2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Sandy Koufax by Tyson Beck -- #99

Tyson Beck is an Australian graphic design artist who has taken the art and sports world by storm. He originally came on the scene as a young teen creating designs in various basketball forums. By 18 he was working for the Lakers designing wallpapers. Soon his career exploded. Companies and brands like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, MLS and UFC came calling. More importantly, Kobe Bryant reached out to provide encouragement and inspiration. Via Ciaran Varley at BBC Sports:

"Kobe was the biggest influence on my career from start to finish," he says. "He was the first design I ever did when I opened up a computer."
...
"It was just a photo line, so everyone was pushing through," he says. "He started chatting to me and the security guard came over to pull me away. He stopped them. It was only a couple of minutes, but he kept asking me so many questions. 

"He was like: 'Dude, I'm running an agency now, I've seen your work, it's amazing - how are you working with every brand in the world?'"

Blog Kiosk: 6/3/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Normal is Not Good Enough

When I woke up this morning I saw this headline:

L.A. police use UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium as 'field jail'

I don't even know what to think anymore. From the above story, via Dennis Romero at NBC:

"We’re troubled by accounts of Jackie Robinson stadium being used as a 'field jail,'" the university said on Twitter. "This was done without UCLA’s knowledge or permission. As lessee of the stadium, we informed local agencies that UCLA will NOT grant permission should there be a request like this in the future." 

The Los Angeles Police Department acknowledged using the field in West L.A. for suspects arrested during the city's George Floyd protests. "We are no longer using it," Officer Mike Lopez said.

I want to believe this was an oversight, but fear it was a purposeful metaphor. Photo above via Stadium Journey. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1888 the first publication of Ernest L. Thayer's poem Casey at the Bat appears in the San Francisco Examiner. In 1958 Los Angeles residents approved a referendum, by a slim margin of 24,293 votes, that would honor a contract negotiated between the City of Los Angeles and the Dodger to allow the city to sell 300 acres of Chavez Ravine to the Dodgers. In 1989 the Dodgers and Astros play a 22-inning game at the Astrodome that is the longest game in National League history -- it last seven hours and 14 minutes. The game featured Fernando Valenzuela playing first base and center fielder John Shelby going 0-for-10 at the plate. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost 5-4 (boxscore).
• Happy Birthday, John Dobbs, Jim Gentile, Barry Lyons & Nelson Liriano!