McCourt Just Won't Leave!

What is this all about? Why won't McCourt just leave? Instead, he plans to torture Dodger fans for the rest of eternity. Per Bill Shaikin at LA Times.

Rick Caruso and former Dodgers manager Joe Torre have withdrawn a joint bid to buy the Dodgers, three people familiar with the sale process said Thursday.

Caruso cited owner Frank McCourt's refusal to include the Dodger Stadium parking lots in the sale, according to the people, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the sale process.

Then Shaikin notes that there is at least one bidder willing to allow McCourt to own the parking lots. Whoever that is I say "screw you!" I would love to see a united front of all potential Dodger bidders along with a loud fan outcry demanding that everything must be for sale. For the love of God please do not let McCourt keep his filthy little fingers in town.

PLEASE!

UPDATE: LA Times now has a copy of the letter Torre's group sent to MLB. Check it out here.

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training- Day 2

Javy Guerra likes his new Addidas cleats. (Pic via twitter @JavyGuerra54)

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.

• HILLTOPPERS: Dodger pitchers and catchers took the field for their second official day of workouts this spring with fielding drills and bullpen sessions for 14 hurlers. Among those taking the mound this afternoon for their first bullpens of the season was newly-acquired free agent left-hander Chris Capuano, who won 11 games in 33 games (31 starts) last season for the Mets and has limited left-handed hitters to a .229 batting average in his seven big league seasons. Capuano was joined on the hill by fellow lefties Scott Elbert, Alberto Castillo, Matt Chico and John Grabow and right-handers Todd Coffey, Matt Guerrier, Ronald Belisario, Javy Guerra, Ramon Troncoso, Kenley Jansen, Will Savage, Stephen Fife and Josh Wall.

• ROSTER UPDATE: Today, the Dodgers claimed outfielder Matt Angle off outright waivers from Baltimore and added him to the 40-man roster. Angle, 26, saw his first big league action in 31 games last season with Baltimore and also batted .271 with 27 steals in 30 attempts over 108 games with Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ seventh round selection from the 2007 draft has stolen 169 bases over his five minor league seasons and also had 11 steals in 12 attempts with the Orioles last season. To make room on the roster, right-hander Rubby De La Rosa was placed on the 60-day disabled list. In addition, right-handed pitcher and non-roster invitee Jose Ascanio has left Dodger camp after failing his physical on Tuesday. With his departure, there are now 31 pitchers in camp with Ted Lilly expected in Arizona shortly after the birth of his second child, Nora Grace, on Tuesday. While many position players are already in camp, the full squad does not officially report until February 27 with the first full-squad workout on the following day.

(Kershaw signing for fans at Cameback Ranch. Twitter: @Dodgers)

• A CUTT ABOVE THE REST: Pitchers worked through their practice and bullpen sessions today under the watchful eye of Rick Honeycutt, who enters his seventh season as Dodger pitching coach and is Los Angeles’ longest-tenured uniformed coach. Since he took over as pitching coach in 2006, Los Angeles has posted a Major League-best 3.84 team ERA with the Dodgers leading the National League in ERA in both 2008 and 2009. Under Honeycutt’s tutelage last season, the Dodgers posted the Majors’ fifth-lowest team ERA (3.54) and opponents’ batting average (.241).

(Sue Falsone Twitter: @Dodgers)

• IN THE TRAINING ROOM: Sue Falsone monitored the Dodgers’ workouts at Camelback Ranch – Glendale again today in her first season as the club’s Head Athletic Trainer and fifth overall season with Los Angeles after serving as the team’s physical therapist from 2007-10. Falsone makes history this season as the first female head athletic trainer in all of major professional sports and she along with Assistant Athletic Trainer Nancy Patterson will give the Dodgers the first pair of female trainers on one staff in the history of Major League Baseball. Assistant Athletic Trainer Greg Harrel and Strength and Conditioning Coach Stephen Downey will also join the Major League staff after serving on the staff at Triple-A Albuquerque last season. Ichiro Tani returns for an eighth season on the Dodger training staff in his role as massage therapist.

Legendary Auctions: Some Vintage Dodger Photos

Legendary Auctions is running their March auction and it consist of several nice vintage photographs featuring the Dodgers. Check them out below.

BTW, Legendary has some nice vintage memorabilia up for sale as well, so I will be sure to highlight some of my favorites over the coming days.

Unfortunately, the below photo is not dated, but I suspect it is from either Opening Day or a World Series game. Check out the banners hanging in the stands. They were typically only out on display during those games. Anyway, it is a large photograph (11x14) and features the Brooklyn Dodgers, lead by Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson, standing on the baseline at attention during the National Anthem.

(Auction Link)

There's nothing better than being able to purchase a nice sized lot of vintage Type 1 Dodger press photos. There are 14 pics in total, and most of them have the original press clippings pasted on the reverse. Check them all out below.

(Auction Link)

Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Kareem, a King and a Galaxy

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events, and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.

First, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be signing his book tonight at the ESPN Zone at LA Live. Details here.

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
ESPN Zone L.A. Live
1011 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA

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Secondly, on Friday the 24th LA Kings center Mike Richards will be signing free autographs at the Staples store in Torrance.
Details:

Staples
22025 Hawthorne Blvd
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 540-3093
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Kings link with details:
Facebook Info:

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MLS Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year Omar Gonzalez of the LA Galaxy will be signing autographs.
You can meet him at two different places on both Saturday and Sunday. He will be at a retail center as a part of the LA Galazy Caravan and at the Cal South Soccer Nation EXPO at the LA Convention Center. The Cal South Soccer Nation EXPO will be from Saturday through Sunday. Go here for more information on the EXPO.

Saturday: (Link)
(11:00 AM - 12:30 PM)
The Home Depot
2115 N Gaffey St.,
San Pedro, CA

(2:00 PM - 3:30 PM)
Cal South Soccer Nation LA Convention Center
1201 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Sunday: (Link)
(10:30 AM - 12:00 PM)
Cal South Soccer Nation LA Convention Center
1201 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

(1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Northgate Market
11660 East Firestone Blvd
Norwalk, CA 90650
(562) 863-8203

My Case Break Winnings- 2012 Topps

As I had mentioned a few weeks ago, I had joined a two case group break of 2012 Topps Baseball cards. Well, I recently just received my winnings and I have to say that I'm pleased. Unfortunately, I didn't get a pin or ring card, but I did get a relic and a 1 of 1 card. On top of that, I got a whole bunch of base and insert cards that I will feature in several future post. In the meantime, I'll start by showing off the "hits."

Here is a Golden Moments relic card of Ivan DeJesus. Based on the color of the jersey, I think this may be a game-used piece from those powder blue vintage uniforms the Dodgers wore last season.
This is the reverse of the card. It notes DeJesus first career RBI.
This is my best "hit" in the case break. It is the yellow printing plate for Chad Billingsley. This is the second printing plate in my collection.
Here is the reverse of the card.

Blog Kiosk: 2/22/2012- Dodgers Stadium Anthem Auditions

Do you think you can sing the anthem? Well, the Dodgers are holding open auditions for anyone who wants to sing the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium. Go here for details. It will be held on March 31st at Dodgers Stadium.

• Dylan lets us know how Rubby De La Rosa is doing.
• Ronald Belisario comes clean. He was stuck in Venezuela last year because he tested positive for cocaine, via Dylan at the LA Times.
• Matthew Pouliot at Hardball Talk thinks Matt Kemp should bat fourth.

  How can it be a good idea to stick maybe the NL’s best RBI guy immediately behind Gordon and Ellis? Gordon had a .325 OBP in 224 at-bats after arriving in the majors last season. Ellis came in at .288 in 480 at-bats with the A’s and Rockies.

• The Bellingham Herald reports on Kemp's Lofty Goals.
  

  Kemp reiterated his previously stated goal of becoming the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. He said he also wants to win the most-valuable-player award.

  "You have to set your limits even higher than you want them to be," said Kemp, who last year finished a home run short of becoming baseball's fifth 40-40 player.

  
  Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/02/21/2404166/dodgers-kemp-sets-lofty-goals.html#storylink=cpy
• Stan Kroenke makes some moves that stand to benefit his Dodger bid, via ProFootballTalk NBC.
  
• A couple of California brothers inherit a $2Mil collection of vintage comic books, via Detroit Free Press.

  Rorrer, 31, of Oxnard, Calif., discovered his great uncle Billy Wright's comics neatly stacked in a basement closet while helping clear out his great aunt's Martinsville, Va., home a few months after her death. He said he thought they were cool but didn't realize until months later how valuable they were.

• Here is another rare memorabilia find. A Michigan family finds a stash of rare 19th Century football cards in a farmhouse worth thousands, via Beckett.
  
• Check out Yu Darvish throwing left handed, via Evan Grant of Dallas Morning News.

  In the photo, Darvish is throwing left-handed and has his right-hand awkwardly shoved into his glove. It's not a misprint or an experiment and Darvish isn't fooling around. He occasionally plays catch left-handed to keep both of his arms strong and, therefore, equally balanced. It is one of the unique elements Darvish includes in his training.