Friday, March 18, 2016

St. Patrick's Day Magic on Fantasy Baseball Cards


I decided to have a little bit of fun with many of the photos I saw throughout the web this afternoon by making some fantasy Baseball cards.  As you can see, my subject matter was yesterday's St. Patrick's Day festivities and those awesomely themed jerseys the Dodgers wore.  I also decided to use my all-time favorite card design -- the 1972 Topps Baseball card with a greenish hue.  Check them all out.




Photos used in the fantasy cards above were grabbed from numerous different sources; including the Dodgers tumbler, @Dodgers on twitter, Joc Pederson's twitter and the Dodgers on Instagram.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese Rarities at Hunt Auctions


Time to turn on the radio and listen to the game!

Hunt Auctions is running their current online auction right now and it includes a couple of great Dodgers-related items I thought worthy of note.  For instance, check out out the vintage portable radio above (Auction Link).  It is from 1939, and it was presented to Dodgers Pee Wee Reese for his participation in the American Association All-Star Game.  A metal plate on the front reads, "The American Association All Star Game 1939, Harold H. Reese."  Pee Wee was playing for the Louisville Colonels at the time, and would join Brooklyn the next season to begin his Hall of Fame career.

The large-sized poster card below is very scarce.  It is from 1946, Jackie Robinson's first season with the Montreal Royals, and was issued by CHLP Parade Sportive.  I'm fairly certain that this is Jackie's very first card, but due to its obscure nature it can be purchased at a significant discount compared to other more established collectibles.
(Auction Link)

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2016 Topps Opening Day - All the Dodgers Insert Cards

Now that you've seen the base cards, here are all of the Dodger's inserts found in packs of 2016 Topps Opening Day.

Opening Day Autographs

#ODA-CS Corey Seager

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 17/Road Game 9


Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.
------------------
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (10-4-2) at Arizona Diamondbacks (12-4-1)
Friday, March 18, 2016 – 1:10 p.m. MT | Salt River Fields at Talking Stick
RHP Brandon Beachy (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Zack Godley (0-0, 7.20)
TV: None Radio: AM 570 (English)


------------------
(Alex Wood, pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

MOVING FORWARD: The Dodgers, who are back on the road today, will take on the Diamondbacks in their last match-up of the spring at Salt River Fields. Los Angeles fell to the World Champion Kansas City Royals in yesterday’s contest, a 5-1 defeat at Camelback Ranch. At the plate, Joc Pederson doubled in the first inning and then was driven in by a Scott Van Slyke double to record the lone run for the Dodgers. On the mound, Alex Wood allowed just one run on four hits in 3.0 innings in his second start of the spring and Kenley Jansen, Louis Coleman and Pedro Baez each tossed a scoreless inning of relief, while Ross Stripling recorded four strikeouts in two scoreless frames.
(Van Slyke, pic via @Dodgers on twitter)
  • The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks, 7-2, in their last meeting on March 5 at Camelback Ranch.
  • Los Angeles, who will host Arizona in its home regular-season opener on April 12, took the 2015 season series from the Diamondbacks, 13-6.
LIGHTING’EM UP: The Dodger offense has been clicking on all cylinders this spring, ranking among the National League clubs in slugging percentage .482 (2nd), batting average .283 (3rd) and on-base percentage (T-3rd). Individually, Scott Van Slyke ranks among the NL’s best in average (.414, 2nd), home runs (3, T-8th), on-base percentage (.500, T-3rd) and slugging percentage (.828, 3rd), while Austin Barnes and Rob Segedin are tied for second with four Spring Training homers.

(Agon at WBC, pic via WBC on twitter)
VIVA MEXICO!: The Dodgers would like to congratulate Adrian Gonzalez and Team Mexico on its 2-1 win in last night’s WBC qualifier against the Czech Republic! Gonzalez finished the night going 0-for-1 with three walks and a run scored. Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela, who served as a pitching coach for Team Mexico in the 2006, 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, tournaments, threw the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game in Mexicali. Team Mexico will face Nicaragua on Friday at Mexicali.

TRIMMING THE ROOM
: The Dodgers made their second cuts of the spring after yesterday’s game, optioning INF Micah Johnson, RHP Yaisel Sierra, RHP Ross Stripling and LHP Ian Thomas, while reassigning RHP Jose De Leon, LHP Julio Urias and C Jack Murphy to minor-league camp. The Dodgers have 47 players in big-league camp, excluding Brandon McCarthy and Frankie Montas, who are on the 60-day DL.

TODAY’S PROBABLE PITCHERS:
  • RHP Brandon Beachy will make his second start of the spring, throwing 3.0 scoreless frames against the Cubs March 12. Beachy, who has appeared in two games thus far during Spring Training, has yet to give up a run in 5.0 innings of work. He made two starts with the Dodgers in 2015 after being reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, before being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City where he went 1-1 with a 3.64 ERA in 10 games (nine starts).
  • RHP Yimi Garcia will make his sixth appearance, last pitching Wednesday against the Rockies, allowing one run in an inning of relief. He ranked among the NL’s best relievers in WHIP (0.95, 5th), opponents’ batting average (.199, 16th), opponents’ on-base percentage (.242, 4th) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.60, 3rd).
  • LHP Adam Liberatore will appear in his sixth Cactus League game, after tossing a perfect inning Wednesday against Colorado. Liberatore saw his first big league action last season with the Dodgers, going 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 39 games.
  • LHP Luis Avilan will appear in his fifth game of the spring, after striking out the only batter he faced against the White Sox Tuesday. He combined to go 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 73 relief appearances for the Braves and the Dodgers last season.
  • RHP Jamey Wright has thrown 3.1 innings of work in four outings this spring (6 ER), last pitching Tuesday against the White Sox. Wright, a 19-year MLB veteran, last pitched in the Majors in 2014, going 5-4 with a 4.35 ERA in 61 appearances with the Dodgers.
(Kiké Hernandez, pic via Dodgers tumblr)

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 3/18/2016 - Dodgers Links - Team Mexico Eked Out a Victory in First Game


Three Dodgers were in Mexicali, Mexico for the first game of the WBC qualifying tournament.  One as a broadcaster, another to throw out the first pitch and the third to play the game.  Seated from left to right in the photo above are Alex Cora, Fernando Valenzuela and Adrian Gonzalez, as tweeted by Alex Cora.  Fortunately, all three would walk away happy from the days results.  Team Mexico squeaked out a victory against an upstart Czech Republic team.  Via Mark Newman at WorldBaseballClassic.com:
Mexico, a huge favorite in this four-nation qualifier and playing in a party atmosphere at home, scratched out two runs in the first inning and then withstood an eighth-inning homer by Matej Hejma before escaping with a 2-1 victory Thursday over a resilient Czech Republic team.
...
On Thursday, Adrian Gonzalez, the local hero and Dodgers first baseman, walked three times and scored one of the two runs in the first inning. That all happened after he caught the ceremonial first pitch from Fernando Valenzuela, part of a 45-minute pregame spectacle.

"I'm great," Gonzalez said before the game. "Being able to play here in Mexico in the great town of Mexicali, they have a great fan base and people are here from all over to watch us play. Our crowd is one of the best in every WBC. They bring noise and lift us up."
Below are more links to check out:
  • More cuts in Dodgers spring camp were announced yesterday.  Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Urias, De Leon among seven sent to minors."
  • In news that is not entire surprising, Dave Roberts named Kershaw, Kazmie, Maeda and Wood as his starting four, via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:
Mike Bolsinger, Brandon Beachy and Zach Lee are the three candidates for the fifth starter spot. Though Beachy isn't currently on the 40-man roster, all three have options should the Dodgers decide to use multiple pitchers in the role in April. But Roberts wouldn't rule out Urias just yet, based on talent alone.
  • Audio:  Listen to Tony Gwynn Jr with Darren Smith at the Mighty 1090AM radio show.  He chats about the Dodgers pitching concerns, what it was like to grow up as a kid in the Padres clubhouse and his perspective on the Adam LaRoche controversy. (Link Here)
  • Video:  Yasiel Puig won't be suspended over nightclub incident. He talks about moving on and his latest outing in Spring Training. (Link Here)
  • Former Dodger pitcher Brad Penny to retire, via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Reports.
  • Via Barry Bloom at MLB.com, "Wood returns as Dodgers shape pitching staff."
  • With Domingo Ayala's recent contract he decides to tour Jerry Hariston's home in order to make an offer.

Video Link:

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *