Some Great Vintage Dodgers' Photos on eBay - Ruth, Jackie and the Shot Heard 'Round the World

It's been awhile since I've looked around eBay for some interesting Dodgers' collectibles.  I just haven't taken the time to do any window shopping, if you will, so when I got a notice from HYee Auctions that they had a large group of vintage photographs and negatives for sale I immediately decided to take a gander.  And, I am so glad I did. 

They had a ton of Dodger's stuff that closed this past weekend; with more closing in the next day or so.  Below are some of my favorites.  BTW, I didn't win anythings... which kinda annoys me... prices got way too high on some of the better stuff... Oh, well.

Here is a original 1938 photographic negative of Babe Ruth as a Brooklyn Dodgers as captured by George Burke. Babe Ruth is with two men identified by Burke as John McDonald and Ed Zectner. This negative sold for $79.00.

(auction link)

If you've seen the Jackie Robinson movie that came out earlier this year, called "42", then you know a bit about the below photo.  Here is an original Type 1 press photo of the infamous photo of Jackie Robinson and Phillies coach Ben Chapman playing nice.  Per the auction description:

Chapman vehemently oppose integration of whites and blacks in baseball with several controversial statements. In an early Dodgers-Phillies series in Brooklyn, Chapman’s southern prejudices reared its ugly head. The level of verbal abuse directed by Chapman and his players at Robinson reached such proportions that it made headlines in the New York and the national press. Chapman instructed his pitchers, whenever they had a 3-0 count against Robinson, to bean him rather than walk him harmlessly! As it turned out, Chapman's attempts to intimidate Robinson backfired with the Dodgers rallying behind Robinson, and there was increased sympathy for him in many circles. The backlash against Chapman was so severe that he was forced to pose in a photo with Robinson as a conciliatory gesture when the two teams next met in Philadelphia in May. This incident prompted Dixie Walker - a teammate of Robinson's - to comment, "I never thought I'd see old Ben eat sh*t like that.”

This photo sold for an incredible $849.00.  Wow!

(auction link)

(auction link)

The below photo is sad, but is also poignant.  After Bobby Thompson whacked his shot heard 'round the world, pitcher Ralph Branca can be seen walking back to the Dodgers clubhouse sulking in the moment.  This photo sold for $260.00.

(auction link)

Following up on the photo above.  Here is a 1951 press photo featuring a sign that says, "No razor blades sold to Brooklyn fans until Sunday night.  Giant fans help yourself".  From the description attached to the photo:

Larry Pearlman, manager of a news stand at LaGuardia Airfield, refuses to sell razor blades to fellow Dodger fan Donald Smith after he found out Smith's Baseball loyalties.

This photo is still on auction and closes tonight.

(auction link)

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Some Phenomenal Baseball Memorabilia at Hunt Auctions

Last week, I was busy sharing some of my favorite Dodgers' items available for sale through Hunt Auctions.  It's the 10th Anniversary of their Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory auction, so there was plenty to share.  I showed some great Dodger art, Dodgers memorabilia, and a vintage Jackie Robinson photo.  Today, I point to some non-Dodger memorabilia that stuck out to me.

Joe Sewell is one of the greatest batsman to ever play the game.  He batted a career .312 in 14 Major League seasons, and was elected in the Hall of Fame in 1977.  Sewell is noted for for striking out only 114 in 8,333 career plate appearance.  So, he might very well be the best contact hitter the game has ever seen.  Featured below is a Ty Cobb professional model bat given to Sewell (by Cobb) in 1925.  This expected to sell for a small fortune.

(auction link)

The next item is very unusual.  It is Joe Sewell's bronzed cleats.  It has recently been removed from the auction in order to be placed within a museum dedicated to Sewell at the University of Alabama.  It' great to hear that such a great Baseball artifact will find a home in a place for all to see.

(auction link)

Here is a circa 1912 photograph taken by Paul Thompson of the pitching hand of Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson.

(auction link)

Did you know that Roberto Clemente was a member of the Marine Corps Reserves?  Well, below is a photo to prove it.  The pic is from 1958.  Clemente spent 6 months on active duty at Parris Island and Camp LeJeune.  In basic he gained weight and strength that alleviated back problems he had experienced as a young adult.

(auction link)

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Blog Kiosk: 10/4/2013 - Dodgers Links - Seager, Pederson, Ryu and Puig

The Red Sox had their parade this past weekend.  Above is my favorite photo from the event.  It's the World Series trophy at the Boston Marathon finishing line.  Pic via twitter @basciobroadcasting.

• Tony Jackson at Dodger Scribe recaps the Arizona League Fall-Stars Game played on Saturday that included Dodger prospects Corey Seager and Yimi Garcia.
• Former Dodger Brad Ausmus to be named the new manager of the Detroit Tigers, via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew.
• Via Quinn Roberts and Andrew Simon at MLB.com, "Winter League roundup: Pederson shows off power".
• Via Allkpop, "'Running Man' releases preview with Ryu Hyun Jin, EXO and Yoon Suk Min!"  There's a video of some sort of Korean game show with Ryu.  A video of the episode can also be found here at Daily Motion.
• The 2013 Toronto Fall expo card show is coming up this weekend and Panini shared some preview pics of their promo cards that they will be giving away.  This show typically featured hockey collectibles, but Panini has included a Yasiel Puig card for fans to gawg over.  Check out a pic below, and see the other cards here.

• JG Preston notes that Bill Sharman wasn't actually ejected from that infamous 1951 ballgame.  Instead he, and his other Dodger teammates, were merely kicked out of the dugout.
• Baseball Pinback Buttons shares a rare Brooklyn Brown Dodgers pin - a Negro League team once owned by O'Malley.
• Tim Dierkes at MLB Trade Rumors shares his, "2014 Top 50 Free Agents With Predictions".  He has the Dodgers getting Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka.
• Via Dusty at Sons of Steve Garvey, "Dia de Los Dodgers".
• Bob Lemke shares a fascinating article about Jackie Robinson, "Sobriety, decorum urged on Robinson's fans".

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Blog Kiosk: 11/2/2013 - Dodgers Links - Ryu talks adjustments, Persuing Tanaka and Happy Birthday Al Campanis

Happy Birthday, Al Campanis!  He would have been 97 today.  The photo above was found on eBay and features him as skipper of the Newport News Dodgers (1950).  Portsmouth Cubs infielder Pep Rambert is seen wearing a kilt as he jokes with the days umpires.  He is poking fun at the Dodgers new uniform; which includes shorts.

• Via Baek Byung-yeul at the Korea Times, "Ryu: big leagues were no major adjustment".

''I would like to give myself 99 points out of a 100. I took one point out because I think I could have prepared better for the tiring major league season, which involves a lot of travelling and adjusting to time zones. Ninety-nine also happens to be my jersey number,’’ he said. 

• You must check out Emma at Dodger Blue World's blog post.  She shares a whole bunch of photos from her recent visit to the Sports Museum of Los Angeles.  Awesome!
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Torre has the favorite in Breeders' Cup Classic: MLB exec, former manager part-owner of morning-line favorite Game on Dude".
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "The costs and benefits of pursuing Masahiro Tanaka".

Tanaka, who turned 25 today, had a 1.27 ERA for the Rakuten Eagles over 212 innings and there are scouts who think he has the best split-finger fastball in the world. He’s not the power pitcher Yu Darvish is, but some scouts say he has better command and 24-0 (in a highly competitive league) is 24-0. 

• Alexander Guerrero will begin Winter League play next week, via a tweet from Gigantes Del Cibao.  Translated: "Official: Alexander Guerrero Cuban will be in uniform @GigantesSFM this Thursday, Nov 7 against @TigresdelLicey.

Oficial: Cubano Alexander Guerrero estará en uniforme de @GigantesSFM este jueves 07 contra @TigresdelLicey. #CaemeAtras
— Gigantes Del Cibao (@GigantesSFM) November 1, 2013

• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Is the writing on the wall for Dee Gordon?"
• Via Scott Andes at Lasorda's Lair, "Dodgers Sign Fabio Martinez Because The Lookouts Need Players".  He is noted for a great fastball, but lacks control.

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Want a Backup Defensive Outfielder - Why Not Franklin Gutierrez?

Well, we got word this afternoon that Franklin Gutierrez has been let loose by the Mariners, and baring a re-signing at a lower salary to Seattle, is likely to be sought after by teams wanting his glove.  Via a tweet from Bob Nightengale:

The #Mariners decline options on Franklin Gutierrez and Joe Saunders.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 1, 2013

If the Dodgers are looking to add some outfield depth - that is, a strong defensive option to shore up the outfield in the late innings - then they should look no further than to Franklin Gutierrez.  He is easily, and I don't think I'm mincing words here, the best defensive outfielder in the game.  Unfortunately for him, his bat (or lack thereof) limits his chances at being a regular starter.

Heck, I even mentioned this last week.  I wrote about him during an attempt at poking fun at Milton Bradley, here:

Joking aside, Franklin Gutierrez has stayed in the Majors since he left the Dodger nest.  That's a total of 9 years longer than I'll ever get to experience, and 3 years short of Milton "please don't kill me" Bradley's career.  He doesn't hit much; which limits his playing time to being a spot starter or reserve defensive outfielder.  Gutierrez's value as a ballplayer is in his work on the field.  He is truly a great defender, and if you need a guy off the bench to shore up your outfield during the late innings, then I can't think of anyone better.  After all, you don't get nicknamed "death to flying things" for being a duck hunter.

Franklin Gutierrez is likely to be a free agent this Winter (Seattle holds a $7.5Mil option/$500k buyout for 2014), so if your team is shopping I'd suggest looking Franklin's way.  His glove will probably be a difference maker in tight-hard-fought games.

With an outfield already stacked with four potential starters, Scott Van Slyke waiting in the wings, and prospects like Nick Buss and Joc Pederson looking for their shot, it's not likely he'll be a viable option.  On the other hand, if the Dodgers do finally move a piece or two (i.e. Andre Ethier) then a defensive specialist like Gutierrez might be in the cards.

Or, maybe this is just idle speculation as I sit here at my desk, mentally ruminating, in a state of Winter Baseball boredom.

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2013 Topps Triple Threads Baseball - Dodgers' Autographed Cards

Here are pics of all of the Dodgers' autographed cards that I've been able to track down, so far.  Go here to see my previous post regarding Dodgers' cards within Topps 2013 Triple Threads Baseball set.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of Dodgers who have redemption cards inserted into packs instead of the actual cards; such as Clayton Kershaw (#TTAR-CKE1) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (on numerous combo autographed cards).  One surprising redemption is for Dodger great Johnny Podres (#TTAR-JPO1, #TTAR-JPO2, #TTAR-JPO3, #TTAR-JPO4).  He had died in 2008, so Topps can't possibly be waiting for autographs since it's likely they have hundreds (if not thousands) of his stored away on stickers.  It just might be that they just ran out of time, and couldn't get them made in time for this release.

As always, triple threads consist of cards that have relic pieces fashioned to express a saying or phrase that represents the player - usually a nickname.  I will add, though, that the Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig cards have me a bit confused.  What exactly does "Andre 3000" and "Still Andre" mean.  Also, since when has Puig been called "The Bull"?

Triple Threads Autograph Relics

#TTAR-AET1 Andre Ethier

#TTAR-AET2 Andre Ethier

#TTAR-AGO1 Adrian Gonzalez

#TTAR-DSN1 Duke Snider

#TTAR-DSN2 Duke Snider

#TTAR-DSN3 Duke Snider

#TTAR-SK1 Sandy Koufax

#TTAR-YP1 Yasiel Puig

Triple Threads Jumbo Plus Autograph Relics

#TTJPAR-AG Adrian Gonzalez

There is also a Duke Snider and Pee Wee Reese Dual Cut Above Autograph card (#TTDCA-6), but it has yet to make an appearance.

Triple Threads Dual Cut Above Autographs

#TTDCA-1 Jackie Robinson - Ted Williams

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