Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Look Like Fernando - Valenzuela's Sunglasses on eBay


Now you can look like El Toro!

Just imagine yourself strolling through the mall with these cherry shades.  You'd be the hippest hipster around.  These frames scream the 1980's like bright white stone-washed jeans and fluorescent colored shirts.  And from what I understand that's all the rage these day, ain't it?  At least that's what the young-folk tell me today. 

Featured above is something truly majestic, so take a close look.

In addition to the 1958 Dodgers' scouting guide I wrote about yesterday, the same seller also has the above original pair of sunglasses that were once worn and owned by Fernando Valenzuela.  It is of the rose/red lens variety and includes Fernando's name monogrammed along the rim.  Check out the auction here.

It comes from the collection of Maxine Voss - who was the personal assistant to Dodger GM Al Campanis during his final four years with the Dodgers.  She had been with the Dodger organization for eleven years, and is noted to have been on the Board of Directors of the Campanella Foundation.

As for the sunglasses they come with a note on the letterhead of Valenzuela's agent Antonio DeMarco gifting the specs to Maxine Voss.  Check that out below.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 11/10/2015 - Dodger Links - Greinke, Cruz and Andrew Friedman


Just another photo of an fantastic day at Dodger Stadium, as tweeted by the Dodgers yesterday.

Below are more links to check out:
  • RIP, Tommy Hanson.
  • Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Dodgers offseason update from Andrew Friedman."  There are tons of great questions, so be sure to read them all.
On the Hot Stove market: “It’s obviously early in the process. … Right now, I think teams and players are in a fact-finding mode, and trying to get as good a sense as they can of what’s available and what’s possible. … For the most part, we’re going to be focused on pitching.”

On the prospects for Ryu in 2016: “Every checkpoint has been incredibly optimistic, and if success were dictated by how hard he has attacked this rehab process, then I’m 100 percent convinced that he’ll be back by Opening Day. But you never really know. Each day, each week, each month gives us more clarity, so I don’t know yet whether we can fully count on him or not.  …  It is a little bit of a wild card, and we’ll just continue to assess it as regularly as we can.”
  • No real surprise here.  Zack Greinke was chosen by his peers as the 2015 MLB Players Choice Award as the National League’s most outstanding pitcher, via a tweet from MLB.  I wonder if this is an early indication that a Cy Young will soon grace his mantel-place.  BTW, you can get the complete results here.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:
"I always make adjustments to the lineup," Greinke said on MLB Network. "But I think Kershaw showed this to me the best. If you have something going good ... He does, and doesn't mess with them too much, and everybody sees how that works for him. I try not to think too much, and if you have a good pitch, use the good pitch, and you don't have to fool people that much."
The Dodgers are over for the second straight year, so they will be taxed at 30 percent for all money spent over $189 million. They are looking at a tax bill of about $33 million.
  • Tommy Lasorda will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from LMU today.  Find out more here.
  • A new Dodger hiring, via a tweet from Jon Morosi:


* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Monday, November 09, 2015

A Peek Inside a 1958 Dodgers Scouting Book from Al Campanis


From time to time you run into something really fascinating on eBay.  That's not to say that the past items I've featured from the online auction house aren't as interesting, it's just that this particular item really takes the cake.  The above guide is purported to be Al Campanis' personal spring training notebook for the 1958 season - the Dodgers first in Los Angeles.  It includes everything from schedules, rules, player notes and photographs.  Check out the auction listing here.

As you may know, Al Campanis was a lifelong Dodger.  He was originally signed by the franchise as a 23-year old free agent in 1940, became a scout for the team after his retirement from playing and eventually rose to the clubs GM position until the infamous incident on "Nightline" in 1987. 

The guidebook appears to be filled with all kind of scouting goodness.  There's grades and notes for every player on the roster, as seen below.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

For Sandy Koufax is says:
Good curve but needs control

There's also scouting notes on numerous up-'n-coming prospects.

Including notes on a couple of well known future Dodgers' - Maury Wills and Frank Howard.

For Wills it says:
Hands too close to his body.  Falls away from the plate.  Not covered outside.  Is afraid of the ball.

Must keep his hands away from his body.  Must step more towards the pitcher keeling his front shoulder in.  This will help him on balls away, especially the slow stuff.
On Frank Howard:
Not covered outside on let-up stuff.  Collapses front knee.  Front shoulder comes out too soon.  Steps hard instead of smooth.  Has a big stride.  Might habe to be shortened.  Is a fine student.  Pulls everything.  Must hit ball where it is pitched.  Must stay with outside pitch a little longer.  Is a bit far from the plate.
Heck, there are even rules for the batting cages; including this one helpful suggestion:
"Be serious when practicing your bunting"

I have no idea what something like this is worth to a collector, but it sure provides some valuable and interesting information about the Dodgers of yore.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 11/9/2015 - Dodger Links - AGon, Ryu and Scully


Nuthin' But A "Ryu" Thang

On Saturday was Adrian Gonzalez's first annual Bat 4 Hope Celebrity Softball Game at Dodger Stadium and a good number of Dodgers' were on-hand to lend a hand; including rehabbing pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu.  Although he didn't play on the field Ryu did come out with the baddest hoodie ever.  Check it out in the photo above, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.

That is bitchin'!

As for the event Adrian had this to say, via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider:
“This is just fun. … We’re excited about it, and it’s a great opportunity to raise some awareness and raise some funds.”
BTW, he also commented briefly about some of the Dodger changes.
“I think I always look at it from a standpoint that when we show up at Spring Training, we’ll know who we have,” Gonzalez said. “Right now, there’s no point at looking at the team. Zack might be back. We might have other people back. The only thing that will be different is the manager at this point. Other than that a lot of the things will be the same.”
Go here to check out a bunch of pics from Jon from the softball event.  Below are more links to check out:
  • Via Lyle Spencer at MLB.com, "Scully recalls college days while accepting honor."  He received the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award  from the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
    "One of my most memorable games was when we played Yale in 1947. I'd never been to Yale, and it was a thrilling day, a great game. It gave me a taste of what the big leagues were like, with the grandstand, public address system, scorecards, an enthusiastic crowd.

    "It was 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth when their shortstop [Art Moher] hit a home run with a man aboard, and we lost, 3-1. Their first baseman was George Herbert Walker Bush. Wonderful, lovely man, politics aside. Terribly bright."
  • Per Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, the Dodgers will interview Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez.
  • Via Eric Avakian at Dodger Blue, "Clayton Kershaw Reflects On Postseason, Talks Being A Perfectionist."
    “At least I didn’t end the season again, that was better. It felt good for about 24 hours, until we lost the next game. Losing is losing and obviously that is no fun.”
  • Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Pederson on what went wrong and making things right."
“I could have told you everyone knew they were going to throw hard fastballs in (to me). It’s not a secret. That’s a pitch that they didn’t necessarily go away from. I didn’t show them I could hit it. And when I did hit it they had a shift on. It’s something at the start of the year I would take the balls and hit the strikes. But when I’m in a bad position, I wouldn’t hit that pitch. That’s the way it goes.”
  • Via Ben Platt at MLB.com, "Monday honored by Marines for saving flag."
    "This means a lot," said Monday, who attended the event with his wife Barbaralee. "Tonight is a special night. When I think back to when I was a Marine Corps recruit so many years ago, and you hear about the Marine Ball -- and to have it onboard the USS Hornet, the retired aircraft carrier that has had so much history of itself. Combine the history of the Hornet, the history of the Marines; it's the perfect matchup for the Marine Corps Ball."

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Saturday, November 07, 2015

Blog Kiosk: 11/7/2015 - Dodger Links - Club Options, Qualifying Offers and Free Agents


With the Dodgers search for a new manager in full steam I thought the above 1934 International News press photo of two former Dodger skippers standing side-by-side to be timely.  Featured are Max Carey (left, manager from 1932 to 1933) and Casey Stengel (right, manager from 1934-1936) wearing their Brooklyn garb.  The above pic was found at the current Touchdown Treasures auction.  Check it out here.

Below are more links to check out:


  • Via Arash Markazi at ESPN, "Experts: Parkinson's disease shouldn't keep Kirk Gibson from managing again."
"I have patients who are teachers, professors, lawyers, doctors, bankers who are actively doing well with Parkinson's," said Dr. Michael Kaplitt, a neurosurgeon and associate professor of neurological surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. "They're actively productive, and it doesn't prevent them from doing a variety of professions.

"You have to understand your limitations, but patients can do a variety of professions where their expertise and their mind are very valuable and the disability they have from the disease is well-enough controlled where they can be extraordinarily productive."
  • Tim Dierkes at MLB Trade Rumors shares their, "2015-16 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions" here.  They believe Zack Greinke and Brett Anderson will remain Dodgers'.  Furthermore, they suggest the Dodgers might be in the running for the services of David Price, Johnny Cueto, Scott Kazmir, John Lackey or JA Happ.
  • Joc Pederson is the Banksy of the Major Leagues.  He shared the below photo on Instagram yesterday:

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Friday, November 06, 2015

2015 Topps Chrome Update - All the Dodger Cards

Exclusive retail-only packs of 2015 Topps Chrome Update are now available in stores, and they can be found only in Holiday Mega Boxes.  For a retail listing price of $14.99 you get five packs of 2015 Topps Update (their normal flagship Update cards) and two packs of the Chrome Update cards.  So, they are a bit scarce.  Go here for a complete checklist.

The Chrome Update base cards feature only 50 of the 400 cards found in the normal Topps update set, and they are easily distinguishable due to their "Bubble/Pulsar" Refractor finish.  As you can see in the pics below, they are super shiny and have that distinctly round bubble-style background.  All of the cards have this look.

Below are all the Dodger cards that are available.  As you can see, only three of the twenty-three Dodger cards found in the update base set are available in Chrome form.

Base Set

#US280 Mike Bolsinger                         #US308 Howie Kendrick

#US376 Joc Pederson