Blog Kiosk: 12/12/2016 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Duke Snider gives in to the paparazzi and finally shows them some leg.  Featured above is a vintage 1955 International News press photo of "The Duke" sharing his knee warp after Game 6 of the World Series.  (eBay Auction Link) Per the descriptor on the reverse:

Dodgers' Duke of Swat, Duke Snider, shows his bandaged knee top press photographers in the Dodger dressing room after the sixth World Series game today which the Yankees took 5-1 to even the series 3-3.  Snider told reporters: "It's my left knee that's hurt, the one I pivot on, but I'll play tomorrow of it doesn't stiffen up."  Snider twisted the knee chasing a Skowron fly and left the game after the third inning.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 1941 the Dodgers traded for soon to be Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan with the Pirates in exchange for Pete Coscarart, Luke Hamlin, Babe Phelps and Jimmy Wasdell.  In 1998 the Dodgers signed free agent starting pitcher Kevin Brown to a seven year $105 million contract.  In 2012 the Dodgers received Skip Schumaker in a trade with the Cardinals -- sending Jake Lemmerman to St. Louis in return.
• Happy Birthday, Phenomenal Smith, Derrell Griffith & Orlando Hudson!

Blog Kiosk: 8/30/2016 Dodgers Links - Puig, Bellinger and Adrian Gonzalez

Before the start of the misery that was yesterdays ballgame, Dodgers slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez spent the early afternoon enjoying the beauty and majesty of Denver's Downtown Aquarium, as evidenced by a pic he tweeted out.

As for the game, let's just forget all about it.  After all, we wasted a good start by Kenta Maeda.  He went five innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits - leaving the Dodgers still contention to take the game.  The Rockies scoring at that point was as an result of a two-run homer by Nick Hundley.  Per Ken Gurnick and Ben Weinrib at MLB.com:

"Overall I thought I pitched pretty well," said Maeda. "That one pitch, a slider, was definitely a mistake pitch. I always want to pitch longer, but that one pitch led to the team losing. It was very regrettable."

Frankly, it was a five run seventh inning by Colorado ruined it all.

"It got away from us," said Roberts. "I liked the matchup with Grant and we got a scoreless inning there. And this park, if you keep it close, you have a chance, but it just didn't go our way tonight."

Heck, when you only score a single run in Coors Field you are not likely to win. With the 8-1 loss the Dodgers now hold a precarious 1.5 game lead over the Giants.  Below are more links to check out:

• Today in Dodger History:  In 1952 former Dodger infielder Arky Vaughn dies in a fishing accident.  He drowned in a lake near Eagleville, CA when his boat capsized.  In 1953 Roy Campanella tied a NL record for RBI's by a catcher at 122.  He would finish the year with a Major League best 142 RBI's for a catcher.

Vintage Newsletter - "Line Drives from the Dodgers" - December 1943

Here is another edition of the Brooklyn Dodgers official fan newsletter.  This time we look at the December 1943 issue.  As you will notice, the club changed its name from "Dodger Doings" to "Line Drives from the Dodgers."  Go here to check out past issues of this newsletter I have shared.  Click on any pic to embiggen.  Furthermore, I'd like to extend thanks to fellow Dodger collector Doug for passing this newsletter along.

This edition was sent out to fans during the winter before the start of the 1944 Baseball season.  It briefly introduces a new face to the club, Gil English, and strangely mentions veteran infielder Arky Vaughan as a "new" veteran.  I say strange because he was not a new Dodger.  In fact, he had put up solid numbers in 1942 and 1943 for Brooklyn.  So, what did they mean?

As I understand it, Vaughan and Dodgers skipper Leo Durocher had butted heads during the prior year, and it appears that Leo was hoping the upcoming 1944 campaign would mend any wounds.  As Dodger fans came to find out, though, that was far from the case.  Arky Vaughan, a future Hall of Famer, decided that he would rather retire than play for Durocher.  At the age of 32 Arky would sit out the next three seasons.  Per Ralph Moses at the SABR Bio Project:

Blog Kiosk: 8/25/2015 - Dodger Links - Arky Vaughan, Nicasio and Jharel Cotton

Check out this fantastic vintage photograph of three members of the 1947 National League Pennant winning Brooklyn Dodgers: Dick Whitman, Carl Furillo  and Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan at Braves Field (via r/michaelconfoy at r/ClassicBaseball on Reddit).  Below is a great comment by r/niktemadur about Arky Vaughan :

Widely regarded as one of the finest shortstops of all time, Vaughan was the NL batting champ in 1935, with an astonishing .385, so rare for a man playing his position.  Contemporary Luke "Ol' Aches and Pains" Appling of the White Sox was another one of those mythical beasts, winning the AL title the following year with .388, but I digress.

Vaughan is also one of the tragic figures of baseball, having drowned in a lake fishing accident soon after retiring.

What I didn't know was that Arky missed the 1944-46 seasons, which I assumed was due to WWII. But no, it was due to a weird, toxic incident with Dodgers manager Leo Durocher. Vaughan was a natural leader among his teammates, quiet, protective, respectful and a commanding presence.
In July 1943, Durocher suspended pitcher Bobo Newsom for 3 games for loudly complaining about catcher Bobby Bragan's defensive skills. But then Durocher said some angry things about Newsom in a newspaper, which infuriated Vaughan, no manager should speak ill of his own players, particularly after suspending him for the exact same behavior, and much less in print!
So Arky took off his uniform, stormed into Durocher's office, threw the clothes at him and said "Take this uniform and shove it right up your ass". Branch Rickey intervened and Arky finished the season, but then he retired to his ranch in California.

Then check this out, when Durocher was suspended from baseball in 1947 (for being married and having a mistress), Vaughan returned to the Dodgers after missing three whole seasons! Batted .325 as a part-time player, rusty skills and all, the man was a natural.

Here's Jackie on Vaughan:

He was one of the fellows who went out of his way to be nice to me when I came in here as a rookie. Believe me, I needed it. He was a fine fellow.

Check out some more links below:

• ICYMI: The Dodgers sent reliever Yimi Garcia back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.  It is anticipated that right-handed reliever Juan Nicasio will be reinstated from the DL.  Via a Dodger press release:

Nicasio has been on the disabled list since Aug. 10 with a left abdominal strain and has gone 1-3 with one save and a 3.06 ERA in 38 games (one start) this year.

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Dodgers' bullpen changes figure to be internal."

But, of course, Dodgers fans don't want to hear that and simply trusting in a regression to the mean when the season is reduced to six weeks seems risky. Change will come, but it might come from within. The most interesting potential fix is to promote the team's best pitching prospect, 19-year old Julio Urias.

This is actually quite routine.  When Fernando Valenzuela first came up in 1980 he pitched out of the bullpen, so doing this has some precedence.

• As I intimated above, at this point anything is worth a try.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Jharel Cotton emerges as possible Dodgers bullpen option."

Dodgers minor league pitcher Jharel Cotton got the call on Friday, when Double-A Tulsa manager Razor Shines told the right-hander he was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City. If Cotton keeps up his breakout season, it might not be the last such meeting he has in 2015.

"He told me I'm going to Triple-A to relieve out of the pen, and hopefully the Dodgers like what they see," Cotton said. "It's great to know that."

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