Blog Kiosk: 6/5/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

I'm not sure if I ever pointed this out, but standing in front of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the home of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders, is the flagpole that once stood at Ebbets Field -- former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Above is a look at the plaque describing it -- photo via Norman Oder on twitter.

Apparently, a few days ago protesters hung up a BLM flag on it -- which seems appropriate. Photo on the right via NYC Protest Updates 2020 on twitter.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1957 Don Drysdale recorded the first shutout of his career against the Cubs at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey, 4-0. In 1977 the Dodgers retired former manager Walter Alston's uniform number #24 at Dodger Stadium. He compiled a 2040-1613 (.558) record for the franchise. It was also Old-Timer's Day as the Dodgers defeated the Padres, 4-2. 
• Happy Birthday, Bill Maloney, Fred Mitchell, Duke Sims & Russ Ortiz!

2020 Topps Now 'Turn Back the Clock' -- Matt Kemp

The 2011 season was a big one for Matt Kemp. Free agency was looming and he had not yet become a superstar on the field. Soon though, the Baseball world would see.

He started out the season on fire -- slashing .441/.537/.647/1.184 with one homer over the first ten games of the season. By the start of June he was rocking a solid .312 batting average with 13 homers and a .945 OPS. Then June 4th came, and Matt Kemp showed that he had a flair for the dramatic. With the Dodgers down by four runs in the eighth inning, Kemp came up to the plate with the bases filled and hit a game-tying homerun to keep the Dodgers in the game. Eventually, the club would win it in extras, 11-8 (boxscore).

In honor of his dramatics Topps has issued a 2020 Topps Now 'Turn Back the Clock' card for collectors to add to their collections. Go here to check it out and order. Here is what it says on the reverse:

Blog Kiosk: 6/4/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

On this day in 1972 the Dodgers retired the very first numbers in their history, and they chose to do it with a bang. They didn't just retire one number -- they retired three. Featured above is Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Sandy Koufax. The ceremony happened during pregame activities on Old-Timers Day.

BTW the Dodgers would eventually lose that evenings game against Bob Gibson and the Cardinals, 4-0 (boxscore).

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1964 Sandy Koufax threw his third no-hitter of his career. He blanked the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, 3-0. Overall, he recorded 12 strike outs and allowed just one walk. In 1968 Don Drysdale threw his sixth consecutive shutout of the season, extending his scoreless streak to 54 innings, when he defeated the Pirates, 5-0. This is also the day Robert Kennedy made note of Drysdale's efforts in a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the CA primary. You can watch that portion of the speech here. Soon thereafter, Kennedy would be assassinated. In 1972 the Dodgers retired the first three numbers in their history during pregame activities on Old-Timers Day -- Sandy Koufax #32, Roy Campanella #39, and Jackie Robinson #42. In 1998 the Dodgers traded Hideo Nomo to the Mets for Dave Mlicki and Greg McMichael. In 1990 Dodgers ace Ramón Martínez struck out 18 Atlanta batters to defeat the Braves, 2-0. His effort tied a club record for strike outs in a game with Sandy Koufax, and was one short of the Major League record.
• Happy Birthday, Lee Magee, George Watkins & Rick Wilkins!

2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Sandy Koufax by Tyson Beck -- #99

Tyson Beck is an Australian graphic design artist who has taken the art and sports world by storm. He originally came on the scene as a young teen creating designs in various basketball forums. By 18 he was working for the Lakers designing wallpapers. Soon his career exploded. Companies and brands like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, MLS and UFC came calling. More importantly, Kobe Bryant reached out to provide encouragement and inspiration. Via Ciaran Varley at BBC Sports:

"Kobe was the biggest influence on my career from start to finish," he says. "He was the first design I ever did when I opened up a computer."
...
"It was just a photo line, so everyone was pushing through," he says. "He started chatting to me and the security guard came over to pull me away. He stopped them. It was only a couple of minutes, but he kept asking me so many questions. 

"He was like: 'Dude, I'm running an agency now, I've seen your work, it's amazing - how are you working with every brand in the world?'"

Blog Kiosk: 6/3/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Normal is Not Good Enough

When I woke up this morning I saw this headline:

L.A. police use UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium as 'field jail'

I don't even know what to think anymore. From the above story, via Dennis Romero at NBC:

"We’re troubled by accounts of Jackie Robinson stadium being used as a 'field jail,'" the university said on Twitter. "This was done without UCLA’s knowledge or permission. As lessee of the stadium, we informed local agencies that UCLA will NOT grant permission should there be a request like this in the future." 

The Los Angeles Police Department acknowledged using the field in West L.A. for suspects arrested during the city's George Floyd protests. "We are no longer using it," Officer Mike Lopez said.

I want to believe this was an oversight, but fear it was a purposeful metaphor. Photo above via Stadium Journey. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1888 the first publication of Ernest L. Thayer's poem Casey at the Bat appears in the San Francisco Examiner. In 1958 Los Angeles residents approved a referendum, by a slim margin of 24,293 votes, that would honor a contract negotiated between the City of Los Angeles and the Dodger to allow the city to sell 300 acres of Chavez Ravine to the Dodgers. In 1989 the Dodgers and Astros play a 22-inning game at the Astrodome that is the longest game in National League history -- it last seven hours and 14 minutes. The game featured Fernando Valenzuela playing first base and center fielder John Shelby going 0-for-10 at the plate. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost 5-4 (boxscore).
• Happy Birthday, John Dobbs, Jim Gentile, Barry Lyons & Nelson Liriano!

2020 MLB Topps Now - MLB Network's Top 100 - All the Dodgers

I was starting to wonder if they were ever going to print up these cards. As you'll recall, back in February Topps sold a special set exclusively online through their Topps Now program called MLB Network's Top 100. It's a set that features only the top-100 ballplayers, per the MLB Network. After nearly four months of waiting I've just found out that these cards have recently been showing up in collectors mailboxes -- finally! Go here for a complete checklist.

These cards were sold in individual packs of 10-cards, and a total of 4902 packs were created. This would translate into an approximate print run of 490 copies of each card.

There are eight Dodgers available in the 100-card set. Check them all out below.

#3 Cody Bellinger