Saturday, March 24, 2012

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training- Game 22

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

Cleveland Indians (6-12-3) at LOS ANGELES DODGERS (10-7-4)

Saturday, March 24, 2012 – 1:05 p.m., Camelback Ranch - Glendale

RHP Derek Lowe vs. LHP Chris Capuano

Spring Game 22/Home Game 10



Todays Starting Lineup:
Dodgers: Gordon 6, M Ellis 4, Kemp 8, Ethier 9, Rivera 7, Loney 3, Uribe 5, AJ Ellis 2, Capuano 1
Indians: Donald SS, Kipnis 2B, Cabrera DH, LaPorta LF, Kotchman 1B, LaRoche 3B, Spilborghs CF, Cunningham RF, Marson C with Lowe P
Upcoming Spring Training Schedule:


  • HOME SWEET HOME: The Dodgers battle the Indians for the second and final time this spring after dropping a 4-3 decision in Goodyear on Monday. Former Dodger Derek Lowe, who went 54-48 with a 3.59 ERA in 137 games (135 starts) with the Dodgers from 2005-08, will get the start for the Tribe this afternoon. The two teams have not played in the regular season since 2008 with Los Angeles holding a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series.

  • TIP YOUR CAP: Dodger left-hander Chris Capuano will make his fourth start of the spring today after allowing one run on two hits in 4.0 innings on Sunday against the Angels. The 33-year-old has 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings this spring and has limited opposing hitters to a .188 batting average (6-for-32). He will be followed to the mound by:

    ● RHP Jamey Wright pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in his Wednesday start against the Padres and has not allowed an earned run in his last three outings (4.0 IP).

    ● RHP Mike MacDougal last pitched on Wednesday and fired a scoreless inning against the Padres. MacDougal has tossed scoreless relief in four of his five appearances this spring.

    ● RHP Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning of relief on Wednesday against the Padres and has tossed scoreless relief in four of his five appearances. Jansen has limited opposing hitters to a .222 batting average (4-for-18) this spring with five strikeouts.

    ● RHP Todd Coffey allowed three runs on four hits in his 1.0 inning of relief on Wednesday against San Diego. He’s allowed runs in each of his last two appearances after striking out three and not allowing a baserunner in his first two outings this spring.

    ● LHP John Grabow has not allowed a run in five appearances this spring (5.2 IP), while limiting opposing hitters to a .211 batting average (4-for-19). Grabow last pitched on Wednesday with a scoreless inning against San Diego.

(Matt Kemp, Pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2012)

  • DREAMING BIG: Earlier today, the Dodgers Dream Foundation, in partnership with the LA84 Foundation and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, unveiled a new Dodgers Dreamfield at Harbor City Recreation Center. Since the beginning of 2011, the Dodgers Dream Foundation and the LA84 Foundation have created 12 new Dodgers Dreamfields in the greater Los Angeles area, increasing the total number of Dreamfields to 21. The dedication was followed by a clinic led by Dodger alumni Bobby Castillo, Kenny Landreaux, Bill Russell and Derrel Thomas.

  • DOWN BY THE RIVER: Over on the minor league side, RHP Ronald Belisario, RHP Angel Guzman and LHP Wilfredo Ledezma will pitch in a minor league game against White Sox farmhands. Jerry Sands and Tony Gwynn Jr. will also be participating in minor league games this afternoon to pick up extra at-bats.

  • SPLITSVILLE: The Dodgers split a pair of games yesterday with a 17-4 win over the White Sox in Tucson and a 2-0 loss to the Royals in Surprise:

    ● The Los Angeles offense erupted for 23 hits in the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation benefit game in Tucson, including Matt Kemp’s solo home run in the third inning. Nathan Eovaldi lowered his ERA to 0.84 with 3.0 scoreless innings in his third start (fourth game).

    ● It was a different story in Surprise as the Dodgers were held to just four hits by the Royals. Aaron Harang pitched well in defeat, allowing just one run in 5.0 innings.

(Pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2012)

  • THE CHAMPS ARE HERE: Prior to today’s game, the Dodgers will present 51 championship rings to Manager Jody Reed and members of the Rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers, who posted a 34-22 record and beat the Giants, 4-2, in a one-game championship showdown to win the league title. It was the first championship for a Dodger minor league team since Jacksonville won the Southern League title in 2005. Dodger Manager Don Mattingly helped present the rings, which are made of sterling silver with a raised “LA” logo on the ring’s face.
  • GIVING BACK: Earlier today, Dodger All-Star outfielder Andre Ethier joined New Balance and the Going to Bat Foundation in presenting the Camelback High School Varsity baseball team with new uniforms and spikes. As part of their partnership, New Balance will also support Ethier’s charitable efforts in Los Angeles with the Union Rescue Mission.

  • CONGRATS TOMMY: Special Advisor to the Chairman and Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda will be honored at a gala in Manhattan Beach tonight by the Toberman Youth Center. Lasorda, along with World War II hero Louis Zamperini, will receive their Character & Courage Award as they honor leaders from the Greatest Generation with the goal of teaching those virtues in future generations. Lasorda agreed to be honored at the request of Bill and Joyce Sharman, who work closely with the youth center.

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Dodgers Link to Sanford, Florida

There is a great article today at The Nation written by Dave Zirin that provides a interesting history lesson about Sanford, Florida- where Trayvon Martin was recently killed. (Hat Tip: Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy)

Zirin takes a step back to recount the days when Baseball was still a segregated sport. Jackie Robinson had just been signed by Branch Rickey to play for the Montreal Royals and they were about to start their spring Baseball in Sanford, Florida. As you'll read, Sanford has a very ugly history when it comes to race.

From "Jackie Robinson, Trayvon Martin and the sad History of Sanford, Florida":
As Jean West, a school teacher in Florida, wrote, "Branch Rickey had miscalculated the degree to which Jim Crow was entrenched in Sanford. As an example, an inanimate object, a second-hand piano, purchased in 1924 from the courthouse for use in a segregated school in nearby Oviedo, was filed as a 'Negro Piano' in the school board's record; living human beings challenging segregation certainly would not be tolerated."
It's a fascinating read about what happened in Sanford in 1946; especially when considering what's going on in Sanford today.

It's amazing how much things can change and stay the same.

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training- Game 20

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

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (9-6-4) at Chicago White Sox (7-11)

Friday, March 23, 2012 – 1:05 p.m., Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium

RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. RHP Dylan Axelrod

Spring Game 20/Road Game 10



Todays Starting Lineup:
Dodgers: SS, M Ellis 2B, CF, Ethier RF, Rivera 1B, Gwynn LF, Hairston 3B, C, Fields DH
White Sox: Saladino 2B, Morel 3B, Dunn DH, Alexei Ramirez SS, Fukudome RF, Flowers C, Viciedo, LF, McPherson 1BDanks CF
Upcoming Spring Training Schedule:

There is a split squad games this afternoon. The Dodgers also play the Kansas City Royals in Surprise, AZ at 1:05 PM. Below is that starting lineup:
Dodgers: Angle CF, Sands RF, 1B, Uribe 3B, Kennedy 2B, Treanor C, Oeltjen LF, Sellers SS, Harang P
Royals: Dyson 8 Escobar 6 Maier DH Butler 3 Moose 5 Yuni 4 Bourgeois 7 Golson 9 Quintero 2 Hoch 1
(Don Mattingly signing for fans, pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2012)
  • IN LOVING MEMORY: The Dodgers and White Sox will meet for game three of their five-game Cactus League series, but the importance of today’s game in Tucson reaches far beyond baseball. All of the proceeds from the game at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium this afternoon will go to the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation. The Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Fund was established by Dodger scout John Green and his family to honor the life and memory of his daughter, Christina-Taylor, through charitable and educational projects that reflect and embody her interests, values and dreams. This is the second consecutive year that the Dodgers have played a benefit game in Tucson to help raise funds for the victims and families affected by the tragic events of January 8, 2011. The Dodgers are 2-0 against the White Sox this spring. The rest of the club is in Surprise today, taking on the Royals.

  • ONE DAY LULL: Despite getting shut out on Wednesday by the Padres, the Dodgers enter play today with the third best on-base percentage among National League teams (.347) and the fourth-best slugging percentage (.444). On the hill, the club’s team ERA is 3.46, which ranks fourth among NL squads.

(Tony Gwynn Jr signing for fans, pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2012)

  • NATE THE GREAT: Dodger right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will start for the club in Tucson today after tossing 3.0 scoreless innings in his last start on March 17 vs. the Rockies in Scottsdale. Eovaldi has made three appearances this month (two starts) and allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work. The Texas native was selected in the 11th round of the 2008 draft and signed after originally committing to pitch at Texas A&M. Following Eovaldi to the mound in Tucson today will be:

    ● LHP Allen Webster is set to make his Cactus League debut, along with several other Dodger minor leaguers. Webster enters 2012 ranked by Baseball America as the club’s No. 2 prospect after combining to go 11-5 with a 4.03 ERA at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga (nine starts) and Double-A Chattanooga (17 starts) last season.

    ● RHP Ethan Martin was the Dodgers’ first round draft choice (No. 15 overall) in 2008 and was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga on June 26 last season. With the Lookouts, he went 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 21 games (three starts).

    ● LHP Chris Reed was the club’s first-round draft choice (No. 16 overall) in 2011 after earning Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors for Stanford last year. Reed made three appearances for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga last year after finishing out his collegiate career.

    ● RHP Zach Lee was taken with the No. 28 pick in 2010 and signed despite having a shot to play quarterback for the LSU Tigers. According to Baseball America, Lee is the top prospect in the Dodger system and the No. 62 prospect overall. The Texas native went 9-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 24 starts for Single-A Great Lakes last season.

    ● RHP Angel Sanchez is a native of the Dominican Republic and went 8-4 with a 2.82 ERA in 20 games (16 starts) for Single-A Great Lakes in 2012.

    ● RHP Shawn Tolleson made his Cactus League debut last Saturday night vs. the Giants and allowed a run in his 1.0 inning. Tolleson was the Dodgers’ Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year last season after going a combined 7-2 with 25 saves and a 1.17 ERA in 57 appearances over the three levels.

  • ROSTER MOVE: Yesterday, the Dodgers designated RHP Ramon Troncoso for assignment and reinstated RHP Ronald Belisario from the restricted list. Due to Major League rule 16(d), Belisario had to be removed from the restricted list 30 days after reporting to Spring Training. The native of Venezuela will serve a 25-game suspension in 2012 due to a violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention Program.

(Dee Gordon turing a double play, pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2012)

  • BOUNCE BACK: The Dodgers lost to the Padres, 3-0 on Wednesday, mustering just four scattered singles and a double by Jerry Hairston Jr. On the mound, RHP Jamey Wright fired 2.0 scoreless innings while Mike MacDougal, Scott Rice, Kenley Jansen, John Grabow, Ronald Belisario and Fernando Nieve each tossed a scoreless frame.

  • Los Angeles’ four draws this spring tie for the second-most all time by the club along with the 2002 and 2008 campaigns. The Dodger record for Spring Training ties was set in 2006, when the team went 15-13-5.

  • RUN THIS TOWN TONIGHT: The 7th Annual LA Sports Awards will air on FOX Sports West tonight at 10:30 p.m., immediately following the Lakers game. The show was recorded March 15 and National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw received the 2011 Sportsman of the Year award. In addition to Kershaw’s honor, the Dodgers also were involved in two of the Top-10 moments for 2011. Kershaw’s Cy Young Award-winning season was No. 2, while Matt Kemp’s MVP runner-up campaign was the No. 4 Los Angeles sports moment in 2011.

The Koufax Auto's Do Exist- Have Any Been Pulled?

Yesterday, I posted up pics of some of the Dodger "hits" available in 2012 Topps Heritage and noted that the checklist indicates that autographed Sandy Koufax cards exist, but that I had yet to see one for sale on eBay or anywhere on the net.

That is... until this morning. Apparently, I am not the only one who has noticed its absence. One twitter user asked Topps yesterday, "do they exist?" They responded with photographic evidence.


See the pic below of a red ink Sandy Koufax 2012 Topps Heritage autographed card numbered to 10. Please note that this is the same card photo Topps released back in February on Facebook.
(Pic link: twitter @ToppsCards)

On top of that, Topps provided pics of the more common blue ink version. The actual number of cards signed of this version are unknown, but based on the lack of them showing up on the eBay marketplace tells me they may be very scarce.
(Pic link: twitter @ToppsCards)

So, we know Koufax signed a bunch of them, but has anyone pulled a Koufax auto? Are they even in the packs? Maybe I'm searching eBay wrong, but I show only the dual Koufax/Kershaw auto's have been for sale. Where are the Koufax's like the one above? It just can't be possible that one of them has not popped up on eBay. Can it?

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Steve Garvey & NASCAR

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.

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I am aware of one Baseball autograph signing event this weekend. See the pic below. Steve Garvey will be meeting with fans and signing autographs at Tustin Nissan this coming Saturday. Link here.

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Tustin Nissan
30 Auto Center Drive
Tustin,
CA 92782

888-468-1391


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If you are a NASCAR fan then this weekend is for you. In preparation for the upcoming Auto Club 400 race at the Speedway in Fontana this coming Sunday there have been and are still many race related events to go to in the Southland. Go here for information about everything. I'll just point to one event featuring the only NASCAR name I know.

Saturday afternoon, Jeff Gordon will be meeting fans at a Rancho Cucamonga Walmart Supercenter.
Jeff Gordon
Location:
Walmart Supercenter (12549 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga)
Date: Saturday, March 24
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Hat Tip: LA Inspiration

2012 Topps Heritage - Some More Dodgers Inserts

Following up my previous post (here & here) highlighting the recently released 2012 Topps Heritage set, I wanted to finally focus on some of the autographed inserts and relics. First, though I wanted to admit that I had forgotten about one card in the base set that features a Dodger that I had missed. Check it out above. It is a "Friendly Foes" card, #68, with Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and Andre Ethier having a little chat. I had failed to include this card as part of the Dodgers base cards of the set.

Now on to some of the autographs. Unfortunately, numerous Dodger autograph cards come with redemptions so actual photos of them are not yet available (this includes all Kemp auto's and a Duke Snider coin relic), so I'll just focus on actual cards available in packs.

First, I'll start with our ace, Clayton Kershaw. A checklist I had seen indicates that a Koufax autographed card exist, but I have yet to see one, and the Kemp autographed card is a redemption (meaning that he has yet to actual sign these cards for Topps).

These next two upcoming cards feature a couple of former Dodgers from the 1963 team- Daryl Spencer and Ed Roebuck.


Here is an awfully nice dual signature card of Kershaw and Sandy Koufax- complete with floating heads. Only 25 of these exist.

Matt Kemp has a game-used relic piece available.


Here is a Koufax coin card that celebrates his 2nd ho-hitter in 1963.
 UPDATE:  Here is a look at the Kemp autographed Hertiage card - both front and reverse.