Whoa is me. I've been so swamped, I haven't been able to write much for this blog. Besides, the recent slide the Dodger are on has me unable to muster much enthusiasm.
Come on Dodgers! Score some runs!
In fact, I'm starting to fall into a slumber, so this vintage pillow I ran into on eBay seemed like a perfect item to write about.
Featured is a 1963 World Champion Dodgers pillow. I've never seen this before so I do not know much about it. Nevertheless, it looks really nice.
With 2 wild card spots available this year the Dodgers can still play in October. Heck, I'd be happy if they could muster just a little bit of offense on a consistent basis to keep me hopeful for next season.
Hey. At least the Dodgers farm club in Ogden is playing well. They are in the finals. Per Sam Dykstra in a MiLB report.
"It feels to great to win this," said Smith, the Dodgers' 12th-round
pick in the 2012 Draft. "This is something we've all been working
towards since we got here. After winning both divisions this year, this
was what we all thought we'd be capable of. Every time we stepped on the
field, it was to work toward the opportunity to play for the league
title."
Mark Saxon at ESPN shares a great quote from Andre Ethier that expresses the Dodgers troubles.
"I don't know if it's pressing too hard or not caring enough or what," Andre Ethier
said. "You try to go out there and relax, it doesn't work. You try to
go out there and care, and nothing works. Maybe somebody needs to come
on and give us all a good shake or something. I don't know."
That's according to minority
Dodgers owner and renowned film producer Peter Guber, who said his
experience in the business of media entertainment and sports have taught
him assembling star power does not guarantee success at the box office
or the standings.
Guber, who was at AT&T Park on Friday for the start of a crucial
series with the Giants, cited "Bonfire of the Vanities," a 1990
cinematic flop he produced, as an example of a talented lineup that
included Bruce Willis, Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman.
Sports Collectors Daily unveils a new lawsuit against Upper Deck. Boy! Considering how they have conducted business with various sports leagues, I'm not surprised by this.
Paco Rodriguez, also known as Steven Rodriquez in the featured Baseball cards above and below, pitched in his very first Major League game last night. Welcome to the Bigs!
Rodriguez is the very first person from the 2012 Draft to make it to the show. Hopefully he earns a little bit of experience before being given an opportunity to win a job with the Dodgers next season.
In his debut, Paco pitched to just one batter, Brandon Belt, who grounded out to first base.
Also, I figured I'd share some of the Baseball cards that already exist of him. Above is a 2008 Upper Deck Team USA Baseball card with two other teammates. Paco is on the far right. Below is a 2008 Upper Deck Team USA Baseball autograph/game-used jersey card.
A 6-3, 215 pound lefty, he was drafted in the second round this spring
from the University of Florida. Signed for a slot-value $610,800 bonus,
Rodriguez works with a low-90s fastball, a cutter, and a slider. He has a
deceptive delivery, but his stuff is impressive
Sickels shares a video of him from his days as a Gator.
Via Bill Shaikin at the LA Times we find out that the Dodgers are looking to sign Ned Colletti to a long term contract.
Here comes the blame game. Roberto Baly at Vin Scully is My Homeboy notes some ridiculous twitter comments from Dodgers fans that were sent to Matt Kemp. Calm down, folks!
Via Nomo at the Sons of Steve Garvey, we find out that the Dodgers have put up a high-res photo of the fans at the Vin Scully bobblehead game. Go here to check it out. I've already found myself up in the reserve section, and I look uncomfortable in my seat.
Ben Reiter at SI writes about the Dodgers recent trade activity and he makes some sense.
The staggering sums involved only serve to distract from what Colletti
has accomplished. He turned three major leaguers who have never played
in an All-Star game -- first baseman James Loney, starting pitcher
Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Josh Lindblom -- and seven prospects, none
of whom has ever been ranked higher than 90th on Baseball America's
annual Top 100 prospects list, into a cache of proven stars, all 32 or
younger. "It's not like we went and out and loaded up with players who
have the sun starting to set on their careers," says Colletti. "They're
in the midst of their primes."
Josh Tinley at Midwest Sports Fan shares "8 Incredible Moments from the 2012 Paralympics". After reading and watching some of the videos, I have to know one thing. How exactly does someone play soccer blind? I'm beyond speechless.
Another stain on the card hobby. Sports Collectors Daily notes that a fifth dealer has plead guilty to selling fake game-used jerseys; including jerseys sold to card manufacturers.
Some of the jerseys were sold to trading card manufacturers although it
hasn’t been revealed whether any of the swatches cut from those jerseys
were ever used on cards.
Today is the 1-year anniversary of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that killed the entire team. Puck Daddy commemorates this by sharing a video featuring a Pavol Demitra tribute. Demitra was one of the players killed in that plane crash, and he was one of my favorite Kings players during those lean King years. Puck Daddy starts the video in the middle when stories are shared between Luc Robitaille, Jeremy Roenick and Demitra, but I suggest starting from the beginning. It includes a bunch of behind the scenes footage.
Still looking for a chance to hang out with the Stanley Cup? Well, Luc Robitaille is throwing a charity fundraiser for Echoes of Hope this coming Saturday evening at the South Bar by Vizio in Santa Monica (3001 Wilshire Blvd.). See the below flyer for details. (Hat Tip: LA Kings Insider)
We are a little over week before the NHL owners imposed deadline for an agreement with the players association, and I'm sick to my stomach. After an invigorating past season, I may now have to go without hockey, and it makes me sick.
I had promised myself that I wouldn't fret and scream, but I can't help myself. I want hockey to start when it should!
I've kept a watchful eye at the news reports about the issues and developments, and can't help myself in blaming the owners for this mess. The last time around, the owners got nearly everything they wanted. Now, with league revenues going through the roof it appears they just want more. The players appear to be willing to accept lowered salaries (rollbacks), but want a real revenue sharing plan that will help struggling franchises. They want a system that will forever negate a lock-out in the future. The owners appear willing to go through this exercise every 5 to 6 years.
I don't get it. It just makes me want to scream, "I'm Mad as Hell, and I'm Not Gonna Take it Anymore!"
Man-Alive, I really envy the labor peace that has existed in Baseball.
Anyway, this leads me to a video made by a Finnish NHL fan named Janne Makkonen. See it below. His work has been the talk of the league and it has gone viral with hockey fans. BTW, Hot Takes was able to track him down and briefly interviewed him on their blog. Check it out. Below are a couple of choice quotes.
The fans were my biggest inspiration. I’ve never really experienced
anything like the fans’ agony in the social media during the last few
months. I wanted to find a way to express myself and I thought that this
was the best way.
... I’m really humbled by the feedback. Mostly I enjoy seeing almost
every fan on the same level. No one’s talking about the team they
support, or ones they don’t support, because everyone is supporting just
one cause together!
Once again, I found myself trolling through the eBay wilderness for interesting Dodgers collectibles. Check out a couple of vintage press photos below that I ran into.
This is a September 26, 1955 photo from the Associated Press. It features the pitchers who are expected to face the Yankees in the upcoming World Series; which we all know the Dodgers won. From left to right; Don Newcombe, Billy Loes, Karl Spooner, Don Bessent, Clem Labine and Johnny Podres. The World Series would start in just a couple of days.
Below is a New York Daily News press photo taken by Paul Bernius from 1947. Pee Wee Reese and Pete Reiser are featured comparing bats.
