I had to get the Ned Colletti Card

I was just drawn to this.  With his knowing smile, mesmerizing eyes and dustpan-styled 'stache, I knew my collection wouldn't be complete until I got it.  So, I search high and low and finally came away the victor in a recent eBay auction.  Actually, there wasn't much competition at all since I was the only one to bid on it.  Nevertheless, I'll pretend that I had to battle through a thicket of onlookers in order to grab the prize.  

Featured above is the Ned Colletti 2012 Topps autographed General Manager card that I recently added to my collection, and it's a beaut. 

I don't care what everybody says.  This man exudes sexy.  Heck, even David Brown at Big League Stew exclaimed in his piece about sexiest GM's that Colletti was:

"Pure. Hollywood. Lust."

Oh, wait... That was sarcasm.

Friends have always told me that I often miss obvious social cues.

Anyway, I swear that if you had a chance to meet the man in person, like many of my Dodger blogger brethren from Blogger Nights can attest to, you'd know what I'm talking about.  This guy can 'bob and weave' like the best of them.  He dances like a gazelle in flight from a predator - jumping and diving, shuckin' and jivin'.  Colletti is especially masterful when paired with those mystical snake-skin cowboy boots that he likes to wear.  Those things allow him to mesmerize his audience into doing anything he wants.  His tools are that good.

I, for one, believe that we will rue the day he was replaced by those Ivy League know-it-all's.  After all, nobody brings the sexy like Ned Colletti.  And, sexy wins ballgames.

Or, maybe not.

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Blog Kiosk: 12/2/2014 - Dodger Links - Siesta Please, Arbitration and Donnie had a Baby

Sometimes you just need a break. A break from the hard work you've put in to prepare for a long season.  A break from drudgery of everyday life.  Heck, I know I need a break from the incessant 'hot stove' filled with inane rumors and speculation.  Will someone please put a stop to it all!  Why do we have to go through all of this year after year?

But I digress.  Featured above is a ACME press photo I ran into on eBay recently that I just needed to share.  Check out that auction here.  It is dated 2/26/1951 and was taken on the practice fields of Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.  Below is what is written in the caption attached to the reverse:

SHUT-EYE DREAM OF SHUT OUTS 

Vero Beach, Fla.: After a tough morning's workout and a hearty lunch, there's nothing like a little snooze.  And taking full advantage of a two-hour rest period, Brooklyn Dodgers' hurler Dan Bankhead covers his eyes with his cap and starts his siesta in the "pepper pot", a contraption used by pitchers during practice.  The Dodgers are going through spring training at Vero Beach, Fla.

At first I thought Dankhead was resting on a futon-type bed, but now I read that it's a tool used by pitchers called a "pepper pot."  What the heck is that?  How in the world could that thing help a pitcher?  I need to know.  Can anyone out there help me?

In the meantime, below are some links to check out:

• Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times, "Arbitration deadline to force Dodgers' decision on A.J. Ellis' return."  Don't worry.  I absolutely expect the Dodgers to keep AJ Ellis.  I also expect that Dee Gordon, Kenley Jansen, Juan Nicasio and Justin Turner will be tendered contracts by this evening.  I believe that Darwin Barney and Drew Butera are on the cusp.
• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "The Dodgers’ biggest December deals of the 2000s."
• Don Mattingly has just had a baby, via @Dodgers on twitter.  Congrats, Donnie!

Congrats to Don and Lori Mattingly on the birth of son Louis Riley Mattingly, who now shares Vin Scully’s November 29 birthday.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) December 1, 2014

• On Wednesday Topps will be releasing their Tek Baseball card set and Chris Olds at Beckett has a bunch of preview pics.  Check out the Sandy Koufax and Yasiel Puig autographed cards below.

• Via John Thorn at Our Game writes, "Baseball’s Wright Brothers and the Cincinnati Red Stockings."  Thorn is the official MLB historian. 

More than thirty years before a pair of brothers named Wright made aviation history, another Wright duo was instrumental in changing baseball from a social-club pastime to a professional game. Baseball’s Wright brothers were George and Harry, cricket players who saw the future in the American game.

• Panini America shared a bunch of preview pics of their upcoming 2014 USA Baseball box set.  Check that out here. 

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A New Roger McDowell Dodger Card for My Collection

If you thought Jesse Orosco or Mickey Hatcher were the biggest goofballs to ever put on a Dodger uniform then you'd be mistaken.  I think perched on that throne might be former Dodger reliever Roger McDowell.

He pitched for the Dodgers for four season in the early 90's and quickly enamored himself with the fans.  After all, who doesn't enjoy witnessing a little bit of hijinks in the dugout.  McDowell was known to shoot off some fireworks and was a master at the classic 'hot foot' maneuver.  For Baseball card collectors he is well known for his often hilarious depictions on cardboard.  I've included numerous examples at the very bottom.

As for the card featured above, it is a 1992 Leaf Baseball card that had been inserted into packs of 2014 Leaf Metal Drafts as an autographed 'Buy Back' card, and I recently added this card to mt collection.  As you may know, these 'Buy Back' cards are numbered to the players uniform number.  In this specific case, McDowell decided to have one final laugh at us all by signing the opposite number of cards.  He wore #31 as a Dodger, but decided to sign only 13 cards. 

Below are some funny McDowell cards from his time as a Dodger.

 

This last card might be the best of the bunch.  It is a 1993 Leaf Triple Play card #263.

This last photo below is NSFW.  You can view it by going below the jump.

2014 Topps Chrome Update - All the Dodger Cards

I figured I should put this up just for informational purposes.  A couple of weeks back Topps released their 2014 Topps Chrome Update cards, and they can only be found in retail-only boxes.  Per Chris Olds at Beckett:

A new collecting twist that began last season is back for another run as a retail-only edition of 2014 Topps Chrome Update will be found in boxes arriving in stores now. Each box includes five packs of 2014 Topps Update and two packs of Chrome Update for $14.99

The Chrome Update set will consist of 55 cards, while there will be 25 All-Star Stitches Chrome Relics to be found and 10 All -Star Stitches Chrome Relic Autos as well. The only other inserts will be 20 World Series Heroes cards.

Go here for a complete checklist.  There are only a handful of Dodger cards available, and all of them are just chrome versions of cards that had already been released previously in October as a part of the 2014 Topps Update set.  Go here to see the Dodger cards found in 2014 Topps Update.

Base Set

#MB-30 Erisbel Arruebarrena

I have yet to see the actual chrome versions of the two below relic cards of Kershaw and Puig, so I have included pics of the normal update relic cards for your information.  I have no reason to believe that the chrome cards look any different than these cards - except for being super shiny.

All-Star Stitches Chrome Relics

#ASCR-CKL Clayton Kershaw                         #ASCR-YP Yasiel Puig

World Series Heroes

#WSC-18 Sandy Koufax

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Blog Kiosk: 12/1/2014 - Dodger Links - A Scharfman Photo of Some Brooklyn Dodgers and Scully's Greatest Calls

Above is another fantastic vintage press photo that I ran into on eBay.  Go here to check out that auction.  It is an International News Photo taken by noted photographer Herb Scharfman, dated 8/12/1956.

Scharfman is considered one of the greats in sports photojournalism.  He started out with International News Photo then moved on to Sports Illustrated.  His photograph of Rocky Marciano's knock-out punch of Joe Wolcott in 1952 is considered one of the most iconic photos ever taken (see it here), and he is noted for chronicling Roger Maris' pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record in 1961.  Strangely, he may be more famous today for a photo he did not take, but is instead in the middle of.  He is the photographer seen between Muhammad Ali's leg when he stands over a knocked-out Sonny Liston in a 1964 rematch.  You can see that photo here.

As for the photo above it includes the following caption that was attached to the reverse:

Winning Combo

Brooklyn, NY... Winning Dodger combination that helped rout Robin Roberts and the Phillies, 7-3, today make a happy picture in Ebbets Field dressing room.  From left are Carl Furrillo who hit two homers, winning pitcher Roger Craig, and Pee Wee Reese and Randy Jackson, who hit a homer each as their share in the Philly Defeat.

This win kept the Dodgers 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Braves.  Below are some links to check out:

• Via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew, he shares his favorite Vin Scully calls on his 87th birthday.  Then, Michael Clair at Cut4 shares his favorites, "Celebrate Vin Scully's 87th birthday with some of his greatest calls."
• So, Kershaw was at the LA Auto Show this past weekend.  Via David's Autograph Signings, he was there and shared a bunch of photos to prove it.
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "The second biggest disappointing moment of 2014."

“That was a really tough play,” Kershaw said. “I think under normal circumstances that’s pretty close to a hit. [Corey] Dickerson’s really fast and Hanley did all he could, he made a great play and just throws a little wide, so there’s nothing you can do with that. It was a tough play.”

• Via Stacie Wheeler at Lasorda's Lair, "Dodgers Lose Two Minor League Catchers This Offseason."
• Via Oscar Martinez at Lasorda's Lair, "Remembering Hanley Ramirez Through Cardboard."
• You've no doubt heard about and seen the new Star Wars 'The Force Awakens' movie trailer, but have you seen the Lego version?  Watch it below.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 11/29/2014 - Dodger Links - Pee Wee Reese, Zach Lee and Happy Birthday Vin Scully

I came across this great vintage AP press photograph featuring an injured Pee Wee Reese resting at home that was available on eBay.  Below is what was written on the descriptor attached on the reverse, dated 8/21/1940:

Reese Safe at Home

Harold (PeeWee) Reese, Brooklyn Sensational shortstop whose foot was broken Aug. 15 in a game with the Boston Bees (Braves), is shown as he told Lewis Cotton (left) and Jackie Carman (right), neighborhood admirers, all about big-time Baseball.  Reese entertained the boys in his Louisville, KY, home Aug. 21 where he went when his injury put him out of the game for the season.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Tom Hoffarth at the LA Daily News, "An appreciation: Vin Scully, at 87, and a Shangri-L.A. moment for the senses."  This red-headed kid from the Bronx turns 87 today.  Happy Birthday, Vin!  

“Well, it is a little unbelievable because God has been so good and given me good health — and he did it through my mom, who lived to be 97, so certainly the biggest reason how I got this far is because of her genes,” Scully said Friday morning when asked what it sounded like to be on the cusp of another birthday.

• Australia suffered a sporting tragedy on Thursday when 25-year old star batsman Phillip Hughes died as a result of being struck in the head on Tuesday while on the cricket pitch.  RIP, Phillip Hughes. Unsurprisingly, this has rebooted debate within the sport about player safety.  Cindy Boren at the Washington Times discusses this further.  (Hat Tip: David Pinto at Baseball Musings)
• Roberto Baly at Vin Scully is My Homeboy shares his day spending Blue Friday at Dodger Stadium yesterday.  He got Justin Turner's autograph.
• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Zach Lee works with Kershaw sage in hopes to get to next level."

Lee recently worked with University of Texas pitching coach Skip Johnson, who worked with Clayton Kershaw in the past, most notably before the Dodger ace was drafted. Kershaw, a fellow Texan, credited Johnson in the past with cleaning up some flaws.

“It’s not a drastic change, but it’s trying to give me a little more time on the rubber and not necessarily get out so early, which has helped with command and my arm action as well,” Lee said. “With my lift leg, once I get to the top point of my lift, instead of going out toward home plate right away, I’m kind of going downward and then out.”

• Here's a report on old friend Ronald Belisario.  Via Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors, "Ronald Belisario Elects Free Agency."  I'd be surprised if the Dodgers considered bringing him back since he's got a bit of bad history with us.  Although, he was always a rather good pitcher.
• Former Dodger Talk host Ken Levine shared a funny photo on his blog yesterday.  Check it out below.  Go here to check out his blog.

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