim Ng is named by MLB as the Senior Vice-President of its baseball operations, making her the highest-ranking woman in the major leagues.
• Happy Birthday, Ollie O'Mara, Carl Furillo, Al Gionfriddo, Dick Teed, Marv Breeding, Willard Hunter,  Dick Allen & Juan Encarnacion!
• If you happen to be near Oklahoma City later this month then you should check this out. The Oklahoma City Dodgers, out Triple-A club, is holding their fanfest on Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Go here for more information. 
• Here's what Kershaw did to Ohtani at the plate yesterday, via a tweet from Cut4:

Shohei Ohtani was introduced to @ClaytonKersh22's curveball. https://t.co/mLIKewqdme pic.twitter.com/qdBf8tjHid

— Cut4 (@Cut4) March 7, 2018

• Via Andy McCullough at the LA Times; "Inside the Dodgers' failed, frustrating bid for two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani."

"It really just seemed like it was pre-determined that he wanted to DH," Kershaw said. "I'm kind of mad at his agent for making us waste all that time and effort. Fifteen teams should have been out of it, from the beginning. I know it's probably frustrating for everybody in the National League. A lot of guys spent a lot of time trying to figure out what makes him tick, and try to get him over here."

• Per Alyson Footer at MLB.com: "Kershaw freezes Ohtani with nasty curve."

The Dodgers were among the finalists to acquire Ohtani, who became the most coveted free agent this offseason after being posted by Japan's Nippon-Ham Fighters.

"I could care less now," Kershaw said when asked if he was excited to face Ohtani. "He didn't pick us. Good luck to him."

• Ken Gurnick at MLB.com shares an interview with Dodger prospect DJ Peters:

MLB Pipeline: Who would you say is responsible for helping get you to this point in your career?

Peters: I would have to say my grandfather and my dad. They pushed me. They were the ones who introduced me to the game, and my grandfather introduced me to the Dodgers when I was 6 years old.

• Former Dodger pitching prospect Jose DeLeon will have Tommy John surgery, via a tweet from Rays beat-reporter Marc Topkin.
• Via Timothy Rapp at the Bleacher Report; "Tim Lincecum Says Signing with Dodgers 'Would Be Betraying My Heart'" 
• The Jackie Robinson Museum is scheduled to open in 2019. Check out a new promotional video about it below.

Video Link:

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