Saturday, March 02, 2013

Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 3/2/2013


Above is a preview photo of an uncut sheet of 2013 Topps Heritage cards.  This set officially goes live this coming Wednesday.  Do you see AJ Ellis' card in the photo above?
Actually, Punto knows only a few words and phrases, which he picked up from his paternal grandmother, born in the Tuscan capital of Florence. His grandfather was born in Sicily. That heritage is Punto’s link to Team Italy, which he’ll be part of for the second time in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Punto wishes he knew more about his Italian roots.
“It’s kind of sad. I should know more and I will,” he said. “I’ve just got to let the kids get a little older before we go over there and see some family.” 
On if trades are possible because of the pitching surplus: 
“Maybe, but it depends on health. There’s a month to go before spring training is done, and if everyone’s healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a trade made. Like I said, there’s still a month to go, so it’s hard to predict.”
  • Mike Axisa at CBS Sports catches Fox's screw up on the stats graphic for Hyun-Jin Ryu during their Dodger game telecast.Then, Ryu responds on twitter.
(twitter link)

  • Via Fox News, a they interview Daniel Jacobs the disabled Iraq War veteran who recently went to the Dodgers open tryout.

Video Link:

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 9/ Road Game 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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LOS ANGELES DODGERS (3-3-2) at Seattle Mariners (7-1)
Saturday, March 2, 2013 – 1:05 p.m. | Peoria Stadium, Peoria
LHP Chris Capuano vs. RHP Hisashi Iwakuma
(twitter link)

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(pic link: Mattingly, Ron Howard and Friends: Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2013)

HELLO NEIGHBOR: The Dodgers will make the quick trip to Peoria this afternoon to take on the Mariners in the first of three matchups vs. Seattle this spring. Los Angeles will also travel to Peoria Stadium to play Seattle in its final Cactus League game on March 27 and the Mariners come to Camelback Ranch on Friday, March 9. In case you’re counting down the days, the Dodgers are just 30 days away from Opening Day vs. the Giants!

WHOOPS: The Dodgers dropped both contests yesterday, losing 16-8 to the Angels in Tempe and 7-5 to the Padres in Glendale. Luis Cruz (3-for-3), Hanley Ramirez (2-for-3) and Wilkin Castillo (2-for-3) all had multi-hit games while Paco Rodriguez, Kevin Gregg and Eric Eadington all tossed scoreless baseball.
(pic link: Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2013)
  • There will be just one minor leaguer making the trip to Peoria and his name is Ryan Acosta. Acosta, a right-handed pitcher, will wear No. 82.
C.C. ON THE OTHER COAST: Dodger lefty Chris Capuano will make his first spring start and second appearance of the spring today in Peoria. Capuano gave up four runs in 2.0 innings last Monday, yielding two home runs. The Massachusetts native had a career-best 3.72 ERA for Los Angeles in 2012. 
  • RHP Chad Billingsley, who gave up two runs in 2.0 innings on Feb. 25 vs. the Cubs is set to make his second appearance, this time in relief. In 2007, Billingsley started the season in the bullpen and thrived, going 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 35.0 innings (23 games). 
  • RHP Ronald Belisario is making his third appearance this afternoon and will depart for the World Baseball Classic tomorrow. Belisario will join the Venezuelan team in Puerto Rico for their first game on March 7 vs. Hanley Ramirez and the Dominican Republic. 
  • Dodger closer Brandon League will make his second appearance of the spring. League gave up a solo homer in his lone inning of work on Feb. 26 vs. San Francisco. 
  • LHP J.P. Howell will also make his second appearance this afternoon.

HOT HITTERS: The Dodgers are hitting a National League-best .308 as a team, paced by the red-hot Brian Barden, who is 7-for-11 (.636) thus far. Barden gets the start at first base today and has also played right field, left field and third base. Batting cleanup in the lineup is Luis Cruz, who is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, two homers and a team-leading five RBI. Cruz is tied for eighth in the Cactus League with 13 total bases and has played 20.0 innings at third base. Dee Gordon leads the club in innings played thus far, logging 29.0, all at shortstop.
  • The Dodgers also lead all National League teams with a .402 on-base percentage.
BIG DOINGS: Dodger greats Eric Karros and Shawn Green are in uniform at Camelback Ranch and Hall of Fame skipper Tommy Lasorda addressed the team this morning. Tomorrow, the Dodgers will hold their annual “Dodger Idol” competition in which players in their first big league camp perform some musical ditties to the delight of their teammates.   
(pic link: twitter @camelbackranch)
  • Dodger legends Ron Cey and Tommy Davis will arrive Friday, March 8 and spend a few days in camp working with the squad.
NIGHT MOVES: The Mariners starting third baseman today is Kyle Seager, older brother of the Dodgers’ 2012 first-round selection (18th overall), Corey Seager. Last year, Corey hit .309 with eight homers, 33 RBI, eight steals and a .383 on-base percentage in just 46 games for Rookie-advanced Ogden. The 18-year-old North Carolina native is working out today on the minor league side.    

AND THAT’S THE WAY IT IS: Dodger broadcaster Charley Steiner may have missed the last two games with a frog in his throat, but he should be back to full strength in time to be a guest lecturer at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State on Monday. Following that, Steiner will head out to work the World Baseball Classic for MLB International and head back to Glendale in the middle of March.

BE THERE!: The Dodgers ticket sales department will host another Open House tomorrow morning in which fans interested in purchasing a Mini Plan or season tickets can stop by Dodger Stadium from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Complete details on this event can be found by visiting www.dodgers.com/openhouse. Dodger season tickets start at just $6 per game.
  • While there, fans can check out the construction of the Dodgers’ new scoreboards. Thursday, ANC announced details of the displays, which are designed in the historic hexagonal shape of the stadium’s original scoreboard and will feature a total active viewing area of approximately 2488 square feet. The scoreboards will feature the highest pixel densities in Major League Baseball.


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Friday, March 01, 2013

A Couple of 2005 SP Autographed Dodgers' Cards



It has been awhile since I've shared some Dodgers autographed cards from my collection.  Featured here are a couple of 2005 Upper Deck SP Authentic cards of shortstop Cesar Izturis and relief pitcher Steve Schmoll.

Cesar Izturis has bounced around the league a bit since being traded for Greg Maddux in 2006.  He's played on 8 different clubs (including the Dodgers), and is about to join a new team this season in Cincinnati (on a minor league contract).  Cesar has always been a master with the glove, but has not been able to equal his breakout offensive year in 2004 when he hit .288 and recorded a .710 OPS.

Steve Schmoll has been out of Baseball since he last played for the Harrisonberg Senators in 2008 - a AA farm team of the Nationals.  Schmoll is currently an owner (along with his wife) and instructor at "Get Moving - Group Fitness & Personal Training" in Florida.  Check out their website here.


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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: March 1, 2013


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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Split Squad Series
 
(twitter link)

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(twitter link)

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(pic link: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013)


LET’S PLAY TWO!: The Dodgers will play a pair of Cactus League contests today with split-squads playing the Angels in Tempe and the Padres at Camelback Ranch – Glendale. Los Angeles will send an offseason acquisition to the hill in both games with right-hander Zack Greinke making his second start of the spring in Glendale against the Padres and Hyun-Jin Ryu taking the hill in Tempe for his second appearance (first start) as a Dodger. In case you’re counting down the days, the Dodgers are just ONE MONTH away from Opening Day!

  • Don Mattingly will stay in Glendale, while Triple-A Albuquerque Manager Lorenzo Bundy, the reigning Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year, will skipper the club in Tempe.
  • It’s hard to believe but only four years ago today, the Dodgers and White Sox played the first-ever game at Camelback Ranch – Glendale in front of 11,280 fans. Los Angeles fell 3-2 in that contest, but drew 131,134 fans to Glendale in 14 games in their inaugural season in the Cactus League.

STREAKING: The Dodgers, unbeaten in their last five games, downed the Angels yesterday at Camelback Ranch, 10-8. Luis Cruz powered his second home run of the spring, a two-run shot in the first inning, while Mark Ellis had two hits and knocked in two. Alfredo Amezaga continued to swing a hot bat with two more hits and is a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI in his last two games. Clayton Kershaw picked up the win and struck out seven in 3.0 innings of work in his second Cactus League start.

  • After yesterday’s offensive outburst, the Dodgers are batting .290 with a .395 team on-base percentage this spring.

(pic link: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013)



ZACK ATTACK: In Glendale, Dodger right-hander Zack Greinke will make his second start of the spring after allowing just one hit and striking out two in 2.0 scoreless frames on Sunday against the White Sox. Greinke has made just one start in his career against the Friars, picking up the win on May 9, 2011 with 6.0 innings of two-run ball in the Brewers’ 4-3 win at Miller Park. The 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner ranks fifth in the Majors with 1,007 strikeouts since the start of the 2008 season.

  • RHP Matt Guerrier, who was limited to just 16 games last season with right elbow tendinitis, will make his second appearance of the spring after striking out two in a scoreless inning on Monday against the Cubs.
  • RHP Stephen Fife allowed one run in 2.0 innings in his only previous outing on Saturday against the White Sox. The Idaho native made five big league starts for the Dodgers last year (0-2, 2.70 ERA) for his first Major League experience.
  • Non-roster RHP Kevin Gregg will make his second appearance of the spring after tossing a scoreless inning on Monday against the Cubs. The 10-year Major League veteran spent the 2012 campaign with the Orioles.
K-TOWN: In Tempe, Dodger left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu will make his first start of the spring this afternoon after firing a scoreless inning in relief on Sunday against the White Sox. In seven seasons pitching for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, Ryu was selected to seven All-Star games, won the strikeout title five times and took home the league’s pitching triple crown in 2006, when he was selected as the circuit’s rookie of the year and player of the year. In his career, Ryu is 98-52 with a 2.80 ERA in 190 games (181 starts).

  • RHP Matt Palmer will make his second appearance of the spring after firing 2.0 scoreless frames on Sunday against the White Sox. Palmer spent the majority of the 2012 season with Triple-A Tucson, but also made three relief appearances for San Diego during a late May-early June call-up.
  •  RHP Shawn Tolleson last pitched on Monday against the Cubs, striking out two in a scoreless frame. Tolleson, 25, made 40 appearances for Los Angeles last year and limited opponents to a .221 batting average with 39 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.
  •  LHP Paco Rodriguez will make his second appearance of the spring after tossing a scoreless inning on Monday against the Cubs. Rodriguez, the first player from the 2012 First-Year Player Draft to reach the big leagues, allowed just one run in 11 appearances with the Dodgers last season.


(pic link: Mike Piazza & Tommy Lasorda: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013)


THE BISON IS BACK!: Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp is slated to make his 2013 debut this afternoon for the Dodgers as the designated hitter against the Padres. Kemp, who had offseason shoulder surgery, ranks ninth on the Los Angeles Dodgers home run list with 151, three behind Willie Davis for eighth place.

LEGENDS ARRIVING: Two Dodger greats, Eric Karros and Shawn Green, arrived in camp today and will be in uniform as guest coaches for the next three days. Green will throw a ceremonial first pitch before today’s game against the Padres and Karros will follow suit on March 3.

  • Karros played 12 seasons with the Dodgers from 1991-2002 and is the all-time Los Angeles home run king with 270, while Green donned Dodger blue from 2000-2004 and holds the club’s single-season homer mark with 49 in 2001.

HAPPY DAYS: The Dodgers would like to wish non-roster catcher Ramon Castro a happy 37th birthday today! The 13-year Major League veteran has appeared in two games this spring, going 1-for-4.

BE THERE!: The Dodgers ticket sales department will host another Open House Sunday, March 3 in which fans interested in purchasing a Mini Plan or season tickets can stop by Dodger Stadium from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Complete details on this event can be found by visiting www.dodgers.com/openhouse. Dodger season tickets start at just $6 per game.


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2012 Panini National Treasures Baseball - Dodgers' Base Cards

The newest Baseball card set of the year, 2012 Panini National Treasures Baseball, has been out since Wednesday, and I have a bunch of pics from the set featuring Dodger players to share.  This set is very different from what I'm use to.  It is a super-premium set that is filled with nothing but relics and autographs.  Even the base cards have game-used pieces embedded within the cards.

I count 14 players I consider Dodger players in the base set.  (If I missed anyone please let me know)  I say this because there are no team logos anywhere to be seen.  This is a non-MLB licensed product, so it can be hard to distinguish which player belongs to which team.  For instance, Don Sutton is in the set, but on his base card he is listed as belonging to the Milwaukee Brewers.  On the flip side, Sutton also has a bunch of other insert cards that list him being with Los Angeles.

Anyway, below are the 14 Dodgers in the base set.  I've provided the card number and the edition size of each card.

#22 Jackie Robinson /99

#24 Burleigh Grimes /25

As you will notice below, there appears to be numerous variations available of each base card.  I've done my best to gather example pics of each one, but I am certain I have missed a bunch.  For the most part, there is a jersey relic of each player that is numbered to 99 copies, but even scarcer variations exist.  For Campanella, there is a jersey card numbered to 99 copies, and a jersey button card that is numbered to just 2 copies.

#30 Roy Campanella

#51 Duke Snider 

#52 Carl Furillo /99

The Walter Alston card on the left is numbered to 25 copies, and the card on the right is numbered to 99 copies.

#55 Walter Alston /25

The Don Drydale card on the left is numbered to 25 copies, and the card on the right is numbered to 99 copies.

#59 Don Drysdale

The Pee Wee Reese card on the left is numbered to only 4 copies.  It is a jersey tag card.  Also, directly below is a jersey card numbered to 99 copies, and I've include a sample of what the revere looks links.

#61 Pee Wee Reese /4

 #61 Pee Wee Reese /99

#64 Willie Keeler /99

#84 Leo Durocher /99
The Tom Lasorda card on the left is numbered to 25 copies, and the card on the right is numbered to 99 copies.

#90 Tommy Lasorda


#92 Don Sutton /99

#133 Jake Daubert /99
I have found more Matt Kemp cards than I can imagine.  From my count there are at least 4 different Matt Kemp variation base cards.  There's a logo tag that is numbered "1 of 1", a button card numbered to 5, a jersey patch card numbered to 25, and a jersey card numbered to 99.  See all four versions below.

#142 Matt Kemp /1                             #142 Matt Kemp /5

#142 Matt Kemp /25                               #142 Matt Kemp /99

#144 Pete Reiser /99

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