Blog Kiosk: 1/28/2014 - Dodgers Links - Community Caravan, Dazzy Vance and Hugs all Around

How touching.  Good friends reunited.  Pic via @Dodgers on twitter.

• Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo shares a bunch of pics from the first day of the Dodger Community Caravan at Children's Hostipal Los Angeles (CHLA).  See a pic of Matt Kemp and Kenny Landreaux on the right.  Go here to see more.  Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider follows up with a great story, "As Matt Kemp knows, there are challenges, and then there are challenges".

“There’s a little bit of a backstory to it. I had a little brother, growing up — he was sick, he was always in the hospital and he later passed. Just coming to the hospital for me is pretty tough. The smell of a hospital reminds me of my little brother. Coming to see some of these kids, hooked up to these machines, it just takes me back. It’s definitely tough just to come here and see some of this stuff. But it’s what I guess I was born to do, and it’s nice to do and puts everything in perspective.”

• Mark Saxon at ESPN asks five questions about the Dodgers' bullpen.
• Eephus Blue has just finished up a great new t-shirt design focused on AJ Ellis and Clayton Kershaw as Calvin & Hobbes inspired characters.  It's awesome, and I suggest going here to check it out. 
• Via Chad Dotson at Hardball Times, "The improbable career of Dazzy Vance".  He was a former Brooklyn Dodger who came out of nowhere to be a successful pitcher in his 30's.

As Bill James noted in his Historical Baseball Abstract, no one knows the exact procedure performed by this random New Orleans doctor. James speculated that bone chips and debris were cleared out of the elbow. Whatever the doctor did, the pain was gone and Vance could suddenly throw hard again.

• Please send along your prayers and best wished to Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley.  Her husband will be having heart surgery in a couple of weeks, per her twitter @NancyBea.
• Via Josh Tucker at Dodger Insider, "Vin Scully, Clayton Kershaw reap awards from Southern California Sports Broadcasters".
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Steve Garvey has jersey retired at Michigan State on Sunday".
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "MLB Urban Youth Academy to launch Black History Month activities".

In recognition of Black History Month, the second annual Compton Community Day will be celebrated Saturday, February 1 at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, featuring dignitaries representing Major League Baseball and the City of Compton. 

• David Laurila at FanGraphs has a Q&A with Hall of Famer Tom Glavine.
• Ryan G at Chaos and Kanji recently visited the Japan Hall of Fame and shares a bunch of pics to prove it.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 1/13/2014 - Dodgers Links - Dodgers are Finalist for Tanaka

They are in the midst of preparing the Dodger Stadium field for ice hockey.  Today, the NHL will arrive with their equipment in order to build the ice rink.  Pic via @Dodgers on twitter.

• Spring Training tickets are now on sale.  Go here.
• Via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew, "Yankees, Dodgers and Angels finalists to sign Masahiro Tanaka, according to report from Japan".
• Via Sarah at We're born again, there's new grass on the field writes, "The Dodgers and the knuckleball".
• Sports Card Info takes a look at the Jackie Robinson 1962 Hall of Fame Induction Press Pin.
• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Inside, "Bryan Cranston: Golden Globe winner, Dodger fan".

“I’m a big, big Dodger fan. Have been all my life. My first Dodger game I was 5 years old. It was 1961 at the Coliseum, and I loved going. Wally Moon was my favorite player back then because as a 5-year-old, the name ‘Moon, Wally Moon’ was so interesting. And the ‘Moon Shots’ he used to hit to left field. It was fantastic. And then I was here in 1962 when Dodger Stadium opened up. It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years.”

• Via Dustin Nosler at Fellin' Kinda Blue, "Dodgers need A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz to improve pitch-framing".  I disagree with the notion that advanced statistics guys are the reason for an emphasis on pitch framing.  That's just false.  The art of pitch framing has always been a key skill taught to catchers-particularly in the Dodgers organization.  It's just that stats guys are getting better at quantifying it.  As for our catchers needing to get better at it, I couldn't agree more.
• Via Jeffrey Bellone at Beyond th Boxscore, "How do Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux compare to Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale?"
• Phil Hecken at UniWatch interviews the man behind the twitter account @MLBCathedrals.
• He lives.  Via the Dodgers tumblr.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 1/10/2014 - Dodgers Links - A Puig FatHead, Piazza's and Ryu

Here's another artist conception of the new Bullpen Overlook area they are building at Dodger Stadium, pic via @Dodgers on twitter.

• Via Mike Petriello at FanGraphs, "Little Safety Net For Dodgers At Second Base".
• Josh Tucker at Dodgers Insider makes note that Carl Crawford will change his uniform number to #3.
• One of the very first Dodger Stadium promotional give-aways will be a Yasiel Puig FatHead that will be given out to kids on Sunday, April 6th.  Check out a pic of it on the right.  Go here to see the Dodgers promotional schedule.
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, CEO on Dodgers (Kasten) landing Tanaka: "I wouldn't predict it".
• Via Eno Sarris at FanGraphs, "Mike Piazza’s Greatness".
• Listen to ESPN Radio Show: Dodgers' President Stan Kasten joins Mark Willard & Ben Lyons to discuss Don Mattingly's contract extension, the Dodgers' intentions to re-sign Clayton Kershaw, and dealing with Yasiel Puig's off-the-field issues.  Listen here!  BTW, Puig has decided to stop driving!!!!
• Another Radio Interview, but this time on AM570 - This time with Don Mattingly - He joined Petros and Money to discuss Puig.  Listen here!

"Yasiel is going to have some expectations. The orginization can't let him just do whatever he wants and be a wildcard." He added, "We know he's a great player, we want him to be even better. The Dodgers are really intrigued in the community, they do a lot of good things in the community and we also want him to be a great example for the kids out there that are watching him play."

• Check out this past Wednesday's Dodger Talk with Kevin Kennedy and David Vassegh.  JP Howell comes on to speak with them.  Listen here!
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Hyun-jin Ryu heads back to LA, started training program early".
• Jon Rosen at LA Kings Insider reminds us that recently elected Hall of Famer Tom Glavine was once drafted by the LA Kings in the 4th Round in 1984 (he was also drafted by the Braves that year).  He was regarded as an outstanding centerman, and was named MVP of his high school hockey team in Massachusetts.  Rosen shares some great photos and has a video of Glavine playing in his one professional hockey game.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 1/9/2014 - Dodgers Links - the New 2014 Dodgers BP Jersey's, Colletti's Conference and the Fan Bobblehead Vote

Check out a pic of the new 2014 Dodgers batting practice jersey above, via Josh Tucker at Dodger Insider.  It pays homage to the BP jersey's the Dodgers wore from 1995 to 2002.

• Peter Gammons wonders if the Dodgers will retire #31, Mike Piazza's number.
• The Dodgers now have up their Fan Bobblehead Vote mechanism.  Go here to check it out.   There are four choices; Juan Uribe, Brian Wilson, AJ Ellis and Carl Crawford.  Sadly, longtime organist Nancy Bea Hefley is left out.  Boo!
• Chris Olds at Beckett shares some preview pics from 2014 Topps Chrome that will come out in late August 2014.  See a Puig and Jackie cards below.

• Alexander Guerrero is still delayed, via a tweet from Eric Stephen.

Ned Colletti said he is still waiting on visa paperwork for Alexander Guerrero to come to U.S.
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) January 8, 2014

• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, Ned Colletti on Yasiel Puig: ‘There are boundaries you’ve got to stay in’

“It’s a very interesting dynamic,” Colletti said. “I see a lot of different sides to it. I don’t condone what he’s done. I don’t know if it’s ironic, but it’s interesting to me that since the offseason began, he’s spent a lot of time in L.A., and he’s really spent a lot of time with kids. … He’s setting this great example and doing stuff I don’t see many big-league players do within the community. At the same time, there are boundaries you’ve got to stay in. Whether it’s how you drive or other things in your life, it’s part of growing up. That’s part of being responsible. That’s a key thing for us, and a key thing for him.”

• Jon then shares more from Ned Colletti's from his press conference yesterday. 
• Via Cary Osborne at Dodgers Insider, "Joc Pederson on deck". 
• Via Josh Jackson at MiLB.com, "Notes and quotes from around camp".  He has a great roundup of the days activities from teh Dodgers Development Camp.
• Via Austin Laymance at MLB.com, "Kemp among injured Dodgers on the mend".
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Dodgers pursuit of Masahiro Tanaka advances (slowly)".  In fact, per Joey Nowak at MLB.com, Tanaka has just arrived in America to meet with clubs.
• On twitter, Paul LoDuca on Tom Glavine's enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.

Congrats to @Tom_Glavine for his HOF selection. Honor to catch his 300th win...honor to be his teammate and friend.
— Paul Lo Duca (@paulloduca16) January 8, 2014

• This might be the best story I've read so far on the greatness of Greg Maddux, via Thomas Boswell at the Washington Post.

Then he explained that I couldn’t tell his pitches apart because his goal was late quick break, not big impressive break. The bigger the break, the sooner the ball must start to swerve and the more milliseconds the hitter has to react; the later the break, the less reaction time. Deny the batter as much information — speed or type of last-instant deviation — until it is almost too late.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Congrats! Maddux, Glavine and Thomas are Hall of Famers

I want to extend a Blue Heaven congratulations to the three new Hall of Fame inductees - Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas.

All three are well deserved new members. I should also note that the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (a collection of 200+ bloggers throughout the country) made the exact same HOF recommendations in December.  See my story about that here.

Of course, none of them spent a majority of their careers in Blue, but one player was a Dodger for a short time.  Greg Maddux, probably the greatest pitcher I've ever seen in my lifetime, was a Dodger for short stints in both the 2006 and 2008 seasons.

In fact, he retired as a Dodger in 2008, and won his last professional in-season game against the Giants on September 27th - going 6 innings in a 2 to 1 victory.  His last career in-season strike out was against Matt Cain (who foul bunted) and the last hit he allowed was to Omar Vizquel (a single to left field).

In the playoffs in 2008, he pitched in relief during Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Cubs.  He closed out the game, in a 7 to 2 winning effort, in the 9th inning.  He faced 4 batters and gave up a hit to Ryan Theriot.

In the NL Championship Series against the Phillies, Maddux pitched in two games (Games 1 and Game 5).  In Game 1 (in a game the Dodgers lost 3 to 2), he pitched in the 7th inning in relief of Derek Lowe.  Maddux faced only 3 batters, gave up a hit Carlos Ruiz and closed out the inning with a double play.  In Game 5 (the Dodgers lost the series 5 to 2), he went 2 innings and gave up 2 runs (both unearned).

His last professional walk was to Shane Victorino (intentional).  The last hit he gave up was to Ryan Howard.  Maddux's last professional strike out victim was Pedro Feliz.

Bill Plunkett of the OC Register noted the following from Ned Colletti during a press conference today at Dodger Stadium.

Colletti points out he is only GM to trade for Greg Maddux. And he did it twice (as #Dodgers GM near end of Maddux career)
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) January 8, 2014

Now that this voting is over for the year, I'm sure we'll hear complaints from the whiners.   Morons will say that it's a travesty that Biggio didn't get in this year - even though it's assured that he'll get in eventually.  And the same can be said for Piazza.  Patience is a virtue that continues to disappear from American life.  Also, one of the more annoying facets of social media is the damn whining!

Jack Morris is now officially off the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot.  He will certainly be put on future special committee ballots, and I predict will eventually get enshrined with the help of his Baseball peers.  Many will of course complain about that, but who cares.  If there's one final arbiter of who is most deserving it's the current body of Hall of Fame members.

Congrats again to the 3 new members!

Below is a final vote tally from the BBWAA.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Baseball Bloggers Alliance Voters Recommend 3 New Hall of Fame Members

For the 5th consecutive year, the Baseball Blogger Alliance came together to vote on who they recommend should be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  The BBA is a collection of approximately 240 Baseball writers and hardcore fans from throughout North America who blog - covering every team, the game's history and fantasy Baseball fanatics.  We are encouraged to use one another to deepen our understanding of the game and the teams that play it.  Go here to find more about this organization.

With such a large number of good candidates on this years eligible ballot, only three ballplayers made the cut for our choice to enter into the hallowed hall.  The BBA recommends Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas for this years class.

Not too shabby, eh?  If your going to overcome any controversy, why not just pick the cream of the crop.  After all, I don't think anybody questions the integrity of these fellows.

From a BBA press release:

December 30, 2013: The Baseball Bloggers Alliance today recommends three players from the official Hall of Fame ballot to be inducted into Cooperstown this summer.  Pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, most closely associated with the Atlanta Braves, and long-time Chicago White Sox first baseman/designated hitter Frank Thomas reached the 75% threshold when BBA members cast their ballots.

Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner for the Braves, pitched from 1986 to 2008 and won 355 games while posting a 3.16 ERA and striking out over 3,300 batters.  He had a career WHIP of 1.143 in just over 5,000 innings and an ERA+ of 132 over that span.  His best season was 1995, when he fashioned a 19-2 record with a 1.63 ERA, good for a bWAR of 9.7 that year.

Thomas played from 1990 to 2008, all but the last three season on the south side of Chicago.  He has a career slash line of .301/.419/.555 and fashioned an OPS+ of 156 during his playing days.  He put up his highest single-season bWAR in 1997, when his 1.067 OPS and 35 home runs played a large role in his mark of 7.3.

Glavine’s career spanned roughly the same time frame as Maddux’s, with Glavine starting in 1987.  He won the Cy Young in 1991 and 1998 and finished runner-up two other times.  His career ERA was 3.54 and he won 305 games during his tenure with the Braves and the New York Mets.  Glavine had a 1.314 WHIP for his career and an ERA+ of 118.

The voting of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance has often been close to what the baseball writers eventually decide, though the correlation is stronger with the year-end awards.  A quick look at the past few years:

In 2010, no player reached the 75% mark in BBA voting, while the writers inducted only Andre Dawson.

In 2011, the BBA selected Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven and both were inducted into Cooperstown that summer.

In 2012, Barry Larkin and Jeff Bagwell were selected by the BBA, but the writers only took Larkin.

Last year, the bloggers again picked Bagwell, while the writers could not agree on anyone to honor.

Bagwell lost support in this year’s voting, coming up roughly 10% shy of recommendation.  The final vote totals are as follows:

Greg Maddux 94.51%
Frank Thomas 80.22%
Tom Glavine 75.82%

Mike Piazza 72.53%
Craig Biggio 70.33%
Jeff Bagwell 64.84%
Barry Bonds 60.44%
Roger Clemens 59.34%
Tim Raines 54.95%
Edgar Martinez 41.76%
Curt Schilling 39.56%
Mike Mussina 32.97%
Alan Trammell 30.77%
Jack Morris 25.27%
Mark McGwire 21.98%
Larry Walker 17.58%
Jeff Kent 15.38%
Lee Smith 14.29%
Don Mattingly 9.89%
Fred McGriff 8.79%
Rafael Palmeiro 7.69%
Sammy Sosa 4.40%
Moises Alou 3.30%
Eric Gagne 2.20%
Luis Gonzalez 2.20%
Sean Casey 1.10%
Kenny Rogers 1.10%
Richie Sexson 1.10%
J.T. Snow 1.10%
Armando Benitez 0.00%
Ray Durham 0.00%
Jacque Jones 0.00%
Todd Jones 0.00%
Paul Lo Duca 0.00%
Hideo Nomo 0.00%
Mike Timlin 0.00%

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

A Postseason Preview

I'm nervous with anticipation. My palms are sweating and my lips are stuttering. Why does the season have to be so long?

The Dodgers and the Mets face off tonight in a very important match-up between the team with the best record in Baseball and a team fighting for a playoff spot. Brad Penny will take the mound for the Dodgers. Tom Glavine will pitch for the New York Mets.

Other important roster changes for the Dodgers include Lugo batting 2nd and playing third base and Matt Kemp playing center field. Lets' hope that Kemp builds on his 2 hit performance yesterday.

I'm worried about the Mets recent acquisition of Shawn Green. He has absolutely killed the Dodgers this year. Paul LoDuca is still very dangerous- especially since he has found a way to continue hitting well even in the 2nd half. Jose Reyes and David Wright are infield studs.

This is going to be a tough series and will be an indicator of how good this team really is, or is not.

PhotoLink: