Blog Kiosk: 8/25/2014 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends from the Weekend

Kevin Correia served up some beachballs yesterday afternoon before finally getting pulled from the game after just three innings of work.  Overall, he served up three home runs and seven runs total.  What disaster!

Adding insult to injury, the Mets recorded a triple play against the Dodgers in the sixth inning - all thanks to a far too aggressive Yasiel Puig.  Watch it below

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This is the second triple play against the Dodgers this season.  The Cleveland Indians did it against us in July.  You would think this would be a bad omen, but as Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider explains it isn't.  The last time this happened to the Dodgers was in 1955; when they won their first World Series in franchise history.

BTW, Correia is expected to go to the bullpen once Ryu comes back, so we won't have to (hopefully) witness that again.  Also, I should note that Adrian Gonzalez continues his hot ways.  After leading the Dodgers with two hits, a home run and five RBI's in Saturday's victory, he recorded another three hits on Sunday; including a double.  The photo at the very top of Adrian was taken by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out more photos from yesterday.

Fortunately, this recent loss did not hurt us in the standings.  The Dodgers are 4.5 games ahead of the Giants.  Now, below are some links to check out:

• ICYMI:  Hanley Ramirez was reinstated to the Dodgers roster.  Erisbel Arruebarrena was optioned to Rancho Cucamonga.  Arruebarrena should only be down for a short while.  He will definately be back up when the rosters expand.
• Via Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest, "Chris Anderson’s late-season improvement reason for optimism."

The Dodgers made some mechanical changes with Anderson’s delivery a couple months ago, which could account for the improvement. One thing that hasn’t changed is his velocity. When I saw him in person, he was sitting at 93-96 MPH and topped out at 99 MPH. Friday night, Anderson hit 97 MPH a few times. As a pitcher who will live off his fastball, this is encouraging. He also has improved his off-speed pitches as the season has progressed. His slider will always be his go-to secondary offering, but his changeup has improved to the point where it could be a usable third pitch.

• Roberto Baly at Vin Scully is My Homeboy shares his experience getting Erisbel Arruebarrena's autograph on Saturday at Frank & Sons.
• With the Dodgers seemingly set to leave their AAA home, Night Owl Cards shares his list of Top-10 successful Dodgers to have gone through Albuquerque from 2009 to 2014, and it's not exactly a list filled with notable names.  No wonder the Dodgers want to move.
• Nick Diunte at Baseball Happenings writes a great obituary on former Dodger Dick Teed who passed away recently.
• Via Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA, "Is Matt Campbell the next Paco Rodriguez?"

Campbell joined the Loons on June 20th and soon made his mark with the Dodgers affiliate. In his first five games, he had six scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out five. On the season he has now pitched 29 innings over 22 appearances with an ERA of 1.55 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has struck out 36 and walked 8. He has yet to serve up a home run.

• Via KUNR public radio, "Bob Motley, Last Surviving Negro League Ump, Recalls Baseball History."  Listen and learn.
• Watch a talk about the Negro Leagues and Kansas City Monarchs via Phil Dixon on CSPAN.  He speaks about the history of the Monarchs, the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball’s Negro Leagues. Mr. Dixon talks about the significance of the Kansas City Monarchs to the baseball world, fielding a number of future Hall of Fame players and inspiring several new innovations to the game, including the use of lights for night games. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum hosted this event.  Video here.
• BTW, before the start of Sunday's game, Clayton Kershaw was presented with the trophy for the Warren Spahn Award for the 2013 season.  This award is given to the best left-handed pitcher in MLB by the Oklahoma Sports Museum.  Below is a photo of him holding it.  This is the second time he has won the Warren Spahn Award.  He also won it during his first Cy Young season in 2011.

(pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

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Dodgers Let the Pups In - Woof Woof Woof

Yesterday's game opened with a... Bark!

The Dodgers held their annual dog walk at Dodger Stadium for "Pups in the Park," so numerous fans of the four-legged persuasion came out to celebrate.  There were small ones and big ones, brown ones and white ones, and all of them were ready to enjoy a day out with their owners. 

Many were dressed in their best Dodger uniforms, and from all account they were all well-behaved.  Heck, I have some friends who could learn a thing or two from these canines. 

Better yet, there are plenty of photos all over the 'net to help us enjoy the spectacle.  Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo put up a bunch of great pics that you can see here.  The photos above and directly below were taken by him.

And, here are some other great pics that I found all over the place.

With that mohawk I'd call him Puig's Punk Pug.

Yasiel Puig, meet Yasiel Pug. pic.twitter.com/1VGufW1jbK
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 24, 2014

Check out these darling little doggies.

Thanks for the memories! @Dodgers #pupatthepark pic.twitter.com/dpn5Wl4Joq
— AvoDerm Dog&Cat Food (@avodermnatural) August 24, 2014

That must be Orel the Bulldog.

It's Pups in the Park at @Dodger Stadium or Orel getting ready for the #SNLA Pre-Game? pic.twitter.com/oQzfX48N3B
— Jorge Jarrin (@JorgeJarrin1) August 24, 2014

Hey there, Blue!

All the doggies including blue are excited for tonight's #dodgergame #pups at the park pic.twitter.com/7COfZhKMNJ
— Brian Whitfield (@BrianWhitfield4) August 23, 2014

Hey there, big guy.

The Dog Days of Summer. pic.twitter.com/RazIPmWxr7
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 23, 2014

Smile, you're in the right-field pavilion.

Corgi's are so cute!

(Corgasbord on tumblr)

And, check out this great little video from the Dodgers.

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Testimonies from Kershaw and Ellis

Here are this Sunday Dodger Videos.

Clayton Kershaw was the last Dodger to speak at the Dodgers' Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium after a game last weekend, Sunday, August 17, 2014. This is his entire speech, plus a little Q&A from the Dodger Team Chaplain Brandon Cash at the end. (Video via StadiumBound)

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Here, AJ Ellis speaks at the Dodgers' Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium.  BTW, these two videos were filmed by Stadium Bound.  He's a must-follow for Dodger fans on YouTube.  Check him out here.

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KRQE News 3 in Albuquerque talk about the Dodgers impending move to Oklahoma City and what it means for Albuquerque.

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Joc Pederson is a 30/30 Man

Congrats, Joc!

With a steal of second base in the sixth inning tonight, Joc Pederson did something that hadn't been done in the Pacific Coast League in 80 years and only done three times before.  Joc Pederson is now a member of the exclusive PCL 30/30 club. 

Via a Isotopes story at MiLB.com:

The 22-year-old phenom swiped his 30th base in sixth inning of Saturday night's game at Colorado Springs. He walked with one out in the inning, and after a pitching change, stole second on the first pitch to Tim Federowicz. Sky Sox catcher Dustin Garneau didn't even attempt a throw after Pederson got such a good jump.

Pederson's 30th home run came off right-handed pitcher Donovan Hand of the Nashville Sounds in the third inning on Monday, August 18. It was the second of back-to-back homers after fellow outfielder Mike Baxter provided the first.

The last ballplayer to accomplish this feat in the PCL was former Cubs standout Frank Demaree in 1934.  Also, Yankee Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri did it in 1925 and slugger Lefty O'Doul did it in 1927.  Pederson also joins former Dodger prospect Chin-Feng Chen as the only former franchise farmhands to have accomplished the feat.  Chen did it in 1999 with the San Bernardino Stampede.

In celebration of Joc's accomplishment I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used a photo taken by Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers at an preseason exhibition game against the Angels this past Spring and the 1971 Topps Baseball card design (template provided by Alex Markle at Chavez Ravining).

Hopefully, Joc can continue his exploits on the big stage with Dodgers.  He will be called up by the team when the rosters expand on September 1st.  Although, he is not expected to get a lot of playing time, he'll certainly get his chances to prove he is ready for the "Show."

(Graphic via @TripleABaseball on Twitter)

UPDATE: Below is a video of his 30th stolen base.

Video Link:

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Nomo and Hasegawa Open Up Japan-USA Youth Exhibition Series in Compton

This afternoon was the start of the Japan-USA International Junior High School Baseball Federation exhibition series at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, and a couple of former Major Leaguers were on-hand to open it up.

Former Dodger Hideo Nomo (who manages the All-Japan 15-U team) and ex-Angel Shigetoshi Hasegawa (who manages the MLB Urban Youth Academy USA team) threw out the ceremonial first pitches. 

The series continues tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM.  The second game is slated to start at 3:00 PM.  Tickets are priced at $10 per game and children under 12 get in free.  Tickets available by calling 310-373-4888 or by email at office@jerc.org.  I do not know if tickets are available at the gate, but I'd be surprised if they weren't.

Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy
El Camino College, Compton Center
901 East Artesia Blvd.
Compton, Calif. 90221
310-763-3479

UPDATE:  Ben Platt at MLB.com wrote a great story about the event here.

The Japan-USA International Junior High School Baseball Federation Series has been a showcase event at which young players jointly learn about the culture of both countries since it began six years ago. The series, which takes place at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton and which welcomes ballplayers age 15 and under, is hosted by two trailblazing players who made a name for themselves on both continents.

"In Japan, Major League Baseball is such a big presence in the world of baseball," said Hideo Nomo, who broke the glass ceiling for Japanese League players in 1995 when he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Having our kids come over here and play with local kids their same age has been a great opportunity and experience for them."

Photo at the very top and below via Ben Platt/MLB.com.

Hideo Nomo and Shigetoshi Hasegawa throw a ceremonial first pitch Saturday before the opener of the Japan-USA International Junior High School Baseball Federation Series at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, CA - Photo credit: Ben Platt/MLB.com

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Are You Ready for some Ping Pong? - Kershaw's Challenge "Ping Pong 4 Purpose" Charity Event

It's no secret that Clayton Kershaw is a shark on the mound, but did you know that he also rules the ping pong table?

In fact, he likes to say that he dominates the game.  Don't believe me?  Then check out this video on Yahoo Sports where he shows Graham Bensinger what he can do, here.

(Pic via Jon SooHoo/Dodgers 2013)

Unfortunately, he kinda played it easy on Bensinger, so we hardly got a display of his skills.  Nevertheless, it's obvious he has a passion for the game, and it's only natural that he would parlay his love of ping pong into a worthwhile cause.

Next Thursday, September 4th from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM will be the second annual "Ping Pong 4 Purpose" fundraising tournament at Dodger Stadium.  You can hobnob with a bunch of Dodgers and some celebrity guest.  Go here for some details, or here to get involved.  Tickets are not cheap, at $1,250.00 per person, but keep in mind that event proceeds will benefit the efforts of Kershaw's Challenge in Los Angeles and Zambia to transform at-risk communities and the lives of children. 

Last years tournament raised over $300,000 for Kershaw's Challenge, and from the looks of it everybody had a great time.  Check out a bunch of pics taken at the inaugural event last year by Jon SooHoo here.  Below are a couple of my favorite photos.

And check out who is ready for the upcoming ping pong tournament.  Vin Scully just got his specially made paddle, and I suspect he'll be ready to compete for the crown.  Again, go here to sign up.

(pic link: @Dodgers on twitter)

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