Check Out This New Vin Scully Card - From the 2017 National Sports Collectors Convention

This past weekend was the 38th annual National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, and as collectors know it's an event that features numerous promos and giveaways. Fans flock to the booths run by Topps, Panini and Upper Deck in order to open up limited edition packs filled with exclusive cards, relics and autographs. Collectors also signed up for a special VIP passes that not only provided free autographs, but also a handful of promo cards to take home. One of those promo's is shown here.

Blog Kiosk: 6/29/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

You gotta admit, last nights game was incredible. Sure, the Dodgers ended up on the short end of the stick, but that's okay. Next time we'll be the folks that are laughing. Per Maria Guardado and Joshua Thornton at MLB.com:

"Speed kills. That's the game of a baseball, and that's what happened tonight." -- Revere

"We haven't lost games like that. Unfortunately, things like that are going to happen. The kid, Meyer, competed. Really couldn't put anything together. That's a tough way to lose." -- Roberts

I would say that that was a fun way to lose. Last night was just a case of "Baseball being Baseball". BTW, Pantone 294 once again made their presence known in another stadium. This time they took over Angels Stadium, as evidenced by the photo on the right by Jon SooHoo.

Photos above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2017. Go here to check out more pics by Jon from yesterdays game. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1990 Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the Cardinals, 6-0, at Dodger Stadium.  With 119 pitches he struck out seven and walked three.  Also, on this same night, former Dodgers starter Dave Stewart threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays; thereby marking the first time in modern Baseball history that two no-hitters were thrown on the same day.  Via Tommy Lasorda, at the time: 

"And it couldn't have happened to a tougher, more competitive guy," Lasorda said. "You look at Fernando and he has done everything in his career except a no-hitter. And now . . . this."

In 1995 Hideo Nomo struck out thirteen Rockies to give him a then team record of 50 strike outs in four consecutive starts. In 1996 Mike Piazza hit three home runs against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.  He becomes the fifth Dodger to hit three homers in a game. In 2012 the Dodgers signed amateur free agent Yasiel Puig.

• Happy Birthday, Wilbert "Uncle Robbie" Robinson, Farmer Steelman, Bobby Morgan, Rick Honeycutt & Pedro Guerrero!

Even More Yasiel Puig Leaf Promo Cards for The National

How big is Yasiel Puig to the card hobby?

Well, at the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago he will not only be one of the more sought after VIP promotional giveaways for visitors, but he will also have his own redemption card set made by Leaf Trading Cards.

Via Susan Lulgjuraj at Beckett.com, fans wanting to open up packs of Leaf products at the Leaf booth will receive Leaf Bucks good for any number of different exclusive redemption items; including a 6-card Yasiel Puig set.  Check out Susan's story for more info about other items available and what products qualify.  Below are 5 of the cards from the 6-card Puig redemption set.  Above is the VIP Puig promo card that will be given to all VIP attendees.

As you can see, there is no Dodger logo on the card (Leaf does not have a MLB license) and they have his wrong uniform number.

UPDATE:  I've just discovered why Puig is wearing #57 instead of #66.  He has worn #66 as a Dodger since at least Spring Training this year, but wore #57 in 2012.  Check out this video of him during his professional debut as a member of the Arizona League Dodgers (rookie league) wearing #57.

BTW, the convention is from July 31st to August 4th, and the Dodgers will be in town playing the Cubs at that time.  So, if you're going to the show you can watch the Dodgers play by getting tickets from the Cubs, here. 

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 7/3/2013 - Dodgers Links -

Topps is releasing a new set called WBC Tribute today.  Check out the preview pic of a Adrian Gonzalez WBC patch card above, via twitter.

• The Kershaw's are good folk.  Check out Ellen Kershaw's great essay at Kershaw's Challenge about a girl name Hope entitled, "To our Dearest Hope".  

I built relationships with the same sweet group of girls for 4 years at camp. So when they climbed off the bus, each of them came sprinting across campgrounds and leapt into my arms. They weren’t afraid of me. They knew I was on their side, and that I fiercely loved each of them. I later found out that you had been sitting on the side of the road when the bus that was hauling kids to camp pulled over to pick you up. Never have I believed that was a coincidence. It was divine intervention, and the Lord’s will at work that would forever change my life.

• Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA writes, "Dodger legend Don Newcombe puts Yasiel Puig in great company".  He gets a great interview with Newcombe.
• The 9th annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Bowling Extravaganza will be hosted by A.J. Ellis and Josh Beckett this year.  It will take place on Monday, July 29th at Lucky Strike Lanes LA LIVE.  Get more information here.  Don Mattingly, Steve Yeager, Chris Capuano, Mark Ellis, Tim Federowicz, Stephen Fife, Adrian Gonzalez, J.P. Howell, Nick Punto, Paco Rodriguez and Scott Van Slyke will also be attending.

• I absolutely love the LA Kings mascot "Bailey" twitter account.  It's oftentimes hilarious, as Larry Brown Sports points out in "LA Kings mascot cautions Dodgers against Carlos Marmol trade".  Check it out here.
• For the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago Leaf Trading Cards will be giving out a 7-card VIP set that includes Yasiel Puig.  See at at right.  Via Sports Cards Info.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Joc Pederson, Zach Lee lead Chattanooga contingent on Southern League All-Star team".
• Good luck Cochito.  Eric at True Blue LA also tells us that Luis Cruz has refused the assignment to AAA and is now a free agent.
• Via ABC News, former Dodger Milton Bradley has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years for domestic abuse, and is currently out on appeal.  
• This is for the Jackie Robinson collector.  Baseball Pinback Button blog does a full post on every Jackie pin in the hobby. It includes many pins I was not aware of, as well as dates of issue.  awesome!
• Dodger Films shares the aftermath of the Ryu bat that flew into the crowd during the last homestand.  The kid is fine and they got some great gifts from the team.  Check out the video below.

Video Link:

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

The 10 Best Dodgers' Baseball Cards of 2012

As the year comes to a close it's only natural to put together a list of the "10 Best" - 10 best moments, 10 best plays, 10 best whatever.  So in keeping with this tradition, I wanted to share with all of you what I believe are the "10 Best Dodgers Cards of 2012."

It was fairly difficult to narrow it down to just 10, but I promise you won't be disappointed.  Let's start it off with #10 on my list. Click on any pic to embiggen.

#10

Topps started out the 2012 collecting season with what I thought was a bang.  Their 2012 Opening Day card set includes this great looking "Superstar Celebrations" card featuring an ecstatic Matt Kemp being surrounded by an equally excited Dodgers team after a walk-off win.  This card gets bonus points for featuring the "Boys in Powder Blue."
#9

I can never get enough of Jackie Robinson on cardboard; especially if the card features him in Minor League Blue.  Below is a promotional card of Jackie as a member of the Montreal Royals (a Dodger farm team at the time) on a 1952 Topps design.  This was given out to attendees at the 2012 National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore in August. 

#8

The Cuban sensation who was signed to a 7-year $42Mil deal before ever stepping on a professional ball field comes in at #8.  Leaf Trading Cards created 3 different cards for Puig in 2012, but their 2012 Leaf Memories that pays homage to the classic 1990 Leaf design is a big winner in my book, notwithstanding the lack of team logos.  I show both the signed and unsigned versions of the card below.

#552 Yasiel Puig / #AU-YP1 Yasiel Puig

#7

Excitement barely described how Angelenos felt about the blockbuster trade with the Red Sox at the end of the season.  We finally got a big bat at a position that has sorely missed it.  Below is his first Baseball card in Dodger Blue, and it is a part of the 2012 Topps Update set.  BTW, this is a short printed card, so it will run you from $100 to $200 for it.

US1 Adrian Gonzalez - Dodgers

#6

Duke Snider, oh how we have missed you.  Snider passed away in 2011, so it was nice to see him remembered in various Topps sets throughout the year.  The below 2012 Triple Threads relic/autographed insert card is a favorite of mine.

TTUAR-102 Duke Snider - Dodgers 

#5

Koufax!  Koufax!  Koufax!  You're not a Dodger fan if you don't love Sandy Koufax.  And if you were lucky enough to pull this "1 of 1" Five Star Jumbo relic book of Sandy then count yourself as extremely fortunate.  It comes with 2 Koufax signatures- 2 of them!

#AJRB-SK Sandy Koufax - Los Angeles Dodgers

#4

I admit to loving the Heritage brand of Topps cards, and the below card using the classic 1963 Topps design is just great.  It emulates a card that featured the "Dodgers' Big Three" pitchers of 1963, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres.  In the newest version it names the Dodgers' Big Three as Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw.

#412 Dodgers' Big Three

#3

After years of working through the Dodgers system, AJ Ellis finally got his shot with the Dodgers and didn't disappoint.  Heck, he quickly became a fan favorite.  So, I'm sure everyone was glad that Topps finally decided to reward him with his very first Baseball card.  It is in the 2012 Topps Update set.  Hilariously, he had to share his very first card with the likes of a violent mob.  Dee Gordon is in the midst of a choke hold while Andre Ethier and Justin Sellers go in for the kill. 

#US304 A.J. Ellis 

Even better is the fact that AJ Ellis commented about the card above on twitter.

(twitter link)

As a consolation, check out his other Topps card from the same set below.  It's an autographed card that he doesn't have to share with anyone.  BTW, this card is very affordable, and I would count it as a must have for any fan.

GMA-AE A.J. Ellis - Dodgers

#2

I know this card will elicit groans from the peanut gallery.  I can hear you now.  "Ned Colletti, really?"  Yes, I declare the 2012 Topps Update autographed insert card of Ned Colletti as the 2nd best Dodger card of 2012.  Deal with it.

Now, after looking at that smile can you really tell me that he is the least sexiest GM in Baseball?  Come on ladies, I want to hear from you.

AGM-NC Ned Colletti - Dodgers GM

#1

The best Dodger card of 2012 was a no brainer.  Panini's 2012 Cooperstown set is phenomenal, and the short-printed Vin Scully autographed card is gorgeous.  With only 100 copies available expect to pay several hundred dollars to add it to your collection.

#76 Vin Scully – Announcer /100

For those with limited funds - which likely includes all of us - the below "Voices of Summer" insert card from the same set should do just fine.  What a dapper looking young man.

#9 Vin Scully

Honorable Mention

I couldn't finish this list without making note of this very rare card.  It is a 2012 Topps 14 Karat Solid Gold "Golden Greats" card of Jackie Robinson.  It was pulled earlier this year by large case breaker BrentandBecca in a pack of 2012 Topps Series 1 Baseball.  They got a redemption card, turned it in, and received the card already graded in a BVG holder.  It's certainly a great card, but hardly "The Best" in my mind.  Although, you gotta love gold.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Rize Draft Baseball - Dodgers Cards - Yasiel Puig

There's a brand new card set in the hobby.  While doing some searching on eBay I ran across a card company I had never heard of.  They were a non-licenced kind of concoction with no team logos and a poorly crafted design.  Still, it focused on many up-'n-coming prospects; including Yasiel Puig, so I had to pay attention.

The card company is called Rize, and the set has been dubbed Rize Draft.  On the reverse it indicates Leaf Trading Cards as the manufacturer, so I naturally assumed it was one of their products.  As I read more about the cards on a forum thread on FCB, I realized my assumption was wrong.  Rize is a separate company who purchased a licence from Leaf and had them produce the cards on their behalf.  This actually caused a bit of confussion and controversy on the FCB thread, so Leaf President Brian Gray responded to collectors on the thread.  

The cards appear to only be available online, via eBay, from a handful of dealers.  It's likely that cards were sold directly to those sellers.  For the time being, there are no packs available, and no autographed cards - although, an advertising sheet I saw indicates that some autographs will be made.  Of note, these cards provide the only base cards available for many newly drafted prospects.  For instance, the only Yasiel Puig non-autographed base cards in the hobby are these cards.

See the Rize Draft Dodgers cards below (front and reverse).  Click on any pic to embiggen.

#67 Yasiel Puig

#79 Corey Seager

#90 Jesmuel Valentin

This is a part of a insert set called World Class.  Yasiel Puig is the only Dodger in the set.

Here is another insert card of Puig called Rize of the Prodigy.

This insert set is called Emergence and includes both Puig and Seager.

The card below clearly looks like it should be an autographed multi-card.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2012 Leaf Memories Baseball - Dodgers Cards - Piazza, Lasorda, Valenzuela, Puig and Seager

Leaf has gone Baseball card crazy the past several weeks.  Since the end of the 2012 Baseball season they have released a Metal Baseball Draft set and Valiant Baseball Draft set.  Now, they release probably their best set this year.  Just out in stores is 2012 Leaf Memories Baseball.  See a complete checklist here.

This set takes a look back at a once loved and revered Baseball card set- 1990 Leaf.  It uses the exact same design while also including foil stamped buyback cards from the original 1990 set.  Heck, they even put together a 70 player checklist of autographed buyback cards that were inserted into packs.  BTW, this is a very limited product.  Only 155 (10-box) cases were produced.  The base cards to the new set are numbered to only 99, the autographed base cards are numbered to 25, and the buybacks are numbered to 20  (with a couple of limited parallels added on).

Check out the Dodgers base cards below.  Every base card has a companion autographed version available.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

#544 Corey Seager / #AU-CS1 Corey Seager

#552 Yasiel Puig / #AU-YP1 Yasiel Puig

#567 Mike Piazza / #AU-MP1 Mike Piazza

#575 Tommy Lasorda/ #AU-TL1 Tommy Lasorda

Fernando Valenzuela is the only Dodger in the autographed buyback checklist.  As you can see, it has been embossed with silver foil and is numbered to only 34 copies- this corresponds to his uniform number.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *