Four in a Row, Baby!

I guess it shouldn't be a surprising that as the team gets healthier, they start winning a little more often.

This past weekend, the Dodgers went on the road and swept the Mets.  They are now in the midst of a 4 game winning streak, and I can't help but think we should be thanking our lucky stars. Kemp and Ethier look healthy, and it's getting obvious that their bats were the missing ingredient for our offense.  It's amazing the protection they can provide to our lineup.

The Dodgers hope to extend their winning ways tonight against St. Louis.  On the mound will be recently reinstated pitcher Chad Billingsley.

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Following up on what I wrote above, Chad Billingley is now back from the Disabled List.  Per a Dodger press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated RHP Chad Billingsley from the 15-day disabled list and optioned RHP Josh Wall to Triple-A Albuquerque. Wall, 25, made his Major League debut yesterday and picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief against the Mets.

Billingsley last pitched on July 7 at Arizona and missed his last start on the DL with right elbow inflammation. Billingsley, who will celebrate his 28^th birthday on Sunday, reached the 1,000 career strikeout milestone in his previous start, becoming just the 12^th Los Angeles Dodger pitcher to do so.

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BTW, if you don't already know, the coveted starter Ryan Dempster is headed to Atlanta.... or, maybe not.  The rumors and speculation about a completed trade between the Cubs and Braves traveled all over the internet this morning, only to be stopped in its tracks by the centerpiece of the supposed trade.  Ryan Dempster said, "hold your horses!"

(twitter Link)

It's impossible to know what has happened, but considering that Dempster has the right to refuse a trade you would think he would be aware that something was afoot.  Based on his comment above he is totally clueless about the events at hand-  which makes me believe that this morning early reports were a bunch of bunk.

This is why I hate trade rumors.

Collection: Ron Cey Topps Archives Autograph

Even with Juan Uribe's recent surge at the plate, I still can't get third base off my mind.  First, I lamented the loss of Adrian Beltre.  Now, I put up an post in appreciation of my favorite all-time Dodger third baseman. 

Here is a 2003 Tops Archives autographed insert card of Ron Cey.  The card borrows its design from the 1982 Topps set and replaces the original photo used for the Cey's card with a new pic. 

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 7/22/2012

• Dee Gordon and Jerry Hariston Jr. visited the MLB FanCave in New York, via Mark Newman at MLB.com.

"I lost at pool to Dee, the guy with the broken hand, so I wasn't really proud of myself, but all in all it was definitely a great experience," Hairston said.

"Just breaking barriers, me and my green cast," Gordon said.

"It probably helped you," Hairston retorted.

"It would have been way worse. I would have beat him bad."

The above pic is via twitter @KyleOKC.

• Aaron at Inside Dodger Baseball was at CitiField for the game against the Mets on Saturday.  Check out his post with plenty of pics to go through.
• Check out what you get for a Star Trek ticket pack on August 3rd, pic via twitter @Dodgers.

• The Mets recently honored Mike Sandlock- the oldest living Dodger on Saturday afternoon, via Nick Diunte of Examiner.com.  Cut4 has a great pic of the event.
• Here is Zach Hample's report from this past Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.  He has a bunch of pics and videos. 
• Via MLB Trade Rumors, former Dodger hurler Edwin Jackson has fired Scott Boras.  Yeah!!!!
• All Tribe Baseball shows off some cards and shares some pics from little known Baseball Museum called the BRS Museum- Bottomley Ruffing Schalk Museum in Illinois.
• Steven at Zim's Autographs sure does get around.  He was one of 200 hundred folks to meet Chad Ochocinco and get dinner on him at a swank Beverly Hills restaurant. 
• Mark's Ephemera tells us about a currently running trading card promotion by the National Park Service.   The set marks the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, and there are more than 500 card in the set.  Go here for a master list of the set and participating parks, and go here for pics of every card in the set.  There appears to be only 1 card featuring Baseball.  I believe it is being given out at the Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah, Georgia.  See it below.

• USPS released a set of 4 new Baseball stamps, via Chris Olds at Beckett.

Hall of Fame Afternoon

I wanted to extend my congratulations to both Barry Larkin and Ron Santo on their induction into the Hall of Fame.  If you don't already know, the Cooperstown Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is happening right now. 

I firmly recommend going to Cooperstown at least once in your life.  The place is like a Mecca for Baseball fans.  I had a opportunity to visit the Hall in 1999 on Hall of Fall weekend, and I will never forget it.  That year George Brett, Orlando Cepeda, Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount, and Negro Leaguer Smokey Joe Williams were inducted.

In keeping with the weekend, I wanted to share some videos of Dodger Hall of Famer Induction Speeches.  Unfortunately, I could only find Duke Snider's speech from 1980.  See it below.

Video Link:


Of course, I couldn't resist posting this up.  Here is Bill Murray's induction speech into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame. It'a a gas!

Video Link:

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 7/20/2012

With the National Sports Collectors Convention around the corner, here's a look at a Topps promo mini card that will be handed out to attendees.  It's of Matt Kemp showing off his "O" face.  See the other Topps promos at Beckett.

• "Stan Kasten says Don't Expect a Blockbuster as Dodgers Seek Help," via Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.

Any trade, he said, would "have to be governed by reason" and "make sense long term."

• Getting Dempster doesn't constitute a blockbuster, but is certainly a reasonable option.  We've made an offer to the Cubs for him, Via Bruce Levine at ESPN. 
• Zach Hample took his ballhawking magic to Dodger Stadium earlier this week.  Check out his report and his tips about getting Baseballs at the stadium.
• Tom Hoffarth with the Daily News speaks with Vin Scully about the art of the play-by-play man. 

As more consumers follow games with even more prolific graphic presentations on the Internet, iPhones or iPads, will play-by-play be something of a lost art in future Frick Award ceremonies?

"I wouldn't be selfish to say it, but I sure hope not," said Scully, the 1982 Frick Award winner for his work with the Dodgers, both in L.A. and Brooklyn, as well as on NBC.

Scully stands by the Red Barber philosophy of having one voice in the booth narrate for radio or TV. He says he saw the trend of analysts taking over came back in the 1970s, when he was asked by ABC producer Chuck Howard if he'd be interested in becoming the first play-by-play man on "Monday Night Football."

• Eye On LA Sports recaps the Phillies series with pics and also shows off some great autographs that includes Dee Gordon and Matt Kemp.  Heck, he even runs into Zach Hample (see the link above).
• I've just run into this great autograph collector blog called Zim's Autographs.  He's a local guy with tons of autographs to show.  Check out this recent story about a celebrity softball home run derby in Compton.  Jose Canseco was there!
• Stale Gum takes a look at the 5 dumbest sports card gimmicks from the 90's for Sports Collectors Daily.
• Now I know I have to go to Clayton's Texas BBQ and HoeDown on August 2nd.  Via Kershaw's twitter.  Go here for information on this great charity event.

Heritage Auctions: Some Incredible Vintage Baseball Pieces

Right here are some museum quality beauts!

Following up on Wednesdays post featuring a Jackie Robinson Game-Used bat on auction at Heritage, I wanted to take a moment to focus on a handful of great vintage Baseball memorabilia items they have up.  These pieces are historically important Baseball artifacts that should be in a museum somewhere, but are likely to remain in a collectors personal collection. 

Below is a 1866 Trophy Baseball celebrating a game between the Excelsior's of Brooklyn and National's of Albany. It was common in the day for important matches and series' to have a game ball painted and marked with game highlights.

(Auction Link)

I'll let the auction description take it from here:

1866 Excelsior vs. National of Albany Trophy Baseball. Just a year after General Lee surrendered his Confederate troops to bring a close to the American Civil War, the presented baseball was utilized and then memorialized to celebrate a victory during the absolute infancy of organized baseball. The victor in the contest was Excelsior of Brooklyn, one of the founding members of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), the first organized baseball league. The game was played at the Capitoline Base Ball Grounds, located between Nostrand Avenue and Marcy Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, where Excelsior battered National of Albany by a tally of forty-eight runs to twenty-eight on August 17, 1866.

This Baseball is covered in gold leaf and has the following word drawn on it.

"Excelsior 48, National of Albany 28, Aug. 17th, 66."

(Auction Link)

Below is the 1917 Honus Wagner Day Presentational Loving Cup.  It was present to Honus Wagner the season after his retirement from Baseball by the Pirates.  I'll let the auction description describe the scene.

A parade of 150 automobiles and two dozen marching bands formed a procession from Wagner's Carnegie home to the ballpark, where 12,000 spectators cheered their greying hero as Mayor Joseph G. Armstrong presented Wagner with the stunning loving cup presented here. Artfully engraved on the obverse are the words, "Presented to John P. Wagner By His Admirers, Friday June 22, 1917, Wagner Day." Wagner's monogram forms a skillful design on verso.

(Auction Link)

Here is another piece from the early days of Baseball.  From the auction description:

1865 Trophy Bat Presented to Shortstop Ike Wilkins of the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia by the Team's Main Rival. Just eight months and three hundred thirty miles from the surrender of the Confederate troops at Appomattox Courthouse to bring an end to the bloody American Civil War, this incredible relic from the infancy of our National Pastime found a proud new owner. That recipient was a star ballplayer named Ike Wilkins, whose name is artfully engraved upon a silver plaque affixed to the barrel of this hefty hunk of hardwood, the full text reading:

"Presented to Ike Wilkins by his Friends and admirers of the Minerva Base Ball Club, Dec. 7th, 1865."

(Auction Link)

Ike Wilkins was an early Baseball star, and he received the above bat commemorating his prowess.  

Also here is a photocopy of a column from the January 18, 1866Philadelphia Inquirer, which reads, in part:

"Testimonial to Mr. Isaac Wilkins, the well-known short-stop of the Athletic Club--A committee of the Minerva Base Ball club, consisting of Messrs. Theo. E. Wiedersheim, C.J. McClary, Richard M. Neuman, Edward B. Paul and William Colbert, waited upon Mr. Wilkins and presented him with a handsome silver-mounted prize bat, wrapped handle and tastefully ornamented. The President of the Minerva (Mr. Wiedersheim) presented it in an appropriate speech, and alluded to the playing of Mr. Wilkins upon all occasions, and noted in particular the game at New York for the championship, where Mr. Wilkins' playing was the subject of comment, and thanked him for the manner in which he had always acted towards the Minerva Club. Mr. Wilkins responded and thanked the members of the Minerva for their kindness, and hoped always to merit the treatment just received. His modesty forbade him saying all he wished to. The bat, which is considered the handsomest ever gotten up, will shortly be on exhibition on Chestnut Street, where all base ball players will have an opportunity of seeing it."

Here are some close up pics of the bat below.  BTW, this bat was found hiding in an attic just a few months ago.

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)