Blog Kiosk: 12/31/2014 - Dodger Links - Kuroda, Kershaw and Garvey

An obviously befuddled Jake Pitler, a Brooklyn Dodger coach, looks on as skipper Walter Alston takes a pick axe to a Dodgertown mound during Spring Training.  The photo was taken by legendary team photographer Barney Stein in 1955.  Check out the eBay auction where I found the photo here.

Below are some links to check out:

• RIP, Hank Presswood.  Via Nick Diunte at Examiner.com, "Hank Presswood, Negro League player with Cleveland and Kansas City, dies at 93."

“Willie Grace went to the Buckeyes and he was the one who told them about me,” Presswood said to me during a 2010 phone interview. “He was from Laurel, Mississippi. One day I was working and who was at my job, Grace and the foreman! He asked me about going, and I wanted to go you know. … I said, ‘What in the world are you doing here, I thought you were with the Buckeyes?’ He said, ‘I am with the Buckeyes, but I told them about you. I came after you.’ I was really surprised. I accepted and went on up there.”

• Wow!  The vintage Roy Campanella worn Brooklyn Dodgers jacket I featured in a post last month sold at Grey Flannel Auctions at $71,554.00.
• Via Barry M. Bloom at MLB.com, "Clutch Garvey merits a place among game's best."
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Hiroki Kuroda – Dodger Stadium’s other near perfect game."

Even though Kershaw’s no-no has been ranked as the most dominate no-hitter in modern baseball history by ‘Game Score‘ and was but a Hanley Ramirez throwing error away from becoming baseball’s 24th prefect game, it was not the only near perfect game to be tossed by a Dodger at The Ravine.

• Via Eno Sarris at FanGraphs, "The Best Pitches of 2014 (By Whiffs)."  Clayton Kershaw is mentioned as having the best slider of all starting pitchers... Of Course!
• If you don't already know, there will be a hockey game between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks on News Years Day at Nationals Park in DC, and Mike Bertha at Cut4 has some video of them transforming the field into a hockey rink.  There's also a video of the NHL ice crew playing some ball on ice.  Go here to check that out.

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Creepiest Jackie Robinson "Folk Art" Doll You'll Ever See at Lelands Auctions

With the new year approaching, Lelands Auctions gets on the dais first with a vintage sports auction closing in mid-January.  Go here to check out all they have to offer. 

There are plenty of Dodger items to see, but the below doll really stuck out to me.  It is a circa 1954 handmade "folk art" doll of the Jackie Robinson.

Per the auction description:

Fabulous handmade "Back" Doll is Mrs. E.E. Stokes rendition of Jackie Robinson during his prime. It has a great look with Dodgers uniform and original hat, along with red leggings in hand-knitted wool, complicated leather belt, red hand-stitching and shoes (one shoe missing). This won First Prize at the 1954 Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona and comes with original ribbon and paper labels. Even includes a 1954 Polaroid of the doll on display. Stokes was not exactly Alexander Cartwright in her baseball acumen, as Robinson wears uniform number 11, is called "Sammy" and the cap has a "D" for Dodgers but that only adds to the charm of the piece.

This is as oddball as you can get when it comes to vintage sports memorabilia.  In fact, it's probably the most unique item you'll ever find. 

As for the "creep" factor, check out the aforementioned Polaroid photo of the doll in a display case below.  It just gives off a haunted vibe.  Doesn't it?  Or, is it just me?

(Auction Link)

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Blog Kiosk: 12/30/2014 - Dodger Links - Time Warner, Kuroda and Sergio Santos

Missing Baseball in the dead of winter is the worst thing in the world.  I'm left to daydream of batted balls, snagging fly's and tagged out runners while the sky darkens with the treat of a cold rain.  Heck, sometimes I find myself window shopping online in hopes of finding a unique photo to remind why Spring is so eternal.  It's like their a symbol that the new year will truly be reborn once again, and that Baseball will begin anew.

Featured above is a vintage press photo I scoped out on eBay of Brooklyn second baseman Andy High tagging out infield prospect Fred Johnston down low.  It was taken during a Spring training workout in Clearwater, Florida on 3/9/1924 by Underwood & Underwood.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers 2015 projections & fun with The Bill James Handbook."
• Via Ben Bergman at 89.3 KPCC, "Time Warner Cable adds 'sports programming fee' to the bill. Thank you, Dodgers?"  (Hat Tip: Dodgers Chatter)

Starting Jan. 1, your Time Warner Cable bill is going to get a little more expensive, with the addition of a “sports programming fee” of $2.75 a month. The charge is modest, but remember a lot of your cable bill goes to sports already, to pay hefty carriage fees to ESPN and an increasing number of regional sports networks (RSN's).

• Alex Markle at Chavez Ravining shares his own fantasy Baseball cards of the Dodgers.  Check them out here.  The Bubble machine .gif fantasy card is awesome.
• Via August Fagerstrom at FanGraphs, "Appreciating Hiroki Kuroda."  

Kuroda was never the best pitcher in the league; he was never the best pitcher on his team. But he wasn’t supposed to be. What he was, was consistent. In an era where pitchers are more volatile than ever, Kuroda was anything but.

• Here are even more preview pics from Panini America's National Treasures Baseball card set, via Chris Olds at Beckett.  Check out the Kershaw and Puig cards below.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers, Sergio Santos reportedly nearing minor league deal."  This is likely a depth move for the Dodger bullpen.
• Via Jeff Sullivan at FanGraphs, "The Team Projections and You (National League)."  His comments about the Dodgers recent makeover keep me optimistic.
• A fun read.  Via William Ryczek at The National Pastime Museum, "Phil Linz and His Harmonica Win the 1964 American League Pennant for the Yankees."

But Linz left his mark on the 1964 pennant race as, of all things, a harmonica player—and not a very good one. 

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Hyun-Jin Ryu Plays a Human Bowling Ball - Gets a Strike! (.gif's)

As you know, Hyun-Jin Ryu has been a consistent presence on an Korean "urban action variety" show called the "Running Man" the past couple of years.  Last year he paired up with fellow MLB star Shin-Soo Choo to play some psychic supernatural Baseball and worked his magic with a Hula Hoop in another episode.

This time he runs around with a bunch of folks to participate is some strange, yet hilarious, high-jinks.  Unfortunately, the show is in Korean and there are no English subtitles.  Still, even though I couldn't understand a word, I found myself laughing at many of the sequences. 

Check out some .gif's I put together of the best moments.  Below, the show participants meet with Ryu and proceed to accost him like a gang of old grandmothers.

After driving around in a car, meeting some folks on the street and playing some sort of jump rope game the "Running Man" crew head to a local swimming pool to play some human bowling.

That's right, they will be human bowling balls and Hyun-Jin Ryu is tasked with throwing his large prodigious body towards a set of pins.  It's both hilarious and troublesome at the same time.  After all, the big guy could've hurt himself.  Or, he could've bowled a 7-10 split; which would have required another embarrassing dive down the lubed-up lane.  I can just imagine him having to sprawl out like a ungainly log - trying to reach both ends to get a spare.

On second thought, I would have loved to see that again.  But as you can see, Ryu bowled a wondrous strike; to the joy and disbelief of the gallery.

The best part of all are the numerous reactions from the crowd.  I am laughing just thinking about it.

BTW, you can watch this entire episode here.

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Blog Kiosk: 12/29/2014 - Dodger Links - Kuroda to Play in Japan, Justin Tuner and Chin-Hui Tsao?

Here is just another press photo from a a vintage spring.  Featured above is a 1957 International News press photo dated February 27, 1957.  The caption attached to the reverse says:

SAFETY FOIST-----Vero Beach, FLA........ Protected by a screen behind the pitcher's mound, manager Walter Alston keeps a critical eye on things as Fred Krupp pitches during practice at the Dodgers spring camp in Vero Beach.  Alston took this precaution after he was almost beaned by a line drive

Such are the perils of Spring!  I ran into this photo on eBay.  Check out the auction here.

Below are some links to check out:

• Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider give us the inside scoop on, "How Yasiel Puig landed the cover of MLB 15 The Show."

“We wanted to focus on someone whose passion for gaming is only superseded by their passion for baseball. Where gaming is organically part of what’s important to them. In that way, they can more organically speak to the brand and the game.”

• Here's an old friend alert.  Via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors, "Hiroki Kuroda Plans To Return To Hiroshima Carp."  And as expected, Kuroda's career will go full circle.  He will end his illustrious professional career with the club he started with.  He was a great Dodger pitcher and I had hoped he would play in LA one last time before going back home. 
• Left Field Pavilion made some fantastic graphics in honor of Hiroki Kuroda.  Check those out here.
• Via MLB Fan Cave, "Justin Turner Gives Sad Dodgers Fan a Jersey for Christmas."

One young Dodgers fan had his Christmas dampened by the fact that his favorite team had just traded his favorite player, Matt Kemp. But current Dodger Justin Turner came to the rescue with the perfect solution.

• Panini America released more preview pics from their upcoming National Treasures Baseball card set here.  Check out an autographed Clayton Kershaw booklet card on the right.
• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "2014 postscript: From piano to panic, a Kershaw no-hitter odyssey."  Jon shares his story of the day Kershaw threw his no-hitter.

By this time in my Dodger life, Kershaw knew generally who I was, but it’s not as if he really knew me — I’m not sure if he even knew my name. So you can imagine how taken aback I was when he put his glove down on some gear near me and asked, “Can you watch this for a minute?”

• Via Bill Skaikin at The LA Times, "Dodgers close to signing Taiwanese pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao."

Tsao, 33, appeared in 21 games as a reliever for the Dodgers in 2007. He previously played for the Colorado Rockies, becoming the first Taiwanese pitcher in Major League Baseball.

And as Evan Bladh at Opinion of Kingman's Performance indicates, "Chin-hui Tsao Should Have to Be Vetted by MLB Before Reinstatement."  Tsao is currently banned from playing ball in Taiwan due to fixing games and recently prohibited from playing in Australia, as a result.

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Hyun-jin Ryu and Mike Piazza on the Recent Dodger Trades

Here are this Sunday's Dodger videos.

Hyun-Jin made another appearance on an Korean show called Running Man.  Watch it below.  It is all in Korean, but still a fun watch even if you don't understand a word.  He is introduced at about the 1:50 mark, and bowls and jumps rope.  BTW, at about the 7:30 they totally mob him.

Video Link:

Watch Mike Piazza speak a bit about the recent moves the Dodgers have made on the Complex.

Video Link:

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