Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full-Squad Workout #4

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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(pic link: twitter @Dodgers)

BACK AT IT: Today, the Dodgers held their fourth full-squad workout of 2013 as Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu faced hitters for the first time during live batting practice. Matt Palmer, Steve Ames, Juan Abreu, Aaron Harang, Ronald Belisario, Peter Moylan and Josh Wall also faced hitters, while Javy Guerra threw a traditional bullpen off the mound.

A WHOLE NEW BLUE!: Today the Dodgers officially announced details of their “A Whole New Blue” advertising and marketing campaign, which will include print, digital, television, radio and out-of-home components. The “A Whole New Blue” campaign takes its lead from the anticipation and excitement generated by team ownership’s very ambitious off-season program to strengthen the team and implement enhancements to iconic Dodger Stadium. The campaign debuted on the team’s website (www.dodgers.com) and on graphics seen at the recently held, first ever off-season team FanFest. It has been incorporated in the team’s print ads, radio spots, game tickets, and other sales collateral and will soon be displayed on billboards and bus shelters. Digital and television advertising will launch later this month. “A Whole New Blue” was designed by Walton Isaacson (WI), the team’s new advertising agency.

• Today, the Dodgers’ camp had its annual visit from MLB Productions, while Showtime’s 60 Minutes Sports sat down with Don Mattingly, Ned Colletti and Tommy Lasorda for an upcoming episode on the team.

(pic link: twitter @DodgersPR)

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: The 58 players currently in big league camp represent nine different countries, including the United States, Dominican Republic (7), Venezuela (3), Puerto Rico (2), Mexico (2), Curacao (1), South Korea (1), Australia (1) and Cuba (1).

• The Dodgers will have five players depart Camelback Ranch in early March to participate in the World Baseball Classic with Adrian Gonzalez and Luis Cruz representing Team Mexico, Ronald Belisario playing for Venezuela, Hanley Ramirez joining the Dominican Republic squad for pool play in Puerto Rico and Nick Punto suiting up for Team Italy.
• Gonzalez, who will play in his third World Baseball Classic, will serve as Team Mexico’s captain. In 2009, the 30-year-old got off to a hot start after playing in the WBC, hitting .333 with 20 RBI in 22 April games for the Padres and tying for the MLB lead with nine home runs in the month.

WRITER’S BLOCK: As a part of the team’s community efforts, Dodger players and coaches signed more than 400 jerseys, 32 bats, 120 dozen baseballs and hundreds of photos in the last two days, which will be donated to various charities throughout the Los Angeles community.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: On this day in 1954, the Brooklyn Dodgers signed free agent outfielder Roberto Clemente from Puerto Rico to a one-year contract for $5,000 and a $10,000 signing bonus. At age 19, Clemente batted .257 in 87 games at Triple-A Montreal. The Dodgers tried to "hide" the prospect by not playing him full time and gambled by not protecting him in the Rule 5 Draft after the season. The ploy didn’t work as Pittsburgh President Branch Rickey drafted Clemente and he began his eventual Hall of Fame journey with the Pirates.​

• Major League Baseball renamed its annual community service award after Clemente following his death on Dec. 31, 1972. A Dodger is nominated for the award each year with Steve Garvey taking home the league-wide honor in 1981 and Clayton Kershaw winning it last year.

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Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 2/19/2013

Panini unveiled some sneak peek photographs of their upcoming 2012 National Treasures Baseball set that will be going live soon.  Why they continue to use the 2012 year for a new set when it's already 2013, I do not know.  What I do know is that this is one fantastic looking set.  Check out the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese book cards shown here.  Frankly, I have a hard time believing the Jackie card uses a real game-used jersey.  A REAL Jackie Robinson gamer would be worth tens of thousands of dollars today (maybe 6 figures), and considering the recent controversy and indictments surrounding memorabilia dealers who sold to card manufacturers it is only prudent to be careful.  Still, it is great looking card.

• William at Foul Bunt makes note that former AAGPBL player, Sophie Kurys, "The Flint Flash" as she was known, passed away on Sunday.  RIP, Sophie.  A phenomenal biography on Sophie can be found at the SABR Baseball Biography Project, here.  In her MVP season in 1946 she stole 201 bases.  201!
• Clayton Kershaw was mighty impressive in his first live-batter pitching session yesterday, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.

"A couple guys took swings," said catcher A.J. Ellis, "and they were embarrassed."

• JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers provides an update to the upgrades being done to the Dodger Stadium clubhouse area.

“We had the world’s worst clubhouse,” Kasten said. “I said to Sandy (Koufax), it was substandard in your day and it hasn’t been improved since.”

• Jesse from LA Inspiration shares his weekend at Camelback Ranch.  Go here.
• As always, Jon SooHoo has a bunch of great photos available to view online on his blog, here.
• Only Hyun-Jin Ryu and Yasiel Puig make Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list for 2013.
• Check out a great vintage photo, circa 1923, at the Shorpy blog of a sporting goods store window display.  I love this kind of stuff.

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Legendary Auctions: Some Vintage Baseball Beauties

One of the premier sports auction houses in the county, Legendary Auctions, has just opened up bidding for their first auction of the year, and it includes some great items.  As always, I will feature some of the Dodgers related memorabilia (this will come tomorrow), but for now I wanted to focus a bit on some general vintage Baseball memorabilia.

A couple of weeks back I visited the Long Beach Expo and came across the Legendary Auction booth.  On display were a handful of vintage Baseball items that would be for sale in their upcoming auction.  One of those items is the below PM1 "Ornate Frame" pin of Babe Ruth.  (See that previous post here.)  At least, the general consensus is that it's Babe Ruth in the image.

(Auction Link)

This pin has generated some controversy.  There are some collectors who doubt the legitimacy of the piece.  After all, it is generally agreed that these pins were created around 1915, and at that time Babe Ruth was just another new fresh face on the Boston Red Sox.  Therefore, why would there be a pin of this nature made for him if he was a relative unknown at the time.  Furthermore, he was a pitcher while in Boston, so why is he featured taking a swing with a bat?  The auction house retorts that these pins were likely made over a period of several years, and that Ruth is hardly the only known "unknown" player (or rookie) in the set.  Futhermore, the auction listing provides detailed photographic magnification to show that it is indeed a vintage image.  Whatever you may think, this Babe Ruth pin is a great item and looks even better in person.

(Auction Link)

You will never go wrong by featuring a 1870's CDV of the father-and-son duo of Sam & Harry Wright.  Where is the youngest son, George?  I do not know.  Father, Samuel Wright, was a well regarded cricket player.  Per the auction description:

Sam arrived from England about a generation before the Civil War, and he sought to cultivate the British pastime of cricket in the New World. He was a groundsman who engineered the building of several cricket fields in New York City until metro interest in the sport shifted to Hoboken's Elysian Field (of Currier & Ives note). Sam's dream to see his beloved game flourish in America came to grief though as his sons Harry, George and, to a lesser degree, Sam Jr. gravitated to the new sensation, base-ball.

Two of his sons, Harry and George, would go on to be a couple of the founding pioneers of the professional game, and would be elected in Baseball's Hall of Fame.

(Auction Link)

The next item is of local interest.  Featured below is a 1907 colorized team photo of the Los Angeles Angels of the PCL.  This was a dynasty team.  They won 4 Championships over 6 season.

(Auction Link)

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full-Squad Workout #3

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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(pic link: twitter @Dodgers)

INTO THE SWING OF THINGS: On the third day of full-squad workouts, left-hander Clayton Kershaw threw a live batting practice session, facing teammates Carl Crawford, Luis Cruz, Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez, Jerry Hairston, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe. In addition to Kershaw, Stephen Fife, Matt Guerrier, Matt Magill and Shawn Tolleson all threw their first live BP sessions of spring.

LISTEN CAREFULLY: Along with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, Sandy Koufax, who was sporting his class No. 32 Dodger BP jersey, spent time working with members of the Dodger pitching staff in the bullpen area, including an extended chat with Josh Beckett. After joining the club in late August, the right-hander posted a 2.93 ERA (14 ER/43.0 IP) in seven starts with Los Angeles.

BIRTHDAY BOYS: The Dodgers would like to wish a very happy birthday to coach Manny Mota (75) and assistant hitting coach John Valentin (46). Mota is entering 34th season as a coach with the Dodgers and 2013 marks his 44th year with Los Angeles after a playing career that spanned parts of 13 seasons with the club. The Santo Domingo, DR native will embark on his fourth season as a broadcaster for PRIME TICKET as a Spanish broadcaster. Valentin is entering his first season on the Major League staff and sixth season in the Dodger organization, after spending last year as the Triple-A Albuquerque hitting coach. Under Valentin’s tutelage last year, the Isotopes ranked among the Pacific Coast League team batting leaders in average (.298, T-1st), runs (842, 2nd), hits (1,495, 2nd), triples (58, T-1st), slugging percentage (1st, .471) and OPS (.832, 1st). Happy birthday, Manny and John!

• Mota hit .304 during his 20-year Major League career with San Francisco (1962), Pittsburgh (1963-68), Montreal (1969) and the Dodgers (1969-80, 82) while becoming baseball’s all-time pinch-hit leader with 150, a mark since broken by Lenny Harris and Mark Sweeney.
• Valentin played the majority of his career with the Boston Red Sox as a shortstop from 1992-2001. A veteran of 11 Major League seasons, Valentin is the only player in Major League history to complete an unassisted triple play (July 8, 1994 vs. Seattle Mariners) and hit for the cycle (June 6, 1996 vs. Chicago White Sox). He won the American League Silver Slugger award at shortstop in 1995 and belted three homers in the 1999 AL Division Series to lead Boston over the Cleveland Indians. He yielded the reigns of shortstop to former Los Angeles Dodger Nomar Garciaparra in 1997, converting to a second baseman and eventually shifting to third base after a season-ending injury to starter Tim Naehring. Valentin spent three more seasons with the Red Sox before ending his career with the Mets.

(pic link: twitter @Dodgers, Bad Boys III starring @ClaytonKersh22, @BrandonLeague31 and @AJEllis17)

FOR THE CAUSE: Today and tomorrow, Dodger players and coaches will sign more than 400 jerseys, 32 bats, 120 dozen baseballs and hundreds of photos, which will be donated to various charities throughout the Los Angeles community.

THIS DAY IN DODGER HISTORY: On February 18, 1999, the United States Postal Service issues a second stamp commemorating the career and accomplishments Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson as part of the "Celebrating the Century" series. Robinson's stamp represents the 1940s when the infielder broke baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The first Robinson stamp was issued in 1982 as part of the Postal Service's Black Heritage series

COULD BE LEGENDARY: Dodger alumni Ron Cey, Tim Leary, Fernando Valenzuela, Maury Wills and Steve Yeager will help celebrate a new season of Cactus League play next weekend at Camelback Ranch - Glendale’s inaugural Legends Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-24. Former greats from both the Dodgers and White Sox franchises will be on hand to sign autographs and greet fans from 11:30 am-12:30 pm before being introduced in pregame ceremonies for the club’s first Cactus League game at Camelback Ranch – Glendale against the White Sox at 1:05 pm on Saturday, Feb. 23.  I previously posted about the Legends Weekend last week - check out that information here.

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Celebrating President's Day with the 1960 Golden Press US Presidents Trading Card Set

With today being President's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to share another vintage non-sport trading card set in my collection.  Featured here is my 1960 Golden Press US Presidents trading cards.  Better yet, my set remains uncut from the original book they were issued in.

Some collectors may already be familiar with the manufacturer.  They are more widely known for their production of a 1961 set featuring 33 Hall of Fame Baseball stars.  That set, like the President's set, was also originally made in book form, and the cards were perforated to allow for easy removal.

I have scanned both the front and reverse of each card.  As you can see, a short biography of each former President is on the back.  As always, click on any pic to embiggen.  Also, note that the pages at the very top is the front cover of the book, and the pics from the very bottom are the back cover of the book.  The cards on the covers are also perforated to allow for easy removal.

 

 

 

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Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 2/18/2013

It was photo day for the Dodgers yesterday.  Check out a bunch of pics at Zimbio.  The above pic is of Zack Greinke: Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America.

• Josh at '9 Inning Know It All' shares a 2 part interview he conducted with Carl Erskine.  Part 1 and Part 2.

I’m going to name a few players, please describe them for us.
1. Pee Wee Reese- A solid professional, our Capt. He was an extension of the manager on the field. A little older than some of us and had already been in the league before us. We were freshman, he the senior. When Pee Wee died at age 81 a New York paper headlines read “this Pee Wee was a giant”

• Check out Jon SooHoo's pics from yesterday, here.
• I hate to write his name here again, but Frank McCourt just gave a sizable political donation to LA Mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, via Kevin Roderick at LA Observed. 
• Via Dave Anderson at the New York Times, 'Can Rivals' Hatred Become Teamates' Amity?  It's Happened.'

Of all the Dodgers, Furillo, in particular, didn’t like the Giants. He didn’t like Leo Durocher, their manager. He didn’t like Maglie, the Giants ace known as Sal the Barber for how his pitches shaved opposing batters’ chins.

• Clayton Kershaw's wife, Ellen, is organizing a Dodgers Spring Training ping pong tournament.  As Clayton says, "Best Wife Ever!"

(twitter link)

• RIP, Jerry Buss.  You were a Champion!  Craig Minami at True Blue LA gathers up some Dodger reactions to his passing.
• JP Hoornstra with the LA News Group shares a schematic on twitter of the new Dodgers clubhouse.  

Schematics of (top) old Dodgers clubhouse, (middle) new Dodgers clubhouse, (bottom) overlay of the two.

(twitter link: JP Hoornstra)

• Sandy Koufax arrives at Spring Training, and discusses the Dodgers' pitching staff and the art of pitching in the video below, via Dodgers.com.

Video Link:

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