Mientkiewicz on "Back on Topps"

Doug Mientkiewicz makes a special appearance on Topps most recent episode of their online video series "Back on Topps."

YouTube Link: BackOnTopps:

Dodger Correspondence: Our Congratulations

The more I find out about the Brooklyn borough and their affection for the Dodgers the more amazed I become. They really loved their team and their players.

On September 25, 1956, Sal Maglie, known as Sal the Barber for his propensity to throw inside, threw a no-hitter. As soon as the hometown faithful found out they went to all lengths to congratulate the hurler.

Recently on eBay examples of this came up for bid. Below are a series of congratulatory telegrams sent to Maglie.

eBay Auction Link: Maglie Telegram:

There never was a better one pitched, either, because nobody really got his bat on the ball and there wasn't a hard chance. -Carry Schumacher

Sal was very dominant that evening. He walked two and hit one batter.

eBay Auction Link: Maglie Telegram:

The below telegram gets right to the point.

Congratulations Sal on your no hitter, now do it to the Yankees in the World Series. -Al St. Onge

eBay Auction Link: Maglie Telegram:

The series of 3 videos below are really special. It includes audio from the last inning of Maglie's no-hitter and features the voices of Jerry Doggett and Vin Scully.

YouTube Link: FloralParkKid Part 1:
Part 2.

YouTube Link: FloralParkKid Part 2:
Part 3.

YouTube Link: FloralParkKid Part 3:

Dodgers Tour of Japan, 1956

A big thanks to Bob Wong for allowing me to post these picks. They are from the Dodgers 1956 Tour of Japan and come directly from color slides. Photos were originally posted at the Net54Baseball message board.

Update: Go to Walter O'Malley.com for some additional information about this historic trip- complete with even more pictures.

Roy Campanella

Don Demeter

Ralph Branca

Gil Hodges

Billy Herman and Jackie Robinson

Duke Snider

Card of the Week: Bunyan's Bat

Sometimes all you need is a bigger bat which Brett Butler shows in his 1993 Upper Deck Fun Packs card featured above. It is this weeks "Card of the Week." I don't actually have this card in my collection, but I saw this at Night Owl Cards blog last week and knew it was a winner.

An Unassisted Triple Play

I guess Seth Swirsky is gonna have to get another autograph on his ball.

Eric Bruntlett, of the Phillies, completed the Majors 15th unassisted triple pay today. He even did it in style as it was a game ending walk-off triple play.

(Hat Tip: Walk of Walk)

Check out this video of the event.

Video Link: Thefightins:

Blog Kiosk: 8/23/2009

I really feel our pitching is fine. It's the offense that needs to get going again.

• Check out this great custom card of Matt Kemp on a 1991 Topps Baseball design at Goose Joak. Also, check out this blog dedicated solely to homemade cards called the Custom Card Blog.
• Bob Lemke has a blog. Check it out. He is a giant in the hobby and a editor of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.
  
• Nice pull! Beckett tells us about a rare 1of1 dual cut signature card recently pulled out of a box of 2008 Topps Co-Signers Baseball featuring Marinus Willett, a captain during the Revolutionary War and notably New York City’s first Mayor, and Jedidiah Huntington, a brigadier general during the war. These historical cards and signatures in Baseball packs is pretty cool.
• Night Owl Cards puts together the Baseball All-Dog Nickname Team.
• Football- celebrity look alike's from NFLJuice.com.
  
• Bryce Harper, the teenage phenom from Las Vegas who plans to drop out of high school in hopes of entering the draft early, has a Baseball card from the AFLAC All-American Baseball Classic held in San Diego recently.
• Here is a video of Russell Martin's Thursday night Grand Slam. (Hat Tip: Reflections of Blue)

YouTube Link: dodgerfilms: