Weekly Blog Kiosk 4/13/2008

Last nights shellacking was well overdue.

• The Vero Beach Curse. Tony Jackson shares a letter from a Vero Beach resident who claims to have laid the foundation for a curse against the Dodgers.

  Believe it, this curse is REAL; The Big Blue Dodger in the Sky has spoken! The Vero Beach Curse will live with the McCourt Dodgers until he is relieved of ownership or he reverses his doomed Arizona plans. There was the Curse of the Bambino, The Billy Goat Curse, and now there is The Vero Beach Curse.

• Joshua of Dodgerama provides some great advice. Don't be a jerk.
  
• Baseball Minutia explains the coaching box rule and its reason for existence. Apparently, it has nothing to do with safety.

  In those days it was common for the “coaches” to spend more time pacing back and forth on the baseline, hurling obscenities at the opposing pitchers, trying their best to throw them off their game, and often succeeding.

• I've added Beantown West to the Dodger blogroll. Even though your name assumes a Bostonian bent I see that you have a large amount of Dodger passion. Like you said,

  "really, it's 100% for each team, adding up to 200%. Please don't question my math."

• Cardboard Junkie shares the "Absolutely" best thing in his collection and I have to admit that I'm envious. How great it would have been to be in Atlanta on that April 8th evening to see Aaron hit number 715- even if it was against the Dodgers. Wow.
• The 1983 Fleer Project snagged another autographed Dodger card. This collector is trying to put together a completely autographed 1983 Fleer Baseball set. There are 420 possible cards to get signed and he is 62% of the way through.

• LA Kings forwards Dustin Brown and Patrick O'Sullivan have been selected to represent the United States in the World Championship Tournament in Canada in May.
  
• Ever the clairvoyant ones, Topps Company created a set in 1992 called Topps Kids that had extremely muscular cartoon caricatures of some of Baseballs biggest young stars. MSN's Ben Goldfein rediscovers the set and believes they saw the steroid era coming. Photos of Bonds and Clemens included. Hat Tip: SCD:
  
• Barry's last homerun ball sells for $376,612. Hat Tip: SCD:
  
• Wax Heaven opens up a 1989 Jose Canseco 40/40 Chocolate bar. Yum!

Wax Heaven Video Blog from Mario Alejandro on Vimeo.

Video Link: Wax Heaven:

Autograph Solution

As most of you already know, the Dodgers have decided to do the right thing.

The Dodgers, surrendering to the wishes of irate fans, announced Friday they have dropped a new rule and will allow all youngsters to seek autographs in Dodger Stadium in much the same way they have done for years.

In this wonderful age of electronic communications the fans have decided to collectively let the Dodgers management know exactly what was on their minds. Apparently, they emailed the Dodgers in great numbers to announce their displeasure.

"I read the e-mails aloud to everyone here and it helped," the Dentist said. "We decided to allow everyone to enter the field level the way they have in previous years -- through the end of batting practice.

J.T. Simers continued by noting something that I find a bit disturbing.

"I guess they are making an attempt," said Gabriel Ramirez, 39, of Santa Clarita. "But nobody showed up."

It is one thing to demand the kind of access to the players than can only be a win-win for the organizations desire to build its fan base. It's quite another thing to expect the Dodger players to always be available to sign.

Autograph seeking fans need to understand that all players tend to have their own set routines as they prepare for the game. Think of it this way. When the players enter that stadium, they are on the clock. It's work and as professionals they treat their day like any hard working schmo. The fact that they earn far more than you and I combined only means that their preparation is that more important. They are paid to play the game to the best of their abilities and sometimes they need to spend their time putting on their game face.

So, the next time your standing in that line, please don't scream, push or shove. Please do not get angry at any players who are not available. If you get an autograph be thankful, you are one of the lucky ones. If your ball goes unsigned don't sulk, it just wasn't your day. There will be many other opportunities.

In fact, the best way to get autographs is to follow Roberto at "Blogging Dodgers and Baseball". He goes to free promotional signing events often found in advertisements in local papers.

Suite Seats The Movie

Is it morning yet? I woke up both disheveled and confused. My hair was giving me its best Carrot Top impression. It was matted with choice spikes, looking like stalagmites in a deep underground cave. I was still wearing my Dodger jersey. Had I slept in it last night? It was wrinkled and in need of a wash. My cap was sitting atop my alarm with my glasses barely hanging on the ledge of my end table. What happened? Did last night really occur? Wow.

As many of you know, several Dodger bloggers were invited to spend the evening at Dodger Stadium. We were to be regaled with hot dogs, a suite and some special guest. I remember that Friday afternoon, I was anxiously fidgeting at work eager to end the day. Minute by minute passed, but it felt like hours.

At around 4PM i started wondering about the evening. Who would be the special guest Josh Rawitch mentioned? Would Colletti, or even McCourt himself show up? Would the most famous Dodger blogger of them all, Alyssa Milano, stop bye to say hello.

I walked through the concourse with two friends in tow. We opened the door to the suite that would become our haven for the next few hours. To my surprise Alyssa was there to greet us all with a smile and a firm handshake, even firmer than Ned Colletti's shake. I said "G' Day Alyssa" and gave her a big hug. A childhood dream had been fulfilled. My friend Bill was frozen like a goalie facing a Zdeno Chara slapshot. He almost vomited at the sight of her like Stan from South Park when he meets Wendy. All evening Alyssa and I chatted as I could tell the fireworks were flying. By the end of the game we left arm in arm, exchanged numbers and planned to meet at a nearby club.

My phone was ringing. I'm still at the office. I can barely hold up my head as drool starts to fall from chin to desk. Dammit! Had I been daydreaming? Where's Alyssa? Is it game time? Damn, it's only 4:20. I started preparing to leave the office so that I could pick up my friends for an evening that was sure to be unforgettable.

From here the whole actual evening is a blur. GM Ned Colletti came by and spent almost half an hour before the start of the game to answer our questions. As Chris from Dodgerfan.net wrote, he has some great looking boots. Team owner Frank McCourt stopped by during the early innings and was open and amiable. The saintly Tommy Lasorda finished the evening off with stories about the past. I love that old man.

I would like to thank Josh Rawitch for an incredible evening. I would especially like to thank Chris from Dodgerfan.net for making the suggestion to Josh. It was great meeting everyone there. I am hopeful that we can do this regularly, whether it's sponsored by the Dodgers or if we decide to do it ourselves. For more details about the night, far beyond anything I can remember please check out the post from the other bloggers in attendance. They've done a much better job of recalling the evening than I ever could.

• 3 of the Sons of Steve Garvey
• Erin from Beantown West
• Chris of Dodgerfan.net
• Robert from The Trolley Dodger
• Robert from Dodger Dugout

And yes Robert, I started the morning off right with a pick-me-up hot dog. Now I feel great! Thanks for the advice.

Suite Seats

As Orel at Sons of Steve Garvey mentioned last night, the Dodger have organized an impromptu blogger get together at tonight's game against the Padres. Like the Sons I quickly RSVP'd without hesitation. It's not everyday you get a chance to see a game in a suite. On top of that, this will be a first for me at Dodger Stadium.

I can't wait to don my Dodger jersey. I'll put my cap on my head as I head to the gates leading to the stadium. The ticket taker will greet me with a smile and repeat the words I've been longing to hear all year. "Welcome to Dodger Stadium."

Yes! Tonight will be my first regular season game of the year and I can't wait. I'm coming from down south of the orange curtain. So, traffic will be a major issue for me. Hopefully, the great Dodger in the sky will part the lanes enough for us to squeeze through.

Thank you to Chris at Dodgerfan.net for making the pitch to Josh. I look forward to meeting all of the folks who can attend.

Rising Star Edwin Jackson

Remember that tall lanky kid that came around our parts with a golden arm. He was a shy guy who everyone believed had the ability to blow people away.

When Edwin Jackson came up with the Dodgers during the 2003 season many worried that he was being rushed. We ran the risk of hurting his fragile nature by throwing him at the wolves. After all, he was just 19 years old. How would he react to the daily grind of being a highly touted major league starting pitcher?

As many of you remember, he started out with a bang. His first major league game was against future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks. By the way, that game was on his 20th birthday. He won that game handily by going a solid 6 innings. He showed poise and consistency that made us all wonder, "do we have a bonafide number 1 pitcher here?" He finished the season strong going 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 4 starts. Not too bad for the rookie. Next year was going to be interesting.

Unfortunately, this is where the story takes a detour. He began the 2004 and 2005 season in the minor leagues with the expectation of a late season call-up. Each time he came back to the big show he looked worse and worse. He had lost his confidence. He had lost his stuff. His respective ERA's those two seasons were 7.30 and 6.28. Management had lost all confidence that they could get him back on the right track.

As time wore on it became obvious that something went wrong and the only solution was to cut bait. Edwin Jackson, our future starting ace, was traded for a couple of scraps- Danys Baez and Lance Carter in 2006. He soon became a reliever for Tampa Bay, but resumed starting for them in 2007. In that year he got shelled in what many may call an important learning experience. Jackson began the year going 1-9 with a 7.23 ERA, but

rebounded somewhat after the all-star break, posting a 4-6 record and a 4.48 ERA over 15 games.

Maybe he was starting to figure it out. Maybe the damage done to his confidence in LA was disappearing. Maybe he can regain his status as a "can't miss" prospect.

This season, 2008, Edwin Jackson is showing signs that he is coming into his own. In 2 starts this season he is 2 and 0 with a minuscule 0.64 ERA and his stuff has been filthy. The young kid who grew up in Dodger Blue may be turning into a monster of a man on the mound for the Devil Rays. He may very well be turning into that ace pitcher we all dreamed about. Only time will tell, of course, but I'm pulling for him.

Sotheby's/ SCP Aution: Johnny Cooney and Gil

Sotheby's/ SCP has some great rare items in their upcoming auction. They have trophies (like NY's 1999 World Series Trophy) to signed Baseballs (Cy Young)(Ty Cobb)(Babe Ruth). Of course, nothing beats a letter from Baseball's meanest and most despised man, Ty Cobb. Check out his letter here. He writes about how "They Ruined Baseball."

The below lot just leaves me breathless. They are auctioning off a collection of 24 framed and matted Sporting Life Baseball team composite pictures from 1903 to 1908. They are in pristine condition and feature nearly every major Baseball star from the era.

Auction Link: Group of 24 framed and matted 1903 to 1908 Sporting Life team composites:

The Cooney family was an early Baseball dynasty.

Johnny Cooney was the youngest of the "Cranston Cooneys," a Rhode Island ballplaying dynasty begun in the 1890s by James Joseph Cooney, whose four sons all played pro ball. Two brothers never got to the majors, but Johnny strung together 20 seasons in the big leagues that saw him adapt from a pitcher to a potent hitter and outstanding outfielder. His career was spent primarily with the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers, where he thrived under the tutelage of Casey Stengel.

Below is his game worn Brooklyn Dodger home uniform from 1936 and is very rare. It is one of only two known (still existing) pinstripe Dodger jerseys from 1936.

Auction Link: 1936 Johnny Cooney Brooklyn Dodger Home Uniform:

Gil Hodges was a fan favorite. From his early days as a Dodger player to his later career as manager, he always received the adoration of fans and players alike. The silver plate below was an early symbol of that popularity. It was presented to him on July 19, 1957 by his fellow Dodger teammates as recognition as winner of "Player Popularity Award." On a side note, why isn't he in the Hall of Fame? His playing career and the World Championship with the Miracle Mets in 1969 should be more than enough.

In his 16 seasons with the Dodgers, Hodges anchored the lineup during their Brooklyn heyday, hitting at least 30 home runs a season from 1950 to 1954. He knocked 100+ RBIs each year from 1949 to 1955 seasons. Known as the best defensive first baseman in baseball, the six-time All-Star also won Gold Glove for the first three years that they were awarded, 1957-59.

Auction Link: 1957 Silver Popularity Award from Gil Hodges: