Blog Kiosk: 8/14/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

Look who got their awards last night -- Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger. Unfortunately, Cody has been struggling at the plate this season. Mookie, on the other hand, is heating up... big time! He celebrating yesterdays award ceremony by walloping three homers to tie a Major League record for three-homer games in a career at six (6) -- tying Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa.

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter. 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: 3/3/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

Check out this fantastic vintage press photo (eBay auction) from the Houston Post featuring (from L-R) Billy Cox, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson being filmed by the media. It is dated to September 23, 1958 on the reverse, but that can't be right. The Dodgers were in Brooklyn that day to play the Cardinals, and I'm fairly certain the Dodgers spring home in Vero Beach is in the background. Additionally, Billy Cox last season as a Dodgers was in 1954, so clearly this is a photograph taken many years before finally being archived by the Houston Post.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1872 future Hall of fame Dodger Wee Willie Keeler is born in Brooklyn, New York. He would play five season for the Dodgers -- slashing a remarkable .352/.389/.425/.815. Overall, he batted over .300 16 times and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1987 the legendary entertainer and creator of The D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song, Danny Kaye, dies of heart failure. He was 74-years old. Go ahead and sing along to his famous ditty here. In 1988 the famous incident between Kirk Gibson, a newly signed free agent outfielder, and reliever Jesse Orosco occurs in Vero Beach. Orosco was a well known practical joker, but his barb against Gibson caused an uproar. He put eyeblack in Gibby's cap, so Kirk walked out of training camp while excoriating the club for not taking their job seriously. This incident would be heralded as an important moment for the soon-to-be championship club. 
• Happy Birthday, John Ward, Wee Willie Keeler, Ed Phelps, Joe Koukalik, Bert Griffith, Scott Radinsky & Matt Treanor!

2019 Topps Gallery - All the Dodger Cards

Last week saw the release Topps newest Walmart exclusive Baseball card brand -- 2019 Topps Gallery. As the name suggest, it featured ballplayers in artistically drawn portraits. Go here for a complete checklist.

There are 200 base cards, of which eight are Dodgers' -- including four short-printed cards. As with any set featuring drawings, the portraits are hit or miss. The Clayton Kershaw card below is clearly very well done. The cards of Walker Buehler and Dennis Santana, less so. There is one card, though that would rank as one of the ugliest things I've seen in awhile -- rivaling the 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions card of Ron Cey (link here). To see what I mean go to the bottom of this post and check out the 'Master & Apprentice' insert card of Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw. It's not pretty.

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#3 Clayton Kershaw

#103 Will Smith              #107 Max Muncy

Blog Kiosk: 9/27/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Yesterday was "Costume Travel Day" for the Dodgers. Heck, everyone who boarded the plane, including travelling staff, had to join in on the fun.

If I can find the time, I will make a bunch of fantasy baseball cards of them in costume.

On another note, the Dodgers, on the back of Kershaw's six innings of scoreless two-hit ball, defeated the Padres, 1-0, last night. This was his last outing of the season. Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

“You’re just building confidence,” said Kershaw. “No matter how long you play this game, you struggle and your confidence will go here and there at times. Today, just went in with the mindset to be super aggressive and keep going and don’t worry about all the stuff that’s happened. The results are better today, for sure. 

“If I had pitched bad today, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it wouldn’t have been fun going into the postseason knowing I had struggled. It’s definitely good to get some momentum and confidence going and realize the pitches I need to make are still in there. It was good, for sure.”

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1936 future Dodger Hall of Fame skipper Walter Alston played in his only Major League game. It was as an 24-year old first baseman for the Cardinals, and he got into the game as a late-inning substitution for Johnny Mize. He would commit an error on the field in two chances, and only get a single at-bat -- he struck out. In 1951 future basketball Hall of Famer Bill Sharman was on the bench for the Dodgers as a 25-year old prospect. On this day he would be thrown out of the game, along with 14 other teammates, for "bench-jockeying" after a close play at home. He would never get a chance to play a Major League game, and thus became the only player to be ejected from a game without ever appearing in one. In 1961 Sandy Koufax recorded seven strikeouts against the Phillies to set a new National League record for strikeouts in a season at 269. The mark was previously held by Giants hurler Christy Mathewson who set it in 1903 with 267 strikeouts. In 2000 the Team USA Baseball club, skippered by Tommy Lasorda, beat the Cuban ballclub to win the gold medal in the Olympics.
• Happy Birthday, Joe Visner, Doug Baird, Whit Wyatt, Len Matuszek, Jason Phillips, Vicente Padilla & Jon Garland!

2019 Topps Total - Wave 6 - All the Dodger Cards

The sixth wave of 2019 Topps Total cards are now available. Go here for a complete checklist. Once again there are three Dodgers' available in this 100-card set -- Rookie catcher Will Smith, reliever Dennis Santana and Ross Stripling. Check them out below.

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#504 Will Smith

#579 Dennis Santana            #589 Ross Stripling

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2019 Topps Chrome -- All the Dodger Cards

Here's a look at most of the Dodger cards found in packs of 2019 Topps Chrome. Go here for a complete checklist. As always, this brand is a super-shiny (chromium) version of their flagship brand. Five Dodgers can be found in the base set, and there's a small number of Dodger insert cards available.

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#32 Max Muncy

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

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.

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Diamond Kings

#26 Max Muncy

Blog Kiosk: 7/10/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Check out our All-Stars. Although the National League didn't come out on top, I think it's clear that fun was had by all.

I also made a couple of Joc Pederson Home Run Derby fantasy custom cards. Check those out below.

Photo above via Jon SooHoo at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1953 the Dodgers collectively hit a home run in 24 consecutive ballgames. This day's homer was hit by Roy Campanella against Giants pitcher Sal "The Barber" Maglie. Unfortunately, that would be the only run Brooklyn scores. They would lose 6-1. In 1971 the Dodgers signed future Hall of Fame reliever Hoyt Wilhelm. He would retire a year later at the age of 49. As a Dodger he got into 25 games, recorded four saves, a 1.047 WHIP and an 3.14 ERA. Not too bad for a guy in his middle-ages.
• Happy Birthday, Scott Alexander, Larry Burright & Bob Bailor!

2019 Topps Stadium Club - All the Dodger Insert Cards

Here's a final look at the Dodger inserts found in packs of 2019 Topps Stadium Club packs.

Base Autographs

#SCA-DSA Dennis Santana              #SCA-MMU Max Muncy

2019 Topps Series 2 Flaship Set -- Some Inserts and Silver Pack Promos

Yesterday, we took a look at all of the Dodger base cards found in the second series of Topps flagship baseball cards set. Now, we can check out some of the inserts that are available.

First, though let's take a peek at the Silver Pack promotion. Like last year, collectors can go to your local participating card shop and receive a free 'Silver Pack' when purchasing a Series Two hobby box. These limited edition packs feature exclusive 1984 Chrome cards with a chromium "Mojo" finish. Go here for more information. Directly below are the two Dodgers' available -- Clayton Kershaw and Cody Bellinger.

Below those cards are the '150 Years of Baseball', 'Home Run Challenge Code', '1984 Baseball Rookies', '1984 Autographs' and 'Legacy of Baseball Autographed' cards.

2019 Topps Baseball Silver Pack 

1984 Chrome Promo Cards Series 2

Base Set

#T84-1 Clayton Kershaw         #T84-23 Cody Bellinger

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'.

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#16 Justin Turner                #18 A.J. Pollock

2019 Topps Tier One - All the Dodger Cards

Topps high-end brand, Tier One, was released last week, and I've got a bunch of pics to share with you. As you know, this set includes only hits - autographs and relics. So, there are no base cards to chase after. Each box will cost about $100 and you get three cards per box - two autographs and a relic card. Go here for a complete checklist.

Many of the relic and relic/autograph combo cards come with either one, two or three relic pieces embedded within it -- with the three relic piece being a "1 of 1" card. Check out as many of the Dodger cards I could find below.

Autographed Tier One Relics

#T1ATR-CT Chris Taylor

Blog Kiosk: 4/15/2019 - Dodgers Links - Happy Jackie Robinson Day!

Chicken Strip was fantastic yesterday afternoon - halting a Dodgers' six game slide that saw them lose their early season lead in the Western Division. Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:

In the longest outing of Stripling’s Major League career, he needed only 88 pitches to get through eight innings of work Sunday afternoon in a 7–1 win to stop the skid. 

“Just the way that he and Austin (Barnes) were in sync today was as good as I’ve seen any pitcher-catcher combo,” said manager Dave Roberts.

Photo above Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers 2019 at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1909, Opening Day, the Brooklyn Superbas were no-hit by Red Ames of the Giants at the Polo Grounds for nine innings, but eventually prevailed to defeat the crosstown rival in the 13th inning, 3-0. On a side note, the Giants outfield recorded no putouts and the Superbas winning pitcher was Kaiser Wilhelm. In 1915 the Brooklyn Robins are no-hit by future Hall of Famer Rube Marquard of the Giants at the Polo Grounds, 2-0.  In 1947 Jackie Robinson makes his Major League debut at Ebbets Field. He would go 0-for-3, but would also score the go ahead run in the seventh inning after reaching base on an error during a sacrifice bunt. The Dodgers won the game 5-3. In 1958 the Dodgers and Giants play their first major league game on the West Coast. Unfortunately, Ruben Gomez of the Giants blanked the Dodgers at Seals Stadium in San Francisco, 8-0.
• Happy Birthday, Hub Collins, Jack Sheehan, Ted Sizemore, Willie Davis, Jeremy Burnitz & Milton Bradley!

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."

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#7 Walter Alston

2019 Topps Inception - All the Dodger Cards

The Topps Inception brand can now officially be found on hobby shop shelves. There are only a handful of Dodgers' available -- including just three ballplayers in the base set and only two autographed insert cards. Check them all out below. Go here for a complete checklist.

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#11 Clayton Kershaw

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: 3/4/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Clayton and son spent part of this weekend playing ball. Adorable!

Pic above via Dodgers on twitter. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1912 Charles Ebbets breaks ground on his new ballpark in the Pigtown section of Brooklyn. It was origianlly named Washington Park, but will be renamed Ebbets Field. In 1984 Pee Wee Reese is elected into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. In 2009 the Dodgers re-signed outfielder Manny Ramirez to a two-year $45 million contract.
• Happy Birthday, Jim Korwan, Jeff Pfeffer, Johnny Enzmann, Dazzy Vance, Lefty O'Doul, Bill Hart, Leron Lee, Giovanni Carrara, Bruce Aven, Hiram Bocachica, Sergio Romo & Rubby De La Rosa!