2015 Panini Prizim Baseball - All the Dodger Insert Cards

Here is a final look Panini's 2015 Prizm Baseball card set.  Below are all of the Dodger insert and autograph cards that can be found in packs.  Go here to check out all of my past post on this set.

There is a Paul Lo Duca autograph card on the checklist, but I have yet to see one online.  As soon as one pops up I'll updated this post.

• Prizm Signatures Baseball - #18 Paul Lo Duca

Autographs Prizms

#30 Corey Seager

Blog Kiosk: 5/18/2015 - Dodger Links - Some Weekend Odds and Ends

Here are some of the players from my youth.  From L-R: Kenny Landreaux, Pedro Guerrero, Steve Sax and Mike Marshall.  The photo was taken by Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo at the Old-Timers Game luncheon on Saturday.  Go here to check out more photos by Jon of the event.

Below are some more links to check out:

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shared a fantastic video featuring Roy Firestone interviewing Vin Scully in 1990.  Check it out here.
• Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times, "Sandy Koufax says there's no need to worry about Clayton Kershaw."

"Everybody has their periods when things aren't right," (Koufax) said. "What is the rodeo saying? `There's never been a bull that hasn't been rode, never been a cowboy who hasn't been throwed.' There are some days — you're a human being — when it's just not there. But the good ones have a hell of a lot more good days than bad."

• Via Earl Bloom at MLB.com, "Beachy throws to hitters as recovery continues."

"We're just leaving it in the hands of the medical staff -- it's still their call," manager Don Mattingly said before Sunday's game against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium. "There's no timetable. We're just letting his elbow tell us when he's ready [to pitch in rehab games]."

• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Bolsinger credits Yasmani Grandal for his success."

“There are times when I’m gripping the ball and I’m already gripping a curveball and he calls it because he knows that’s what I want to throw,” said Bolsinger. “So that tells you a lot about his character and the way he likes to have relationships with all of his pitchers and it shows in the field with all the guys pitching, everyone’s doing really well. I think all of the credit goes to the catchers in that one.” 

• Via Dan Arritt at ESPN, "Los Angeles Dodgers' Kenley Jansen returns to closer role, notches first save."

“One thing I tell myself is that I’m not going to think about it, because if you’re going to think about your foot, now you might do something wrong with your delivery and now you’re going to cause your arm to get hurt,” he said. “If something’s wrong with [the foot], if it breaks or something like that happens, it happens. I just go out there and don’t pay any attention to it and pitch.”

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Blog Kiosk: 5/16/2015 - Dodger Links - Ethier, Dodgers' Hello Kitty Plush Doll and a Fan Ejection?

Here is a fantastic vintage press photo taken by International News, dated March 1, 1954, that I ran across on eBay.  It features several Dodger greats getting some needed practice before the season starts.  After having an impressive rookie campaign the season prior, Junior Gilliam looks to be showing a couple of pitchers how to slide.  After all, all reports I've read indicate that Gilliam had a high Baseball-IQ, and just naturally seemed to understand every part of the game.  Below is what is written on the caption attached to the reverse:

SLIDE, JUNIOR, SLIDE--Vero Beach, Florida.....Second baseman Junior Gilliam slides in under the watchful eye of Field Director Al Campanis at the Dodgers training quarters as pitchers Don Newcombe and Joe Black watch.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Dodgers announce rain-delay ticket offer for May 25-27 Braves series."
• ICYMI: Kenley Jansen has been reinstated from the DL and reliever Daniel Coulombe has been options back to AAA, via a tweet from @DodgersPR.
• Via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times, "Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is playing like old self."

"It's frustrating, but not everything's going to go good and go the way you want it to be," he said. "You have to grind through things. You're going to have ups and down, not only in the course of the year but in the course of your career. You have to figure out a way to ride them out and keep fighting and keep finding a way to improve and make adjustments."

• Here's an early peek at the Hello Kitty plush Dodger doll that is being given away to fans on Wednesday, July 8th against the Phillies.  Check out the Dodgers promotional schedule here.
• Benjamin Hill at Ben's Biz Blog recently visited Historic Dodgertown and shared a bunch of pics.  Check them out here.
• I wonder if this could potentially be big news for Dodger fans; especially to those who have been locked out due to the cable situation?  Via Timothy Burke at Deadspin, "Judge Grants Class-Action Status To Sports TV Blackout Antitrust Case."  Jon Brodkin at Arstechnica also writes about the lawsuit in more detail.
• This is for the Baseball history buffs out there.  Via Rich Mueller at Sports Collectors Daily, "(Masnori) Murakami to Return to U.S. for Autographs."  Masnori was the first Japanese born player to appear in the major leagues, and he has just finished a new book on his experiences.
• Via David Seideman at Forbes, "Weighing The Risks and Rewards of Investing In Today's Vintage Baseball Card Boom."
• During Thursday's game at the bottom of the ninth inning the home plate umpire is seen moving towards the fans behind him and looked to be motioning at a fan.  The initial reaction by most is that he tried to have a fan ejected from the game; which is rare but certainly within his purview.  I spent some time trying to find out about the incident and came across the below post on reddit, here.  It appears that the flash used by a fan was the problem.  DodgerFilms makes note of the incident at the 10:13 mark in this video here.

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2015 Panini Prizim Baseball - The Dodger Base Cards

Panini America's Prizm Baseball card set is back and now you can check out all of the Dodger base cards below.  Go here to see a complete checklist. 

The Prizm set is a super-shiny silver-like set.  Unfortunately, scans of the base cards often look much darker than they really are.  So, don't be mislead into thinking that the backgrounds of these cards are as dark as the photos below suggest.

There are only seven Dodger players in the base set.  Check them all out below.  BTW, I included pics of a couple of the parallel cards that can be found - just because I think they are really cool looking.

#19 Adrian Gonzalez                             #46 Clayton Kershaw

An Early Peek at Some Upcoming Bobbleheads: Puig, Koufax, Jansen and Uribe

I thought I would take a moment to share some of the pics I've run across of several upcoming Dodger bobbleheads.  Above is the Yasiel Puig "diving catch" bobble that will be given away to fans on Wednesday, July 29th against the A's, and below is the Sandy Koufax bobble with the old stadium scoreboard in the background that is being given out on Thursday, August 13th against the Reds.

On the left below is the Juan Uribe bobblehead and on the right is the Kenley Jansen bobble.  These will be given out on Saturday, July 11th and Thursday, June 4th, respectively.  You can check out the Dodgers promotional schedule here.

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Blog Kiosk: 5/15/2015 - Dodger Links - Dodgers All-Star Game Caps and Don Mattingly

The rain sure did put a damper on last night's game.

As I found out this morning, they resumed the game after initially being delayed during the Rockies at-bat in the sixth inning.  Unfortunately, the sparse crowd that was still in the house were not rewarded for their persistence and devotion.  Instead, they were witness to the ninth inning heroics of a batter I had just dropped from my fantasy Baseball team.

Carlos Gonzalez, who has been terrible so far this season, whacked a go-ahead three-run home run to lead the Rockies over the Dodgers, 5-4.  Via Ken Gurnick and Thomas Harding at MLB.com:

"I was watching Garcia coming out of the 'pen, and he was throwing a lot of fastballs," Gonzalez said. "I was waiting to see a good fastball. It finally showed on a 2-1 count and I was able to take advantage and hit the ball over the fence."

The recently shell-shocked rookie reliever Yimi Garcia gave up the dinger.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

Mattingly: "He's a young guy with a lot of success and now two times out he's gotten hit. So, you don't know if, being a young guy, or any guy. But the guy didn't get here by having a bunch of success and then giving up."

This is just one of those games that you've got to just forget.  In fact, the only thing that has me vexed is the thought that maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to drop CarGo from my fantasy team.  Should I immediately get him back before one of my competitors snags him away, or is this season a lost cause for him?  I dunno.

The photo above was taken by Jill Weisleder/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more pics by Jon from last night's game.  Below are some links to check out:

• Via Joel Sherman at the NY Post, "Why Don Mattingly is doing his finest Dodgers work."

I hear the work he has done with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt with the Jansen-less pen has impressed the bosses who will decide his fate. They like that he has given younger/unproven guys such as Yimi Garcia, Pedro Baez (who injured a pectoral muscle Wednesday and is now on the disabled list) and lefty Adam Liberatore significant roles, and appreciate how he has built confidence with the group and dealt with the unknown.

• Color me a bit surprised, via a tweet from Dylan Hernandez.  I also understand that Mattingly has pledged to not argue replay calls again, but I hardly believe that:

League called Dodgers to say they messed up replay call, Mattingly said.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) May 14, 2015

• Here's a sneak peek at the Dodgers 2015 All-Star cap.  As you'll notice, it is reminiscent of the old-timy caps worn during the early days of the game.  They are referred to the "pill box" caps.  Check it out on the right.  Click on the pic to embiggen.  (Hat Tip: u/DrSteveBruleDDS on Reddit)  BTW, you can check out the hats for the other teams here.  UPDATE:  Ha Ha!  Looks like I got fooled on this one too.  Via Patrick Coffee at AdWeek, the "pill box" styled All-Star game cap seen on the right is an elaborate fake.
• ICYMI:  Pedro Baez has been diagnosed with a right pectoral strain and has been placed on the 15-day DL.  Reliever Daniel Coulombe has been called up to replace him.

Coulombe, 25, made his only big league appearance of the season on May 5 at Milwaukee and has posted a 1.59 ERA (2 ER/11.1 IP) in nine games with Oklahoma City this year, including seven consecutive scoreless appearances since April 15 (9.0 IP). Coulombe saw his first Major League action last year, appearing in five games with the Dodgers as a September call-up, and was selected by the Dodgers in the 25^th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University.

• Olivera is coming!  Via a tweet from Jon Heyman:

Hector Olivera is expected to arrive in L.A. tonite. once there he'll take physical, then finalize deal. #dodgers

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 14, 2015

• Mike Piazza had some nice things to say on twitter about Giancarlo Stanton's home run over the left field pavilion roof:

Loved watching @Giancarlo818 bomb last night. Brought back memories, looked like similar pitch I hit, tough to drive fast ball That high.

— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) May 13, 2015

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