Blog Kiosk: 6/5/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

I'm not sure if I ever pointed this out, but standing in front of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the home of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders, is the flagpole that once stood at Ebbets Field -- former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Above is a look at the plaque describing it -- photo via Norman Oder on twitter.

Apparently, a few days ago protesters hung up a BLM flag on it -- which seems appropriate. Photo on the right via NYC Protest Updates 2020 on twitter.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1957 Don Drysdale recorded the first shutout of his career against the Cubs at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey, 4-0. In 1977 the Dodgers retired former manager Walter Alston's uniform number #24 at Dodger Stadium. He compiled a 2040-1613 (.558) record for the franchise. It was also Old-Timer's Day as the Dodgers defeated the Padres, 4-2. 
• Happy Birthday, Bill Maloney, Fred Mitchell, Duke Sims & Russ Ortiz!

Blog Kiosk: 2/26/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

Check out this vintage, likely 1950's era, photograph featuring former Dodger and Negro League star Dan Bankhead, available via eBay (link here). As you may know, he was acquired by the Dodgers in 1947 from the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League in hopes he could perform some magic for the playoff bound Brooklyn Dodgers. Unfortunately, he was wild and ineffective.

Often compared to Bob Feller, Bankhead sported a blistering fastball with a good curve, but faced control issues when in the Majors. Overall, he played parts of three season for Brooklyn -- going 9-5 with a 6.52 ERA.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1952 Dodgers all-star pitcher Don Newcombe is sworn into the Army to serve in the Korean War. The 26-year old would miss the next two seasons, and struggle on the field his first year back in 1954. Then, he would go on to regain his old form over the next two seasons by winning a collective 47 games and leading the Dodgers to its first World Series championship in 1955. In 2001 the Dodgers traded outfielder Devon White to the Brewers for Marquis Grissom. In two seasons Grissom would slash .245/.281/.450/.731 with 38 homeruns, 120 RBI's and an OPS+ of 94.
• Happy Birthday, Preacher Roe, Ron Negray & Matt Luke!

Blog Kiosk: 12/7/2016 - Dodgers Links - Haren, Hill, and Roberts on Maeda

Not only did the Dodgers feature the first African-American position player to play in the Majors, but they also introduced the first African-American pitcher to enter a Major League game.  Featured above is a vintage AP Wire Photo, currently available for sale at RMY Auctions (Link Here), that shows a clapping Jackie Robinson (on the right) providing on-field encouragement to trailblazing pitcher Dan Bankhead as he enters a MLB game for the first time.  It is dated to August 26, 1947.

As you may know, his debut did not go exactly as planned.  Bankhead would enter the game in relief of starter Hal Gregg -- who had been shelled for six runs in the one inning he pitched (after not getting an out in the second inning) against the Pirates at Ebbets Field.  So, Pittsburgh bats were hot, and looking to make it a laugher.  Unfortunately for Bankhead that's exactly what they did.  Over the next 3 1/3 innings Dan gave up eight earned runs on ten hits; including hitting batter Wally Westlake with a wicked curve -- an act that some thought might provoke a fight.  On the positive side, Dan Bankhead did hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning in his very first Major League at-bat.  Per Rory Costello at the SABR Biography Project:

After the game, Bankhead told pioneer black sportswriter Sam Lacy, “I think I’ll be okay as soon as this newness wears off. Today it seemed like I was wearing a new glove, new shoes, new hat, everything seemed tight.”

Below are more links to check:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 2013 the Dodgers signed free agent reliever Brian Wilson. 
• Happy Birthday, Tom Lovett, Ryan Theriot & Yasiel Puig!

Blog Kiosk: 8/26/2016 - Dodgers Links - Ruehle, Ethier, Puig, Seager and the Shocking Ellis Trade

It never felt so good to lose to the Giants.

After the emotional roller coaster that we all felt following the announced trade of AJ Ellis no one would blame the Dodgers for being a little deflated for that evenings game. 

But a near no-hitter?

I don't think anyone expected to see that. 

Giants hurler Matt Moore, acquired less than a month ago from Tampa Bay, got on the mound and was brilliant.  He masterfully took advantage of an less than enthused clubhouse by weaving a series of off-speed pitches that kept the Dodger bats out of kilter.  Eight and two-thirds innings later, not one Dodger had a hit.  Then, Corey Seager came up and brought the entire stadium to their feet by blooping a single to right field to end any chance of a humiliating evening.  Per Ken Gurnick and Chris Haft at MLB.com:

"In some weird way, it does," said Roberts. "They really wanted to salvage the series. For us to potentially get no-hit, and for Corey to break it up, it salvages it for us in a strange way."

No kidding.  Dodgers fans everywhere were able to breathe a sigh of relief.  Best yet, Dodger fans, not typically known for being gracious to our neighbors up north, gave the Giants pitcher a standing ovation after being pulled from the game.  Of course, that didn't stop a handful of fools from basking in breaking up a no-no (check out this link to see what I mean).

Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.  Go here to check out more pics by Jon and Jill Weisleder from yesterdays game.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History: In 1939 the Dodgers and Reds played in the first Major League game to be broadcast on television.  It was a doubleheader.  The Reds won game 1, 5-2, and the Dodgers won game 2, 6-1.  In 1947 Dodgers pitcher Dan Bankhead became the first African-American Major League pitcher when he got on the mound in relief against the Pirates.

Dan Bankhead Puerto Rican League Baseball Card

I came across the above 1949-50 Toleteros Puerto Rican Winter League Baseball card above at a CubanBaseballCard.com auction and decided to share it.  It is currently available on auction.  Check that out here.

It features former Dodger pitcher Dan Bankhead as a member of Caguas Criollos.  As you may know, he was the very first African-American pitcher in the Major Leagues; having joined Brooklyn just a few months after Jackie's debut.  At the time, the Dodgers were hurting for pitching, so the team scouted the Negro Leagues for an immediate filler.

Sometimes compared to Bob Feller, he was a well-known commodity with a blazing fastball, but a penchant for being wild.  Still, he had the "can't miss" label stamped all over him, so the team was thankful to have signed him.

Since Brooklyn needed his arm right away, Bankhead was immediately tasked with joining the big club.  Unfortunately, his first Major League game was not a good one.  He came in out of the bullpen against Pittsburgh in late August 1947, and got pummeled.  I don't mean that in a physically violent way, although by some accounts this was a worry for Bankhead.  What I mean is that the Pirates knocked out ten hits in his 3.1 innings of work; driving in eight earned runs.  Certainly not a great beginning for Dan.

What's interesting about this game, though, is not how poorly he pitched.  What's interesting is the outcome of an single at-bat that happened in the fourth inning against Pirate outfielder Wally Westlake.  On the very first pitch to Westlake, with two men on, Bankhead threw a fastball that got away from him.  Dan's pitch had launched itself hard and fast, and struck Wally square into his left elbow.

Based on certain accounts, Dan Bankhead was scared to death of this possibility.  Per Buck O'Neil, as told by Rory Costello at the SABR Biography Project:

“See, here’s what I always heard. Dan was scared to death that he was going to hit a white boy with a pitch. He thought there might be some sort of riot if he did it. Dan was from Alabama just like your father. But Satchel became a man of the world. Dan was always from Alabama, you know what I mean? He heard all those people calling him names, making those threats, and he was scared. He’d seen black men get lynched.”

Can you imagine what was going through his mind after that?

I can only guess that glimpses of past horrors rushed to him like a hurricane in the Pacific.  As O'Neil intimated above, having witnessed the worse society can offer, I'd be willing to bet that Dan Bankhead was in the midst of fearing for his life.  Instead, a better outcome ensued.

Wally Westlake brushed it off like it was any other hit-by-pitch.  He took his base to load them up without any fanfare.

And with that the game of Baseball, in the span of a single season, had witnessed not only its first integrated game but also a hit batsman that didn't invoke a race riot.  I know that in today's eye's this notion seems silly, but in 1947 this was a real concern... And a major societal advancement for the country.

If you're interested in knowing more about Dan Bankhead I suggest checking out Rory Costello's fantastic biography at the SABR Biography Project here.  It's well worth your time to read.

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Blog Kiosk: 10/12/2015 - Dodger Links - The Utley Slide

Since this is all the rage since the conclusion of Saturday's game I figured I would address it here.  As you all know, Chase Utley attempted an take-out slide on shortstop Ruben Tejada that was clearly overly aggressive and ill-advised.  No doubt, Utley's goal was to disrupt the play and in doing so injured a defenseless ballplayer - who, if I may add, contributed in putting himself in that position.  That's not to say that one act negates the other.  It's just that Tejada's attempt to make a pirouette and throw was also ill-advised.

Still, Utley's act is clearly more egregious and given the severity of the injury is worthy of rebuke.  But is it worthy of suspension?

With everything being equal, yes, Utley's slide is worthy of suspension, but I hesitate because this is a type of penalty that has not been enforced or enacted all season long.  So a suspension would lack any sense of continuity, but maybe that's the point.  Maybe this situation and the ensuing suspension is meant to push the discussion.  Clearly, the league has made moves over the past several years to protect its players from previously accepted "hard plays"; i.e. the Posey rule.  Additionally, they have been wanting to address the differences between an "illegal slide and a legitimate hard play," and impose penalties for the former.  Torre even said the following about this in his statement regarding the 2-game suspension:

“We have been in discussions with the Players Association throughout the year regarding potential rule changes to better protect middle infielders, and we intend to continue those discussions this offseason.”

The game is definitely changing from what I remember as a kid.  The days of "Baseball being something like a war" is dwindling away, and players and fans alike appear to be demanding that it become more gentlemanly.  And in the whole scheme of things, I can learn to accept that.  If there is one good thing this situation creates for Baseball it is that a more defined rule will be enacted over the winter to specifically address and define this.  As it stands, Utley is suspended 2-games, and as you would expect he has appealed Torre's decision.  Since a hearing is unlikely before the start of tonight's game he will be on the bench for the Dodgers.

On a side note, Jon SooHoo shared several photographs from Saturday's game, and one other take-out slide was featured.  As you can see below, Curtis Granderson is attempting his own slide on Howie Kendrick and inadvertently spiked him on the foot.  The old-school fan inside me sees this as more than acceptable, but I wonder if such an action, accidental or not, would fall under the definition of an illegal slide. 

Photos above via Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Below are more links to check out:

• Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, "Chase Utley apologized to Ruben Tejada by sending David Wright a text."
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Mattingly stands behind Utley '100 percent.'" 

During his Sunday off-day press conference at Citi Field, Mattingly said, "We're 100-percent behind" Utley.

• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "There’s life in the left arm of Brett Anderson."
  

  “It’s another start. I mean, obviously it’s a little more ramifications and more people and a hostile environment … If I woke up and didn’t have anything, I’d be kind of boring,” he said. “So I need to listen to my heavy metal and kind of rage out for a little bit and get some caffeine and Red Bull in me. Once you get out there and start warming up, the playoff adrenaline kind of ramps up. But you try to treat it just like another start. But once you feel the adrenaline, feel the crowd, it’ll kind of kick in and it’ll be fun.”

• Via Michael Beschloss at the NY Times, "The Pitcher Time Forgot" - Dan Bankhead.
• An old friend alert:  Via Sports Illustrated, "Report: Kim Ng among Phillies’ top choices for general manager."
• Via Bodie Dykstra at the Daily Gammons, "Corey Seager: From Prospect to Postseason."

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Blog Kiosk: 8/27/2015 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

You gotta like the Dodgers recent offensive explosion at the plate.  Yesterday, they hit three home runs in the 4th inning to propel the team to a 5-0 lead over the Reds.  They would eventually win 7-4.  Photo above via @SportsNetLA on twitter.

Below are more links to check out:

• Via Nick Diunte at Baseball Happenings, "How Dan Bankhead nearly incited a riot during his MLB debut." 

“See, here’s what I always heard. Dan was scared to death that he was going to hit a white boy with a pitch,” Buck O’Neil said in Joe Posnanski’s, ‘The Soul of Baseball.’ “He thought there might be some sort of riot if he did it. Dan was from Alabama just like your father. But Satchel became a man of the world. Dan was always from Alabama, you know what I mean? He heard all those people calling him names, making those threats, and he was scared. He’d seen black men get lynched.” 

• Rob Arthur at FiveThirtyEight takes a look at, "The Happiest And Saddest Fans In Baseball."  Basically, everyone starts out happy and optimistic, but that quickly devolves into fear and angst as the season winds down.
• Some prospect news.  Via David Hood at True Blue LA, "Alex Verdugo hits for the cycle in Quakes Romp."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Los Angeles Dodgers beginning to find some bullpen solutions."

"You try to stay with those guys, knowing they have the stuff," Mattingly said. "We have some youth, but we also have a couple guys who are capable of getting hot, and that's really what we need -- for a couple guys to really get hot and allow us to put some combinations out there."

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Ellis taking hot bat back to bench."

"My bad habit is when I have free time, I tinker, tinker, tinker to make my swing the best I can," said Ellis. "The problem with that is that I'm in between swings every time I go to the plate. I made the decision to make it simple, and I feel I really took off."

• Congratulations to LA King broadcaster Jim Fox!  Via Jon Rosen at the LA Kings Insider, "Jim Fox to be inducted into the SCSB Hall of Fame."

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Blog Kiosk: 12/2/2014 - Dodger Links - Siesta Please, Arbitration and Donnie had a Baby

Sometimes you just need a break. A break from the hard work you've put in to prepare for a long season.  A break from drudgery of everyday life.  Heck, I know I need a break from the incessant 'hot stove' filled with inane rumors and speculation.  Will someone please put a stop to it all!  Why do we have to go through all of this year after year?

But I digress.  Featured above is a ACME press photo I ran into on eBay recently that I just needed to share.  Check out that auction here.  It is dated 2/26/1951 and was taken on the practice fields of Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.  Below is what is written in the caption attached to the reverse:

SHUT-EYE DREAM OF SHUT OUTS 

Vero Beach, Fla.: After a tough morning's workout and a hearty lunch, there's nothing like a little snooze.  And taking full advantage of a two-hour rest period, Brooklyn Dodgers' hurler Dan Bankhead covers his eyes with his cap and starts his siesta in the "pepper pot", a contraption used by pitchers during practice.  The Dodgers are going through spring training at Vero Beach, Fla.

At first I thought Dankhead was resting on a futon-type bed, but now I read that it's a tool used by pitchers called a "pepper pot."  What the heck is that?  How in the world could that thing help a pitcher?  I need to know.  Can anyone out there help me?

In the meantime, below are some links to check out:

• Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times, "Arbitration deadline to force Dodgers' decision on A.J. Ellis' return."  Don't worry.  I absolutely expect the Dodgers to keep AJ Ellis.  I also expect that Dee Gordon, Kenley Jansen, Juan Nicasio and Justin Turner will be tendered contracts by this evening.  I believe that Darwin Barney and Drew Butera are on the cusp.
• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "The Dodgers’ biggest December deals of the 2000s."
• Don Mattingly has just had a baby, via @Dodgers on twitter.  Congrats, Donnie!

Congrats to Don and Lori Mattingly on the birth of son Louis Riley Mattingly, who now shares Vin Scully’s November 29 birthday.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) December 1, 2014

• On Wednesday Topps will be releasing their Tek Baseball card set and Chris Olds at Beckett has a bunch of preview pics.  Check out the Sandy Koufax and Yasiel Puig autographed cards below.

• Via John Thorn at Our Game writes, "Baseball’s Wright Brothers and the Cincinnati Red Stockings."  Thorn is the official MLB historian. 

More than thirty years before a pair of brothers named Wright made aviation history, another Wright duo was instrumental in changing baseball from a social-club pastime to a professional game. Baseball’s Wright brothers were George and Harry, cricket players who saw the future in the American game.

• Panini America shared a bunch of preview pics of their upcoming 2014 USA Baseball box set.  Check that out here. 

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Thinking About Former Dodger Dan Bankhead - a 1952 Frostade Baseball Card on Auction

I came across the above card of former Dodger Dan Bankhead and immediately felt compelled to write about him because his career has pertinence today. 

He originally came up to the Dodgers in 1947, just a few months after Jackie, as a pitcher out of the bullpen.  Thus, he became the first African-American pitcher in the Major Leagues.  The above card is a 1952 Parkhurst Frostade card (an Canadian issue) of Bankhead and it is currently available at Greg Bussineau Auctions.  As you can see, he is wearing a Montreal Royals uniform.

Dan Bankhead is a Dodger often forgotten by fans.  He was born into a Baseball family that saw all five sons play in the Negro Leagues.  The oldest brother, Sam, was probably the best of the bunch.  He was named to nine East-West All-Star Teams, played on twenty-five championship teams and became the first African-American coach in the Minor Leagues.  Noted teammates of his included Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

Middle brother Dan had a strong career in the Negro Leagues, as well.  He played for elite clubs like the Birmingham Black Barons, Chicago American Giants and the Memphis Red Sox, and pitched in three East-West All-Star games.  It is said that he threw a 95-mph fastball, a big curve and a screwball, and was one the best hitting pitchers in the game.  He was also known to be a bit wild on the mound, so control was his kryptonite.

Late in the 1947 season the Dodgers came calling.  They were short on pitching, as a result of trading a pitcher who refused to play with Jackie Robinson - Kirbe Higbe, and scouted the Negro Leagues for a replacement.  So, in late August they came to Memphis and witnessed Dan strike out 11 batters for a victory.  At that point, they decided they had their man and immediately purchased his rights.

The Dodgers sent him straight to Brooklyn, bypassing the minor leagues, and had him pitch his first Major League game on August 26, 1947.  The "can't miss" prospect got shellacked.  He came into the game in relief of Hal Gregg, who himself had been hit hard, and proceeded to give up 8 runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings of play.  The only good thing about his appearance was that he hit a 2-run home run against Pirates pitcher Fritz Ostermueller in his very first Major League at-bat.

Bankhead pitched better in his remaining three appearances that season, and even appeared in the subsequent World Series that Fall as a pinch runner.  The following two years, though, he was sent to pitch in the Minors; in both Nashua and St. Paul.  In 1950, he found himself back in Brooklyn after a hugely successful year in St. Paul (going 20-6, a 2.35 ERA and league-leading 243 strikeouts).  Unfortunately, he struggled with the team.  He continued to bounce around the Dodgers system a few more years until shoulder problems finally did him in.  Then, he retooled and became an outfielder in the Mexican League.  He would retire from the game in 1966 at the age of 46.

As with any hot prospect who doesn't make good, it's hard to know what exactly made him so ineffective in the Major Leagues.  Maybe the breaks didn't go his way, the pressure was too great or an injury (a shoulder in Bankhead's case) was the real culprit.  Or maybe, it's as simple as it wasn't meant to be.  Whatever the case, Dan Bankhead is a reminder that not every top prospect (make no mistake that Dan was considered a "can't miss".) is destined for stardom.  Sometimes, no oftentimes, it is just the case of our eyes being larger than our stomach.  The case of Dan Bankhead reminds me that we shouldn't be so headstrong about our current prospects.

For a great biography on Dan Bankhead check out Rory Costello's piece at the SABR biography project.  Also, Dr. Layton Revel and Luis Munoz wrote an exhaustive 40+ page paper for the Center for Negro League Baseball Research on the career of his brother, Sam Bankhead, that is worth a read, as well.  Check that out here.

Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:

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Dodgers Vintage Memorabilia at REA Auctions - The Oddball Stuff

This is my final post featuring Dodger memorabilia that can be found in REA's Spring auction.  Go here to take a look at my past post on this auction.  Below, I feature some of the more oddball Dodger collectibles.

This first item is entirely new to me.  It is a complete set of ten wrappers from a 1948 Blony Bubble Gum series entitled "Roger the Rookie Dodger."  It's a long lost Bowman issue.  From the auction description:

This set features baseball lessons presented by the 1948 Brooklyn Dodgers spring-training staff and Manager Leo Durocher presented in "comic book form" printed directly on the wrappers... Blony Bubble Gum was the primary brand of gum used by Bowman with their early trading cards, similar to the Bazooka brand utilized by Topps (interestingly, for two decades after it purchased Bowman in 1956, Topps continued to use Blony and Bazooka simultaneously). We have known about this very set for decades but it has never been documented in books (including The Standard Catalog) let alone checklisted, and we can find no record of the set having actually been issued. The idea that the set was never issued is consistent both with its extreme rarity and with the fact that these large wax wrappers (each are 7 x 12 inches) are perfectly flat "proof" wrappers that have obviously never been wrapped around gum as intended.

(Auction Link)

Below are a couple of great vintage Dodger postcards.  At top is an advertising postcard for Bowman's Cocktail Lounge in New York.  Featured are Roy Campanella, Dan Bankhead, Don Newcombe, and Jackie Robinson with Lawson Bowman.  Below that is a business postcard for Roy Campanella's Wine and Liquors in New York City. 

(Auction Link)

The clubhouse sign below hung at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida, circa 1960's. 

(Auction Link)

Below is a 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers Tour of Japan Airplane Bag and money purse.

This might be the best item of all.  Below is a circa 1950's Ebbets Field usher/vendor's cap and badge (pin). 

(Auction Link)

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