Blog Kiosk: 2/26/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Yasiel Puig lead from the batters box last night as he blasted a solo homer and a legged double to help the Dodgers defeat the Angels in Anaheim. Via Doug Padilla at MLB.com:

"Can I say right now that he is going to hit third every day? Absolutely not," manager Dave Roberts said of Puig after a 4-2 win in the Freeway Series opener at Angel Stadium. "But I think that I will give him a little bit of a runway to show that he deserves that opportunity."
...
"I think probably the more I thought about Yasiel and the presence he has in the box, him against right-handed pitching, and the at-bat quality last year, [he] has been very consistent," Roberts said. "So I think that right now, losing [Turner], it's an opportunity for [Puig] and gives us a chance to be considerably better with J.T. not in the lineup."

Photo of Puig above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2018 at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1953 the St. Louis Browns returned pitcher Tommy Lasorda to the Dodgers after having just purchased him a month prior. In 1984 Jackie Robinson was awarded, posthumously, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in a White House ceremony. Rachel Robinson accepted the award on her late husband's behalf. At the time Jackie was just the third ballplayer to be given the distinction (Moe Berg and Joe DiMaggio were the others). You can watch the presentation here. In 1991 the Dodgers free agent catcher and future Hall of Famer Gary Carter to a one-year $500,000 contract. 
• Happy Birthday, Jack McCarthy, Joe Klugmann, José Vizcaíno & Frank Lankford!

2018 Topps Gypsy Queen - All the Dodgers Variation/Error Base Cards

Yesterday I poked fun at Topps for a misguided error card they created for their Gypsy Queen set. Today I share with you a full slate of Dodger errors and variations found in the Gypsy Queen base set; including a card that almost makes up for the Seager snafu. Directly below is the second Dodgers "Team Swap Error" card and it features the great Mike Trout designated as a Dodger.

Team Swap Error Variations

#1 Mike Trout

Blog Kiosk: 3/23/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Just another vintage spring training pic to get you excited for the upcoming season. Per the descriptor on the reverse:

Dated Mar 6, 1949 - WHITMAN FLIES OUT IN INTRA-SQUAD GAME.  Dick Whitman, Dodger outfielder, flies put in first inning of the first intra-squad game for the Brooklyn club at their Vero Beach, Fla., training camp.  Catcher Lembo and umpire Andrews watch the ball sail to the outfield." (eBay link)

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1951 the Brooklyn Dodgers sign a 21-year lease with the City of Vero Beach to build their spring training facility at an old abandoned Naval base. It would be known as Dodgertown. In 2002 the Dodgers traded Jorge Nunez and Matt Herges to the Expos for Guillermo Mota and Wilkin Ruan.
• Happy Birthday, Barney Koch, Jerry Brooks, Joel Peralta & John Link!

This Might be the Worst Dodger Card Ever Made

Topps, you should be ashamed of yourself.

This is an monstrosity. Its grotesqueness is only matched by its hideousness. This is a freak card and I want to burn every last one of them.

Corey Seager... A Giant! .... No!

2018 Topps Gypsy Queen - All the Dodgers Insert Cards

Here is a look at all of the Dodgers' inserts available in packs of Topps 2018 Gypsy Queen Baseball card set. I hope to have pics of all the various base variations soon, so stay tuned for that.

Gypsy Queen Autographs

#GQA-AT Andrew Toles        #GQA-AV Alex Verdugo

Blog Kiosk: 3/22/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Considering the Dodgers current predicament I thought today would be a perfect time the point out the above March 7, 1949 Spring Training AP press photo I ran into on eBay (link here). Featured are a group of young farmhands working on learning the intricacies of playing third base. Via the descriptor on the reverse:

"HOW TO BAG A THIRD BASE POSITION.  Coach Milton Stock, Ed Stanky's Father-In-Law, who once played third base himself, teaches Brooklyn Dodgers third base candidates the fine points of covering the bag during a session at Vero Beach, Fla. left to right are: Johnny Jorgensen, Eddie Miskis, Buddy Hicks, Don Ramazotti, Billy Cox and Bob Morgan."

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1962 a former Giant who still remains anonymous revealed that the Giants had help during the 1951 playoffs against the Dodgers (this is the series where Bobby Thompson hit that infamous homer). They had a sign-stealing clubhouse spy at their home field for three months of the season. In 1993 Indians pitchers Steven Olin, Bob Ojeda and Tim Crews (a former Dodger) are in a boating accident at Little Lake Nellie in Clermont, Florida that kills both Olin and Crews. Ojeda is seriously injured in the crash.
• Happy Birthday, Bill McClellan, Overton Tremper, Ramon Martinez & Juan Uribe!