Blog Kiosk: 1/4/2016 - Dodgers Links - Puig, Ryu, O'Malley and Adrian Gonzalez

Spring training in New York.

During WWII it was thought unwise to hold spring camp anywhere near the eastern coast.  After all, German U-boats where known to hug the American coastline in an attempt at disrupting supply lines to the European front.  So, the Dodgers spent several March's in Bear Mountain, NY.

Featured above is an International News press photo, dated March 20, 1945, of seven members of the Brooklyn Dodger pitching staff showing off their follow-through at the preseason facility.  (eBay Auction Link)  Per the descriptor on the reverse:

DODGERS PITCHING STAFF.  Bear Mountains, N.Y.....Photographed at the Dodgers spring training camp at Bear Mountains, is team's pitching staff.  (l. to r.) Joe Belmaier, Vic Lombardi (only southpaw in the camp of pitchers), Hal Gregg, Curt Davis, Fred Wells, Otho Nitcholos, and Ben Chapman.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History:  In 1957 the Dodgers, Walter O'Malley, purchased a 44-passenger twin engine airplane for $775,000.  They would be the first team to own their own plane.  In 1977 the Dodgers received catcher Johnny Oats from the Phillies in exchange for infielder Ted Sizemore.  In 2001 the Dodgers signed free agent reliever Giovanni Carrara.  In 2006 the Dodgers received Tim Hamulack and Jae Weong Seo from the Mets in exchange for Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll.
• Happy Birthday, Tommy Corcoran, Bart Shirley, Charlie Manuel & Ted Lilly!

Blog Kiosk: 1/3/2016 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

I just can't wait for Baseball to get started.  We are a mere few weeks away from the beginning of spring training, and soon thereafter Opening Day will be here.  While we wait join me in taking a look at the above fantastic in-game-action AP Wirephoto, dated July 22, 1954, featuring a sliding Bob Borkowski of the Reds being tagged out by Roy Campanella.  (eBay Auction Link)

On the play Reds second baseman Johnny Temple hit a grounder to shortstop Pee wee Reese, who unfortunately booted the ball.  Borkowski, standing at second base at the time, tried to take advantage of the miscue and rounded third for home.  Jim Gilliam, who was the kind of guy who never missed a play, dutifully picked up the errant ball and threw a strike to home to record the third out of the inning.  The Dodgers would maintain a one run lead in the game, and eventually win it, 8-5.  BTW, Hall of Fame umpire Jocko Conlon is in the background calling the out.  Also, this photograph was originally a part of the George Michael Collection of Baseball sliding press photos.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History:  In 2006 the Dodgers signed free agent starting pitcher Brett Tomko to a two year/$8.7 million contract.
• Happy Birthday, Frenchy Bordagaray & Chris Van Cuyk!

The Daryl Spencer 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet

Here is another post featuring the 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet set.  Go here to see my past post showcasing this set; including complete scans of both the Vin Scully/Jerry Doggett and Sandy Koufax booklets.  This time I share the Daryl Spencer Booklet.

Daryl Spencer was a reliable defensive player who was known for hitting in the clutch, but did you know that he also contributed to changing the game in Japan?  From an excellent biography at the SABR project by Bob Rives:

"When I first went over there, I learned you couldn't tell them how to do things. You had to show them and prove it. They wouldn't even try to break up a double play at second base. They'd usually take a right turn when they got close to second on a potential double play grounder. That really irritated me.

"We're playing one day, the score is 0-0 and it's the bottom of the eighth. They walked me to get to our clean-up hitter and I told Gordon Windhorn, my teammate who is on second, "If this batter hits a groundball, don"t stop on third. I'm gonna take out the guy at second."

"Two pitches later he hits a ball to short, they threw it to second and I knock the second baseman down pretty good and he drops the ball. Windhorn comes around and scores. They call a time-out and argued for 30 minutes. In Japan it was customary for the umpires to get together and make a joint decision. They finally decided there was nothing illegal about my slide and we won the game 1-0.

"The next day, one of our guys slides and knocks down the second baseman and all of sudden the whole style of play is changed in Japan.

"Then I knocked down a catcher a few days later and won a ballgame and our guys started sliding like that. Even with all the home runs I hit, I'm more famous in Japan for my sliding," he remembers.

Below are complete scans of every page from Daryl Spencer's 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet.  Click any pic to embiggen. 

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