RIP: Willie Pope

As time goes by the players from the Negro Leagues say goodbye.

Last week, former Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords pitcher William "Willie" Pope passed away. He was a member of the 1948 Negro National League Champion Homestead Grays, the last team to win a championship in that storied league.

Here is an obituary online.

Hat Tip: Baseball Think Factory:

T206 Brooklyn Dodgers: Bill Dahlen

"Bad Bill" Dahlen was a mean gruff. He was unruly, abrasive and had a natural unfriendly disposition. Often, he would argue with umpires and get tossed from ball games. Bad Bill is also probably one of the greatest players not already in the Hall of Fame.

Dahlen was a phenomenal defensive infielder, playing both third base and short stop. But, he is more well known as one of the finest short stops to ever play the game. Currently, he is 4th all time with 8138 assist, ranks in the top 4 in both assist and putouts by a short stop all-time, and has the 6th best range factor at short stop. Ironically, he has the most errors of all-time at 975. Bad Bill could also swing the bat. In 1894 he hit safely in 42 consecutive games for the Chicago Cubs- a record that stood until broken by Wee Willie Keeler three years later. Currently, his 42 hits is 4th all-time. He finished with 2461 hits, 413 doubles, 163 triples, 1590 runs and 548 stolen bases.

Bill Dahlen finished off his Baseball career as manager of the Brooklyn Superbas from 1910 to 1913. He recorded a record of 241-355 for a .414 winning percentage.

Contgrat's Lakers!

What a 7 game series. Exciting til the very end. A big Blue Heaven congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers.

All of these championships for Mr. Buss is making me envious!

More Lelands Dodgers Items

Here are some more great Dodger items in Lelands current auction. Below is a presentation silver serving tray to commemorate the LA Dodgers 10th Anniversary at Dodgers Stadium.

(Auction Link)

Here is a silver plated presentation bowl from Roy Campanella Night at the Coliseum on May 7, 1959. It was given to only players and coaches at the game.

(Auction Link)

I wonder if anyone can use this? Below is Duke Snider's lifetime pass issued by Major League Baseball for any MLB event. A truly one of kind item of the "Duke."

(Auction Link)

Pedro Guerrero is apparently selling a good portion of his personal mementos. Here is his 1981 All-Star Game ring.

(Auction Link)

eBay: A Las Vegas Dinner Show

A couple of years ago I ran into a great pic on eBay that featured Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Tommy Davis in tuxedos dancing on a stage. See it below or the original post here. Anyway, I had always wondered where this photo came from. Well, I think now know. Below is a original menu from a January 6, 1963 dinner show at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. It was hosted by Milton Berle and featured 6 popular Dodgers in a musical review. One discrepancy is Willie Davis mentioned below. Tommy Davis is clearly in the above picture, so I have to think there was a printing error. I dunno, maybe I'm stretching here a little bit. On the other hand, I can't imagine there being another reason why the photo exist. It's gotta be from this show. Right?

(eBay Auction Link)

Guerrero's Magic Month

1985 was an incredible year for Pedro Guerrero. He hit .320 with 33 home runs, 87 RBI's and 99 runs scored. On top of that, he lead the league with a .422 OBP, a .577 slugging percentage, .999 OPS and a OPS+ of 181. His efforts helped propel the team to a division championship.

The topping on the cake, though, was his incredible month of June. Guerrero batted .344, drove in 26 runs and OPS'd an had incredible 1.297. He also slugged a LA Dodger record 15 home runs (also tying a franchise record with Duke Snider established in 1953). Below are three of those home run balls from June. They come directly from Pedro.

First is the homerun ball from 6/23/85-it was Pedro's 12th in the month of June and tied the Dodger's record set by Frank Howard in 1962. Second is from 6/24/85 and was his 13th homer of the month breaking the Dodger's record set by Frank Howard. Third is his 14th homerun ball of the month hit on 6/26/85.

(Lelands Auction Link)