Blog Kiosk: 1/8/2014 - Dodgers Links - Puig Arrested in Hot Pink, Mattingly's Extension and Hanley was the Best Last Year

JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers has the police dash cam video of Yasiel Puig's recent arrest in Florida.  I gotta say, his speeding didn't seem all that reckless.  It was a long straight away and it doesn't appear there was any swerving.  Frankly, it looked like everybody on that road was speeding and Puig was just the unlucky ducky.  Oh... And Puig likes to wear hot pink shorts.  What's up with that?

BTW, every time I've visited Florida I always took note of the rampant speeding on their highways.  I remember constantly going 80+ MPH in the slow lane while being passed on the left by a 80+ year old snow bird in a Cadillac.  Now, I'm not advocating that you should go 100+ MPH, but I swear, it was a constant occurrence in Florida.

Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy interprets the conversation between Puig and the officer, here.

• Via Chris Moran at Beyond the Boxscore, "2013, when Hanley Ramirez was the best player in baseball".

Hanley Ramirez was Miguel Cabrera in 2013. That is, if Cabrera was a decent shortstop instead of the worst fielding third baseman in baseball. Ramirez was Mike Trout if the Millville Meteor traded some of his baserunning and on-base skills for a whole lot more power production.

• The 2013 Bowman Chrome autographed Superfractor of Yasiel Puig is on eBay once again.  See the auction here.  It has a Buy It Now price of $34,999.99.  Hat Tip: Cardboard Connection.
• Evan Kendall at Beyond the Boxscore takes a close look at how great Russell Martin really was last season - "Russell Martin and defending catcher WAR".  This just adds more evidence that a great defensive catcher (even one who hit only in the .220's) can lead your team to the playoffs.  AJ Ellis naysayers should pay attention!
• Via Ramona Shelburne at ESPN, "Don Mattingly to Get New Deal".  The Dodgers and Mattingly have agreed to an extension that goes through the 2016 season.  Congrats, Don!
• Via Chris Haft at MLB.com, "Kent's relentless approach up for Hall consideration".

"I took that even beyond, to, if I do just one thing every day for my entire career, then I'm going to have a pretty good career," he said in a recent interview.

• Via Mark Langill at Dodger Insider, "Flashback 30 years: Don Drysdale gets the call".
• Check out a bunch of pics from Jon SooHoo of some young future Dodger stars at the Winter Development Program at Dodger Stadium, here.
• OT: Observe History tells us about German martyr Sophie Scholl.  It's a story about a Munich university student who stood up against the Nazi's and was killed for it.  I often wonder if I would have the strength and will to do the same thing.  I'd like to think I would - even knowing that I'd be staring straight at death.

"How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to offer themselves up individually for a righteous cause?

Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go."

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2013 Bowman Chrome Baseball - All the Dodgers Cards

Last week Topps released another Baseball card set.  This time it was their 2013 Bowman Chrome set and it is basically a mirror image of the Bowman set from May - just a lot shinier.  See a complete checklist here. 

The base cards use the exact same photos as the their normal Bowman set, but there are two new additions that are brand new - Matt Magill and Yasiel Puig.  Check out all of the Dodgers' cards available below.  The only card missing is a Hyun-Jin Ryu autographed card.  A redemption for Ryu's autograph is inserted into packs.

#47 Josh Beckett                                 #60 Hanley Ramirez

#66 Matt Kemp                                       #78 Yasiel Puig

#101 Adrian Gonzalez                         #154 Hyun-Jin Ryu

#190 Matt Magill                                  #196 Andre Ethier

#218 Paco Rodriguez                          #220 Clayton Kershaw

Prospect Cards

#BCP118 Onelki Garcia                      #BCP125 Corey Seager

#BCP142 Jeremy Rathjen

Prospect Variation Cards

#BCP125 Corey Seager

Prospect Autograph Cards

#BCA-OG Onelki Garcia                        #BCA-YP Yasiel Puig

Fit the Bill Insert Cards

#FTB-CK Clayton Kershaw                          #FTB-YP Yasiel Puig

Rising through the Ranks Mini Insert Cards

#RTR-CS Corey Seager                     #RTR-JP Joc Pederson

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Blog Kiosk: 10/1/2013 - Dodgers Links - Hairston, Puig, Scully and the Don

Can Terry Crews play centerfield?  Pic via Jon SooHoo/La Dodgers 2013.

• Jerry HAriston Jr. is suffering through a back issue, via JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers.
• What their saying in Atlanta - "Favored or not, Braves confident facing Dodgers," via David O'Brien at AJC.com.  The Braves seem to think their the underdog.  Considering the recent injuries to the Dodgers, I don't think this holds true.

“Whether or not we get the publicity we should get, it’s just not important to us. We don’t need someone to tell us that we’re going to win or lose. It’s played on the field.”

• David Lauterbach at True Blue LA writes, "A look back at the Dodgers vs. Braves 2013 season series".
• Just to let you know.

Ernie Johnson, Rob Darling and Cal Ripken in the booth for Dodgers-Braves series
— Anthony Jackson (@dodgerscribe) September 30, 2013

• Gellman at Sports Cards Uncensored tells us that the 2013 Bowman Chrome Yasiel Puig Superfractor autographed card has already been pulled and sold to SBay Cards - Is this the Lomita store? Chris Olds at Beckett confirms that it is the Lomita store, and you should expect to see it in an upcoming Super Box repackage product they will be selling.  The selling price of the card is unknown.  See the rare "1 of 1" card on the right.  Click to embiggen.  I'll have pics of the Dodgers' cards from this set up soon.
• Via Chad Moriyama, "Yasiel Puig’s no-good-very-bad September is actually quite promising".
• True to the Blue recaps the recent AJ Ellis signing in Long Beach this past weekend.
• Via Chuck Culpepper at Sports on Earth writes about Vin Scully, "The Hardest Working Legend Around".

"I would say on average, I get here at 3:30, and I work somewhere close to an hour and a half. That gets it to five of five. I have to tape an opening. I have to tape a little thing they put on the board, notes on the game. I'll come in and eat. I'll be finished eating. If my wife isn't at the game, automatically at six o'clock I'll call her to let her know that I'm here and find out what she's going through at home. And then after I make the phone call, I go back to look for any late notes, whatever. I might talk with one or two of the other team's broadcasters, say, 'What's new, who's doing what?' And then, by the time you're ready to go on, you have a head full of stuff."

• "For the Dodgers, Don Mattingly is leader of the pack," via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times.

"Once the game starts, he's still got that player mentality," pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. "He's pretty competitive. You definitely see why he was a successful baseball player."

Mattingly's calm demeanor in the clubhouse makes the players comfortable. His intensity in the dugout is what earns their respect. They feel as if he's protecting them.

• Emma Span at Sports on Earth shares a "Who to Root For in the Playoffs" flowchart.

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Blog Kiosk: 9/19/2013 - Dodgers Links - Adrian Thrown Out, Resting Hanley Ramirez and Onelki Garcia's First Card is Coming

Yasiel Puig belted his 17th home run last night, pic via Dodgers tumblr.  The Dodgers couldn't close it out last night, but they'll have an opportunity this afternoon. 

• "Adrian making major impact on LA Latino community," via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.
• Do you remember John Ely?  If you do, check out his interview with him by Aiden Weber at The Columbia Chronicle.
• "Four-outfielder issue actually a huge asset," via Mark Saxon at ESPN.
• Topps unveiled a preview image of an autographed 2013 Bowman Chrome card of rookie Onelki Garcia.  This set is supposed to come out early next month.  Click on the pic on the right to embiggen.

• Topps also unveiled a preview image of a 2013 Heritage MiLB relic card of Joc Pederson.  This set officially goes live next week.  Click on the pic on the left to embiggen.
• Good Guy Kemp does it again.  Only, a little differently.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Kemp flies Dodgers' bat boys into Phoenix".
• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA discusses, "The Hanley Ramirez plan".

"Whatever we have to do to get him right," Mattingly said. "It's going to be a matter of keeping him sharp but getting plenty of rest."

• "High-stakes call in Arizona pads case for replay," via Barry Bloom at MLB.com.  Replays showed it was an obvious bad call.  Sometimes that's how the cookie crumbles.

"It changes the game right there," Mattingly said after his club's clinching party was delayed at least one more day because of the 9-4 loss to the D-backs. "It would have been 4-3 with [one] out. Yeah, it would have been great to be able to use [replay]. Nothing against the umpires, but all we want to do is get it right. Let's get it right."

• "Missed opportunities, managerial miscues and celebrations delayed," via Tony Jackson at Dodger Scribe.  Tony has some hard criticism on Mattingley's managerial decisions.
• I love this.  "Adrian Gonzalez ejected for telling umpire to hustle," via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA.  You gotta keep the umpires on their toes.

Gonzalez was standing on second base after what he thought was an RBI double that would have brought the Dodgers to within 4-3. But Young was called out at home plate. Not by home plate umpire Joe West, but rather by first base umpire Jim Joyce, as the umpires were on a rotation with a ball hit into left field.

Gonzalez didn't think Joyce was in proper position to make the call.

"He's got to go from first base to home," Gonzalez said. "I was more mad that he was not in position to make the call. It's not that he wanted to get it wrong, it's that he didn't see it."

•  Yasiel Puig: Rapid Fire - Yasiel Puig answers a barrage of rapid fire questions. Find out whether he prefers twitter to instagram and who he thinks is the Dodgers best looking player. Watch the video here.

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