Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Izturis Tonight - Lopes and Wills on Saturday

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

---------------------------

Here is a quick notice about a Dodger signing event happening tonight at Frank & Sons in the City of Industry.  Dodger shortstop Cesar Izturis will be signing from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM.  Go here for more information.

Frank & Son Collectible Show
19649 San Jose Avenue
Industry, CA 91748

---------------------------

Then, this weekend four more Dodger players (both past and present) will be at Frank & Sons.  Go here or here for information.  Featured are Carlos Frias, Austin Barnes, Davey Lopes and Maury Wills.  Please note that I am fairly certain that Austin Barnes and Carlos Frias are unlikely to be there since they both had been sent back to Triple-A Oklahoma City since the original announcement of this event.  BTW, Rudy Law has been added to the lineup.  He will sign from 11:30 Am to 12:30 PM, and they will be free autographs.

Frank & Son Collectible Show
19649 San Jose Avenue
Industry, CA 91748

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 8/26/2015 - Dodger Links - Rollins, Kershaw and Pederson

Following Kershaw's advice to play with urgency, Jimmy Rollins did just that.  Last night he hit a towering 422 foot home run to right field to cap a Dodger offensive explosion that had them score five runs for their first win during this current road trip.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"He's 100 percent right about that," Rollins said of Kershaw's advice. "It's almost like cruise control a little bit at times. It isn't because of effort, every team goes through that. When it's recognized, guys call that out, and you get back on the grind. Now the marathon is over and it's a five-week sprint. We're out front, and everybody is gunning for just that one spot. We have to show why we're the better team every single night."

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter.  Below are some more links to check out:

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Mattingly backs Kershaw's call for 'urgency'"

"When Kersh says we should play with panic -- I'd say a sense of urgency -- it tells you that he's not real happy with the urgency we're playing with, or the lack of urgency," said Mattingly.

"I think Kersh is one of our leaders. When he speaks, guys tend to listen to him for the respect they have for him, the way he goes about his business and the way he backs it up on the field. You would hope you have a number of guys that feel the same way, not just Kersh. When you get in tough situations, they're the guys that do things right. Obviously, Kersh is a huge voice."

• Via Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com, "5 key issues Dodgers must resolve down stretch."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Joc Pederson understands his demotion."

“We’re in a time when we need to win ballgames and put the best team out there and that’s not me right now,” Pederson said. “I can live with that.”
...
“I think that I really struggled right before the All-Star break and right after. There were some things that were just baseball. You hit it hard, it goes at them. You strike out a lot. Some things don’t go your way,” Pederson said. “But it’s the past. It’s not a big deal. I need to continue to grow as a player.”

• Via Jeff Spiegel at Dodgers Nation, "J.P. Hoornstra Explains Finding ’50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All Time’"

But then begins the hard part — combing through more than 10,000 games to find the 50 greatest — whatever that means. “I kind of had an idea of three games I thought would be the top three,” he said.

And then I had a list of maybe 25 others that I didn’t have to do much research on. The back-half, however, were games I had never heard of or simply didn’t realize the Dodgers had been the opposing team in. Some were actually embarrassing to admit I didn’t realize the Dodgers had played in.”

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 8/25/2015 - Dodger Links - Arky Vaughan, Nicasio and Jharel Cotton

Check out this fantastic vintage photograph of three members of the 1947 National League Pennant winning Brooklyn Dodgers: Dick Whitman, Carl Furillo  and Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan at Braves Field (via r/michaelconfoy at r/ClassicBaseball on Reddit).  Below is a great comment by r/niktemadur about Arky Vaughan :

Widely regarded as one of the finest shortstops of all time, Vaughan was the NL batting champ in 1935, with an astonishing .385, so rare for a man playing his position.  Contemporary Luke "Ol' Aches and Pains" Appling of the White Sox was another one of those mythical beasts, winning the AL title the following year with .388, but I digress.

Vaughan is also one of the tragic figures of baseball, having drowned in a lake fishing accident soon after retiring.

What I didn't know was that Arky missed the 1944-46 seasons, which I assumed was due to WWII. But no, it was due to a weird, toxic incident with Dodgers manager Leo Durocher. Vaughan was a natural leader among his teammates, quiet, protective, respectful and a commanding presence.
In July 1943, Durocher suspended pitcher Bobo Newsom for 3 games for loudly complaining about catcher Bobby Bragan's defensive skills. But then Durocher said some angry things about Newsom in a newspaper, which infuriated Vaughan, no manager should speak ill of his own players, particularly after suspending him for the exact same behavior, and much less in print!
So Arky took off his uniform, stormed into Durocher's office, threw the clothes at him and said "Take this uniform and shove it right up your ass". Branch Rickey intervened and Arky finished the season, but then he retired to his ranch in California.

Then check this out, when Durocher was suspended from baseball in 1947 (for being married and having a mistress), Vaughan returned to the Dodgers after missing three whole seasons! Batted .325 as a part-time player, rusty skills and all, the man was a natural.

Here's Jackie on Vaughan:

He was one of the fellows who went out of his way to be nice to me when I came in here as a rookie. Believe me, I needed it. He was a fine fellow.

Check out some more links below:

• ICYMI: The Dodgers sent reliever Yimi Garcia back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.  It is anticipated that right-handed reliever Juan Nicasio will be reinstated from the DL.  Via a Dodger press release:

Nicasio has been on the disabled list since Aug. 10 with a left abdominal strain and has gone 1-3 with one save and a 3.06 ERA in 38 games (one start) this year.

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Dodgers' bullpen changes figure to be internal."

But, of course, Dodgers fans don't want to hear that and simply trusting in a regression to the mean when the season is reduced to six weeks seems risky. Change will come, but it might come from within. The most interesting potential fix is to promote the team's best pitching prospect, 19-year old Julio Urias.

This is actually quite routine.  When Fernando Valenzuela first came up in 1980 he pitched out of the bullpen, so doing this has some precedence.

• As I intimated above, at this point anything is worth a try.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Jharel Cotton emerges as possible Dodgers bullpen option."

Dodgers minor league pitcher Jharel Cotton got the call on Friday, when Double-A Tulsa manager Razor Shines told the right-hander he was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City. If Cotton keeps up his breakout season, it might not be the last such meeting he has in 2015.

"He told me I'm going to Triple-A to relieve out of the pen, and hopefully the Dodgers like what they see," Cotton said. "It's great to know that."

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 8/24/2015 - Dodger Links - Kershaw, Pederson and Chef Dave

Longtime Dodger Chef David Pearson needs your help.  As you may know, the 51-year Dodger employee has been battling lung cancer and is currently going through his second round of chemo.  To assist him financially with this is a "Go Fund Me" page, and if you are so inclined please check it out here. Every little bit helps.  (Hat Tip: SOSG)

Once upon a time I was invited to sit in the press box, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.   I had the pleasure of watching and writing about the game from that unique perspective, and made sure to test out a meal created by Chef Dave.  I remember walking in that room, getting a plate of pork chops and eating to my hearts delight.

Anyway, you should check out Bill Plaschke's excellent story about Chef David Pearson from a couple of months ago here.

With every press-box dining room being a reflection of the person who runs it, Dave's Diner is like a big hug. It is a place where the lowliest of workers can joke with Scully, where Tom Lasorda's voice still booms with glee, where Hefley and her husband Billy occupy one corner table, where Fernando Valenzuela can be found chowing at another one, where scouts gossip and writers complain and many folks just mill about until the first pitch.

Dave Pearson created this space with a gentle, easygoing manner that matches his simple delicacies. He personally serves the broadcasters in a separate side room so Scully can at least eat in peace, yet he treats everyone as if they were a Hall of Famer, as he spends most of his time standing at the end of the food line shaking hands and telling stories.

Below are some links to check out:

• Kershaw saysm "PANIC."  Via Pedro Moura at the OC Register:

“I hope we’re panicking a little bit. I think panic’s a good thing, to a certain extent,” Kershaw said. “It’s August whatever-it-is and we have five weeks and whatever it is, too. There needs to be a sense of urgency — maybe that’s better to say than panic.

“I feel like we have to start playing like that.”

• Joc Pederson is losing his job.  Via Chris Abshire at MLB.com, "Hernandez earning at-bats over Pederson."

That's the situation Joc Pederson faces right now, as he was held out of the Dodgers' lineup for a second consecutive game on Sunday despite a right-handed pitcher taking the mound for the Astros.

Kiké Hernandez again got the start in center field, and manager Don Mattingly all but outright said that's his preferred lineup going forward.

"It's that time of year. Kiké's just been swinging the bat better, and he's a comparable defender. It's just one of those things we have to do at this point," Mattingly said.

"I'm still going to try to match up Joc [with righties] ... but Kiké's earned at-bats. We feel like he gives us a better chance to win."

• Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digests provides, "Your Annual Reminder About Postseason Eligibility."
• Phungo made note of a Dodger anniversary that had escaped my notice; "ANNIVERSARY: 40 Years ago Davey Lopes Steals 38 consecutive Bases."
• Check out a whole bunch of preview pics from Panini's 2015 Immaculate Baseball set here; including the Tommy Lasorda and Corey Seager cards below.  Of special note, that Seager card is incredible.  It's a "1 of 1" game-used leather glove relic card.  Wow!  This set officially goes live this coming Wednesday.

• I couldn't agree with Night Owl Cards more, "No-hitters are meaningless."

I noticed last night in myself a sense of resignation as Fiers pitched the no-hitter last night. While other Dodgers fans flailed around in a panic, I didn't care all that much. Yes, it sucked that the Dodgers were being no-hit (especially at the same time the devil magic Giants get HRs from their pitchers), but my overriding emotion was "Yes! I have a lead story for the cover of tonight's sports section!"

That's what happens in the middle of August, when you're staring at preseason football and little else.

I just don't feel the humiliation of a no-hitter anymore. My feelings of depression and embarrassment have faded over the years. I decided to explore that by studying the times that the Dodgers have been no-hit since I've been following baseball.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2015 Topps Chrome - The Dodger Autograph Cards

Below is a final glance at the 2015 Topps Chrome Baseball card set.  This time I look at many of the Dodger autograph cards that are available.  Unfortunately, I have yet to see any of the "triple autograph" cards in the set, so I'll update that when they do surface.  In the meantime, check out everything else below.  Go here to check out all of my past post on this set.

As you can see there are two Dodger rookie cards available as a part of Topps rookie autograph set: Joc Pederson and Yimi Garcia.  I have included two photos for each player: the not normal base auto'd card on the left and an numbered parallel on the right.  The Pederson "purple refractor" below is numbered to /250 copies, and the Garcia "blue refractor" is numbered to /150 copies.

Of note, it's nice that Topps decided to use a brand new photo for the Joc Pederson autograph card; whereas, the Yimi Garcia card uses the same pic found in the base set.

Autographed Rookie Cards

#AR-JPN Joc Pederson

Blog Kiosk: 8/21/2015 - Dodger Links - McCarthy, Puig and Tommy Lasorda

Even at the age of 87 Tommy Lasorda sure does get around.  A couple of days ago he was invited to the Dallas Cowboys preseason workout, and even gave a Lasorda-like pep talk to the players.  Via Brandon George at the CowboysBlog:

“When I talk to them, I don’t lollipop them. I get on them good. No sir, if you want me to talk to the team they’re going to hear from me,” Lasorda said. “I said, ‘You guys from this date until next year, I will probably speak to a million people. If you’re not in the Super Bowl, I’m going to tell a million people how lousy you guys are.’”

Awesome!

Photo above via @SportsDayDFW on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:

• Brandon McCarthy can write too.  He pens a piece for ESPN, "Guest columnist Brandon McCarthy: Zack Greinke knew in spring training he'd be on par with Clayton Kershaw this season."

Zack's statement helped me and his other new teammates realize exactly what kind of guy he is. Small talk doesn’t interest him and he chooses his words very carefully. He doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. He’s not overly positive or cocky. Rather, he’s very down to earth, and fully self-aware -- and he is as quick to critique himself as he is to realize when he’s executed something to perfection. Those who don’t take the time to get to know him miss just how much he brings to the table when he talks. He’s realistic, measured and unflinchingly honest.

• Via Kevin Ruprecht at Beyond the Boxscore, "Let's watch Clayton Kershaw make hitters look silly."
• Via Owen Watson at FanGraphs, "The Dodgers Can’t Afford Their Bullpen Problem."
• AM570 Sports shares a whole bunch of pics from Howie Kendrick's recent appearance at a Nissan dealership, here.
• Via Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA, "Dodgers put 4th-round draft pick Willie Calhoun on fast track." 

“His stats are impressive … the most impressive thing to me is his ability to not only recognize pitches in the strike zone but to separate pitches that are “attack” pitches and those that are “defensive” pitches,” Cougill said via email. “So many hitters work on developing the ability to recognize ball and strike but commit to strikes that they can’t attack.”

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Dodgers' Yasiel Puig hoping he can prove his critics wrong."

"You always have to go through these difficulties, but the people who are next to me trust me and support me," Puig said in Spanish.

• I could've said it better myself, via a tweet from Brett Anderson:

The psycho Duggar family...the gift that keeps on giving.

— Brett Anderson (@BrettAnderson35) August 20, 2015

• Via Shawn Anderson at the Hall of Very Good, "Speaking of Baseball-Related Movie Goofs."  He passes along other mistakes in Baseball movies.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *