Are You Ready for Another Yasiel Puig Baseball Card?

Since Topps left Puig out of their Series 2 flagship set, they decided to make up for the mistake by including him in their 2013 Topps Pro Debut minor league set that comes out this coming Wednesday.  Check it out above.  Pic via @ToppsCards on twitter.  As you can see he is sporting a Rancho Cucamonga Quakes uniform.  Who's willing to bet he has a second card in the set with him wearing a Chattanooga Lookouts uniform?

In all likelihood, Puig's recent omission from the Series 2 set had more to do with timing rather than poor planning.  They restrict who can be in their normal Baseball card set to those who are on the Major League roster.  So, considering the lead-time necessary to design, print and package a set Puig's recent ascent did not give them enough time to include him.  I am certain, though that he'll be in their Update set that comes out at the end of the year.

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Blog Kiosk: 6/24/2013 - Dodgers Links - Vote Puig for the All-Star Game & Kemp Gets His First Hit in Rehab

We certainly can see Hanley and Puig.  They, along with Adrian Gonzalez, have been very visible at the plate of late.  Pic via Dodgers tumblr.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Kemp gets first hit in second rehab game: Doubles in six-inning stint with Albuquerque; Van Slyke goes 1-for-5".
• BTW, TMZ shared that Kemp is renting a mansion in Hidden Hills. (Hat Tip: VSIMH)
• Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy informs us that Kenley Jansen will be signing free autographs at T-Mobile store on Cienega on Wednesday.
• Via Bill Shaikin at the LA Times, "Dodgers' Don Mattingly still has front-office support: Although the Dodgers have fallen to 11 games below .500, General Manager Ned Colletti says he sees no reason to fire the manager."
• Yasiel Puig wants your support for the All-Star game.

I need You to vote for me on the all star ballot You need  to write my name in please http://t.co/9cPC5LESDV
— yasielpuig (@YasielPuig) June 24, 2013

• Via Mike Petriello at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, "Yasiel Puig Is Following That Matt Kemp Playbook".
• Sergio at Busting Packs got a legal notice from Upper Deck telling him to stop making fantasy/mock-up Upper Deck cards.  No wonder Upper Deck has been in the dumps.  They're filled with idiots.
• Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports wonders "Can any other struggling MLB teams go on a run?"

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The Nick Punto Song?

I can't believe I hadn't heard this before.  On top of that, I'm slightly horrified that it exist.

Over the weekend, I was checking out the Dodgers board on reddit when a poster put up a video to a song that sings the praises of super-utility man Nick Punto.  Really... Punto has a song dedicated just to him, and it's disgustingly beautiful.

It originates from what looks like a Minnesota-based sports-themed bar-style band put together on the fly by a bunch of fanatic local sports fans called The Minnesota Sports Band.  In reality, it is the work of a prolific song writer by the name of Matt Farley who is based in Massachusetts.  He releases his songs on his own label called Motern Media.  From his bio page:

Farley noticed that the only Moes Haven songs that sold were the ones with strange titles, like "Pickle Sandwich," "My Goldfish Dead," and "I Love Hugh Grant."  It was because people were searching for certain words on the search engines of music websites.

So, in 2008, Farley decided it was time to write a song about every topic imaginable.  If someone might search for it, Farley will have a song about it.  Through 2013, he has released more than 13,000 songs.  He changes his name to correspond with the theme of the album.  So, The Hungry Food Band sing about food; Papa Razzi and the Photogs sing about celebrities; The Singing Animal Lover sings about animals; The Guy Who Sings Your Name Over and Over sings people's first names over and over; and so on. 

I'm amazed by the kind of weird stuff you can find on the internet.  BTW, he also has a group called The Los Angeles Sports Band.  You can get a brief listen to some of their songs here; including songs about Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier.  I bet, sooner or later, he'll have a Puig song to rock out to.

Now, listen to the Nick Punto song below.

Video Link:

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2013 Topps Baseball Series 2 - The Dodgers' Insert Cards

Here is a final look at the Dodgers' card within the 2013 Topps Series 2 Baseball set.  Check out my previous post focused on this set, here.  Here, I show most of the Dodgers' insert cards in the set.  Various "1 of 1" cards are not shown below.

Silk Collection Set

SC-105 Hanley Ramirez

SC-131 Carl Crawford                         SC-133 Hyun-Jin Ryu

SC-138 Zack Greinke

Chase It Down Relics

CDR-AE Andre Ethier

Cut To The Chase

CTC-46 Duke Snider                         CTC-48 Sandy Koufax

Manufactured Commemorative Patches

CP-43 Sandy Koufax                    CP-44 Jackie Robinson

Manufactured Patches

MCP-1 Jackie Robinson                     MCP-3 Jackie Robinson

MCP-10 Sandy Koufax

MCP-12 Sandy Koufax

MVP Award Winners Manufactured Relics

MVP-JR Jackie Robinson

Proven Mettle Coins Manufactured Relics

PMC-AG Adrian Gonzalez

Rookie of the Year Award Winners

ROY-JR Jackie Robinson

World Series MVP Award Winners

WSMVP-SK Sandy Koufax

The Elite Set

TE-5 Sandy Koufax                       TE-19 Jackie Robinson

World Baseball Classic Stars

WBC-5 Hanley Ramirez                  WBC-7 Adrian Gonzalez

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Sunday Dodgers' Videos: The Brooklyn Dodger Apple, Scully on Puig, and a Claw Machine Winner

Here are this Sundays Dodgers' videos.

Below is the @Dodgers weekly Vine compilation video.  Puig is highlighted.

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ExtremeFan18 provides a look at the Brooklyn Dodgers Apple located at Grand Central Station in NYC.  This celebrates the upcoming All-Star Game.

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Check out Dodgers first-round Draft pick Christopher Anderson and second-round pick Thomas Windle take a tour of Dodger Stadium.

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This kid is some sort of pro with the vending claw machine.  He snags three plush dolls; including two Dodger bears.  I'm so envious.  I've never won anything from these games.  A long time ago, I had a buddy at work who was also a master at these.  He tried to explain how it's done, but it sounded like a bunch of voodoo magic to me.

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Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully on what has made Yasiel Puig's start so amazing & the use of hashtags in his broadcast.

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Ramon Hernandez has Been Released

Signaling an end to a trade that still boggles my mind.  It has just been annouced, via Bill Shaikin of the LA Times on twitter, that catcher Ramon Hernandez has been released by the Dodgers.

#Dodgers officially release C Ramon Hernandez.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 22, 2013

As you recall, the Dodgers received Hernandez via a trade during Spring Training that sent starting pitcher Aaron Harang to the Rockies.  At the time, we were overstocked with starters, so a trade was imminent.  I think it's fair to say, though that what we got in return for Harang was less than overwhelming.  Hernandez was always just a temporary placeholder and was clearly on the downside of his career.  Furthermore, we had Tim Federowicz waiting in the wings, so this particular move looked unnecessary to me. 

To make matters worse, the Rockies immediately sent Harang to the Mariners for a minor league pitching prospect.  They received Steven Hensley, who is currently pitching relief for Colorado's AAA club in Colorado Springs.  I am unsure if he is any good, but suffice to say that having a potential arm in the bullpen (even a 26-year old arm) is better than an aging unnecessary catcher.

(pic credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013)

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