Monday, December 04, 2006

Hunt Internet Auction

One of my favorite Auction Houses is Hunt Auctions out of Pennsylvania. They are one of the premier houses in the country for sports related memorabilia. In fact, they handled the Roy Campanella estate sale a few years ago, Joe DiMaggio Estate sale earlier this year and am currently in the midst of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Sale right now. Recently, Hunt Auctions completed a regular internet/phone only auction last week and I was fortunate enough to have won a couple of items.

Below is a original watercolor painting of Hall of Famer Hugh Jennings doing his famous hop while no doubt chanting "Ee-Yah." This painting was used to produce Helmar potato chips trading cards released in 2005. If you haven't seen these cards you should go check them out. They are the size of old tobacco cards and printed on thicker stock. The cards are colorful and reminds fans of the golden age of Baseball. I believe that they are the best looking cards made over the past 10 years.
Another item on my win list is this c. 1940 wire photo of Baseball great Honus Wagner. It was taken by former AP photographer Danny Jacino. (A bit of Dodger history: Jacino once accused Dodger infielder Tom Brown of punching him during a game in 1948. Apparently a melee erupted as Jacino jumped into the Dodger dugout after some choice words between the two.) It is stamped by the AP on the back and signed in the front by the photographer. The above wire photo reminds me about a reference guide/book I recently purchased from Mastro Auctions. It is called "A Portrait of Baseball Photography." It is a must have for anyone interested in collecting vintage photographs/ wire photos. This part of the hobby has slowly increased in popularity over the past several years and, sooner or later, the need to categorize the different type of photos available becomes paramount. The above wire photo is most likely a type 1 photo, the most desirable to collectors, since it appears to have been printed from the original negative within a couple of years of its creation. The photograph has yet to arrive to confirm this, but the description of the stamping on the reverse points in that direction. Either way it was an affordable buy, especially considering that a Baseball card by "The Flying Dutchman" in this condition and age would easily cost me double or triple (or more, much more) of what I paid for this picture. By the way, the final hammer price on the Wagner was $60.00. It was a great deal.

Anyway, later on, I will go into some detail about wire photos and the main categories that exist for classifying a photos vintage state.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Manny in Blue?

Lately, there has been alot of talk about bringing Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles. Afterall, the Dodgers are one of a few teams that have the prospects that can appease the Red Sox. On the otherhand, do we really want to trade our Blue chip players?

Anyway, Protrade ask its researchers about the possibility of Manny being moved. Check it out here.

My favorite comment is in haiku form from Ryan Wilkins:
Sands through hourglass
Like balls through Manny's feet, glove
Worth the effort, stress?

Hat Tip: Baseball Musings:

Thursday, November 30, 2006

2 Dodgers Named to the 48th Annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team

Topps recently announced their 48th Annual Rookie All Star Team members. Both outfielder Andre Ethier and catcher Russell Martin are included. Below is a complete list of the winners.

1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee (157 games, 28 HR, 81 RBI, .271)
2B Dan Uggla, Florida (154, 27, 90, .282)
3B Ryan Zimmerman, Washington (157, 20, 110, .287)
SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida (158, 17, 59, .292)
OF Melky Cabrera, New York (A.L.) (130, 7, 50, .280)
OF Andre Ethier, Los Angeles (N.L) (126, 11, 55, .308)
OF Nick Markakis, Baltimore (147, 16, 62, .291)

C Russell Martin, Los Angeles (N.L.) (121, 10, 65, .282)
RHP Justin Verlander, Detroit (186 IP, 17-9, 3.63, 124 K, 60 BB)
LHP Francisco Liriano, Minnesota (121 IP, 12-3, 2.16, 144k, 32BB)
I'm hoping this is the start of something beautiful. Remember when the Dodgers had a rookie contending for Rookie of the Year honors every year? Hopefully, this time around, we can celebrate a championship along with our stellar rookies.

Topps 2007 Baseball Card Design

Topps just released the design for their 2007 flagship Baseball card product. It is a black bordered set that is reminiscent of the 1971 Topps Set (see below).
One of the nice things I like about black bordered sets is that they naturally frame the players photos in an attractive way. Kind of like how mating a photo with a darker shade can make a picture look a hundred times better. On the negative side, oftentimes any amount of handling will cause the border to fade or scrape off. Of course, most of today's' cards are laminated and significantly more rigid than cards of old. So, I doubt this is a real problem nowadays.

The new Topps cards hit the stores in February 2007. It comes just in time for spring training, but weeks too late for Christmas.

Photo & Story Link: Topps:

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Hey Birthday Boy

How could I have missed this. Happy Birthday Vin!

Busy Week

Wow. Just when I thought I should take a breather during the holiday week the Dodgers get busy and get down to business.

Juan Pierre- Welcome to the Blue. Randy Wolf- Welcome home!

I don't really have anything negative to say about Juan Pierre. Considering how tight the free agent market is and the lack of high-powered outfielders available I am quite happy with his addition to the team. I think this creates a formidable 1,2 punch at the top of the order. I hope that Furcal continues as the lead-off man with Pierre and his high contact/ball in play abilities batting second.

Randy Wolf is local player who has decided to take less to play in front of his home crowd. His one year contract will probably be considered the best bargain this winter.

I'm starting to love Colletti's approach. Sign players who want to play in Los Angeles.

We now have the following players on the team who have professed their childhood love of the Dodgers:

Jeff Kent
Nomar Garciaparra
Randy Wolf

Is Mike Lieberthal next?