RIP: Dodger Chef Dave Pearson Passed Away

The Dodgers' longtime chef Dave Pearson passed away Saturday afternoon after a battle with lung cancer.  He was 75.

Pearson had worked for the team for over 50 years.  He primarily prepared meals in the Dodger press dining area, named "Dave's Diner," and served everyone from team executives, broadcasters and the media.  Dave Pearson recently told Bill Plaschke of the LA Times:

"The best part of my job is cooking food that makes people happy," he said. "If I can't get them my food, how am I going to make them happy?"

I can vouch for how happy his cooking can make you feel.  I had the pleasure of enjoying a meal at "Dave's Diner" the onetime I worked the press box.

Pearson worked daily at the stadium until a few months ago when a bad cough lead to a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis.  Below are some great stories written about Dave below:

• Bill Plaschke at the LA Times, "Dodger Stadium chef Dave Pearson savors life as he battles lung cancer."
• Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Dodger Stadium beloved chef Dave Pearson passes away."
• Via Jill Painter at the LA Daily News, "Longtime Dodgers chef steps up to the plate for television debut on Cooking Channel."
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Behind every great man there stands a great chef – even for Vin Scully."

Per a Dodger press release:

Pearson worked at various locations within Dodger Stadium for more than 50 years, creating sumptuous meals for a vast array of individuals, including sports greats, Hollywood stars and even presidents of the United States. While food preparation was what he enjoyed most, Pearson’s hobbies included model trains, building dollhouses for his granddaughter, travel, tennis and a huge love for jazz music.

A native of Brooklyn who cheered the Dodgers as a child, Pearson moved with his mother to Southern California at age 16. After learning to cook at a small restaurant in Boyle Heights, Pearson earned a part-time job at Dodger Stadium, launching a career that would span decades.
...
“Dave always took tremendous pride in his work and it was reflected in the countless creative meals he prepared for all the staff and guests through the years at Dodger Stadium,” said Dodgers’ President and CEO Stan Kasten. “’Dave’s Diner’ will never be the same.”

“Besides being a wonderful cook, Dave had a great personality,” Scully said. “Regardless of the demands that came with serving so many people at a venue like Dodger Stadium, he always maintained his composure. To look at Dave, everything was always fine. He was always smiling. He was a great gift to us, both his cooking and the type of person he was. He will be deeply missed.”

Pearson is survived by his wife of 10 years, Sherry, his daughters and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Watch Dave Pearson with Mo Rocca of the Cooking Channel below.  He shows Mo the proper way to crack an egg and gave him a new nickname.

Video Link.

The photo above is of Yasiel Puig with Dave Pearson, via Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers.

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Blog Kiosk: 9/12/2015 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

Check out this fantastic vintage 1920 International press photo from game 2 of the World Series.  Hall of Fame pitcher Burleigh Grimes is shown scoring the second run in the game on a double by Tommy Griffith.  As you can see, Cleveland Indians catcher Steve O'Neil is unable to make the tag on a sliding Grimes.  Although the Dodgers didn't win the crown this season there were plenty of highlights.  For instance, Burleigh Grimes would go on to pitch a seven hit shutout to bring the Robins (Dodgers) to a series tie of one game apiece.  The above photo is via RMY Auctions and is currently on auction there.  Check out the listing here.

Below are more links to check out:

• Via Brandon Lennox at True Blue LA, "OKC Dodgers eliminated from PCL playoffs."
• Listen to Vin Scully speak with Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports talk about Sandy Koufax here.

When I walked in the clubhouse I saw the fella who was going to try out, and my first thought was, ‘he’s got a big back’ and my second thought was, ‘he’s all tan, fully tan. So he’s probably spent the summer on the beach, I can’t imagine he’s that good of a ballplayer.’ So, I failed as a scout. I went down to the bullpen at Ebbets Field and I stood along with maybe two or three other people and watched this kid throw. He threw hard, bounced his curveball. I had just finished playing ball for college the previous summer, so he was like I thought, a lot of the pitchers that I saw in college; threw hard and was wild. And of course the next thing I know, he is a magnificent pitcher, awesome, and inspiring and every adjective and participle you can think of. He was really special.”

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Seager growing into a major role with Dodgers."

"He's very process-driven and you see that here, too, just the way he plays the game. He doesn't show much emotion when he plays, similar to his brother," said Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis. "He just goes out and competes and tries to make the right baseball play."

• Via Maren Angus at MLB.com, "Five questions with the Dodgers' top prospect and September callup Corey Seager."

Q: What was the conversation like when you got "the call?"
A: Our [Oklahoma City] manager D.B. [Damon Berryhill] called me around 1:00 and just said, "Congratulations, you're going." I freaked out a little, I almost hung up on him and called my parents. It was fun. I called [my brother] Kyle about an hour after I talked to my parents.

• I got a chuckle out of this.  Via Tom Ley at Deadspin, "Good Dodgers Fan Flips Off The Whole World." 
• Jusr being mindful appears to be the key.  Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "What's behind the Dodgers' better baserunning?"

Two things happened when the Dodgers got to Oakland for a quick two-game series Aug. 18 and 19. First, Ron Roenicke was brought in to replace Lorenzo Bundy as the third-base coach. Second, the coaches convened the players for a team meeting and showed them the metrics the front office compiled.
...
“We’re leading the way, stealing more bases. That probably made Jimmy [Rollins] want to steal more bases because he hadn’t been doing it before,” Crawford said. “I’d like to say we helped it. That’s what we’re trying to do, make guys more aggressive and run the bases better.”

• I thought I'd pass along photos of a new piece by noted Baseball artist Sean Kane who uses vintage gloves as his canvas.  He recently completed is a fantastic drawing commemorating the poem "Casey at the Bat" using three old catchers mitts side-by-side.  Check out a pic below.  He also shares a video on his website featuring a "making of" collage of the painted gloves.  Watch the video here.  You can also check out an interview I did with the artist a few years ago here.

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Receiving Solace on this Anniversary Day from Vin Scully

I've struggled a bit the past couple of days on whether I'd write anything related to the September 11th tragedy that occurred fourteen years ago today.  It's a moment in time that I still find difficult to put into words, and I don't really have the capacity to appropriately convey my thoughts and emotions.

I can't really explain why.  I didn't lose a family member that day, nor a friend or acquaintance.  Certainly, I was far removed from any direct relationship to those events.  Still, I feel a great loss and I suspect many of you are in the same boat as myself.

I dunno.  This is a day I don't like to think about.

But then I was pointed to a video (via Reddit) featuring Vin Scully talking about it all, and suddenly I realized I should at least share it here.

Feel free to take a moment to let Vin put you at ease.  Below are two separate videos to watch.  The first video is from the Dodgers first home game following the tragedy on 9/17/2001.

Video Link:

This next video is from the ten year anniversary, on September 11, 2011.

Video Link:

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Fantastic 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Scorecard at Goodwin & Co. Auctions

Here is something you don't see everyday.

Featured here is a 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms scorecard.  As you may know, this year was the franchises last as a member of the American Association.  The following season they would join the National League where they continue to this day.  BTW, the Bridegrooms moniker is one of the many different nicknames given to the Brooklyn club.  At the time, teams did not have official names.  As for how Bridegrooms became popular, as the story goes several of the teams players got engaged at the same time, so naturally the fans (and the press) chose what was most suitable. (If you're interested in reading a biography focused on the club when they were known as the Bridegrooms I suggest reading Ronald Shafer's book called "When the Dodgers were Bridegrooms."  Check out my interview with the author here.)

This scorecards is one of the earliest artifacts of its kind from the Dodgers franchise.  Best yet, Goodwin & Co. auction house was kind enough to share pics of several of the pages within it in their auction listing.  I've captured all of those photos below, and included the biographies created for each individual player so that you may learn a little bit more about a few of the earliest Dodger players.  Since the pics provided aren't particularly clear I've done my best to recreate them.  Check out these pics and biographies below the fold.

As you can see below, the club was playing their games at Washington Park; their very first home and onetime headquarters for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War.  I had previously written extensively about this ballpark here. 

Blog Kiosk: 9/11/2015 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

Just awesome!

Check out this fantastic 1939 photograph of future Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson on the football field for UCLA training camp.  Photo via the Jackie Robinson Foundation on twitter.

Here is something you probably didn't know.  Jackie Robinson, for a brief period, played professional football.  In 1941 he played for the semi-professional Honolulu Bears - a racially integrated football team.  Then returned to California later that year to play for the Los Angeles Bullfrogs of the Pacific Coast League.  As fate would have it, Pearl Harbor was bombed that December and the Bullfrog's season came to an abrupt halt.  The following year Jackie would be drafted into the Army.

Below are some links to check out:

• Check out the potential postseason schedule for the Dodgers here.  Also Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider lets us know about registration for Dodger playoff tickets, here.
• I didn't know that!  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "3 straight postseason appearances would be a Dodgers franchise first."  Sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
• Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest shares his picks for, "2015 Dodgers’ Minor League Players of the Year."  Cody Bellinger is his "Hitter of the Year" and Jose DeLeon is his "Pitcher of the Year."
• Vincent Samperio at Dodgers Nation notes that a Dodger milestone that was just broken, "Justin Ruggiano, Scott Schebler Join Record Book."

The consecutive leadoff home runs were the first time that has happened since 1951, when Carl Furillo accomplished the feat on his own against the Chicago Cubs as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

• As a part of today's commemoration of September 11th the entire league will be wearing special caps with a stylized American flag on its side.  See the Dodger cap on the right.  Go here to check out and order a cap from New Era.  All MLB proceeds from sales of these caps will be donated to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Pentagon Memorial and the Flight 93 Memorial. 
• Bill Plunkett at the OC Register shares some quotes from some Dodger players about the city's ban on chewing tobacco.

“Good. Ban it. Do me a favor,” said Dodgers reliever J.P. Howell, a dedicated tobacco user since his college days.
...“If they banned it, I’d be fine with that,” Dodgers left-hander Brett Anderson said, describing himself as only an occasional user. “This could be my last one forever. I’ve never been addicted to it. It’s just something I do out of boredom.”
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“Honestly, knowing that kids are watching and cameras are on you all the time (prompted him to quit),” Mattingly said. “And knowing it was bad for me.”

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Justin Turner voted Dodgers nominee for 2015 Marvin Miller Man of the Year award."

Honored to be voted by my teammates to represent the @Dodgers for the #MarvinMiller Man of the Year award!

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) September 10, 2015

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Win Field Level Dodger Tickets from Philippe's!

Mmmm!

Whenever I hear the name Philippe's my mind immediately wonders.  I imagine myself holding a lamb French single-dip sandwich with Swiss cheese and some "jus" on the side.  Dab on a little bit of their signature mustard and I'd be heaven. 

For those of you who frequent this Los Angeles landmark, please buy something for me to eat.  And while you're at it, check out a contest they are currently holding that could win you two tickets to a Dodger game on the field level.  Go here for information.

All you have to do is share your favorite Philippe’s photo on social media via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook by Thursday, September 17th. 

If submitting on Instagram or Twitter use #PhilippesPhotoContest in the caption, and tag @philippetheog. Facebook submissions can be made directly to our wall at facebook.com/philippetheog with #PhilippesPhotoContest in the caption.

BTW, they will be picking two winners, so there are a couple of pairs available.  The Dodger game will be against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, September 20th, and that happens to be Clayton Kersher Cy Young pin night.  Again, go here for the contest rules.

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