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Monday, July 07, 2014

A "Pistol" Pete Reiser Vintage Press Photo for my Collection

Check out the newest addition to my collection.  Featured below is a 1941 Cleveland News press photo, dated June 6, 1941, featuring Dodger wunderkind "Pistol" Pete Reiser. 

Pistol Pete is probably the most remembered and spoken about Dodger player to not have made it really big.  His name evokes memories of a player who could do it all.  Reiser batted like a future MVP and fielded his position like a gold glover. 

Unfortunately, he was also one of the most injury prone players to ever play the game, and it wasn't because he was made of glass.  Instead, no one had less regard for his own well-being while playing the game than him.  Pete Reiser hustled on every play, and often made ill-advised attempts that would cause significant injuries.  In other words, he was as reckless as you can be.

Via a wikipedia entry:
Reiser gave great effort on every play in the field, and was therefore very injury-prone. He fractured his skull running into an outfield wall on one occasion (but still made the throw back to the infield), was temporarily paralyzed on another, and was taken off the field on a stretcher a record 11 times.  Pete was once given his last rites in the ballpark.
How insane is that?  When was the last time you heard of a player receiving his last rites during a game due to his play?  Has it happened at anytime in the last 50 years?

Anyway, Pete Reiser was truly gifted, and if not for his recklessness and a subsequent injury sustained to his shoulder while playing for an Army Baseball team during WWII, he might be regarded as one of the greats.

BTW, I won the photo at a recent RMY Auction.  They are currently running their July 2014 auction that includes some great vintage press photos.  Go here to check them out.

Below is a scan of the reverse of the photo.  As you can see, it includes various markings a collector like myself looks for when deciding to bid.  It includes a bold Cleveland News stamp, and remnants of a description sheet.  Unfortunately, this photo was trimmed to size.  Still, is looks great and presents well.

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* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2014 Panini Golden Age Baseball - All the Dodger Cards

Panini America released their 3rd Baseball themed card set last week.  It is called Golden Age Baseball, and it includes numerous old-tyme players.  Due to a lack of an MLB license these cards do not include either team logos or even team names.  Instead, the city that each player represents in noted. 

In my opinion, the base card design is horrible.  On the other hand, the insert cards that borrow designs from several relatively unknown vintage card sets are phenomenal.  I especially love the Darby Chocolate cards I show at the very bottom.

Base Set

#32 Zack Wheat

#66 Tommy Lasorda

#120 Dusty Baker

#138 Steve Yeager

#139 Davey Lopes

The Frank Robinson card is the only known Dodger variation card in the set.  As you can see, the only reason he is regarded as a Dodger in the card below is the city notation of "Los Angeles" underneath his photo.  In the normal base card "Baltimore" is indicated underneath Robinson's photo. 

Base Variations Set 

#102 Frank Robinson

1913 National Game Set

#8 Zack Wheat


Historical Signatures Set

#BAK Dusty Baker

#RMO Rick Monday

#LOP Davey Lopes

#STV Steve Yeager

Museum Age Collection Set

#35 Tommy Lasorda

Star Stamps Set

#12 McGraw, Gleason, Mack & Stengel

#28 Mathewson, Young, Jackson & Wheat

All the remaining cards below are box-toppers.  Each box of cards comes with a large sized pack that contains either a 5x7 super-sized card, or a 3-card strip of Darby Chocolate themed cards.  Below are the Dodger players included.

BTW, There is a 5x7 memorabilia card (#9) of Duke Snider available, but I have yet to see a photo of it.  Directly below is the non-memorabilia card of Snider that is available.

5x7 Box Topper

#9 Duke Snider

I just love the design of these Darby Chocolate themed cards.  The vintage versions are super rare, and can sell for thousands in VG condition card.  Below, I highlight two Dodger players from the set.  Zack Wheat, of course, is known as a Dodger Hall of Famer; whereas, Rube Marquard is known more for his years as a NY Giants Hall of Famer pitcher.  Still, Marquard pitched 6 years in Brooklyn; recording 56 wins and helping the club to 2 National League Pennants.

Darby Chocolate 3-card Panel Box Toppers

#23 Zack Wheat & #24 Rube Marquard

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Blog Kiosk: 7/7/2014 - Dodger Links - An All-Star Video, Crawford and a Couple National Convention Dodger Promo Cards


The Dodgers maintained their 1st place standing in the National League West Division with an 8 to 2 win over the Rockies yesterday afternoon.  Matt Kemp had a great game as he collected 4 hits and drove in 2 runs.  Also, Josh Beckett continues to be impressive.  In 5 innings of work he didn't allow a run and walked only 3 batters.  Graphic above via @Dodgers on twitter.
  • ICYMI:  Carlos Triunfel has been recalled and Erisbel Arruebarrenahas been put on the 15-day DL.  Via a Dodgers press release:
Triunfel appeared in two games with the Isotopes, going 2-for-7 with three RBI, since being optioned on Thursday, and has a .213 batting average with one home run and 17 RBI in 54 games with Albuquerque this season. The 24-year-old has appeared in 10 games with Los Angeles this year, going 2-for-13 with a home run and an RBI.

Arruebarrena was recalled on Thursday and has gone 5-for-16 with a double and two RBI in eight games with Los Angeles this year.
“I’m not that worried about it, honestly, right now,” Mattingly said about the impending return of Crawford, who has been on the DL since May 28 with a sprained left ankle. “I’ll just kind of deal with it when it gets here. We’re playing pretty good, (and) we don’t expect to make a bunch of changes and mess with what’s going on.” 
  • The annual National Sports Collectors Convention is happening later this month in Cleveland and card manufaturers have been unveiling the promotional cards attendees will be receiving.  Panini Amirica's set includes cards for Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig.  Check out the rest of the set here.
The Springfield, Ill. resident has a cardboard poster signed by every member of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers right after they beat the Yankees to win their first and only World Championship.

“The story that went with the poster is that it was made with cardboard and a laundry marker right in the locker room,” Rooney said. “I’ve always imagined that it was the first thing that group of players signed as the official World Champs.”

The makeshift article was no doubt made in a hurry, in the midst of the Dodgers’ celebration. The words “Brooklyn Dodgers World Champs” are spelled out in large dark letters, no doubt made with a marker. Individual autographs are all in pencil.
  • Watch Yasiel Puig, Clayton Kershaw and Dee Gordon being congratulated for being named to the 2014 NL All-Star team in the video below:

Video Link:

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