Dodgers Blue Heaven

Friday, September 18, 2009

Legendary Pics- Even More Dodgers

The Legendary Auctions catalog of photos is a treasure trove of great Dodger pics. Here is my third installment of Dodger pics from their current auction. As always, click any of the photos to enlarge.

Below is a great vintage pic from the American Press Association of Brooklyn hurler Nap Rucker. I love the contrast in this photo. Rucker is mostly in the light, but is surrounded by dark shadows.

Auction Link: Nap Rucker Photo:

The man with the greatest Baseball name ever conceived is featured below. His name is Van Lingle Mungo and he pitched for the Dodgers for 11 years. If his name didn't exist I don't think a writer could ever come up with a name like his. Below he is showing his unusual windup.

Auction Link: Van Lingle Mungo:

Considering Kevin Baxter's recent story and various blog post on the 'tubes about it, this photo below seems to be quite timely. Below is a pic of the famous brawl between John Roseboro and Juan Marichal. Click here to see a couple more photos from the happening.

Auction Link: The Fight Photo Collection:

Sandy Koufax is enjoying a some champagne after the Dodgers swept the Yankees in the 1963 World Series. This was the first time the Yankees were ever swept, 4 in a row, in the Fall Classic.

Auction Link: Koufax & Champagne:

Sandy Koufax interview Don Drysdale in 1968 after Don had broken the record for consecutive scoreless innings.

Auction Link: Drysdale & Koufax Photo Lot:

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

This lot consist of various photos featuring Tommy Lasorda. First, the Dodger team celebrates their clinching of the 1977 Western Divisional Championship. The photo below shows a despondent Lasorda after their crushing defeat at the hands of the Yankees in the World Series a year later.

Auction Link: Tommy Lasorda Photo Lot:

Don Drysdale shows off his draw as John Russell stands nearby for a filming of the show Lawman. Check out even more photos here.

Auction Link: Drysdale Photo Lot:

Topps Sterling Preview

Topps high-end card set filled with autographs and cut uniform pieces galore will be going live in January. It is called 2009 Topps Sterling, which sounds weird since it actually will begin its distribution in 2010, but I digress.

Beckett.com has a bunch of preview pics from the set including Ruth, Mantle, Cobb and Pujols. Above is a Jackie Robinson card that will be found in boxes next year.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Celeb Pics From Yesterdays Game

A big thanks to the Dodger PR group for passing along these photos of some celebrity sightings at the Dodger game yesterday afternoon. Comedian George Lopez threw out the first pitch and Ian Ziering was spotted in the crowd.

Photo Credit: Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers

Photo Credit: Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers

What A Find

As the year comes quickly to a close I started to wonder if any new finds might pop up. Well, no sooner said than done, we get a one-of-a-kind find of a 1893 Baseball card. Actually, it was originally found in the 90's, but remained unknown to hobby experts until recently.

One afternoon, Mike Gazo went to work on his Moms bathroom. A typical remodel job for a do-it-yourself handyman. As he tore down the walls he discovered something unusual. The above Just So Tobacco card of Hall of Famer Buck Ewing was nailed to a crossbeam. It was an unusual find for the casual collector that he was. He had no idea what it was or knew who this person was staring back at him. He took it home and casually showed off to friends for over a decade.

"I just thought it was a cool card," he recalled. "I wasn't much for the internet back then so I just took it around. Had it in the glove box of my car. I showed it to a few local collector friends and some dealers but they didn't seem to know much about it. They thought it might be worth $100 or so. I kept it in my sock drawer. Sometimes it sat on my coffee table. My friends who collected when I did used to be amazed when we ran across something like a 1960 Willie Mays. We never had any tobacco cards."

Little did he know that he found an extreme rarity hobby experts wondered even existed. The Just So Tobacco set is one of the scarcest ones around. Only discovered in the 60's, few examples have lasted the test of time.

Mike's card is an original and this particular player had never been seen before. Only 15 different cards are known (now 16), and it is believed more exist. Most cards have only a single example. Unfortunately, a complete checklist may never be known. It will be auctioned next year in REA's next auction and may reach into the high five figures. Click the below links for even more detail on this incredible find.

Source Story: SCD & Lemke:

Legendary Pics- Part 2

Here is my second follow up to my recent post featuring Dodger pics from Legendary Auctions current photo auction. There are so many great photos, I couldn't keep it to just one post. Check them out below.

The Ebbets Field facade in color.

Auction Link: Ebbets Field in Color:

Baseball pioneer Branch Rickey with Jackie Robinson.

Auction Link: Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson:

Here is Jackie in a very familiar football pose.

Auction Link: Jackie and Football:

I think this is one of the better photos in the auction. The Brooklyn Bums took ten straight. They Dood it!

I recognize Jackie Robinson, Joe Black, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and Walter Alston, but who is the guy in the middle with the giant smile?

Auction Link: The Bums Dood It:

Here is a great shot of Ted Williams joking around with Roy Campanella and Duke Snider.

Auction Link: Duke , Ted & Campy:

We are only missing the Giant.

We're talkin' baseball
Talkin' baseball
The Scooter, The Barber and The Newk,
They knew 'em all from Boston to Dubuque,
Especially Willie, Mickey and The Duke.