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Monday, April 04, 2016

Opening Day Lineup and Notes Against Padres


What a beautiful day.

If not for having to be at work, I would be saying that it is a perfect day.  Below is the lineup for both the Dodgers and Padres:

Dodgers
Padres
Utley 2B
Jay CF
Seager SS 
Norris C
Turner 3B 
Kemp RF
Gonzalez 1B 
Myers 1B
Puig RF 
Ramirez SS
Crawford LF 
Solarte 3B
Pederson CF 
Upton LF
Ellis C
Spangenberg 2B
Kershaw P
Ross P

Some Game Notes:

Don Drysdale Collection at SCP - Part II - In the Army Now

Following up on Friday's post featuring several Don Drysdale prep and minor league memorabilia items available for sale at SCP, I now look at some military-related collectibles.

(Auction Link)
It's easy to forget that even in the late-50's the country had a military draft in place.  The Reserve Forces Act of 1955 sought to improve National Guard and federal Reserve Component readiness, and ballplayers were not immune from conscription.  Per an auction description for the Drysdale US Army worn field jacket on the right:
In the fall of 1957, then-Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, 20, found out via an early morning phone call from team General Manager Buzzie Bavasi that he had to enter into a six-month program with the U.S. Army Reserves or else he would be drafted into military service. Drysdale, along with Dodgers teammate Sandy Koufax, was destined to spend the next half a year in the U.S. Army Reserves at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

ICYMI: Here's the Dodgers 25-Man Roster


You probably already know that the Dodgers announced their 2016 Opening Day 25-man roster over the weekend.  Nevertheless, I figured I'd outline the guys who will be manning the club to start the season in a post.  There are quite a few surprises, but only because several key injuries have opened the door for some new faces.

Here is the Dodgers 2016 Opening Day roster.

Starting Pitchers (5):
  • Clayton Kershaw (L)
  • Scott Kazmir (L)
  • Kenta Maeda
  • Alex Wood (L)
  • Ross Stripling
The rookie and first time Major Leaguer, Ross Stripling, beat out Carlos Frias and Zach Lee for a spot on the rotation.  His stay is likely to be a short one.  Stripling will probably go back to minors once either Bolsinger or Ryu is ready to go.

2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball - All the Dodgers Cards

A brand new Topps Baseball card brand was introduced last week.  It is called 2016 Topps Legacies and it's an high-end product that'll cost you about $160 for a single pack/box of four cards.  Go here for a complete checklist.  Check out all the Dodgers cards below.  Unfortunately, I have yet to see either of the two Kershaw autograph cards.  The two Koufax and the one Maeda autographed cards come with an redemption. 

Exhilaration Autographs

#EA-CS Corey Seager

Blog Kiosk: 4/4/2016 - Dodgers Links - Scully, Seager and Dodger Stadium Netting


As you may know there was one noticeable change at the Dodger Stadium.  As mandated by the league, they have extended the netting behind the plate to go from dugout to dugout.  In the past, they left a section on each side open to the elements.  Now, the fans sitting there will have some protection.

BTW, per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, this recent change has already yielded a positive result.
In the eighth inning of last night’s game, Scott Van Slyke fouled off a Huston Street pitch. His bat splintered. A large, sharp chunk flew rapidly in the direction of the Lexus Dugout Club seats next to the Dodger dugout, but was stopped by netting.
...
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Dodger manager Dave Roberts on the way Van Slyke’s bat broke. “I’ve seen a lot of broken bats, but to see a bat splinter in half like that that was different. It was very fortunate the screen was extended because at that point it was very dangerous. Kudos to Major League Baseball.
Photo above via David Vassegh on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:
  • Via Variety, "Vin Scully on His Early Career, 67 Years of Calling Dodger Games." (Link Here)
Q: How did college prepare you to become a sportscaster?
VS: I was thinking I would probably be a writer, maybe a sportswriter. And then I went into the Navy, and when I came back, there was an FM station just about ready to go on the air. So I thought, “Wow, I could do that and write.” That was a big break, that they had not a campus station, but a true FM station, which to this day is doing very, very well in the New York area. That was probably one of the biggest breaks I could have gotten.