Friday, February 29, 2008

eBay: Vintage Dodger Oddball

It has been awhile since I've done any posting about Dodger related eBay auctions. So, I thought I'd put up 3 items to make up for it.

Below is a true fan collectible. I can imagine going to the stadium with my new camera in hand- excited about what should be a perfect day. You pull out the camera and try to work the switches. Your no professional. Heck, you can barely frame the subject right. All you care about is getting a photo of the man who would help change Baseball. You creep down the aisle and stand alongside the team dugout. The man they call Pee Wee gives you a smile and happily agrees to pose for you. Click! It's a moment of time captured in an instant. Some sixty years later that photo ends up on eBay for fans like you and I to admire.
eBay Auction Link: Pee Wee Reese Vintage Fan Photo:

The Brooklyn Dodgers were the original Cubs. They lost plenty and always with style. In honor of that, the Dodger Bum was created. He epitomized the team. They were bums, but they were our bums. Below is a rare 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers Bum plastic toy produced by Rempel of Ohio.
eBay Auction Link: Brooklyn Bum:

The Dodgers moving to Los Angeles was a Hollywood event. Movie stars and musicians, both famous and obscure, flocked to games in large numbers. Some of them even recorded songs to express their newfound love of the team. Below is a 45RPM record I have never seen before. It is of a song called "We love the Dodgers" and is recorded by Jimmie Maddin & The Sundowners. What is great about this item is that it features a photo of the LA Coliseum- the Dodgers first home in LA.
“I walked into Sears Robuck cold and convinced them to invest in 10,000 copies. I organized 6 or 8 Ballplayers to show up in stores and autograph pictures and the records. There were lines around the stores all over Los Angeles. I had the best players do the autographs: Ron Perranoski, Wally Moon, Frank Howard, they were a great team.” Johnny Grant was playing the record, so Bob Ferris got me in to do a broadcast from Walter O’Malley’s booth at Dodger Stadium for KNX radio. We went and had lunch with Walter and Peter O’Malley, Vin Scully was there – O’Malley kept bringing me beer and food – he was a hell of a guy”. Bob Ferris was doing an interview and Walter O’Malley was serving me lunch. Danny Goodman ran the consessions, so Marv Fischer and I sold the records in the stands of the Dodger Stadium”.
I was debating whether I wanted to highlight this auction since I was considering bidding on it. Who needs the competition, right? After all, this is something you don't see everyday. Then, I realized I don't have a record player so what's the point? My loss is your gain.
eBay Auction Link: 1950's We Love The Dodgers Record: