So, why are they linked together? The Duke was a center fielder and Andre is our right fielder. What gives?
eBay auction link here.
The Los Angeles Dodgers today signed right-handed pitcher Vicente Padilla to a one-year contract. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.“Vicente did a tremendous job for us down the stretch and his continued success in the postseason proved that he can pitch when there’s a lot at stake,” said Colletti.
The 32-year-old Padilla has won 14 or more games in four of the last eight seasons, joining Andy Pettitte as the only two pitchers to accomplish that feat among a free-agent pitching market that has included John Lackey, Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Brett Myers, Jason Marquis and Jon Garland, among others.
During those eight seasons, Padilla’s only campaigns as a starting pitcher, he has posted a 91-76 mark (.545) and averaged 6.0 innings per start. Last year, he went 12-6 with a 4.46 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) for the Dodgers and Rangers. After being signed by Los Angeles on August 19, Padilla went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA in eight games (seven starts) over the final two months of the season before his continued success in the postseason.
In his first career playoff outing, he pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed just four hits to St. Louis in Game 3 of the NLDS. In Game 2 of the NLCS against the Phillies, he lasted 7.1 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits but did not earn a decision in the Dodgers’ lone victory of the series. He suffered the defeat in Game 5 to give him a 1-1 record and 3.63 ERA in his three postseason outings.
The Nicaragua native is 98-85 with a 4.33 ERA in 305 career games (221 starts) with Arizona (1999-2000), Philadelphia (2000-05), Texas (2006-09) and Los Angeles (2009).
During his career in the National League, Padilla has posted a 3.92 ERA in 202 career games (118 starts). He was named to the NL All-Star team while with Philadelphia in 2002, when he went 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA in 32 starts.
Padilla led the Rangers’ pitching staff with 14 wins in 2008, and 11 of those victories came on the road away from hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington . His 43 wins overall as a Ranger since the start of the 2006 season rank second on the club in that time, one behind Kevin Millwood’s 44.
Padilla was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998.


He’ll update the film with “The Tenth Inning,” focusing on the player strike in 1994, the New York Yankees dynasty; the role of the game following Sept. 11, 2001; the revival of the Boston Red Sox; and the emergency of Latin American and Asian players in the major leagues; and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.(Hat Tip: Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius)
For 2005 through 2009, the 30 cards that make up the Sports Card Industrial Average, an index put together for The Wall Street Journal by sports-memorabilia company Beckett Media, had an average return on investment of 12.4%. Over that span, the return on the 30 companies that now make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average was an average 7.9%.(Hat Tip: Card Collectors Universe)
August 17, 1937. "Joseph's coat of many colors had nothing on this unique quilt which is now being completed by Mrs. Ethel Sampson of Evanston, Ill., after six years of collecting. Parts of wearing apparel from President Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt, members of the Cabinet, diplomats and notables from all over. From Hollywood, Bing Crosby sent a tie while Mae West and Shirley Temple contributed parts of dresses. Former Emperor Haile Selassie's neckties and a linen of Windsor are also included on the quilt. Diapers from the Dionne Quintuplets are also prominently displayed."

