Uncle Robbie and his Dogs

Dated a little over a year before he passed away, Wilbert "Uncle Robbie" Robinson sits on his porch with his trusted dogs below. It is a Wide World Press Photo from 1/7/1933. By this time he had retired from the game. Robinson managed the Brooklyn team from 1914 to 1931, and was so beloved they nicknamed the team the Robins in his honor. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

(eBay Auction Link)

“Pistol” Pete Reiser Collection

The recently opened Huggins & Scott Auction includes a massive collection of "Pistol" Pete Reiser cards and memorabilia. Peter Reiser was one of the more heralded rookie ballplayers to ever put on a Brooklyn uniform in the early 1940's. He could hit for average, had some power, would play the outfield with speed and determination, and could swipe a few bases when desired. Pete was a 5-tool player.

Unfortunately, Pistol Pete was also very unlucky. As Vin Scully mentioned last night during the game against the Giants, Reiser was accident prone. I'll add that he was probably a little reckless too.

Reiser gave great effort on every play in the field, and was therefore very injury-prone. He fractured his skull running into an outfield wall on one occasion (but still made the throw back to the infield), was temporarily paralyzed on another, and was taken off the field on a stretcher a record 11 times. Pete was once given his last rites in the ballpark.

He either had balls of steel or knocked too many marbles around in his noggin. Anyway, here are some pics from the auction that includes 55 different vintage and scarce Pete Reiser cards.

(Huggins&Scott Auction Link)

Broxton: One of the Best Fastballs

Coming out soon, in Sports Illustrated newest issue, is a players poll asking "which pitcher has the best fastball."

Not surprisingly, Jonathan Broxton is second on the list. Sure, he has had some issues lately, but with a ERA of 2.50 and a phenomenal walk/strike out ratio of over 6 to 1, I think it is overkill to claim he isn't the right man to be the Dodger closer.

Housework!?!

Here is a great eBay find of a vintage 1960's stadium give-away of a Dodger apron. A lovely lady fan proudly wears her cap and holds her flag declaring her devotion. She has decided to take the afternoon off and go to the game. It reads, "The heck with housework... Let's see the Dodgers play!" I've seen this great item in the past, but never in this condition.

(eBay Auction Link)

Dark Skies Over Pedro

What an incredible photo. Pedro Guerrero warms up in the batter box while playing a preseason exhibition game in Puerto Rico. Dark menacing clouds loom overhead. I suspect it was originally taken by Dodger team photographer Jon SooHoo since the eBay seller made mention of him on a prior item I highlighted yesterday of Fernando.

(eBay Auction Link)

Listen to Pee Wee and Jackie: Slugger at the Bat

I came across this eBay auction of a vintage 1949 record featuring Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson and realized that I had never heard it played. So, I decided to test the wonders of Google to see if it is somewhere on the net. Low and behold, a site called Kiddie Records had it available for listening. They are a great site devoted to recording and sharing vintage children's records. See to their main page by going here and this records page here to listen to it(press the Slugger at the Bat link).
The two men in Blue tell an important story about team play and the value of small ball. It's a very fun listen. Go here to go directly to the recording.

(eBay Auction Link)