Nick's Dodger Dream

Here's a Dodger story to warm your heart.

A few days ago a video popped up on youtube called "Nick's Dodger Dream".  Here is a description:

Nick Ybarra is a young man who has been born with Down Syndrome but his love for Dodger Baseball has brought wonder and smiles to everyone around him. With the recent success of the 2013 Dodgers it would mean nothing more to get him to meet Vin Scully and throw the first pitch. PLEASE HELP US and make this dream come true and spread the word to get the Dodgers notice.

Well, KABC News got on the horse and made it happen.  Check out their story here.  Also, watch the original youtube video made by Nick's sister, below.

Video Link:

Nick's Dodger Dream will be coming true on Friday, September 13th.  He'll have an opportunity to meet Vin Scully and throw out the first pitch. 

Congrats, big guy! 

"He brings a lot of people pleasure, and he's going to have a day of pleasure himself," said Nick's mother, Carol Ybarra.

KABC's video is available below to watch.

Video Link:

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 9/6/2013 - Dodgers Links - Awards and Honors: Vin Scully to be Rose Parade Grand Marshall & Kershaw Wins Branch Rickey Award

Vin Scully and Pasadena Fire Department Chief Calvin Wells pose for a picture during the Tournament of Roses announcement naming Vin as Grand Marshall.  Pic above via twitter @PPDChiefSanchez.

• Clayton Kershaw was named the winner of the 2013 Branch Rickey Award.  Via a Press Release:

Kershaw, currently one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, will be inducted as the 22nd member of the Baseball Humanitarians Hall of Fame™ during a banquet on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Marriott City Center Hotel in downtown Denver. At 25, he is the youngest person to receive the award.

Created by the Rotary Club of Denver in 1991, the Branch Rickey Award honors individuals in baseball who contribute unselfishly to their communities and who are strong role models for young people. Each year, the Major League Baseball teams are asked to nominate one player from their team for this nationally acclaimed award. All of the nominees personify Rotary International’s motto, “Service Above Self.”

• Oh, boy!  Vin Scully has been named the Grand Marshall for the upcoming 125th Rose Parade.  Via a tweet @rosebowlgame.  Here is a news report from Melissa Palmer at KTLA5 about it.

Congratulations to Vin Scully, the Grand Marshal for the 125th @roseparade presented by @Honda! pic.twitter.com/gljeiVR0Uy
— Rose Bowl Game (@rosebowlgame) September 5, 2013

Via  a Dodgers Press Release:

"I am deeply humbled and greatly honored to be the Grand Marshal of the 125th Rose Parade," said Scully. "I look forward to sharing this wonderful moment with my wife, Sandi, and the millions who will be watching."

• "5 Legitimate Reasons Why an Orange County Resident Would Root for the Los Angeles Dodgers," via Gustavo Arellano at OC Weekly.
• "The Time Leo Durocher Beat The @!#%@$ Out Of A Heckler," via Robert Weintraub at Deadspin.
• "Dodgers' Andre Ethier is enjoying center stage," via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times.
• Fot the LGBT Dodger fans out there, the Dodgers are hosting their 1st ever LGBT Night OUT at Dodger Stadium on Friday, September 27th.  Go here for more information.
• Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest goes behind the scenes at the autograph pavilion during the National Sports Collectors Convention and shares a great Lou Holtz story.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

A 1976 Jim Beam's Bicentennial Bourbon / Norman Rockwell Decanter

This ranks as one of my favorite Brooklyn Dodgers related memorabilia items in my collection.  Shown here is a 1976 decanter of Jim Beam's Bourbon.  It is a Bicentennial glass bottle featuring a classic Normal Rockwell painting that many of you may be familiar with.  It is commonly named "Game Called Because of Rain".  It has also been called "The Three Umpires", "Tough Call" and "Bottom of the Sixth".

The reverse of the bottle has the following description:

This cover picture by Norman Rockwell depicts the old Ebbets Field, then the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Here, the Dodgers are trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 in the sixth inning.  If the arbiters call the game because of rain, the score will stand as is and Pittsburgh will win.  This irks the Brooklynites, who dislike having other teams win.  In the picture, a Brooklyn coach could well be saying, "You may be all wet, but it ain't raining a drop!"  The huddled Pittsburgh Pirates manager is doubtless retorting, "For the love of Abner Doubleday, how can we play ball in this cloudburst?"

This decanter can easily be found on eBay for about $10, and would look phenomenal in any collectors showcase.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Some Vintage Brooklyn Dodgers Photographic Negatives at Hunt Auctions

Hunt is currently running their monthly internet auction and it includes some original acetate negatives from noted sports photographer Dennis Brearley.  He is a Pulitzer Prize winning photo journalist once employed by a Boston area newspaper and as the team photographer for the Boston Red Sox.

Since 1978 he has been selling original prints from his own collection of photos taken over his career.  Now, fans and collectors alike can enjoy owning the original negatives.  Via the Brearly website:

"Since 1978 the Brearley family has thoroughly enjoyed presenting our unique photographs to our customers. The decision to sell our collection of collectibles and original negatives was not an easy one." remarked the Brearley Family. "However, we have had wonderful experiences and met some great people; it has been a great ride! We hope the future owners of this unique collection enjoy it as much as we have."

Check out some of the Brooklyn Dodger photos I came across below. Of note, there was a great photograph of Babe Ruth in Dodger Blue.  He was standing in the dugout with a megaphone held up to his mouth.  No doubt, Ruth was scream encouraging words.  Unfortunately, that item has since been pulled, and I was unable to grab the pic before it disappeared.

Now, on to the Dodger photos.

(Auction Link)

Above is a great, circa 1950's era, photo negative of Pee Wee Reese.  It sold for $143.00.  Below is Duke Snider.  It sold for $81.00.

(Auction Link)

Here is a lot of two negatives featuring Don Drysdale, circa 1950's.  It sold for a very affordable $35.00.  Don looks so young in these.

(Auction Link)

This next lot consist of 15 different negatives, but only 4 are shown.  They sold for $35.00.  I can make out Ralph Branca on the top right, Leo Durocher in the center and Duke Snider on the bottom.

(Auction Link)

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2013 Panini Cooperstown Baseball - The Dodgers Colgan's Chip Disk

This might be the best insert set of the 2013 Baseball season.

Shown here are the 2013 Panini Cooperstown Baseball Colgan's Chip Disk of Dodger players.  These little cards copy a vintage set originally put out from 1909-1913 called Colgan’s Chips.  They are round and feature black & white photos; much like its vintage cousin.

Back in 2007 a large find of over 150 original vintage Colgan's Chip cards were uncovered.  It was dubbed "The Skydash Find" and was valued at over $1 Million.  See my original story about this find here.  It's a great story about how a family inherited the cards - not knowing what they had.  A family member shared their cards on a popular vintage card message board to find out their worth and were immediately harangued with questions.  Most knowledgeable collectors couldn't believe what they were reading, so they demanded photos.  Soon, those photos came to light and the hobby world swooned. 

The best part about "The Skydash Find" story is how they almost got thrown in the trash.  Heck, only two boxes of cards survived the trash heap while another two boxes of memorabilia disappeared.  It is thought by the family that an original Babe Ruth signed jersey was tossed away.

You receive 1 disk in each pack of Cooperstown cards, and there are 165 total cards in the complete set.  So, sit back and enjoy the wonder of these modern cards below.

Colgan's Chips Disks

#38 Dazzy Vance                               #41 Zack Wheat

#44 Jackie Robinson                          #54 Roy Campanella

#80 Duke Snider                                   #88 Pee Wee Reese

#119 Tommy Lasorda                              #121 Don Sutton

#152 Walter O'Malley

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 9/5/2013 - Dodgers Links - Ryu's Next Start Delayed

Dodger players getting prepared for last nights game - the mile high stretch.  BTW, the Dodgers are off tonight.  Their magic number sits at 12.  Pic above via @Dodgers on twitter.

• "M. Ellis and wife helping make baseball safer," via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.
• "Report: Dodger Stadium has nearly $4 million worth of liens against it," via Mike Oz at Big League Stew.  This sounds like a case of irrational screaming by the best gossip hounds in the business (TMZ) for the sake of getting hits.  I'm not worried about the Dodger finances, and I suspect this issue is just a little disagreement between the team and some contractors on the final bill.
• "Koufax on "Mister Ed," Big D with Greg Brady, and Hollywood's Love Affair with the Dodgers," via Howard Cole at LA Weekly.  He put together a great list of vintage Dodger players who have appeared on television.  It's a mighty long list.
• Hyun-Jin Ryu's next start has been pushed back.  Via @Dodgers & @KenGurnick on twitter:

Chris Capuano will start on Friday. RT @kengurnick: Ryu has a middle back stiffness after last start.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 4, 2013

• Take a listen to Joe McDonnell's podcast with GM Ned Colletti, here.
• Gellman at Sports Cards Uncensored writes about the various Yasiel Puig autographed cards showing up on eBay.
• David Pinto at Baseball Musings explores the "Dodgers Turnaround".

In the second half, the hitters maintained their overall averages, while the pitchers simply shutdown the opposition with runners in scoring position. Due to their situational stats, the Dodgers looked worse through June 21st than their talent level, and they’ve looked better than their talent level since. This has to be one of the greatest examples of luck turning around in a short time frame that I’ve seen.

• Here's a cat... awwww!

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *