Blog Kiosk: 4/1/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

Fernando!

Here's a fun UPI wire photo that I ran into on eBay (auction link).

12/2/1981 -- Hollywood: Left handed pitching sensation for the Los Angeles Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela wears a Mexican sombrero at a press conference after it was announced that he has been named the National League "Rookie of the Year". Valenzuela pitched the Dodgers to the World Championship in 1981.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1963 the Dodgers sold veteran outfielder Duke Snider to the New York Metropolitan's for $40,000. Snider would go on to represent the team in the All-Star Game. In 2013 Clayton Kershaw would be the first Major League pitcher since Don Drysdale, back in 1965, to throw a complete game shutout and hit a home run on Opening Day. Check out the boxscore here. You can watch the homer here.
• Happy Birthday, Ed Kennedy, Ron Perranoski, Matt Herges, John Axford & Chris Withrow!
• FYI -- Baseball Digest, in existence since 1942, is making their entire library available for free until July 15th. Go here to check it out. All you have to do is create an account and then you're in.
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com -- "Dodgers’ Top 5 first basemen: Gurnick’s take."
• This is for those of you looking to improve your skills. Best yet, this story includes several former Dodgers lending a hand. Per Jason Catania at MLB.com -- "Try out home tutorials from former MLB players: the pros share their expertise to help you improve your skills." It includes help from Curtis Granderson, Chip Hale and former coach Larry Bowa.
• Hey... Here's some good news! Via a tweet from Ramona Shelburne:

A bit of good news... and this is not an April Fools Day joke. A deal has been reached for Direct TV to carry the Dodgers station, SportsNet LA. It’s already broadcasting on Channel 690 this morning.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 1, 2020

• Following the above tweet, here's an official press release regarding this:

Spectrum Networks announced a carriage agreement to launch the Los Angeles Dodgers award-winning regional sports network, Spectrum SportsNet LA, to AT&T video subscribers beginning today. With the agreement, AT&T TV, DIRECTV, U-verse TV and AT&T TV NOW customers in Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii will gain access to SportsNet LA’s live game coverage once the new MLB season is cleared to begin.

...
“As anxious as we all are for the ongoing pandemic to end and for the 2020 season to begin, we now have even more reason to be excited because this agreement will make Dodger baseball games and programming available for our fans on Spectrum, AT&T TV, DIRECTV, U-verse TV, and AT&T TV NOW,” stated Stan Kasten, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  “I want to thank AT&T and Spectrum Networks for coming together on this agreement.  We are eager to get this season started once it is deemed safe to do so everywhere.”

• Today's UniWatch blogpost makes note of something fun in the MLB: The Show 20 video game.

Reader Michael Konkoleski found something noteworthy in the MLB: The Show 20 video game. When games are played on April 15 — Jackie Robinson Day — during the game’s story mode, all players wear Robinson’s No. 42, a tradition observed throughout MLB.

• Please... Anything.... I need some Baseball. Per Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors -- "2020 Season Increasingly Likely To Begin Without Crowds."
• Listen to Dave Roberts chat with Jim Rome about the Mookie Betts trade, via a tweet from CBS Sports:

"It was a loud yell, it was a popping of champagne..."

Dodgers Manager, Dave Roberts, tells @jimrome what his reaction was when the trade for Mookie Betts and David Price became official. pic.twitter.com/8gYMxHb7lx

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 31, 2020

• April Fools! Via a tweet from Topps -- I'd buy this:

April 1st... What a good day to announce our new line of Relics! Follow along all day as we bring you behind the scenes of our top of the line relic innovation.

First up... we debut our authentic MLB player-chewed gum relics! pic.twitter.com/HBu9qUuT2A

— Topps (@Topps) April 1, 2020

• Kiké! Via his twitter:

S/O to all my people that got fake tattoos under quarantine!!!! I wasn’t the only one right?! pic.twitter.com/sHnLcMAtyr

— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) March 31, 2020

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *