2015 Allen & Ginter Baseball - Autograph, Relic and Some Dodger Insert Cards

Following up on the Dodger base cards I shared in a post on Friday, below are the autograph, relic and "Starting Points" insert Dodger cards that are available.  Of note, Dee Gordon, Matt Kemp and Adrian Beltre have Dodger cards in the "Starting Points" set.

Autographs

#AGA-CKE Clayton Kershaw 

(redemption)

#AGA-JPE Joc Pederson                    #AGA-YGA Yimi Garcia

Blog Kiosk: 7/27/2015 - Dodger Links - Uribe, Greinke and Kenley Jansen

I ain't even mad.

Juan Uribe is just a winner - a clubhouse leader who has a knack for knocking in the winning run while making you smile at your misfortune.  And last night he did just that against the Dodgers.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It was straight over the plate," Jansen said of the 95-mph cutter that didn't cut. "I tried to elevate it, but it didn't move. He was a good teammate, he's a good friend and he was the best man today."

I miss you Uribear! 

Photo above is via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Below are some links to check out:

• Congrats to the new family.  Welcome to the Blue, Bode Nicholas Greinke! Via a @Dodgers tweet:

Congratulations to Emily & Zack Greinke on their baby boy, Bode Nicholas Greinke, born last night and coming in at 19", 6 pounds, 5 ounces!

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 24, 2015

• Speaking of Greinke, via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Greinke glad streak is over."

“If anything, I feel negative about it,” Greinke told reporters after his streak ended on Sunday afternoon at 45 2/3 innings. “Now I don’t have to answer questions all the time.” 

• Via Carson Cistulli at FanGraphs, "The Fringe Five: Baseball’s Most Compelling Fringe Prospects" includes two Dodger players: Jharel Cotton and Tim Locastro.
• Via Murphy Powell at Beyond the Boxscore, "Kenley Jansen is doing everything better than before."
• The 2015 National Sports Collectors Convention is coming next weekend, so Panini shared some more cards that will be inserted into their wrapper redemption program for the show; including the Joc Pederson autograph card on the right.  Go here to check out more preview pics.
• Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy shares a bunch of pics of the Clayton Kershaw / Josh Beckett "no-hitter" bobblehead the RC Quakes gave out a couple of months back.
• Stealing Home at All Trade Bait, All the Time shares his experience at the recently held Baseball Reliquary Shrine of the Eternals Induction Ceremony; including a whole bunch of great photos.
• David shares his experience at the Masanori "Mashi" Murakami book signing in Whittier a couple of weeks ago, here.  As you may know, Mashi was the very first MLB'er from Japan.

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2015 Allen & Ginter Baseball - The Dodger Base Cards

The ever popular Allen & Ginter Baseball card set is now on store shelves, and I've got pics of all of the Dodger base cards below.  Go here for a complete checklist of the set.

I've also included a checklist and examples of several of the other mini parallel cards that can be found; including the cloth (silk), metal and glossy mini cards.  These three sets have their own unique checklist.  I've also included the "Mini Exclusive" cards that can only be found in RIP cards.  Unfortunately, at the time of this posting I have yet to see the Yasiel Puig card.

#3 Adrian Gonzalez                          #88 Carl Crawford

#91 Howie Kendrick

Blog Kiosk: 7/24/2015 - Dodger Links - Kershaw, Greinke and Joc Pederson

The unhittable Clayton Kershaw.  He was magnificent... No, he's been magnificent for quite some time now. 

Last night he threw a complete game three-hit shutout to extend his scoreless innings streak to 29 innings, and I think it's fair to say that all the troubles he faced at the start of the season are now over.  Heck, he might be pitching better than he ever has in the past.  Consider this, via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

Kershaw is the first MLB pitcher with three straight games of at least 10 strikeouts and no runs or walks allowed.

In over 100 years of history no pitcher has ever done what Kershaw is currently doing.  That's amazing.

The above photo of Kershaw and Joc Pederson in midst of a "high-five" is via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to take a look at more photos from yesterday's game from Jon.  Below are some links to check out:

• I gotta get on this right away.  Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy tells us about a limited edition Dodger pin giveaway at 76 gas stations, here.
• Hey!  Congrats to the expecting family.  I guess Greinke's scoreless streak will have to wait a bit.  He is likely to miss his scheduled start today, but could pitch over the weekend.  Via a tweet from Alanna Rizzo:

RHP Zack Greinke is not with team. He is with his wife, @Wilsysmommy, as they are expecting their 1st baby. It is unlikely he pitches tmrw.

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) July 23, 2015

• Via Joe Posnanski's blog, "A Zack Greinke Story." (Hat Tip: Dustin Nosler on twitter)  I guarantee you'll laugh.
• Here's an early peek at the Justin Turner bobblehead the Dodgers are giving away to fans on September 1st.  Check it out on the right.
• Via Dustin Nosler at Dodger Digest, "Julio Urias almost back, but his development was stunted."
• Via James Montgomery at Rolling Stone, "Joc Pederson Just Wants to Buy You Breakfast."  Here's a recent interview with our star rookie:

JM:  You mentioned breakfast; I'm wondering, when you're out with your teammates, who picks up the check?
JP:  I went with [Scott] Van Slyke the other day, and we got to play credit card roulette, and that was cool. Adrian Gonzalez, I go with him a lot, and I always ask him to let me pay but he never lets it happen. It's kind of awkward at times. He's done so much for me that I really want to pay – it would be nice to buy one breakfast or something.

• Kudos to the Indians.  Via Ian Denomme at Big League Stew, "Report: Indians won’t trade Mike Aviles, whose daughter is battling leukemia."
• Here's a great interview Drake Witham at SportsNet LA.com with Robin Knight.  She was previously cast as one of the ballplayers in "A League of Their Own" and currently works at Dodger Stadium on the Pitch F/X system and as a stats stringer.  Check it out here.

Madonna and I were pals during the shoot ... great ensemble. Mo, that’s what I called her, was one of the hardest working people. She did not want anyone doing her baseball stuff for her, Geena was the same way. Plus they worked their butts off on any down time, a small group of us would go out and practice practice practice.  I teased her that she played baseball like a dancer and she picked on me when we had to do the jitterbug. She said, “yeah, well you dance like a baseball player.” We both learned.

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Check Out the Kershaw Challenge Auction at MLB

Clayton Kershaw, past winner of both the Roberto Clemente and Branch Rickey Awards for his humanitarian work, currently has an auction up at MLB Auctions that benefits his Kershaw's Challenge charity.  There's a bunch of great stuff to check out.  Go here for a complete listing. 

Our online auction is LIVE now! Check it out & place bids on awesome, authentic memorabilia. http://t.co/tZlshvH2ap pic.twitter.com/YDsJpebewm

— Clayton Kershaw (@ClaytonKersh22) July 22, 2015

Below are a handful of items that stuck out to me.

(pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

Below is Sandy Koufax's complete Old-Timers Game uniform he wore on May 16th, 2015 at Dodger Stadium. 

(Auction Link)

And below is Clayton Kershaw's game worn jersey worn in the Civil Rights Game honoring Jackie Robinson at Dodger Stadium April 15th, 2015.  Notice the patch on the right shoulder.  It has also been signed by both Kershaw and Sandy Koufax.

(Auction Link)

The next three items are all canvas prints by noted sports artist Stephen Holland.  They have all been signed by the player (with exception of the Jackie Robinson... obviously).

Clayton Kershaw (link)

(Auction Link)

Fernando Valenzuela (link)

(Auction Link)

Jackie Robinson (link)

(Auction Link)

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Blog Kiosk: 7/23/2015 - Dodger Links - Pederson, Anderson and Bolsinger

What perfect symmetry.  Heck, what perfect pitching!

Mike Bolsinger has been fantastic.  Yesterday afternoon he went seven strong innings; allowing only three hits and a lone run on a ground ball out in the third inning.  He used his magic powers (a rascally breaking ball) to fool and befuddle Braves batters, so much so that they resorted to playing mind games with him.  From their dugout they tried to bruise his ego by basically calling him a wussy for throwing too many curveballs.  Via Carlos Collazo at MLB.com:

"If you're showing me you're not hitting a pitch, why would I go to something else?" Bolsinger said. "That's baseball. If you show me you're not doing something, I'm going to keep attacking your weaknesses."

And Bolsinger said that was definitely the case against the Braves, as the scouting reports have shown that the team struggles against offspeed offerings. That, combined with the fact that Bolsinger felt good with his curveball and slider as early as his pregame bullpen session, led to Atlanta seeing 61 offspeed pitches out of the 98 that he threw.

"For Mike, it's a matter of being able to get the ball to both sides of the plate a little bit with his fastball," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "And then that sets up the breaking ball."

That's what I call good pitching... And good game calling on the part of Grandal.  The above photo is via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more pics from him from yesterday's game.  Below are some links to check out:

• Congrats Fernando!  Via Yvonne Carrasco at Dodger Insider, "As American as Fernando: Valenzuela becomes U.S. citizen."
• Via Tyler Kepner at the NY Times, "Dodgers’ Joc Pederson Hits Homers That Travel, but He Has a Long Way to Go." 

“The thing is trying to understand when a pitcher is trying to pitch around you and not give you anything to hit,” McGwire said. “Instead of getting yourself out, accept those walks, and don’t try to force the issue. That’s the way, at this level, you’ll knock down your strikeouts.”

Pederson said something similar, stressing the importance of reading the pitcher’s intentions. But he does not sound eager to cut down on his swing to slap more singles. Pederson wants to maximize damage when he connects.

“I like to slug,” he said. “I take aggressive swings. I swing and miss because of it, and I think I still have a lot to improve.”

• Via Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA, "Jordan Paroubeck still waiting to make debut with AZL Dodgers."
• This is very good news.  Via Carlos Collazo at MLB.com, "MRI results show no Achilles tear for (Brett) Anderson."

"Take it day by day," Anderson said. "But just the drastic difference between today and yesterday -- which was surprising, but is a positive. Hopefully I can continue on that path, and [hopefully] it was just kind of a fluke deal where it grabbed and bothered me and I'm able to go out for the next one."

• Via Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA, "Loons Alex Verdugo ready for next step."
• This is funny stuff.  Check out these fantasy Baseball cards that meld Hip-Hop musicians with vintage Baseball cards at "Straight Out of Cooperstown" here.  (Hat Tip: Justin Block at HuffPost Sports)  My favorite card is easily the one below.

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