Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 11/14/2012 - Kershaw, Kareem & are you Looking for a MLB Internship?


Look at all of that red!  Here's a great photo shared by SI_Vault on twitter of Vin Scully with Pedro Guerrero.
The nearly 16’ tall, 1,500-pound bronze statue of the NBA Hall of Famer will be revealed during a 4:30 p.m. ceremony featuring Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West, James Worthy, Pat Riley, Richard Lapchik, Eddie Doucette and others.
But in 2012, 26 clubs distributed a total of 2.27 million bobbleheads across 94 giveaway dates. That’s the most bobblehead dates since 2008 and a 25 percent increase in the number of bobbles distributed in 2011.
  • I know the below pic has nothing to do with the Dodgers, but it is awesome and worth noting.  I'd like to extend a big Blue Heaven congratulations to Robinson Cano.  Yesterday, he took his oath as an American citizen. Pic via twitter @RobinsonCano.


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Hunt Auctions: Vintage Brooklyn Scorecards

Following up on my post from yesterday focused on a couple of Willard Mullin drawings for sale in Hunt's recent auctions, I bring to you some fantastic vintage scorecards from the Dodgers days in Brooklyn that were also for sale at Hunt's.  Heck, these scorecards are from the days before they were known as the Dodgers.

Below is a scorecard from 1900.  At this time the Dodger were commonly nicknamed the Superbas, and the reason couldn't be more strange.  As the story goes, future Hall of Famer Ned Hanlon joined the club in 1899 as its manager, and at that same time there was a popular vaudeville act named Hanlon's Superbas.  Of course, the manager and the stage show were of no relation, but that didn't matter to the press and fans alike.  The name stuck, and as long as Hanlon was the skipper of the Brooklyn team they would be called the Superbas.

The scorecard is for a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Brooklyn's former home called Washington Park, and it displays a ornate cover with all kinds of flowers and leaves.  It has been scored for a game played on September 6th with additional notation on front relaying the score as "Pittsburgh 9, Brooklyn 2."  It sold for an astounding $822.00.
(auction link)

Here is another Superbas scorecard, but this time it's from 1905.  Charles Ebbets photo is on the cover, and it includes pre-printed lineups for a game against the hated New York Giants.  BTW, 1905 is the year Ebbets took controlling interest over the team.  This scorecard sold at $200.00.
(auction link)

The next two scorecards are from 1904, and feature an actual player on the cover.  Jack Doyle played in Brooklyn for only 2 season at the tail end of his career.  He started off great by batting .313 with a .770 OPS, but would soon be sold early the next year to the Phillies after a horrible start.  This scorecard sold for $550.00.
(auction link)

This 1904 scorecard features Superbas manager Ned Hanlon on the cover.  It sold for $350.00.
(auction link)

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Collection: Matt Kemp Rookie Autographed Baseball Card


I just love this card. You can just see the promise and youthful exuberance emanating from it.  Matt Kemp was just a kid, and he was far removed from the super-stardom that would shortly surround him.  But you knew it was coming.  At least, I like to think I had a crystal ball back them that allowed me to buy this on eBay for a price that would be a steal today.  If I remember correctly, I paid no more than $20 delivered for it.  My only regret is not picking up a big stack of these cards to hold on to for a rainy day.

Featured here is a 2005 Bowman Chrome autographed rookie card of Matt Kemp.

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2012 Panini Cooperstown Baseball Card Set- Dodgers Base Cards

Of all the Panini Baseball sets released recently, this one was the one I was most interested in seeing.  After all, I'm a sucker for cards with Hall of Famers; especially Dodger Hall of Famers.  Fortunately, this set doesn't disappoint on that front.  The design, on the other hand, isn't my favorite. I just think the base cards are lacking aesthetically.

Featured here are the Dodgers base cards to the 2012 Panini Cooperstown Baseball set.  Of the 170 cards in the set, 11 are Dodger players.  There are a lot of great inserts, as well, so stay tuned for a future post featuring them.  BTW, I happen to love the insert in this set.

The Don Sutton card below is the normal design for the set.  There is also a parallel card set inserted into packs called "crystal collection".  Several examples are below.

#12 Don Sutton

"Hit 'em where they ain't" 
#13 "Wee Willie" Keeler

Even thought Rube Marquard is more closely associated with the Giants, I figured his 6 years with the Dodgers when he won 56 games and had a Dodger career 2.58 ERA was worth noting.  You might think that 56 wins is nothing to bark about, but keep in mind that those were some terrible Dodgers teams.  So, winning 56 games was actually a miracle.

#29 Rube Marquard

#65 Zack Wheat
Below is a "crystal collection" parallel card to the base set.

#72 Jackie Robinson

I think this Tommy Lasorda photo is from the Slim Fast years.
#82 Tommy Lasorda

#83 Burleigh Grimes

#85 Duke Snider

Why do card manufacturers always use this photo for Roy Campanella?  I'm tired of it.
#108 Roy Campanella

#112 Walter Alston

#140 Pee Wee Reese


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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 11/13/2012 - Onelki Garcia, Koufax & WiFi at Dodgers Stadium


Topps unveiled some preview pics on twitter of their upcoming Five Star Baseball set that is officially coming out this Wednesday.   Check out the above Sandy Koufax dual-autographed booklet card that they shared.
  • Check out the very first pic of Mark McGwire in Dodger Blue, via twitter @Dodgers Jon SooHoo.  Also, be sure to check out Jon's Dodgers photoblog.  He has a bunch of recent pics from the organization meetings yesterday, Kershaw's Golf Tournament and the Veterans Day batting practice.  Go here.
  • Chad Moriyama shares a short interview he had with Dodgers prospect Onelki Garcia.
  • Robert Edwards Auctions shares a pic of a rare Jackie Robinson pennant that will be for sale in their auction next year.  They hold only 1 auction a year, and it always has the best material.
(twitter link)
  • Carl Crawford is expected to be ready for Opening Day, via DJ Short at Hardball Talk.
  • GCRL takes a look back at a 1971 Dodgers schedule.
  • AEG (owner of the Kings, Galaxy, and the Staples Center) and eBay announce a global partnership, via Sports Business Digest.
If you are ever wondering what it looks like when two behemoths of industry decide to enter into a partnership, look no further than yesterday’s partnership between AEG and eBay Inc. The multi-year partnership, which spans across multiple eBay subsidaries and multiple AEG venues will begin in 2013.
  • John Thorn writes about Baseball in Black America in the late 1800's.
  • Sports Illustrated takes a look back at the 51 sports athletes to make it into The Simpsons.
  • Watch Angry Bird's Star Wars

Video Link:

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Hunt Auctions: Willard Mulling Drawings of Leo Durocher & the Brooklyn Bum

Hunt Auctions is having a very busy month.  They had two different auctions running at the same time, and both of them are closing this week.

Still ongoing is their monthly internet sports memorabilia auction that closes tomorrow, and it includes an original Willard Mullin drawing that I had to share here.  See it below.  It is from 1948 and was published in the Sporting News.  It features Dodgers skipper Leo Durocher, who was recently reinstated as the manager of the ballclub.  He is drawn fielding a bunch of questions from eager reporters in his first press conference, but answers back with a "No Comment."  I guess he didn't get the memo that a press conference was for answering questions.
(auction link)

This is an original drawing that was in Hunt Auctions 9th Annual Louisville Slugger Museum auction that closed just a few days ago.  It is thought to be a Willard Mullin original, but has not been signed.  Nevertheless, I must say it has quickly become one of my favorites.  That mischievous look gets me every time.
(auction link)

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