Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 7/13/2012

The seventh edition of the Dodgers Playbill debuts with a cover featuring Dodger outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. See it above.  Be sure to click on any pic to embiggen.

• Woo Hoo!!!  Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are expected to be back in the Dodgers lineup tonight!
• FYI, Matt Kemp will be on HBO's Real Sports with Bryan Gumbel this coming Tuesday, July 17th, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT.  From an HBO press release:

The Toast of Tinseltown. Boasting a new $160 million contract, emerging superstar Matt Kemp is the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise. Kemp, 27, led the National League in home runs, runs batted in and runs scored last year, and was recently chosen to be a starting National League All-Star for the second straight season, despite a nagging hamstring injury that will keep him from playing in Kansas City. This current success stands in sharp contrast to his humble Oklahoma upbringing. In a REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel talks with Kemp about how the Dodgers have put their faith in him as a leader, and the pressures that come with that vote of confidence.

• One of the newest Dodgers, Yasiel Puig, speaks, via Jesse Sanchez at MLB.com.

 "It feels really great to be here in Arizona training with the team that's going to make my dream come true to play in the Major Leagues," Puig said through an interpreter. "My plan is to play in the big leagues. That's why I am here. I feel I'm ready, but it's up to them. I'm training as hard as I can to get there. "

• Beckett provides an early look at Topps newest Baseball card product called 2012 Topps Mini's.  It will be smaller versions of their flagship card set (it will be the same size as the 1975 Topps Mini cards) with new autograph and relic cards.  To the right is a Clayton Kershaw relic game-used card.  Go to Beckett's post to see more samples.

• In case you haven't seen it yet.  Here's a look at the Tommy Lasorda/ Walter Alton bobblehead being given out tomorrow.  This will be the 6th bobblehead given out this year.  BTW, Alston's grandson, Rob Ogle, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch that evening.
• Check out this video from E! Online featuring Magic Johnson as he talks a bit about the Dodgers and a Broadway show called "Magic/Bird".  Broadway?  Really, Magic?  Go here for some background about this play.
• The Stanley Cup is in Quebec with Kings left winger Simon Gagne, Dudley Do-Right, and friends.  Via twitter @keeperofthecup.

• Card case-breaker brentandbrenda on twitter shared a pic of 30 cases of 2012 Allen & Ginter they are opening.  30 CASES!  It looks like card heaven at their house.

Collection: More Vintage Comic Baseball Postcards

Following up on several past post featuring vintage comic postcards in my collection, I bring to you more to gaze at.  These are very reminiscent of the postcards I shared earlier this week.  They show ladies and gentlemen in the throes of romance while on the ballfield.

These date to 1900's to 1910's, and can be found at very affordable prices.  $5.00 to $10.00 a piece is all you should pay.  Heck, they can be had for cheaper if you can find a large lot of them for sale.

Hake's Auctions: A 1956 Pennant Race Drawing by Willard Mullin

Hake's Auctions, a large Americana seller, has a new auction up that is filled with some Baseball rarities.  They, once again, have a bunch of items from the Richard Merkin Collection of Negro League scarcities that includes several vintage Dodger players.  I'll have a post featuring those items early next week.  For today, though, I wanted to focus on an illustration Hake's has for sale that was drawn by my favorite sports artist Willard Mullin.

This particular drawing was published in the NY World Telegram on September 20, 1956, and is titled "Down the Drain".  The Brooklyn "Bum" is seen digging sand out of hourglass and shoveling it in face of Milwaukee Braves mascot. At the time of this publishing, the Dodgers were just a half game back of the Milwaukee Braves.  It had been a year long struggle to catch up to 1st place as the Braves held on to the top billing for most of the season.  Now, with just 9 games remaining in the year, the Dodgers find themselves closer to another World Series berth.

It appears this original drawing was given by Mullin to an adoring fan.  On the lower right it says, “Willard Mullin-With Best Wishes To Mrs. Anna Wooley…A True Dodger Fan.”

(Auction Link)

2012 Allen & Ginter- Dodgers Base Cards

One of the more anticipated Baseball card sets of the season has now officially been released.  Check out the Dodgers base cards to the 2012 Allen & Ginter Baseball card set below.  As always, there are numerous variations and parallels to each card.  There are black bordered cards, mini cards, back variations, and even cards made of wood.  I'll follow up with pics of some of the inserts in a future post.

31 Jackie Robinson

41 Clayton Kershaw

84 Andre Ethier

99 Sandy Koufax

101 James Loney

180 Tim Federowicz

200 Matt Kemp

298 Dee Gordon

321 Chad Billingsley

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 7/12/2012

Check out this great "1 of 1" Sandy Koufax printing plate insert card recently found by noted case-breaker BrentandBecca.  It is now up on eBay.  Check out their twitter page for pics of other scarce finds.  Hopefully, by tomorrow I'll have up pics of the Dodger base cards of the set.

• Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw pitches Cole Hamels on LA, via Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.

"You'd look good in Dodger blue," Kershaw told him.

• Take a look at the Kirk Gibson Bobblehead being given out on July 31st, via twitter @Dodgers.

• If you haven't seen it already, Dodgers President Stan Kasten wrote a letter to Dodger fans.  It's kind of like a "State of the Team" address.  Read it all here.

Some of you may have seen me, and some have even stopped to talk to me, as I visit different levels throughout the stadium every game. I do this because I want to learn - from you. I have asked my entire staff to be more active and visible to assist you and to get your feedback. Please come and talk to us. Your honesty and your enthusiasm will help make this organization serve you better.

• Dee Gordon is on the road to recovery, via his twitter @Skinnyswag9.

• Manuel of LA Brew Crew has up a bunch of pics from Hat Night at Dodger Stadium; including some great autographs gets.
• Andre Ethier tells Jon Rosen at FSWest that he is ready to play. Like many athletes it takes management to put their fist down and say, "no, you rest that leg."

"I kept telling Donnie and Sue and even Ned a little bit [that] I wanted to get back out there and get going for two or three days, and they kind of all of a sudden snapped it on me and said, ‘you're going on the DL.' No sense of arguing. I'll take it and just do my hard work out there and figure out a way to make the most of it and make the best and get back a little bit stronger and more refreshed than I would have been if I kept going out there," Ethier said.

• Pat Morrison of the LA Times interviews Vin Scully.   

After all the Dodgers' upheaval, does the team seem different?
I think there is a spirit of optimism; the fans feel the team will get better because of new ownership. The players are like I am, and I've said this before: It's as if we're working on a ship, and I'm down in the boiler room shoveling coal, and up on top where the captain is, that's the ownership. By and large, ownership doesn't have anything to do with me shoveling coal.

• Jbox at Gaslamp Ball shares an incredible find.  They have up a vintage 1946 PCL Promotional Film that had been hidden away in a closet until recently.  I love watching these old films.
• Dashing, eh?  Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw were at the ESPY's last night.  Pic via Reddit.

(pic via imgur)

• Congratulations to the Kings for winning 2 ESPY's.  Jonathan Quick took the award for best hockey player and the entire team won best upset of the year.  Woo Hoo!

(Pic link:via Kings captain twitter @DustinBrown23)

• Do you wonder where The Stanley Cup is as it traverses the world in honor of the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings?  (Yeah, I still love typing that all out.)  Well, Rich Hammond of the Kings Insider has been maintaining a Stanley Cup Tour Tracker for fans to check out.  Go here to see where it is today.

eBay: Vintage LA Dodgers Give-Away Baseball Glove

Here is something I've never seen for sale on eBay.  Heck, I've never actually laid eyes on one before.  In fact, I'm surprised any exist; especially in this condition.  It looks like it has never been used.

Featured above is a 1988 Dodger Stadium game give-away.  It is a Blue Dodger Baseball glove in pristine condition.  There doesn't appear to be any scraps or marks anywhere on it.  Heck, it's like the glove has been hiding in a box in the garage since the day it was first received.  It stayed away from the dirty hands of some kid and the fading powers of the sun.  It sold recently on eBay for $36.53.

BTW, the same seller has some 1990's era Albuquerque Dukes fan memorabilia for sale, as well.  It includes some really cool wristbands.  Check out that listing, here.