Blog Kiosk: 3/31/2015 - Dodger Links - MLB15, Gypsy Queen and Yasiel Puig

Guess what officially came out last night. 

MLB 15 is now available in stores and Yasiel Puig was one of the first to get a copy.  He tweeted out the above photo about an hour before the official midnight release.  BTW, Yasiel Puig and Dodger Stadium are featured prominently in the intro to the game.  Check it out directly below.

Video Link:

Below are some links to check out:

• The Dodger Blogger Softball Tournament is scheduled for April 11th, and there are still spots open for those who want to hit the diamond.  Go here for information.  Unfortunately, I will not be attending.  I do want to point out that the fellow putting it all together at Left Field Pavilion blog, in benefit of the Los Angeles Mission, is doing yeoman's work.
• Via u/Snaaaaaaaaaake on Reddit, "How to be a dodger fan in 42 easy steps."

42.  This is, the final step. You ready? Cut yourself (metaphorically). See what color you bleed. By now you should bleed dodger blue. It serves as a reminder, both good days and bad, that we're all a dodger inside.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Growing up: Puig now letting play do talking."

Via Don Mattingly: "I think it's just part of his maturity as a player. Last year was his first full season in the big leagues, and he's still very young [24]. All we look for is him to get a little better every year."

• Famed Baseball artist Monty Sheldon shared some of the original artwork he created for Topps' 2015 Gypsy Queen set on his Facebook.  Check them out here.  On the right is an Yasiel Puig art/relic card he made that can be found in packs.  (Hat Tip: Sports Card Info)  BTW, I had the pleasure of interviewing Monty Sheldon for this blog a couple of years ago.  You can check that out here.

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MLB15 Video: Puig Says Sorry for Not Playing the Game Right

MLB 15 is around the corner, so why not release another promotional video featuring cover boy Yasiel Puig.  Watch it below. 

This time we get a more personal look at the man... The myth... The legend.  He speaks a bit about Cuba and the family and friends he left behind.  Even more interestingly, he apologizes to the critics who are irked by him - for whatever reason.  Puig says:

To the people who say, I'm not playing the game the right way...

All I can tell them is...

I'm Sorry...

I don't know how you want me to play Baseball...

This is the way that I play

This whole thing is a bit "tongue and cheek," so it's unlikely to assuage any of the furor that always seems to surround him. 

Watch the entire video below.

Video Link:

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The Adorable Puig Plays MLB15

Yeah, I said it.  Puig's adorable.

Adorable like a little lost puppy that I want to hug and take care of.  I want to make sure nobody every hurts him again 'cause he's too innocent and pure to be running around in an wilderness filled with fickle and often vindictive American sports fans.

Just check out the below video to see what I mean.  He shows up at about the 19 second (:19) mark in the MLB 15 The Show video below.  In it, he takes notice of the detail found on the equipment, namely his shoes, in the game.  Puig remarks:

"That's my shoes."

In the most boyish way possible.

Video Link:

As you may know, MLB 15 officially comes out on March 31st.  Go here for more information at the Baseball is Better website.  And if the above video doesn't provide enough Puig and MLB 15 for you then check out the newly released video of Puig playing more of the game below.  It is a "Puig on Puig" video.

Video Link:

In the above video Puig shows his sense of humor when he mentions that his digital self hits the cutoff man.

BTW, if you're wondering about the ratings placed on the Dodger players check out the graphic below.  Operation Sports has player rating for each team here.

(Top rated Dodgers in game, via Operation Sports)

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Yasiel Puig is a PlayStation Hero - Now you can Play Against Puig

Yasiel Puig is one of the most gifted ballplayers in the game.  He's an All Star outfielder, a potential MVP candidate and an fan favorite throughout the league.  Puig is also an active gamer, and will soon grace the cover of this seasons MLB15 video game.  So, it shouldn't be a surprise that he has been tapped to join Sony as a PlayStation Hero.

What exactly is a PlayStation Hero, you ask?

Per the PlayStation blog:

Hi PlayStation Nation! I’m extremely excited to announce PlayStation HEROES, a brand new initiative that will give PS4 owners the chance to play celebrities and professional athletes in the games of their choosing, with nearly all funds raised going to charity. This is not a one-time event – gamers will get the chance to challenge celebs every month.

Winners will play some of the biggest PS4 games with cultural icons from the sports and entertainment worlds, online via PlayStation Network and in person. Here’s how it works: PS4 owners will purchase and download digital themes and other items via an official PlayStation HEROES app, with each dollar spent providing you with a sweepstakes entry to win one of the celebrity gaming sessions. Ninety percent of the purchase price of those items will help aid some amazing charitable organizations including Make-A-Wish, The USO and The V Foundation for Cancer Research. To celebrate PlayStation HEROES and kick start our support for these incredible causes, we’re donating $100,000 to each charity.

That sounds like a great program, and for a lucky few a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

I can't imagine how fun it would be to play Puig in MLB15.  I wonder if he'd let me be the Dodgers.

Anyway, this evening Sony kicked off this new program with a star-studded event in New York City during NBA All Star weekend, and Yasiel Puig is in attendance to meet a cartoon version of himself.  After all, you can't be a video game hero unless you are animated.  Check him out in the below photo.

Yup, that's him as an robotic-armed superhero.  Best yet, Sony has a fun cartoon of PlayStation Hero Yasiel Puig and his fellow cohorts - Stephen Curry, Snoop Dog and Shaun White.  Watch it below.

BTW, the app will be available for download on the PS4 on February 24th, but you can pre-order starting today.

Video Link:

Photo at the very top via Puig's instagram.

Yasiel Puig on stage at the #PlayStationHeroes event in #NYC pic.twitter.com/OyyiV8xsCQ
— Gamers in Beta (@GamersInBeta) February 13, 2015

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Gameplay and Behind the Scenes with Puig for MLB 15

As you've surely heard, Yasiel Puig will be on the cover of Sony's MLB 15: The Show video game (check out the cover photo below).  He is the first Dodger to ever make the cover and is likely the most controversial ever.  Fans throughout the league either love him or hate him, and I think it's fair to say there is no in between.  Regardless, I suspect there'll be some cool features in this game; including some fantastic 'bat flips' to entertain the gamer (especially since that has become a Puig staple).

The game is slated to be released on March 31, 2015, so we have a long time to wait til it can be played.  In the meantime, Sony released a couple of videos to wet our appetite.  There is a 'behind the scenes' video for the making of the box cover and a short gameplay video featuring Puig launching a home run against our greatest foe.  Check them out below.

Behind the Scenes

Video Link:

Gameplay

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 12/6/2014 - Dodger Links - Puig on the Cover of MLB15

Guess who will be on the cover of MLB 15?  Yasiel Puig is the king of the league.  Graphic above via @MLBTheShow on twitter.

I couldn't think of a more appropriate player to grace the cover of the newest edition of MLB The Show.  Afterall, the man is one of the more exciting players in the league and he even enjoys playing the game.  As you'll recall, earlier this year he challeneged Hunter Pence to a friendly game at IGN Studios and he whooped some butt.  Check out my previous post about it here.  You can also watch it below.

Video Link:

Below are some links to check out:

• FYI, Fernando Valenzuela will receive the Othli Award from Carlos Manuel Sada, Consulate General of Mexico, this afternoon at Rio de Los Angeles State Park as a part of Copa IME Becas.  The award recognizes those who have had a significant impact on the lives of the Mexican community and is awarded by the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (IME), an agency of the Mexican government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Copa IME Becas is a free community festival that started at 8:00 AM, and Valenzuela will be on hand at noon.
• Listen to Dodger GM Farhan Zaidi on AM570 with Bill Reiter and friends on LA Today that was recorded yesterday, here.
• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Dodgers claim catcher Ryan Lavarnway from Red Sox, designate Drew Butera for assignment."  If Butera clears waivers it's likely he stays within the Dodger system.  A Dodger press release can be found here.

Lavarnway, who went to El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills and then Yale, had a .389 on-base percentage and .370 slugging percentage in 62 games with Pawtucket in 2014, while battling a strained left wrist. His best minor league season was 2011, when he hit 32 homers, and he has a career .283/.375/.479 line in the minors.

Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest writes a great analysis on Lavarnway, and it ain't pretty.

• Jayson Stark at ESPN has the best take yet on the circus of Matt Kemp rumors circulating throughout social media.  Check that out here.

Here's one final prediction for you: The Dodgers will trade an outfielder this winter. Maybe more than one. But while they're talking about Kemp with the Orioles, Mariners, Padres and others, dealing Kemp is the option they're least interested in -- basically, their "Uh-Oh, We Can't Move Anybody Else So We'd Better Move Him" plan.

• Via David Hood at True Blue LA, "Dodgers top prospects 2015: Brandon Dixon, No. 18."

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