Blog Kiosk: 7/22/2013 - Dodgers Links -

Check out this great photo of the very first plane owned by a MLB club.  It is a Convair 440 bought by the Dodgers in 1957.  Photo via Michael Beschloss on twitter.

• Vin Scully discusses why he has always prepared thoroughly for a game in a video provided by Comcast Sportsnet.  Check it out.
• Check out a bunch of pics from National Park from yesterday provided by a Redittor named phuckduck in imgur.
• "Matt Kemp injures ankle in win, Dodgers say no DL for now," via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA.  There is video available to view.
• Bill Plunkett with the OC Register shares some quotes from Kemp about the ankle injury on Sulia.

 "It's a little sore, a little swollen but I don't think it's that bad."
Kemp admitted the injury was a result of not running hard. He assumed the play was going to be at first base (and Carl Crawford would beat it out for a hit) and had to speed up and lunge for the plate at the last second.
"It's my fault," Kemp said. "I wasn't running hard. That's an easy hit for CC. ... CC has every right to be mad at me. He would have had another hit if I was running hard.
"The result of my not running hard is he doesn't get that fourth hit and I rolled my ankle. That's all my fault. ... I shouldn't have been in that situation."
Kemp did not have X-rays taken of his ankle and doesn't anticipate needing any.
"The biggest thing will be how it feels waking up tomorrow."

• Dodger Penguin was at the Paul LoDuca signing at Harry's Dugout and shares some photos.
• "Dodgers GM Ned Colletti doesn't see any big trades in the works," via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times.

"When I call around teams, there's not a lot of names of position players being discussed," Colletti said. "I'm not sure if there's a market out there on the sell side."

• Expos fans came out in force to a Blue Jays game in support of bringing the game back to Montreal, via Anna Fogel at NESN.  Even Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had something to say.

I hope that the efforts of @ExposNation will one day be rewarded with a team in Montreal. #Expos
— Stephen Harper (@pmharper) July 20, 2013

• Joe Student at Busted Coverage has a copy of the room assignment list for the Cleveland Indians and it includes some hilarious pseudonyms. 
• The Giants season really is going to the birds.  Via Fox Sports, seagulls have started to invade AT&T Park.

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Sixth Annual ThinkCure! Weekend to Take Place August 9th to 11th

For the 6th straight year, the Dodgers main charity takes center stage the weekend of August 9 to 11 during the home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Get more information about the festivities here. 

“The Los Angeles Dodgers are committed to making a difference in our community,” said Dodger President Stan Kasten. “As part of our Health and Wellness focus, the Dodgers are continuing our partnership with ThinkCure! as we all work to fund research to find a cure for cancer.”

This year’s ThinkCure! Weekend events will include programming on the Dodgers’ broadcast partner stations throughout the weekend, Dodger player, coach and alumni participation, celebrity involvement,  in-stadium auctions, stories from cancer patients, survivors and their families, in-stadium recognitions and the ThinkCure! logo will be painted on the field. Also during ThinkCure! Weekend, Dodger ushers will be wearing ThinkCure shirts. The ThinkCure! auctions will include Dodger experiences, autographed Dodger memorabilia, gift certificates to Los Angeles area attractions and unique destination experiences.

And you can help from Dodger Stadium or from home by making a $10.00 donation to ThinkCure! by texting CURE to 50555.  Doing this will make a $10.00 donation through your mobile phone bill or you by making contributions online at www.thinkcure.org.

(pic via True Blue LA)

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Blog Kiosk: 7/21/2013 - Dodgers - Newk Up to Bat, Kemp is Back and Dodgers in Lead for Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez

Check out this great vintage pic of Don Newcombe up to bat during the first game of the 1955 World Series.  Photo via Michael Beschloss on twitter.

• Welcome back, Matt Kemp.   He is back from the DL today.  Per a Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated outfielder Matt Kemp from the 15-day disabled list and optioned outfielder/first baseman Scott Van Slyke to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Kemp is hitting .254 with four homers and 24 RBI in 61 games for the club this season and missed just nine games on the current DL stint with left AC joint inflammation . Earlier this year, the 28-year-old missed 24 games on the 15-day disabled list from May 30-June 25 with a right hamstring strain.

Van Slyke was hitting .241 with six home runs and 14 RBI in 33 games this season with the Dodgers. 

• "Zack Greinke: Professional hitter," via Matt Snyder at CBS Sports.

Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke went 2-for-2 with a double Saturday night against the Nationals, meaning he's now hitting a robust .406/.486/.469 on the season.

• "Simple approach suits improving Ethier," via Andrew Simon at MLB.com.

"Let's just work on, every day go out there and get one hit and build from that one hit and keep building from there," (says) Ethier.

• While in Washington DC, brothers Scott and Jerry Hairston Jr. talk about growing up together, their annoying habits and more in a video provided by FoxSports West. 
• It's always good to know what the opposition is saying.  Troy Renck at the Denver Post writes, "Having top talent doesn't guarantee division title".

The defining moment will be how the Dodgers respond when Hanley Ramirez, Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier struggle. Ramirez never has won a teammate of the year award, Puig gave a curtain call before the game last Sunday illuminating that his assimilation needs work and Ethier has a volcanic temper unsuitable for umpires and Hallmark cards. Even if Matt Kemp walks through the Dodgers' clubhouse doors, he can't shoulder the burden with his aching shoulder.

• Peter Gammons believes that the Dodgers are in the lead for the services of Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.

GM:"Word is Dodgers will go five years, close to $50M on (Cuban) Miguel Gonzalez. If so, he'll be a Dodger.:
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 21, 2013

• Eric Becker at Eric's Dodger Blog shares more videos from his trip to watch the Dodgers in San Fracisco.
• Sports Collectors Daily updates us on the Goldin Auction featuring a game-used Jackie Robinson bat.  It sold for $159,867.  Wow!
• Dan at Cards by Sooz tells us a bit about the cards made for the Senior Professional Baseball League over 20 years ago.
• Call me a little smitten.

@ernestreyes :)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) July 21, 2013

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Kershaw, McGlothin Talks About Jackie and a 1979 Vintage Full Game Video Against the Giants

Here are this Sunday's Dodger Videos.

Clayton Kershaw joined the Dan Patrick Show to talk about the All-Star Game and the Dodgers’ season.

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This is just awesome.  From KnoxNews.com we hear from Pat McGlothin who recalls his playing days with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson in 1949-50.

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Darren Dreifort discusses playing baseball in Alaska with his brother and in Wichita.  Via the Anchorage Glacier Pilots Legacy Project.

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Wow!  Photo Day was a mad house!  Stadium Bound captures Matt Kemp meeting with the fans in the video below. Here is a video he got of Hyun-Jin Ryu with fans.

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Wow!  Check this out.  Here is a complete game vintage video of the Dodgers playing against the Giants from August 10, 1979.  Don Sutton started against Bob Knepper.  BTW, Don went all the way.

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Hanley! Hanley! Hanley!

Say that name 3 times real quick.

Hanley!  Hanley!  Hanley!

It's like in the movie Beetlejuice, but instead of calling up a ghost from the underworld you get the heroic power of a Dominican.

Hanley Ramirez is on fire, and I think it's quite clear that it is he who is the real driving force behind the Dodgers resurgence.

Tonight, Hanley did it again by doubling home the winning run in the 10th inning against the Nationals to win their 2nd game in a row.

We now find ourselves a game out of 1st place, and face the possibility of going 1/2 a game behind the Diamondbacks if they lose tonight's game against the Giants. 

Wow!  It's great to finally see the Dodgers playing the way we had all hoped when the season began.

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Blog Kiosk: 7/20/2013 - Dodgers Link - Claude Osteen, Tommy Davis and Don Newcombe

Puig just impacts every game he plays in.  Gif above via Dodgers tumblr.

• Via Bob Lemke, "Thompson, Newcombe made history July 8, 1949".

I wonder if the 34,468 fans at Ebbets Field on July 8, 1949, had any idea they were witnessing baseball history when Henry Thompson of the New York Giants stepped to the plate to lead off the top of the first inning.

On the mound for the Brooklyn Dodger was Don Newcombe. It was the first time that a black batter had faced a black pitcher in a regular major league game.

• Claude Osteen: Dodgers’ Valuable Third Wheel," Via Paul Swydan at FanGraphs.

Everyone remembers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. The duo pitched 11 years together in Brooklyn and in Los Angeles. Together, the pair  helped the Dodgers reach the Fall Classic five times, three of which their team won. But there’s a good chance  they wouldn’t have won their third and World Series title without the help of their third wheel, Claude Osteen.

• "Rancho Cucamonga honors ex-Dodgers star Tommy Davis, " via Neil Nisperos at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

"I came out here in 1981 and it was because of my sister-in-law, my wife's sister, she was staying out here and we kind of fell in love with it ... We've been out here ever since and we really love it out here. We've met some nice people and have some great neighbors, and I wouldn't have it any other way." 

• Ethier heating up?  "Ethier strikes again in familiar scenario, "  via Mark Simon at ESPN.
• "Kemp faces live pitching, eyes Sunday return," via Andrew Simon at MLB.com.

"I don't know. We'll see when I start playing," Kemp said. "It's hard to tell. Practice is totally different from the game. But I feel good."

Kemp has hit .254 with a .666 OPS in 61 games this season, and now is trying to bounce back from an injury for the second time.

"It is what it is. You've got to deal with it," he said. "When you do come back, try to not get hurt. Just dealing with it. It can be frustrating at times, but it is what it is. Injuries are part of the game."

• BTW, Kemp batted against Lilly in a simulated gate earlier today and did well.  Via a tweet from David Vassegh.

Kemp hit 2 bombs off Lilly in 17 pitches.  He is now out of cage and Lilly continues to pitch
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 20, 2013

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