Dodger Doings - Vintage 1941 Newsletter - Issue #2

Take a brief step back with me to the Dodgers 1941 season.  All year long they battled against St. Louis for National League supremacy.  The Cardinals, having not played in a Fall Classic since they won the World Series in 1934, had quickly rebuilt their club into an resurgent second coming of the "Gashouse Gang." 

The Dodgers, on the other hand, were not the picture of excellence.  Being lead by the feisty Leo Durocher, who happened to be a member of the 1934 World Champion Cardinals, the franchise hadn't seen postseason play since 1920.    BTW, Durocher had been named the manager of the club just a couple years back, and was aiming to prove that he can lead a moribund franchise like Brooklyn.

As featured in the "Dodger Doings" fan newsletter shown here, everyone realized early on that Brooklyn and St. Louis would lock heads all season long. Per the May 24th, Issue #2, newsletter:

2016 Bowman Inception - The Dodgers Prospect and Rookie Autograph Cards

Topps newest high-end Baseball card brand just hit the market.  It is called Bowman Inception and every card available has been autographed.  A box will give you five cards at a cost of $100.  Go here for a complete checklist.  Featured below are the Dodgers Prospect and Rookie autograph cards.  I hope to have pics of all the other Dodgers cards soon.  So stay tuned.

Prospect Autographs

#PA-JC Jharel Cotton                         #PA-JDE Jose De Leon

Blog Kiosk: 7/7/2016 - Dodgers Links - McCarthy, Scully and Chase Utley

Yesterdays game had it all.  There was an opening inning homer by Justin Turner to give the Dodgers an early lead.  The opposition mounted a vigorous comeback that included several big hits from former Angel Mark Trumbo.  Although starting pitching was lackluster for both team, they ended up combining for a total of 36 strike outs on the day.  BTW, nine innings was not enough to decide the game.  They had to go to extras.  All the while, Chase Utley, an aging 37-year old shortstop, thought to be already over the hill, hammered out six hits throughout the day.  A feat last accomplished by Shawn Green in 2002.  Per Jack Baer and Brittany Ghiroli at MLB.com:

"Just found some open ground out there," Utley said. "Overall it was a good game. Obviously, we're disappointed with the outcome, but we battled. Our relievers did a great job keeping us in the game. Had a lot of guys on base, a few big hits, could have used a couple more."

Via Jack Baer at MLB.com:

"Chase has been great," manager Dave Roberts said. "He finds a way to compete, put the barrel on the ball, and he found some outfield grass today. He's just a pro. The way he conducts his at-bats, I think he got three two-strike hits. Just used the whole field today."

Unfortunately, the exploits of Mr. Greybeard was not enough.  In 14 innings the Orioles outlasted the Dodgers and won, 6-4.  Go here to watch Dave Roberts talk about the game with Alanna Rizzo.

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History:  In 1959 Don Drysdale pitches a perfect three innings during the All-Star game in Pittsburgh.  In 2004 Kazuhisa Ishii tosses a one-hitter against the Diamondbacks to defeat Arizona 11-0.
• Happy Birthday, Jeff Shaw, Glenn Hoffmann and Brandon McCarthy!

Padres Series Starts Thursday - Scheduled Autograph Sessions, Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts on Thursday against the San Diego Padres, and several former Dodgers are scheduled for an autograph session with fans during Sundays Viva Los Dodgers event.  Below are the scheduled autograph opportunities and other odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

The San Diego Dog will be available for this homestand only against the Padres at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. It features a bacon-wrapped dog with house-pickled red onion, cilantro and fresh jalapeño.

The seventh 2016 issue of the new Dodger Insider magazine, featuring a salute to the Old-Timers Game on the cover, will be available at Dodger Stadium.  (see it on the left).  The Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand.  They are distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation. 

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Thursday, July 7th at 7:10 PM
LHP Drew Pomeranz vs. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
SNLA / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

2016 Topps Stadium Club - The Dodgers Insert Cards

Here is a final look at the Dodgers cards found in packs of 2016 Topps Stadium Club packs.  Go here to check out all of my previous post on this set.  Featured below are all the autograph and insert cards.

Autographs

#SCA-CK Clayton Kershaw                  #SCA-CSR Corey Seager 

A Baltimore MASN Interview with Vin Scully

Since he doesn't travel much anymore they all come to him.

Below are a couple of videos recently shared by the the Baltimore Orioles television channel MASN that features the retiring Hall of Famer Vin Scully with broadcaster Gary Thorne.  As you know, Baltimore is currently playing the Dodgers in Los Angeles as part of an interleague match-up, so this provided a perfect opportunity for the American League club to reach out to Scully for an interview.

It is broken up into two parts and covers everything from Red Barber to Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax.  Some of the things I didn't know (or failed to remember) was that Peter O'Malley and Vin were roommates.  He also chatted quite a bit about his mentor Red Barber.  Probably best of all, though, was his description of numerous ballplayers he had an opportunity to know.  Take a moment and watch it all below.