Should I Stay Or Should I Go

Second baseman Jeff Kent has not decided whether he will retire or return for his 18th season in the majors, according to his agent, Jeffrey Klein.

Kent's future has got me thinking about a song I use to love as a kid- the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go." I think it perfectly encapsulates the predicament Jeff find himself in. OK, maybe not- it's a fun song anyway.

It also happens to be a song a close friend asked myself and another buddy to sing and dance to for his sisters Bat Mitzvah. Why he asked us to do it I still do not know. In our preparation it seemed like it would be fun. As it was happening I wondered, "why am I doing this?" Now, in retrospect, I scratch my head and think, "what the hell was I doing?" I was young and stupid, I guess.

Anyway, below are some choice lyrics to the song and a video.

Darling you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I’ll be here ’til the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

Always tease tease tease
You’re happy when I’m on my knees
One day is fine, next day is black
So if you want me off your back
Well come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An’ if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know!

This indecision’s bugging me
If you don’t want me, set me free
Exactly who’m I’m supposed to be
Don’t you know which clothes even fit me?
Come on and let me know
Should I cool it or should I blow?

YouTube Link: Clash:

Jeff, I think your productive playing days are in it's twilight. Go and wander around the Texas plains and tend to your bike business.

Hunt Auctions: Ruth Game Used Dodger Uniform!

Hunt Auctions recently closed their annual Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Auction last week with some incredible results. As you may know, Hunt seems to always have some of the best vintage memorabilia around. This years event was no different.

Babe Ruth, the greatest athlete to ever play the game, also wanted to be a coach. It was a dream he would seek out at the end of his playing days. Unfortunately, a lifetime of partying and carousing about did not endear him to Baseball owners.

Although, the Yankees did offer the managing position for their top minor league team, Newark Bears. He turned that down to be a player-coach for the Braves in 1935. After a year with Boston he officially retired. Offers stopped coming and his dream to be a manager seemed to just fade away. The greatest player of the game had effectively been shut out.

Then, in 1938, the talent and attendance starved Brooklyn Dodgers came calling. Babe Ruth would have one last chance to coach for the Dodgers.

Not only was Ruth appointed first base coach, (where the fans would be sure to see him throughout the entire game), but he was also ordered to take pre-game batting practice with the club so the fans could once again witness the “Sultan of Swat” hitting a few balls out of the park. In spite of the “side show” atmosphere, Ruth clung to hope. But when the club’s managerial post opened the next year Leo Durocher was appointed the job, and Ruth wasn’t re-hired. He hung up his Brooklyn Dodgers uniform after one season. This would be the last baseball uniform he would ever wear as a professional. From the day Ruth last removed it until the day he died, he waited and waited for a call from some team, any team, to become a major league manager. It was a call that would never come.

Below is a game used uniform worn by the "Sultan of Swat." It sold for $270,000.00.

Auction Link: Ruth Game Uniform:

Is Russel Martin your favorite Dodger? Well then, the below game used uniform is probably your favorite item. It come from the 2008 All-Star game and was worn during the Workout Day/Home Run Derby. It sold for a relatively affordable $250.00.

Auction Link: Russell Martin All-Star Uniform:

Baseball related advertising memorabilia from the 1940's can be very hard to come by. They can especially be difficult to find in good condition. Below is a 22 inch square advertising sign featuring Brooklyn Dodger Whit Wyatt hawking Chesterfield cigarettes. It sold for $850.00.

Auction Link: Whit Wyatt Chesterfield Ad:

Below is an actual game-used bat of Jackie Robinson. I'll let the auction description speak for itself.

The history of the offered bat begins with Thomas Michael "Buckshot" Brown. From 1943 through 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers star shortstop Pee Wee Reese served in the U.S. military during World War II. In order to fill Reese's spot, the Dodgers called up Tommy Brown from the Minor Leagues as a utility infielder in 1944. Brown remained with the team until 1951 and became friendly with teammate Jackie Robinson during that time. According to family history, when Brown was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1951, Robinson presented the offered bat to Brown indicating to him that, "...it was his lucky bat and he wanted him to have it." The bat has remained in the Brown family since that time until its current offering and is one of the finest of its type to have entered the marketplace with special note to its unimpeachable provenance.

In our time, when previously unreachable barriers are met after years (no decades) of struggle, this bat is a timely reminder of the past. One of America's earliest social leaders and, yes, one of the games greatest antagonist on and off the field helped start it all. It was not only Dr. King's dream that was satisfied.

The below bat sold for $34,000.00.

Auction Link: Jackie Robinson Bat:

Play the Mannywood Choose Your Own Adventure

I kid you not, I used a "Choose Your Own Adventure" in a book report for a middle school English class. It was the greatest scholastic scam of my young life. While most of my classmates read a mini-novel filled with actual plot lines and interesting characters, I had a roughly 100 page book that I easily whittled down to a mere 20 pages. It was beautiful. I completed my report in under an hour and smiled as I ran away with a undeserved "B."

This afternoon, I was reminded of my youthful deed with an email pointing to a great post on AOL/Fanhouse. It features a great "Choose Your Own Adventure" featuring Manny Ramirez. Go here to check it out and be sure to play through it, I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Place Your Bets

Unbelievable as it may sounds, Manny Ramirez has still not signed with the Dodgers. Who would have thunk it?

Well, we learn through the Times this morning that the Dodgers most recent offer was below the mark as super-agent, Scott Boras, remarks that he will be taking serious offers this coming Friday. I guess the potential $60mil-3 year deal was not enough. Of course, no one expected a deal to be done before a bidding war could be started.

"It's not surprising that he would want to test the market," Colletti said of Boras. "It's in his history, and it was expected."

On top of that, the Angels might be interested. No!!!!! I still hate thinking about "what could have been" if Vlade had joined the Dodgers.

Nevertheless, today's situation makes me wonder about the odds. What are the betters saying about the chances that Manny stays in Blue. Fortunately, I got a fortuitous email from a betting site called BetOnline.com that laid it all out for me.

They outline the following odds regarding Manny's future destination:

Dodgers 1/2
Yankees 4/1
Mets 6/1
Blue Jays 6/1
Other 3/1

I don't know if they are actually taking bets based on these odds since I can't find any reference to it on their website, but it is interesting nonetheless. They seem to think that Manny will be staying in LA.

On a side note they also provide odds regarding Furcal's future home:

Dodgers 7/5
Cubs 3/1
Giants 5/1
Blue Jays 5/1
A's 8/1
Other 11/4

On the other hand, maybe all these numbers are bunk and that email I got was just an elaborate ruse to get me to write about it. To which I say, "thanks!" I really couldn't think of anything to write about today.

RIP Preacher Roe

Via Dodger Thoughts, we find out that Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Elwin Charles "Preacher" Roe has passed away. The 5 time All-Star pitched for the Dodgers for 7 years. In 1951 he had his best season as he compiled a record of 22 wins and only 3 losses while winning Pitcher of the Year honors.

He pitched in three World Series before retiring in 1954, when he moved to West Plains and bought a grocery store. Roe later became involved with numerous community associations including the West Plains Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.

His legacy includes being elected to the Missouri, Arkansas and Dodger Halls of Fame.

Dodger Art: Robbie Conal

I'm not much of an art buff. I've never taken an art appreciation class, nor taken a serious art workshop class. In junior high I had taken a summer art class that included some sculpture work and drawing. I realized right there that I was not to be a Michelangelo.

I do, on the other hand, know when I like something. I've run across a painting that forced me to sit down and gaze. The "La Reve" by Picasso, currently owned by the Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, made me do that. I've been to exhibits that make me wonder "what the hell?" John Cage's "Rolly Holly Over Circus" at the LACMA in the mid-90's made me do that.

Well, a few days ago I got an email from a reader who works at the Track 16 Gallery. He pointed me to a couple of drawings of local artist Robbie Conal that I think most readers here will appreciate. He's a guerrilla artist who uses both Fernando Valenzuela and Sandy Koufax as subjects in his most recent installment.
Above is a drawing of the great Sandy Koufax with the impressionable words, "Thou Shall Not Hit."

Below is the recognizable Fernando Valenzuela staring at his glove just before he makes his pitch. "Annunciation of the Screwball." The words below say, "The Lord Sayeth unto Fernando: Thou Shall Put Some Spin on the Ball."