Tommy Defends Piazza

As some of you know Mike Piazza has been fingered as a steroid user in an upcoming book by Jeff Pearlman. When I first heard of the book my initial reaction was, "I wouldn't be surprised." After all, it seems like many of the superstars from the 90's have been stained by pharmaceutical enhancements. Those superstars who haven't seem to be shrinking in size day by day. So, the allegation of a juiced up Piazza is something I've been expecting to hear for a long time.

Still, I hope it isn't true. Piazza was one of my favorite players and his homeruns were like exploding fireworks with a blueish hue in the deep dark sky.

Coming to his defense, expectedly, is uncle Tommy.

"I don't believe that at all," said Lasorda, the longtime Dodgers manager . "He worked so hard. I saw him in the weight room working out all the time. Whatever (is in the book) is hearsay. I just don't believe it. He comes from a family that's full of good people.

"I wouldn't comment on it if I didn't feel strongly about it. He has too much to lose. And he's such a nice young man. He goes to church, he's got a nice family. I know him. I know what kind of man he is and I just don't believe it."

Unfortunately, my better judgment tells me otherwise.

Blog Kiosk 3/29/2009

Opening Day is on the way.

• More Goose Joak originals from Garvey Cey Russell Lopes blog. This time it's of Dodger catchers. Check the rest of them out here. Go here to see the entire complete set.
• Diamond tells us that the Inland Empire 66ers will be having their own Manny Ramirez bobblehead night on July 17th a few days before the Dodgers have theirs. Apparently, it will be exactly the same as the one being given out at Dodger Stadium, but will be sponsored by a different company.
  
• FanGraphs ranks the Dodgers.
• Must watch the Dodger Dugout podcast featuring the Tivens brothers more regularly.
  
• A Babe Ruth rookie card, 1914 Baltimore News with him playing for the Baltimore Baseball team of the International League, is for sale through Memory Lane Auctions. It's already up to $114,000.00. Only 12 examples are known to exist.
• As some of you know, John Wooden is recovering from a serious illness. Unfortunately, this has caused the request for his autograph to increase greatly. He has always been a very willing and accommodating signer, but his recovery and increasingly debilitating arthritis make it impossible to continue his kindness. Please stop sending him request to sign anything- he just can't do it anymore. The man is 98 years old for goodness sakes.

  ``We hope everyone understands and respects our request,'' Muehlhausen said. (Wooden's daughter)``It is painful for Dad to sign items and he needs to continue to rest and regain his strength after his stay in the hospital.''

• Keith Olbermann, an uber Baseball collector and hardcore fan, is now blogging about Baseball. It is called the "Baseball Nerd." Hopefully he shares some of his collection. He is known to have one of the finest Baseball card collections out there.
• The Big Lebowski original card theme is catching steam. Check out the Achiever Card Blog as he collects even more submissions from all over the web.
• AZ PBS tour of Camelback Ranch.

YouTube Link: AZPBS:
Hat Tip:Vinny Is My Homeboy:

eBay: Snapshots, Trophies and Bobbleheads

More eBay wonders featuring the glory of the Dodgers.

Original fan photographs from the 50's are rare and becoming more collected. There is no better way to capture the charm of the game than to view it from the perspective of the fan. Below is a June 22, 1955 snapshot of Ebbets Field.

eBay Auction Link: Ebbetts Field Snapshot:

Here is a fan snapshot of Joe Black at Vero Beach, March 2, 1953. Notice the background. I'm pretty sure these are the old barracks that players stayed in at Dodgertown.

eBay Auction Link: Joe Black Snapshot in Vero Beach:

Charlie Dressen managed the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1951 to 1953. In fact he was in the dugout when the Giants staged their improbable comeback in 1951 that was capped off by the now infamous "Shot Heard 'Round the World." Below is a holiday photo card featuring Mr. & Mrs. Chuck and Ruth Dressen with a ring of flowers. It measures 5 x 7 inches and is on thick cardboard stock.

eBay Auction Link: Dressen Holiday Card:

I know I'm gonna regret posting up this auction because I do not like to highlight items of questionable authenticity. Needless to say, this is not Jackie Robinson's actual MVP trophy from 1949. The real one sits comfortably on the mantle of Mrs. Rachel Robinson's home. Nevertheless, this is a pretty nice looking copy of the real thing. At it's current price on eBay of $510.00 I think it's already a bit rich though.

eBay Auction Link: Jackie Robinson MVP Trophy:

The 1960's was a great decade for bobbleheads. They had just come into existence and were showing up in souvenir stands everywhere. Some of the rarest bobbleheads from the era include this "Crybaby" Dodger from the "Weirdo Series." Go here for a little more info. It measures 7 inches tall a features a crying Dodger. On the base of the bobblehead are the words, "the kids back home usta give me four strikes!" At the time of this post it was already priced at $230.27.

eBay Link: Screaming Dodger Bobblehead:

Lima to Long Beach

Jose Lima will be playing for the Long Beach Armada this season. WooHoo!

"I'm excited to have Jose Lima pitching for us this year," said Long Beach Armada Manager Garry Templeton. "His experience, skill, and leadership will be a great benefit to us. I'm glad that we have the opportunity to showcase his skills and give him the chance to rejoin a major league club."
...
"It will be a lot of fun for our fans to experience the passion and joy that Jose brings to the game," said Long Beach Armada General Manager Tony Soares. "We will definitely have special promotions and fan activities on the nights he pitches and give the Armada faithful lots of "Lima Time!"

Lima Time!!!!

Hat Tip: LA Times:

Hunt's: Great Memorabilia

This is my final installment of interesting and noteworthy items from Hunt's early March auction. Go here, here and here for my past blog stories.

Here is a little bit of folk art from the personal collection of former major leaguer Fred Haney. Some of you may remember him as the radio play by play announcer for the Hollywood Stars. He has taken 20 bats and 11 baseballs and made a very sturdy bench. The black bats are commemorative Louisville Slugger championship bats and the others are player model bats. There are even signatures of Haney, Joe McCarthy and Roger Peckinpaugh on the baseballs. It sold for $6,000.00.

Auction Link: Baseball Bat Bench:

Below are a couple of uncut sheets of probably the most attractive cards ever produced in the 80's. These are Perez-Steele postcards series 1 to 6 in uncut form. They were very popular and difficult to find during the collecting heydays of the 80's. Autograph collectors cherished this set since these postcards were a perfect backdrop for an athletes John Hancock. They could only be obtained through a subscription service and are limited in number. Another interesting thing about this particular item is that it comes directly from the collection of Frank Steele- the artist. It sold for $1,100.00.

Auction Link: Perez-Steele Collections Uncut Sheet:

Below is a photo you've probably never seen of a player wearing Baseball garb you probably never thought he put on. This is a rare St. Mary's Industrial School Baseball team photograph from 1910-1912 that features a teenage Babe Ruth (center top row) in catchers gear. It is actually a press photo that was glued onto cardboard backing and printed most likely in 1920 as a file pic to use for later stories. By that year Ruth was a member of the Red Sox and was gaining a great deal of popularity. It sold for $3,100.00.

Auction Link: Ruth St. Mary's School Team Photo:

This is for the closeted Angels fans in the audience. Here is the first 2002 World Series Angels Championship ring I've seen for auction.

Dazzling design elements include a large iconic "A" inlaid with rubies and adorned with a halo amidst a background of dozens of small diamonds on the face. The words "World Champions" appear at the top and bottom of the bezel. The left shank features the recipients name "Espino" and year "2002" above a World Series logo in relief and the Angles season record "99-63". The opposite shank features the proclamation "Angels 1st Championship" above a rendering of a World Series trophy set inside Edison Field.

It sold for $10,500.00. Click the photo to enlarge it. Anyone know who Espino is?

Auction Link: 2002 Angels World Series Ring:

Blog Kiosk 3/22/2009

Baseball couldn't come soon enough.

• Here is a great story in Baseball Digest recounting the "water world" experience between the Dodgers and Giants during the 1962 season.

  During the 1962 season, Maury Wills was wreaking havoc on opposing teams while setting a (then) major league record of 104 stolen bases. However, in that three game stretch in San Francisco Wills failed to tally a single one. During the series the Dodgers claimed the Giants were watering down the basepaths in efforts to neutralize the advantage of the stolen base speedster that was Wills.

• O'Malley talks about his love of Vero Beach.
  

  While it might’ve been good business to move the Dodgers’ camp to Arizona, only a five-hour drive from their Southern California fan base, O’Malley said he would’ve found a way to keep the team at Dodgertown.

  “Would have,” he said. “Not could have. Would have.

  “I would have found another way to generate the revenue they’re generating in Arizona.”

• Love those Big Lebowski cards. From Punk Rock Paint. Here is Cardboard Junkies and Achiever Card Blog 1, 2, 3, contributions.
  
• Mario recounts some childhood memories as he morns an old friend. Mario's blog, Wax Heaven, is unquestionably the best card collector blog on the net.
  
• Are you a Mantle collector? Then check out Sports Collectors Digest series on Mickey Mantle and the collectibles that surround him.
  
• I hate to hit a guy while he's down, but this one is too easy. Besides, I love making fun of a Yankee. Wax Heaven shares a homemade ARod Baseball card.
• Here a video of Dolphins at Sea World tripping out over a robotic toy dinosaur. Fast forward to 1:46.
  

YouTube Link: sirensgrotto: