Blog Kiosk: 9/16/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

New York Giants skipper John McGraw decided to take a photo of his counterpart, Dodger manager Wilbert Robinson. Per a description on the reverse (eBay auction link):

John McGraw takes Wilbert Robinson's picture but Robinson and his Brooklyn Baseball team took the first game (boxscore) from the New York Giants on the opening game of the (1926) season at the Polo Grounds, New York. McGraw evidently wanted to see if rotund Robby had gotten any thinner since they last met last fall.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1940 a fan instigated a fight on the field with the games home plate umpire. Following a dismal season and a bad call that resulted in another Dodger loss, 21-year old fan Frank Germano jumped on the field and proceeded to sucker-punch a retired heavyweight boxer, umpire George Magerkurth. I wrote about the incident here. In 1957 the LA City Council votes to approve a 300-acre site in Chavez Ravine for a ballpark if the Dodgers will finance a public recreation area. In 1988 Reds starter Tom Browning throws a perfect game against the Dodgers, 0-1 (boxscore). 
• Happy Birthday, George McVey, Dick Robertson, Buster Mills, Mike Garman, Orel Hershiser & Paul Shuey!

Blog Kiosk: 8/7/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

It was LA Kings Night at Dodger Stadium yesterday, so I thought I'd put up this pic of Tommy Lasorda with Kings winger Tyler Toffoli.

BTW, the Dodgers defeated the Cardinals last night (3-1), so maybe this is an omen for the upcoming Kings season -- or, maybe not.

Photo above via the LA Kings on twitter. Go here to check out a bunch of pics from last nights game. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1915 rookie Dodger pitcher Ed Appleton committed a grievous error due to a bit of trickery by Cardinals player/manager Miller Huggins. In the seventh inning of a tied game Huggins, while coaching at third base, called for the ball from Appleton -- 'Let me see that ball'. Appleton obliged and tossed the ball, only to see Huggins step aside to allow the ball to roll on the field. A Cardinal runner then scored a go-ahead run. The Dodgers protested, but time out hadn't been called, so the run counted. In 2003 Eric Gagne tied the single season record for consecutive saves to start the season at 38. It also marked the 46th consecutive regular-season save overall.
• Happy Birthday, Adonis Terry, Tom Drake, Rocky Bridges, José Domínguez& Jose De Leon!

Blog Kiosk: 8/2/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Will Smith! Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:

“Everyone wants to be in that situation,” Smith said. “I’ve been in that quite a bit lately, and I’ve made the most of it. I’ve got confidence in that situation. It’s encouraging. You know you can do it. You’ve been there before.”
...
“I’m cautious to make this comparison,” Roberts prefaced with a grin, “but (Yasiel) Puig was like this when he came up. That’s the only time I’ll compare Will Smith and Yasiel Puig, but yeah, he’s coming up and that excitement — when he comes up, guys want to watch him.”

Smith hit a game deciding grand slam in the sixth inning to lead the Dodgers towards an 8-2 (boxscore) victory over the Padres.

Photo above via Juan Ocampo/2019 LA Dodgers at Dodger Insider. Go here to check out more pics from yesterdays game. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1938 Dodgers President Larry MacPhail introduced the yellow baseball. It was used during the first game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field against the Cardinals. The Dodgers won that game, 6-2. The yellow baseball would only be used three more times this season. In 1982 the United States Postal Service unveiled a new 20-cent stamp commemorating Jackie Robinson at a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Robinson becomes the first ballplayer to be depicted on the US postage stamp. Check it out on the right.
• Happy Birthday, Bill Hill, Jim Holmes, Bill Posedel, Mike Venafro, Matt Guerrier & Onelki García!

2019 Panini Immaculate Collection Baseball - All the Dodger Cards

Last week saw the release of Panini Immaculate brand, and I've got pics of most of the Dodger cards to share below. Go here for complete checklist. As always, all Panini cards lack team logo's, so the cards tend to be aesthetically challenging -- even with the clean designs. Nevertheless, these are always nice looking cards, so collector don't seem to mind too much. If this company were ever able to get a MLB license I suspect they'd give Topps a run for their money.

Rookie Patch Autographs

#25 Caleb Ferguson            #27 Dennis Santana

2019 Donruss Optic Baseball - All the Dodger Insert Cards

Now that you've seen all of the Dodger base cards, here is a look at the inserts found in packs of Panini's 2019 Donruss Optic brand.

Rated Rookie Signatures

#13 Dennis Santana              #46 Caleb Ferguson

Blog Kiosk: 7/18/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Jackie and Pee Wee had a little bit of fun during their 1949 pennant run.

Bear Mountain, NY - August 15, 1949 - Jackie to Pee Wee but Nobody on Base -- With coach Herman Hickman and his Eastern College All-Stars in pursuit, Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson (left) whip pass to his baseball teammate Pee Wee Reese (right) at training session of the footballers for game with the New York Giants at Polo Grounds, Sept. 1. The Baseballers, guests of the New York baseball writers at an outing, dropped in on training session nearby. 

Photo found on eBay (link here) Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1939 the Dodgers receive shortstop Pee Wee Reese from the Red Sox in exchange for $35,000, three minor leaguers and a player to be named later. It is later discovered that a poor scouting report filled out by then Boston shortstop Joe Cronin had purposefully downplayed Reese's abilities for fear of losing his job with the team. In 1949 Jackie Robinson testified in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities to express his disagreement with actor Paul Robeson's assertion that African-Americans would not fight a war against Russia due to America's history of racial animus. In 1957 Gil Hodges hit his 12th career grand slam to tie a National League record held by both Rogers Hornsby and Ralph Kiner.
• Happy Birthday, Johnny Hopp!

2019 Donruss Optic Baseball - The Dodger Base Cards

Panini's Donruss Optic brand has just hit store shelves, and I've got pics of the handful of Dodger base cards to share below. Go here for a complete checklist. As you may know, Optic is basically a chrome version of their Donruss flagship brand, so you'll recognize many of the card designs. I hope to have pics of the Dodger inserts soon.

Base

Diamond Kings

#26 Max Muncy

2019 Topps Series 2 Flagship Set - All the Dodger Base Cards and Variations

Series 2 is now out in stores, and it includes 11 new Dodger base cards to add to this season flagship set. There are some big names here, like Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler and Cy Young favorite Hyun-Jin Ryu. On top of that, I believe the Pedro Baez card is his very first flagship base card - please correct me if I'm wrong. Go here for a complete checklist.

BTW, I've included pics of the five six currently known short-printed photo variations that are available --  the most notable being the Bellinger sliding like Superman card.

Base

#364 Kenta Maeda

Blog Kiosk: 6/12/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Another tough loss, but I ain't worried. I am, on the other hand, concerned about Seager's injury. He's been so good lately. Nevertheless, I'll treat last nights defeat as nothing more than a mere speed bump. In keeping my desire to accentuate the positive I thought I would highlight how on-point Max Muncy has been at the plate. He rocketed two homers last night -- making it three homers over the past three games.

Photo above via Dodgers Insider. Go here to check out more pics from yesterdays game. Below are some links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1940 the Dodgers made one of the biggest trades in their history. They received 1937 Triple Crown winner Joe "Ducky" Medwick and pitcher Curt Davis from the Cardinals for outfielder Ernie Koy, pitcher Carl Doyle, two minor leaguers and $125k in cash (a huge sum in those days). The Dodgers would win the pennant the following season for the first time since 1920. In 1955 Don Newcombe, having won his first ten decisions of the season, lost his first game of the year when Brooklyn loses to the Cubs, 9-5. In 2005 first baseman Hee-Seop Choi hit home runs in his first three at-bats this evening against the Twins to propel the Dodgers over Minnesota, 4-3. Watch all three here.
• Happy Birthday, Jack O'Brein, Roger Bernadina & Damon Hollins! 

2019 Topps Total - Wave 2 - All the Dodger Cards

The second wave of 2019 Topps Total cards have arrived in collectors mailboxes, so I now have pics of the Dodger cards to share with you. Go here for a complete checklist.

As you'll see, four Dodgers are available -- AJ Pollock, Caleb Ferguson, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Cody Bellinger. They also sold a total of 7,531 packs -- nearly 1,700 more packs sold than Wave 1. This translates into an approximate print run of about 753 of each base card in the set.

Base - Wave 2

#33 A.J. Pollock

2019 Panini Leather & Lumber - All the Dodger Cards

A couple weeks ago Panini reintroduced a brand, originally created by Donruss in the 90's, called Leather & Lumber. It features numerous die-cut parallels and plenty of relics to fill your fancy. It also has a checklist that isn't entirely complete. There are triple relic cards available that are were not in their original checklist -- along with a single relic insert set that doesn't appear to exist. Nevertheless, there are a lot of fun looking cards, and if not for the missing team logos this set would rank high as one of my favorites this year. Go here for the published checklist.

You can see most of the Dodger cards below.

Base Set

Gloves

#37 Clayton Kershaw             #44 Walker Buehler

Blog Kiosk: 5/28/2019 - Dodgers Links - MVP! MVP! MVP!

First, I wanted to acknowledge a patch that ballplayers wore for the first time yesterday, for Memorial Day. It is a remembrance poppy that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war and was first adopted by the American Legion. See it on the right, via UniWatch.

As for Cody Bellinger (featured in the pic above), he is unbelievable. Cody was a driving force behind this weekends sweep of the Pirates and their Memorial Day win yesterday afternoon. He is slashing .278/.381/.722/1.103 with two home runs, five runs scored and five RBI over the past four games. On top of that, he is looking like a Gold Glover every day. Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

“Words are tough to come by,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I don’t know if they give out Gold Gloves in May, but it’s hard to see it play out any other way.” 

Roberts said there’s only one comp to what Bellinger can do to impact a game and he used the name – Mike Trout – with trepidation. 

“You’re talking about slug, average, on base, first-to-third, stolen bases, catching the baseball, outfield assists, all that stuff,” said Roberts. “To do what he can do, to check all those boxes. You’ve got to be careful when you’re talking about Mike Trout. That’s longevity, too. For a two-month span, that’s kind of what you’re talking about.”

Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2019 at Dodger Insider. Go here to check out more pics from Memorial Day. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1957 the NL officially approves of the move of the Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast, provided both clubs make their request before October 1 and move at the same time. This effectively allowed both clubs to start negotiating with potential host cities. In 1962 Don Newcombe signs a contract to play for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. In 2001 Dodger catcher Paul Lo Duca has a big day. He goes 6-for-6 to lead the Dodgers during an 11-10 win over the Rockies. He records five singles, a three-run home run and four RBI. In 2011 a small fire in a nearby storage area in the Reserve seats at Dodger Stadium forces the evacuation of fans of that section during a game between the Dodgers and Marlins. The fire is controlled quickly and they do not need to evacuate the entire stadium.
• Happy Birthday, Rafael Landestoy, Kirk Gibson & Cory Wade!

2019 Panini Prizm -- All the Dodgers Cards

Panini's Prizm baseball card brand has just hit store shelves, and I've pics of most of the Dodger cards to share here. Check them out below. Go here for a complete checklist. BTW, there are over 25 different parallels available, so good luck if you're a 'player collector'.

Base Tier I

#16 Justin Turner                #18 A.J. Pollock

Blog Kiosk: 5/17/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Just another fantastic vintage press photo (eBay link) -- this time it's of a successful steal of third, dated 9/29/1938. Per the descriptor on the reverse.

Can't Catch This Thief
Boston Braves catcher Al Lopez slides safely into third with one of his two stolen bases in yesterdays game with the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. In the fourth inning of the first game Lopez swiped third as Dodgers third sacker Cookie Lavagetto turns with catcher Greek George's late throw. The Bees won the opener 2-1, with the Dodgers taking the nightcap 8-6 before 2,822 paying patrons.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1947 then Pirates slugger Hank Greenberg reached out to Jackie Robinson during a game at Forbes Field. While standing on first base he asked Jackie if he was hurt during a collision with him earlier in the game and then says, "Stick in there. You're doing fine. Keep your chin up." Knowing that Greenberg knew first hand the difficulties he had been facing, due to his own Jewish heritage, Jackie would later name him his "diamond hero." In 1978 Dodger slugger Lee Lacy hit his third consecutive home run as a pinch-hitter -- becoming the first player to have ever done so.
• Happy Birthday, Al Mays, Rube Vickers, Elmer Steele, Harry Riconda & Dick Smith!

Blog Kiosk: 5/10/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Take a look at this slide.

Here's a May 19, 1943 ACME press photo of Cardinals outfielder Harry Walker trying his best to break-up a double play, as he slides way outside of the bag to interrupt Dodgers shortstop Arky Vaughn (eBay auction link). His effort would lead to Stan Musial, who hit the grounder, reaching base and eventually scoring the first run of the game (boxscore).

BTW, the ACME descriptor on the reverse actually says that the Brooklyn player featured is second baseman Alex Kampouris, but that can't be right. The play was a grounder to second, who shoveled to the shortstop and then threw to first. Therefore the Dodger above is the shortstop, not the second baseman.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1955 Don Newcombe threw a complete game shutout against the Cubs while facing the minimum of 27 batters, 3-0. He allowed just one hit, to second baseman Gene Baker, who would subsequently be caught stealing. In 1966 the Dodgers sent 1955 World Series hero Johnny Podres to the Tigers as part of an conditional deal. In 1968 the Dodgers signed free agent infielder Ken Boyer. At the age of 37 the aging All-Star would slash .271/.317/.403/.720 with 60 hits, six home runs and 41 RBI's that season. In 1996 Tommy Lasorda managed his 3,000th major league game. It was against the Cardinals, and the Dodgers defeated them in twelve innings, 3-2. 
• Happy Birthday, Bill Davidson, Jim Hickman & John Cummings!

2019 Panini Diamond Kings -- Dodgers' Inserts Part 1

Now that you've seen the Dodger base cards, here are some of the inserts you can find in packs. Featured below are many of the Diamond King signature and relic cards. Notably, this set includes a Vin Scully autographed card -- his first signed card available since 2016.

DK Signatures

#4 Caleb Ferguson            #15 Dennis Santana

2019 Panini Diamond Kings - All the Dodgers Base Cards

Panini's Diamond King brand is now in stores, and I've got pics of all the Dodger base cards below. Go here for a complete checklist.

I want to note that the biographies on the reverse of the cards are fantastic. Many of them include fascinating tidbits I've never heard before. For instance, here is what Kershaw's write-up says:

Actress Mila Kunis threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles game in June 2018, firing a big breaking ball to Kershaw behind the dish. The twirler had run into Kunis at a local "Mommy & Me" class he attended with his wife (Ellen), and had no problem sharing tips with the awestruck Hollywood star.

And Cark Erskine:

Though he later starred in the big leagues, Erskine was actually rejected from the local Navy team during World War II. In a game in Brooklyn, however, the officer who had turned him down found him and said, "Shake hands with the dumbest so and so in the world. With guys like me, I'm surprised that we won the war."

Base

#7 Walter Alston

2019 Donruss - All the Dodger Insert Cards

Now that you've seen the base cards, here are the Dodger inserts found in packs of 2019 Donruss.

Retro 1985 Signatures

#11 Cody Bellinger

Retro 1985 Materials

#16 Adrian Beltre           #17 Adrian Gonzalez

2019 Donruss - All the Dodgers Base Cards

Panini's flagship baseball brand is now in stores and I've got pics of all the Dodger base cards below. Go here to check out a complete checklist.

As you can see below, Max Muncy is the Dodgers rep in the Diamond Kings subset. Pitching prospect Dennis Santana is our Rated Rookie. Furthermore, there are two variation cards to chase after -- Muncy and Buehler.

Diamond Kings

#26 Max Muncy

Blog Kiosk: 1/10/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Check out who's on the cover of the most recent issue of Baseball America -- stud catching prospect Keibert Ruiz

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1984 Don Drysdale was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; along with Luis Aparicio and Harmon Killebrew. It was Drysdale's tenth year on the ballot. In 2006 the Dodgers hire Hall of Famer Eddie Murray to be their hitting coach. He would remain a Dodger til June 2007. In 2017 the Dodgers signed closer Kenley Jansen to a five-year $80 million contract.
• Happy Birthday, Ed MacGamwell, Gary Rath, Marty Hermann, Johnny Peacock & Adam Kennedy!