Update on Player Signings for Camelback Ranch Fan Fest

As you probably already know, there will be a Fan Fest at Camelback Ranch tomorrow. As I wrote about yesterday, several Dodgers are expected to be in attendance for the Dodgers autograph session from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM, but specific players had yet to be announced. Well, the Dodgers have just released some names and I'm sure the folks that are headed out to Arizona will be pleased.

Among those expected to sign for the Dodgers are Matt Kemp, James Loney, Dee Gordon, Andre Ethier, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen. I suspect others will also be there.

Below is a flyer for the event.

BTW, as a reminder Hall of Fame Pitcher Gaylord Perry will also be on-hand to sign. Details on the Perry signing is here.

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training- Day 10

Staring down the barrel that is Josh Lindblom, via twitter JonSooHoo @Dodgers.

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

(Javy Guerra behind the scenes on Photo Day, via twitter @Dodgers)

• WINDY CITY: Glendale was full of bluster on Friday as the whipping wind forced Dodger Manager Don Mattingly to cancel his previously scheduled pop-up drills and players left the field a tad earlier than usual. Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Nathan Eovaldi all threw bullpens while Ted Lilly, Fernando Nieve, Angel Guzman, Ryan Tucker, Wilfredo Ledezma and Scott Rice tossed live batting practice.

• NOW IS THE TIME: Tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. PT fans can purchase a limited number of Opening Day tickets as well as single-game regular season tickets at Dodger Stadium and on Dodgers.com. Prices on many advanced individual tickets for the 2012 season after Opening Day have been reduced as much as $20 per ticket. The Dodger Stadium gates will open at 8:00 a.m. and the annual On Sale festivities will include music, trivia and contests, hosted by Vic “the Brick” Jacobs from AM 570 Fox Sports Los Angeles. Fans that purchase at least one ticket at Dodger Stadium at the On Sale event will receive a Dodger gift.

(Sandy Koufax visits with Kershaw and Honeycutt, via Jon SooHoo twitter @Dodgers)

• THE ONE AND ONLY: The Dodgers welcomed Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax to Camelback Ranch – Glendale this morning. Koufax held court with several reporters in the Dodger clubhouse for a few minutes and will be featured on a one-of-a-kind bobblehead at Dodger Stadium this year. The legendary hurler is part of the Dodgers’ 10-game Dodger Stadium Greats Bobblehead series and his big day will be on Tuesday, Aug. 7 vs. Colorado. Information on season tickets and mini-plans (including the 10-game Dodger Stadium Greats Bobblehead Series plan) can be found at dodgers.com/tickets.

• FAN-TASTIC!: Tomorrow, Camelback Ranch – Glendale will host its first-ever Fan Fest starting at 9:00 a.m. The Home Plate Gate will open at 8:30 a.m. for the free event, with the White Sox taking the field first followed by the Dodgers for autographs (11:00 a.m.) and batting practice (11:30 a.m.). The box office and team store will be open with family-friendly activities on the concourse until 1:00 p.m. Among those expected to sign for the Dodgers are Matt Kemp, James Loney, Dee Gordon, Andre Ethier, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen.

(Photo by Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers during Photo Day, via twitter @Dodgers)

• CANDID CAMERA: Today was the annual Photo Day at Camelback Ranch – Glendale and taking part in the action in addition to all of the Dodger players in camp were the Associated Press, Getty Images, Dodger radio partner AM 570 Fox Sports Radio L.A., MLB International, US Presswire, MLB Photos, Baseball Magazine Sha, Dodger broadcast partner KCAL 9, Topps and MLB.com. A special shout out to the media team at NHK, who all braved the harsh wind to film their baseball preview at Camelback Ranch.

• CLIPPER TOWN?: Tonight, several Dodgers will be attending the Clippers-Suns game in Phoenix, including NL MVP runner-up Matt Kemp, Adam Kennedy and Dee Gordon. Kemp and Gordon were both excellent high school basketball players, as was Dodger skipper Don Mattingly, who averaged slightly more than 19 points per game at Reitz Memorial (IN) HS during his senior year. Kemp played AAU ball with the New Jersey Nets’ Shelden Williams.
  

• ON THE DIAL: The Spring Training Baseball Show with Kevin Kennedy & David Vassegh on Dodger radio partner AM 570 Fox Sports L.A. rolls on tonight after the duo debuted yesterday. The show will air tonight from 9:00-10:00 p.m. PT, but the hour-long show will normally air six days a week (excluding Sunday) at 7:00 p.m. PT.

• GETTING HISTORIC: On this day in 2005, Dodger Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson was honored posthumously by receiving the Congressional Gold Medal during ceremonies in the rotunda of the United States Capitol building.
  

(Clayton Kershaw showing his grip, via twitter @FoxSportsWest)

eBay: Go to Bat for the Dodgers Pin

The nerd in me absolutely loves this pin. When I saw it on eBay I knew I just had to have it.

So, I decided to make an opening bid (the first bid of the auction) at $20.00 figuring that it would likely sell for more than that. How much more? Well, I had no idea.

As you can see from the pic below, it is a circa 1960's Dodgers pin with a Batman theme- "Go To Bat For The Dodgers," and I had never seen it before in the years I've been a serious Dodger memorabilia collector.

Anyway, I studiously tracked the auction until the very last day when it sat at just under $30 bucks with roughly 5 hours to go. Being impatient as I usually am, I placed another bid at just over $30 bucks and found myself in the lead. Four hours later (with just about an hour to go) I came back to check on it and found that I had been outbid. So, I slowly bid in increments.

First, I bid $35.32. No dice. I was not the leading bidder.

Then, I bid $38.32. Just a nibble to test its current auction price. I was still outbid.

Then, $42.32. At this point I was feeling desperate. This auction was quickly approaching my max.

$45.32 was next and I was still outbid. Dammit! I could go no higher.

In my many years of eBay buying I had learned that you should always establish your max price before placing any bid. If you don't, you'll find yourself getting onto an emotional roller coaster bound to make you regret the entire exercise.

So, I was out, and I would have to enjoy the pin from afar with the knowledge that I did the best I could. Nevertheless, I continued to follow the auction just to see where it ended up at.

With about half an hour left it rose quickly to $76.99. From there, it looked like it would settle at that price. Unfortunately for the high bidder at that time a couple of snipers had this auction in their sights, as well.

If you don't already know, there are a couple of services that will place a bid on your behalf at the very last moment of any auction. That way you can anonymously make a bid at your maximum price without anyone knowing that you bid in the first place.

Well, with less than a minute to go the sniper bids came in and raised the final selling price to a surprising (at least to me) sale price of $128.28.

Wow! I knew this was scarce, but I had no idea it would be so sought after. A bigger nerd than me with a wallet to match had won, and I am left to wallow in sadness.

(Auction Link)

Collection: Ron Cey 2001 Archives Autographed Card

This is my 2001 Topps Archives autographed card of "The Penguin," Ron Cey. It borrows the vintage 1972 card design for Cey, but with a little twist. The 1972 Ron Cey card, his rookie card, is a "1972 Rookie Stars" card featuring 3 players on the same card (Ben Oglivie and Bernie Williams are the other two players). For this modern reproduction they zoomed in on just Cey for the front of the card for him to sign. Strangely, they kept the reverse of the card the same as its vintage counterpart. (See the reverse below)

As the story goes, Cey received the nickname "The Penguin" from Tommy Lasorda while in the minors in Spokane. Unfortunately, this is not true. Barry Bolton at Cougfan.com sets the record straight.

AFTER MORE than 40 years, the truth comes out. It was Bobo Brayton, not Tom Lasorda, who slapped “The Penguin” nickname on Ron Cey, the former Washington State and Los Angeles Dodgers star. “He (Lasorda) gets the credit for it, but the honor actually goes to Bobo,” Cey told Cougfan.com

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training- Day 9

Steve Lyons hanging out with Don Mattingly, via twitter @SteveLyons12.

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

(Loney Signing for fans, via twitter @Dodgers)

• MARCH MADNESS: Chris Capuano, Mike MacDougal, Matt Guerrier, Todd Coffey, Javy Guerra, Scott Elbert, Kenley Jansen, Stephen Fife, Will Savage, John Grabow, Matt Chico and Alberto Castillo threw live BP to Dodger hitters today on the third day of full-squad workouts at Camelback Ranch – Glendale. With the calendar flipping to March, the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener is just four days away with the club taking on the White Sox on Monday at Camelback Ranch. The club’s home opener is the following day, on March 6, with Los Angeles taking on the Giants at 1:05 p.m.
• ON THE DIAL: Tonight, The Spring Training Baseball Show with Kevin Kennedy & David Vassegh debuts on the Dodgers’ new radio partner AM 570 Fox Sports L.A.. The show will air immediately following the UCLA-Washington State basketball game from approximately 10:30-11:30 p.m. PT and tomorrow night from 9:00-10:00 p.m., but the hour-long show will normally air six days a week (excluding Sunday) at 7:00 p.m.
• #THEHAWK: The Dodgers would like to wish right-handed reliever Blake Hawksworth a very happy 29^th birthday today. Hawksworth ranked fourth on the team last season with 49 appearances and 53.0 innings pitched as a reliever, going 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and limiting opposing hitters to a .225 batting average in his first season with Los Angeles. Be sure to follow Blake and wish him a happy birthday on Twitter, @BlakeHawk425.

(A Sea of Dodgers, via twitter @SteveLyons12)

• GREEN BLUE EGGS WITH HAM: As a part of the 2012 Read Across America celebration, Dodger catcher A.J. Ellis and White Sox pitcher Addison Reed visited the Velma Teague Library in Glendale to read to local school children. Ellis, who also participated in the event last year, is poised to take over as the Dodgers’ starting catcher in 2012 after batting .271 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 31 games with Los Angeles a year ago. Back in Los Angeles, members of the Dodger Alumni Association will visit 10 local schools this weekend to read to kids and speak to them about the importance of literacy.
• SAY CHEESE: The media flurry has started at Dodger Spring Training with ESPN, FOX and PRIME TICKET interviewing players on site today and the club’s annual Photo Day taking place tomorrow morning at Camelback Ranch – Glendale. This year, a bevy of entities will be taking part in Photo Day, including the Associated Press, Getty Images, Dodger radio partner AM 570 Fox Sports Radio L.A., MLB International, MLB Photos, Baseball Magazine Sha, Dodger broadcast partner KCAL 9, Topps and MLB.com.

(Pic from Baseball tryouts at Spring Training, via twitter @Dodgers)

• DREAM A LITTLE DREAM: Earlier today, the Dodgers held their annual open tryout at Camelback Ranch – Glendale with candidates competing for a minor contract. One of the 125 hopefuls was 22-year-old Francisco “Chico” Herrera, who has worked the past four seasons as a batboy in the Dodger clubhouse. Herrera, an infielder, has already made several highlight-reel catches at Dodger Stadium with his exploits as a ballboy being showcased on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Blog Kiosk: 3/1/2012

Beckett shared some preview images of 2012 Topps Heritage. See them here. Above is a Matt Kemp "New Age Performers" insert card.

• Steve Lyons promises to be much more active on his new twitter account: @SteveLyons12.
  
• Brandon Lennox at True Blue LA ranks the top 200 Dodger prospects.
  
• Check out Will Carroll's Dodgers Team Health Report 2012 at Sports Illustrated, here. 3B

  Juan Uribe
  Uribe was terrible last year, but much of it was done fighting through a sports hernia. This wasn't a good signing, but if he's healthy, it might not be so bad. Then again, there's still some downside in him as well, since he's only had one good, healthy season.

• Emma at CrzBlue's Dodger Blue World put together a great tribute to Dodger Stadiums 50th Anniversary.
  
• Ramona Shelburne at ESPN writes about Dodger bat boy Francisco "Chico" Herrera and his invitation to tryout for the Dodgers.

  “Jon Garland and I were playing catch in the outfield,” Herrera said. “He was hurting at the time, but he could still play catch and he’s like, ‘You really do have a good arm. When are you going to try out?’”
  
  Try out?

• Check out this great interview at Panini with Deion Sanders- video included. He reminisces that he often wonders what could've been if he had just stuck with Baseball only. I often think the same thing about him and Bo Jackson.
  
• Ryan at Chaos and Kanji provides a tour of Prince ChiChibu Memorial Stadium and Museum in Japan.
  
• Greg Aronowitz visited the 2012 New York Toy Fair. Check out his report.