Blog Kiosk: 8/14/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Kershaw was his regular fantastic self last night -- going eight innings of four hit ball with nine strikeouts, no walks and one earned run. The bullpen, unfortunately imploded and could not hold the lead. Per Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider:

“We’re going to have to count on these guys, and Scotty’s been great all year,” Kershaw said. “Kenley has big shoes to fill. We know that these guys are a very talented group — guys that we trust, guys that have had our backs all season. Come the ninth inning tomorrow, whoever it may be, we have good faith that they can get the outs we need.”
...
“It’s another loss, which is no fun, but Arizona and Colorado we’re all right there. Nothing’s changed,” Kershaw said. “Obviously we’d like to win games when Arizona loses, when Colorado loses. But for now we just have to keep plugging away. I know it sounds cliché but it’s just going to come down to the last 40 games, and thankfully nobody’s pulled away yet.”

Photo above of Clayton Kershaw via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2018 at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1919 the Dodgers and Cubs play a doubleheader that last a total of only two hours and seventeen minutes. In the opener, the Cubs blanked Brooklyn 2-0, in one hour and ten minutes, and in the nightcap, it takes the Dodgers one hour and seven minutes to shut out Chicago, 1-0. In 1980 the Dodgers signed amateur free agent pitcher Tom Niedenfuer out of Washington State University. In a couple of years he would be a mainstay in the Dodgers bullpen -- recording 64 saves as a Dodger. 
• Happy Birthday, Magic Johnson, Frank McCourt, Mark Loretta, Scott Stewart, McKay Christensen & Juan Pierre!

Blog Kiosk: 7/19/2016 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

With the Dodgers scheduled for a day off in Washington DC yesterday several players and staff members decided to take on the town like a bunch of tourist.  For some, a stop at the FBI Training Center in Quantico, Virginia, was in order, as evidenced in the photo above provided by Dodgers photographer Jon SooHoo on twitter.  For others, a walk around our nations capital would be the highlight of the day.  Check out Kenta Maeda in the photos below, via his Instagram account.

Another player had something else on his mind for his day off, though.  Brandon McCarthy decided to head to the Smithsonian.  Go here to see what he decided to share with the world. 

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History: In 1977 Don Sutton is named the All-Star Game MVP at Yankee Stadium.  He pitched three scoreless innings to help the National League win, 7-5.  In 1993 Raul Mondesi made his Major League debut by singling in his first at-bat (as a pinch-hitter in the 7th inning) against Phillies pitcher David West.  
• Happy Birthday, Rachel Robinson!  She is 94 years old today.

Blog Kiosk: 7/18/2016 - Dodgers Links - Sports Museum of Los Angeles Now Open to Everyone

As you surely know, yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.  For a period of two months DiMaggio owned Baseball.  From May 15 to July 16, 1941 DiMaggio slashed .408/.463/.717/1.181 while slugging 15 home runs, 16 doubles, four triples, driving in 55 runners and scoring 56 times himself.  He also struck out only five times in 247 plate appearances.  In other words, he was a one man wrecking machine.  The Yankees went 41-13-2 during that stretch. 

In honor of his rare feat check out the pics above of an display at the Sports Museum of Los Angeles that celebrates the 56-game hitting streak.  As you may know, this museum has once again opened its door to the general public.  It had been closed and available only through special tours and private events.  Now, sports fans of all stripes can visit the 20,000 square feet museum on the weekends.  Via a press release:

“We are excited to be able to give Dodgers fans and sports fans in general the opportunity to view up close these priceless, one-of-a-kind objects,” Cypres said. “The items in the Sports Museum of Los Angeles bridge the history of the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and it has been a labor of love to acquire them and make them available to the generations of sports fans in Southern California.”

If you have never had a chance to visit then you should do it right away.  In my opinion it's the best Baseball museum outside of Cooperstown, and clearly the best Dodger collection I've ever seen.   Go here for information.  It is open to the general public only on weekends from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and over and students with ID, and $9 for children ages 5-12. On-site parking is $8.  Below is a brief listing of what you can see there:

• T206 Honus Wagner trading card – the Holy Grail among collectors
• Gallery dedicated to Negro Leagues and Jackie Robinson, including his game-worn jersey and bat
• Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe MVP and Cy Young awards, Johnny Podres’ 1955 World Series MVP trophy
• Handful of dirt and first ball thrown out on opening of Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field in 1913 
• Don Drysdale collection from high school days in Van Nuys through Brooklyn and L.A. Dodgers
• World Series trophies from 1970-2000 
• Willie Mays and Willie McCovey game-worn jerseys

Pics above provided by the Sports Museum of Los Angeles.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History: In 1939 the Dodgers trade for Pee Wee Reese from the Red Sox for $35,000 and a handful of other players.  In 1949 Jackie Robinson testified in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities to disagree with singer and actor Paul Robeson’s belief that African-Americans would refuse to fight in any war against Russia due to the country’s history of racial discrimination.  In 1957 Gil Hodges his his 12th career gran slam to tie a NL record.
• Happy Birthday, Joe Torre!

Blog KIosk: 10/14/2015 - Dodger Links - Puig, Turner and the Awesome Clayton Kershaw

Ha!  Check that out.  Banana's in the stands for Kiké Hernandez and the Dodgers in New York.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.

What a fantastic game last night.  Everything I dreamed of and hoped for came true, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll continue tomorrow.  As you know, Game 5 will begin at 5:00 PM on Thursday, and I think it's fair to say that all of the Baseball watching world will be tuning in. 

As for last night's game, what is there to say?  Clayton Kershaw was great.  Via Pedro Moura at the OC Register:

After he won the game for the Dodgers, he would not discuss his previous seventh-inning struggles, but he was happy to answer a question about his perceived reliance on fastballs.

“Yeah, it really wasn’t by design,” Kershaw said, “but I think I probably did end up throwing more fastballs tonight – less sliders. Probably give (catcher A.J. Ellis) credit on that. He felt confident throwing the heater tonight with a lot of guys and we were able to get some outs behind in the count on it, which was great, some jam shots and some pop-ups, which was big.

“But throwing fastballs will either get you in trouble or keep your pitch count down. So fortunately for me tonight it kind of kept it down a little bit.”

And "Red Beard" has been fantastic.  Via Christ Haft at MLB.com on Justin Turner.  He is batting .467 (7 for 15) to lead the series:

"It seems like everything they throw at him, he hits it hard," Los Angeles utility man Kiké Hernandez said. "I'm glad he's locked in. He's carrying us right now."

Below are more links to check out:

• Unfortunately, some injuries are popping up for the Dodgers.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Grandal's shoulder pain surfaces in Game 3."  Worse yet, Justin Turner isn't exactly 100% right now.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Justin Turner dealing with left knee soreness, delivers key hit in Dodgers' Game 4 win."

"JT was a little sore yesterday during the game. He had some swelling but was able to play," manager Don Mattingly said. "But as the game went on he was going to have trouble moving."

• Check out transcripts for several postgame interviews in the links below:

• Don Mattingly

• Clayton Kershaw

• Justin Turner and AJ Ellis

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Injuries wreak havoc with Yasiel Puig's season."

“It’s just been up and down,” Mattingly said of Puig’s season. “He’s never really got any kind of true rhythm, I don’t think, through the course of the year. He got started, actually swung the bat good early, got hurt, came back, took him awhile. He kind of reinjured that leg before he even got back (in May). Played awhile, had another one (hamstring injury).

“It’s just been a bumpy kind of stop-and-start type of year.”

• I suppose the league, the union and everyone else isn't prepared for an appeal process since suspensions are very infrequent.  Via ESPN, "Chase Utley's appeal hearing scheduled for Monday."
• Regarding any rule changes, Commissioner Manfred spoke a bit about it with Jayson Stark at ESPN; "Commissioner Rob Manfred talks about difficulty of improving slide rule." 

"I hate to admit this," the commissioner said before Tuesday's St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs game, "but I think the way we had to work through the home-plate situation gives you a feel for how difficult it is to write that kind of rule that involves in-game action and an important part of the game."

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Brandon Beachy now a free agent."
• Via Arash Markazi at ESPN, "Why so much of Dodgers' Brooklyn history resides in Los Angeles."  This is about super collector Gary Cypres and his massive Dodger collection in his LA museum.  

"There are various levels of collectors," Cypres said. "I'm obviously on the far nutty side of it all. I'm completely nuts. People ask me why I do it, and I don't know why. All I know is that I get a great sense of joy in collecting. It's like a holiday all year round for me. I get presents all year round. Every day, Federal Express comes with another goodie I've bought."

...

 "I'm going to put the Dodger collection in a trust," he said. "The Dodger collection cannot be replaced. There are no duplicates of what I have. Gloves, balls and bats can be replaced, but the history of a franchise which took me 25 years to assemble, that's impossible to replace. That's a treasure, and I don't want my kids to blow the treasure. It's my love, and even after death, I'm going to be looking down saying, 'No, no, no,' if they want to get rid of it. You can't do that. It's history, and that means something to me."

 BTW, he will be reopening his museum to the public next year, so stay tuned for those details.

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Blog Kiosk: 10/31/2014 - Dodger Links - Adrian Gonzalez is a Master with the Glove and Logan White Wanted the Challenge

I just can't stop laughing at this photo shared by @Dodger_History on twitter. Awesome!

Below are some links to check out:

• Adrian Gonzalez has been the named the 2014 Fielding Bible Gold Glove Award winner for 1st baseman in the Major Leagues.  Check out their website with the announcement here.  The Fielding Bible Award has nothing to do with religion.  Instead, it features 10 sabermetrically geared journalist and bloggers voting on the best defensive infielders in the game.  Here is what they said about Gonzalez:

“Adrian Gonzalez has been the best defensive first baseman in baseball over the last six seasons but somehow he has never won a Fielding Bible Award. Until now. Gonzalez wins his first Fielding Bible Award, leading all of baseball's first basemen by saving 11 runs defensively for the Dodgers in 2014. That brings his six-year total to 62 runs saved, 12 more than Albert Pujols’ second-place total of 50. Every aspect of Gonzalez's defensive game is superb. He fields his position well, does a great job with difficult throws, and handles bunts and double plays with the best of them. But he's not flashy. Just consistently excellent.”

• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Kershaw, Puig lead as Dodgers grab 15 GIBBY noms."
• Simply awesome!  Mark Langill at Dodger Insider writes, "Vintage Vin."  He shares a new memorabilia find from Gary Cypres' collection and it's a doozy.  Check it out.
• I don't know if this is something I want to know right now.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers co-favorites to win 2015 World Series." 
• Via TheThinGwynn at Gaslamp Ball, "Logan White says he would not have left Dodgers for any other job."

"I couldn't pass it up," White said on Wednesday. "Andrew was such a class act through all of this. As I told him, with the timing, in a different time and a different place, I think that we would have worked great together. And I have so much respect for [Dodgers president and CEO] Stan Kasten. I would not have left the Dodgers for any other job.

So in other words, it came down to Logan wanting to tackle a new challenge.

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Former Dodgers up for Hall of Fame review."  A special committee will look at the candidacy of Maury Wills and Gil Hodges.  Wills is being considered for the first time.  BTW, I almost feel like they should just stop doing this because seeing Hodges get slighted again is just torture.  The Baseball Hall of Fame has a story on this with biographical information on everybody that you can check out here.
• Via JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers, "Hanley Ramirez headlines list of Dodgers’ free agents."
• Dodger Blues puts it all into perspective.  Doh!

That's 3 championships for the Giants in 5 years. Another way to say it: Nothing but success since Ned Colletti left their organization.
— Dodger Blues (@dodgerblues) October 30, 2014

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Blog Kiosk: 6/3/2014 - Dodger Links - Kemp, Withrow to have Surgery and Jobu

What a great photo of Clayton Kershaw in the midst of pitching a gem of a game last night, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  It's only the top of the 5th inning in the photo and Clayton has made just one mistake on the mound.  Unfortunately, that miscue resulted in a 2-run home run by Cuban rookie Jose Abreu.  No worries though, the Dodgers would come back for 5 big runs in their half of the 6th inning to secure a lead.

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Dodgers top NL – in long games," and they've been warned.

The warning cited a number of Dodgers pitchers for their violations of baseball’s “pace of game” regulations. A number of relievers were cited for taking too long to get from the bullpen to the mound when entering the game. Continued violations could result in $5,000 fines though none of the players have been fined to date.

• Via Doug Padilla at ESPNChicago.com, "Thaw in store? Abreu, Puig to meet in L.A."

"We're going to take it like a normal day in the past," Abreu said. "It's good to play against friends. (Puig) is a friend of mine. There's another guy there that is an infielder, Erisbel Arruebarrena, who played on the same team in Cuba. I'm looking forward to really saying hello to them."

• Chris Olds at Beckett.com gives us a sneak peek at Topps 2014 Bowman Sterling Baseball cards.  Check out the Alexander Guerrero card on the right.
• Via Howard Cole at LA Weekly, "In Defense of Matt Kemp."

I have no idea if Kemp will ever regain superstar status and perform to 2011 levels. Maybe not, but it's called a "career year" for a reason. It happens once. Kemp is still the "Bison," he's still a true Dodger, and he really has run into a wall for the organization. He doesn't need artificial ones placed in front of him by his manager. He's earned the benefit of the doubt.

• Chris Withrow will be having Tommy John surgery today, via JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers.
• George Vrechek at Sports Collectors Digest shares his day at the Sports Museum of LA.
• Must have now!  Jobu of Major League fame will be getting a card from Topps that will be available only online.  Chris Olds at Beckett has the story.  Go here to check it out at the Topps website.

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Blog Kiosk: 4/10/2014 - Dodger Links - Baseball at the Reagan Presidential Library, Kenley Jansen and Chris Withrow

Nomar and the Minions.  Pic above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  See more of Jon's photos from yesterday here.

• I thought I would let you all know that, right now, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is an exhibit of Baseball memorabilia from the Gary Cypress Collection (he owns the Sports Museum of LA).  I hear it's fantastic and worth a trip.  Go here for more information.
• Grant Bisbee at SB Nation writes, "Miguel Cabrera, Kenley Jansen, and the best at-bat of 2014 so far."  He does a pitch by pitch analysis.
• Unfortunately, Jansen has been far from great this year.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Kenley Jansen struggles, Dodgers not worried."

"It's tough, man. He's a tough hitter and kept battling. I feel like I executed, and one pitch I go in there and he took me deep. He kept fouling me off away and I tried to go in there to back him off," Jansen explained. "Nothing I can do about it. It's a tough series, but I can't worry about this. I just have to go now to Arizona and get it back together."

• Former darling of the chattering class, Seth Rosin, has been DFA'd by the Rangers, via Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors.
• Left Field Pavilion's graphic about our new mascot, non-mascot guy is hilarious.  Check it out here.
• Via Earl Bloom at MLB.com, "Withrow won't be under the radar for long."

"He can and will be a closer once he matures as a Major League pitcher," said bullpen coach Chuck Crim, who was Withrow's pitching coach for his last two years in Double-A. "No question his stuff plays."

• Peter Jensen Brown at the Early Sports and Pop Culture History Blog wrote about the etymology of the name Trolley Dodgers, here.
• Larry Pauley at Sports Collectors Daily writes about a little known mini-pennant set - the 1950 American Nut and Chocolate Co. Pennants.  I love mini pennants and especially love these.
• Topps just released an 1988 Dodgers World Series Championship Archives Collection items at its store.  Check it out here.  It includes a large 11"x14" sized photo Baseball cards, pins, patches and a bunch of other stuff.  Below are some some pics and a video box opening from Topps.
  
  

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 11/2/2013 - Dodgers Links - Ryu talks adjustments, Persuing Tanaka and Happy Birthday Al Campanis

Happy Birthday, Al Campanis!  He would have been 97 today.  The photo above was found on eBay and features him as skipper of the Newport News Dodgers (1950).  Portsmouth Cubs infielder Pep Rambert is seen wearing a kilt as he jokes with the days umpires.  He is poking fun at the Dodgers new uniform; which includes shorts.

• Via Baek Byung-yeul at the Korea Times, "Ryu: big leagues were no major adjustment".

''I would like to give myself 99 points out of a 100. I took one point out because I think I could have prepared better for the tiring major league season, which involves a lot of travelling and adjusting to time zones. Ninety-nine also happens to be my jersey number,’’ he said. 

• You must check out Emma at Dodger Blue World's blog post.  She shares a whole bunch of photos from her recent visit to the Sports Museum of Los Angeles.  Awesome!
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Torre has the favorite in Breeders' Cup Classic: MLB exec, former manager part-owner of morning-line favorite Game on Dude".
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "The costs and benefits of pursuing Masahiro Tanaka".

Tanaka, who turned 25 today, had a 1.27 ERA for the Rakuten Eagles over 212 innings and there are scouts who think he has the best split-finger fastball in the world. He’s not the power pitcher Yu Darvish is, but some scouts say he has better command and 24-0 (in a highly competitive league) is 24-0. 

• Alexander Guerrero will begin Winter League play next week, via a tweet from Gigantes Del Cibao.  Translated: "Official: Alexander Guerrero Cuban will be in uniform @GigantesSFM this Thursday, Nov 7 against @TigresdelLicey.

Oficial: Cubano Alexander Guerrero estará en uniforme de @GigantesSFM este jueves 07 contra @TigresdelLicey. #CaemeAtras
— Gigantes Del Cibao (@GigantesSFM) November 1, 2013

• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Is the writing on the wall for Dee Gordon?"
• Via Scott Andes at Lasorda's Lair, "Dodgers Sign Fabio Martinez Because The Lookouts Need Players".  He is noted for a great fastball, but lacks control.

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Gary Cypres - Dodgers Most Impressive Collector Sits Down for a Interview

Tom Hoffarth at the Long Beach Press-Telegram wrote a great piece the other day featuring super-collector Gary Cypres.  As you may know, he owns and operates the Sports Museum of Los Angeles.  His museum is filled with all kinds of sports memorabilia; including a huge collection of Dodger goodies.  It is, without a doubt, the most impressive grouping of True Blue memorabilia I've ever seen.

Well, Cypres sat down with Hoffarth to talk a little bit about the museum, as well as, the state of the hobby in general.  To this collector, I found it utterly fascinating to read.  Check it out here.  BTW, there is also a short video to watch.

Below are some highlights:

Q: You've probably seen some of the things the Dodgers franchise has in its own collection. They've considered opening its own Hall of Fame or museum on its property. Is there any working relationship about either you or them buying items that come up in auctions?

A: No, because I think the Dodgers usually refer things that come up to me. Their view of it is mostly to duplicate things. For their purposes, it was quicker and more efficient to do that. That's not me. The heart of any museum is the real stuff. The Dodgers have their view and I have my view. I collect very deeply, anything with the Dodgers from balls to bats to contracts to correspondence, hats, trophies. I have a different purpose and different collecting feel as to what I want and what's important to me.

Q: If someone doesn't have the financial means to start collecting things the way you have done it, do you have a suggestion on how they can get started without bankrupting themselves?

 

A: I think you start with the idea that it's the collecting that's fun. If you have limited resources, even within the baseball world, there are all kinds of things to collect that doesn't have to be high-end stuff. Think of all the bobbleheads or other giveaways over the last 20 years for just the Dodgers. A funny story: A senior judge in the state of California came by here one day, very distinguished man, impeccable credentials, Ivy League educated -- he collects football programs. You'd never know what people collect. Football programs don't involve major dollars, but here's someone, an intellectual, sure as can be, just this quiet collector. It doesn't matter what profession. Collectors are collectors, in their blood from when they were little.

I though I would add a few photos that were passed along to me earlier this year by a reader named Cathy from an event at the museum.  I had originally posted these photos here.

A Brooklyn Dodgers Sym-Phony bass drum is on the top left, and a real Babe Ruth Dodgers jersey is on the top right.  Below are Don Newcombe's Cy Young, MVP and Rookie of the Year awards.  Click any pic to embiggen.

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Jackie Robinson Triple Play Day at the Sports Museum of Los Angeles on April 13th

This sounds like a great cause, and you get to visit (in my opinion) the best sports museum in Southern California.  Heck, it's likely the best sports museum this side of Cooperstown.  Check out details of this charitable event below- from a press release:

The Zimmer Children’s Museum is proud to announce Jackie Robinson Triple Play Day on Saturday, April 13th, 2013. This exclusive family-friendly event celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, which is observed nationally on April 15th to commemorate the day he broke the color barrier in American baseball. The event will be held at The Sports Museum of Los Angeles (1900 S. Main Street Los Angeles CA 90007), which is viewed by invitation only and features a 32,000 square foot private collection of unique and rare sports memorabilia. For a limited time, the museum is featuring an exquisite collection of Jackie Robinson and Negro League memorabilia in honor of Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson Triple Play Day will consist of a two-part engagement; a VIP Tour, Panel and Lunch and an Afternoon Community Viewing Party:

• The mid-day VIP program (11:00am-2:00pm) includes an exclusive VIP tour hosted by museum owner and collector Gary Cypres, as well as a speakers’ panel of baseball legends past and present.
• In the afternoon (2:00pm-6:00pm), the museum will be accessible to the greater Los Angeles community for self-guided tours with activities for youth, food and fun.

All proceeds from the event go to support youTHink, a program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum, which empowers young people to find their voice, be leaders and take action in their communities.

Tickets for the VIP Tour, Celebrity Sports Panel and Lunch are $350 for adults and $150 for children. General admission tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children. For more information and to purchase tickets visit sports.zimmermuseum.org.

BTW, The Sports Museum of Los Angeles is closed to the public, so this is a great opportunity to check this place out.  Frankly, it's a must see.

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My FanFest Day

The Dodgers FanFest on Saturday was quite a day.  The weather was gloomy, but there wasn't a rain storm in sight.  It was like the clouds decided to disappear over Dodger Stadium to give us the best weather a wet and stormy weekend could provide.  For several hours, we were spared from the rain, and many of the Dodger faithful came out to the stadium in celebration.

It was estimated that 21,000 fans came out regardless of the threat of rain.  How's that for sports fanaticism? 

Several other bloggers have already provided their highlights from the event.  Check out 'LA Inspirations' story here as he snagged a signed Magic Johnson autographed Baseball, Dodgers Familia with his autographed gets, and Arno at 'I'm Ballsy' who met up with a bunch of other bloggers.  For a bunch of great photos check out what Jon SooHoo has posted up on his blog.  He is the Dodgers official photographer.

As for me, I had initially hoped to get a bunch of Dodgers to sign a Dodgers book for me.  Unfortunately, when I got to the parking lot the line for autograph wristbands was a mile long.  Literally!  It started at the front of the FanFest gates and went all the way back toward the outer gates.  Then, it did a 180 and curved all the way back towards the entrance.  It would take hours to get a wristband, and after over an hour of waiting, I could have no more.  I decided to leave the line and go to the FanFest to enjoy the other events.  Below is a look at the queue. 

There were some great speakers; including Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully.  I'll have a post up momentarily featuring some videos from the day that I found on eBay.  Ned Colletti (pictured in the photo below on the left) also spoke.

A great sideshow to the FanFest was a tent fileld with Baseball history.  Super collector, Gary Cypres, brought out some of his stuff from the Sports Museum of Los Angeles.  The display had a little bit of everything.  There were some vintage Baseball cards and memorabilia, as well as, a historical look at  Baseball equipment from the 19th bentury.  I took a bunch of pictures here, so check them all out below.  Click any pic to embiggen.

Below is a little bit of American folk art.  An enterprising craftsman put together a bench made with (what looks like) game used Baseball bats.

On the left below is a late 19th century 'bib' style Baseball jersey.  On the right below is a large grouping of 1911 T201 Mecca Double-Folders Baseball cards.

Below are some vintage Baseball sweaters.  On the left is a 1920's NY Yankees field sweater, in the center a 1920's St. Louis Cardinals outer jacket, and on the right is a 1910 Chicago Cubs field Sweater.

Displayed were a bunch of different fielders gloves used during the games early years.  Below are fingerless gloves, which were the first gloves used in the game before the 1880's.

Below are workmen's gloves that were first used in the 1880's.

Here are some more early style Baseball gloves.

The below item was a real treat to see.  It is a birdcage catchers mask- the first mask in Baseball.

Below are a couple of vintage advertising posters.

A whole bunch of vintage tobacco cards were up on display.  Below are 1911 T205 Gold Bordered tobacco cards.  In the bottom right photo is a Ty Cobb card, at center.

Here is a large grouping of 1909-1911 T206 Baseball cards.  Cypres didn't show off his Honus Wagner card, but he just about shared everything else.

These next group of cards were great to see.  These are 1887 Old Judge's. 

On the top left in the photos below is Bob Carouthers, and on the top right is Hall of Famer Tim Keefe.  The bottom left card is of Old Hoss Radbourn (and no, he is not sticking out his middle finger), and on the bottom right is Brooklyn Grays (Dodgers) 1st baseman Bill Phillips.

Also on display were some great old Baseball games.  Below are some pinball and board games.

Here are some standup pinball games.  Unfortunately, they weren't in operating condition.

These next two items are really cool.  On the bottom left is a 1905 Edwards Big League Table Base Ball Game.  There is a knob behind home plate, that when turned, moves the runners around the bases on a chain driven mechanism.  On the bottom right is another table game.

Here is a huge advertising display along with some more Base Ball themed table games.

Below are some early 19th century Baseball bats.  At the top left in the photos below are some flat bats, and on the top right is a mushroom bat.  As you can see the handle part of this bat is shaped loke a elongated mushroom.  The remaing bats are other 19th century examples.

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