Blog Kiosk: 1/3/2010

I can appreciate fans wanting more... but, really? It's way to early in the off-season, and this team is easily a favorite in the division. You can say that I'm not worried about this teams abilities.

• This is great news. Via Tribe Cards, he tells us that Ben Henry will be back in 2010 with new content on his great site- The Baseball Card Blog. For a reminder of this blog's greatness check out his last post featuring the classic poem "Casey At The Bat" as told in words and Baseball cards.
  
• GCRL finds a Lopes card I didn't know existed- 1976 Greyhound Heroes of the Basepaths.
• Check out this Dodger clip featuring prospects Dee Gordon and Ethan Martin fishing. A great moment is when Dee Gordon mentions that his dream is to bat against his father, Tom Gordon. Then, he mentions that if it ever happens his Dad said he would probably try to hit him. That is fatherly love.
• Hey Dodger fans. What would you think about Johnny Damon being a Giant?
• MLB Trade Rumors does a great rundown on Baseball's winter activity so far.
  
• Check out some new The Problem with Young People trading cards.
• Takuo Toda breaks the World Flight Record for a paper plane.

  "It's really a sport," he said. "The throwing technique is very delicate."

  
• Here is the Team USA jersey for the upcoming 2010 Olympics.
• The art and beauty of snowflakes in photos at SnowFlakes.com.
• Listen to the last 3 outs of Bill Singer's no-hitter against the Phillies on July 20, 1970 with Vin Scully announcing.

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Hoping, But Not Expecting

With so many young rising stars on the Dodgers it is easy to get worried about the impact the McCourt divorce will have on our ability to keep them all. They will be prized commodities in the Baseball market and, I suspect, will one day deserve several pots of gold. That being said, I hope, with all hope, that they can sign them to long term deals to put my mind at ease. Of course, that probably is not realistic.

This is why I was happy to see the news shared by Ken Gurnick on his Hot Stove Blog. The Dodger have inquired with Matt Kemp's agent about the possibilities of a long term deal.

"We've only talked about it a little bit, so who knows where it's going to go?" said former Dodgers pitcher Dave Stewart, who represents Kemp and pitcher Chad Billingsley.

Thank goodness Scott Boras isn't involved.

Being that this is Kemp's first year of arbitration eligibility I suspect a one year deal is more likely for the time being. This was confirmed in Gurnick's MLB article.

"We've got to figure out if it even makes sense to do a multiyear. The club is looking for something, the player is looking for something. Sometimes it's difficult to find a meeting of the minds. In that case, we're fine doing it one year at a time."

On the other hand, I love hearing that the Dodger brass is being proactive about it- even if the current gap is far from being met. What is that old saying? You gotta give it that old college try.

As The Hardball Times shows, Matt Kemp is certainly a player you want to sign up long term right away.

He's still regarded as a raw-yet-tantalizing talent, but the numbers say he's moved beyond that. He's a star. Now, not soon. Kemp has been a better young player than Beltran--their age-24 seasons were remarkably similar, but Kemp's prior performance vastly exceeds Beltran's. We're talking about a transcendent talent, one you'll want to say you saw play when he was just a colt.

Check out the Hardball article as Joshua Fisher put together some comparables for the potential statistical trendline for Kemp.

We have a superstar in our midst and it feels good.

Videos: Goofing on Kemp

I got a good laugh from this one as Ben Schwartz interviews Jordan Farmar and Matt Kemp.

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The introductions for the first game of the 1981 World Series at Yankee Stadium.

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Here is a nice tribute to former Brooklyn Dodger Andy Pafko.

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Pics From the Winter Hockey Classic

As you know, I'm a avid hockey fan. And if you happen to love hockey too then you know that the Winter Hockey Classic was played this afternoon on New Years day at Fenway Park. Below are some pics I found featuring this great new hockey tradition. I hope that one day soon they play under a Southern California sun.

BTW, congratulations to the Bruins on a great win in overtime. Also, the USA Olympic hockey team was officially announced after the game and 3 Kings players made it onto the roster. They are hard hitting forward Dustin Brown, defensemen Jack Johnson and rising star goalie Jonathon Quick.

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A little gift to take home found on the seats at Fenway.

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One of the greatest traditions in sport- the post game handshake.

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UPDATE: Here are some more pics found on TwitPic of the Winter Classic.TwitPic Link:

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In other hockey news, a World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game between the USA and Canada was played on New Years Eve. Unfortunately, USA lost in a squeaker during the overtime shootout. Below are video highlights and go here for a nice write-up from MayorsManor.

Have a Safe and Happy New Years Celebration

Have a great New Years Celebration and thank you for reading.

Also, please be safe out there tonight. Please do not drink and drive. To help, go here for some information on FREE rides available throughout the southland.

Orange Countians can ride the OCTA bus system for FREE from 6pm on December 31 – 4am on January 1.

If you will be at a New Years celebration in OC near OCTA routes 43-Harbor, 50-Katella, 57-Bristol/State College, or 60-17th St./Westminster Bl., you will have transit service available all night.

Neighboring counties are also offering special FREE holiday fares.

In Los Angeles, Metro will offer a special holiday FREE fare program for all Metro Bus and Metro Rail lines operating on New Year’s Eve. Metro will also offer 24-hour service, every 20 minutes on the Metro Red, Purple, Blue, Green Orange and Gold Lines from 9pm on Dec. 31 to 5 am on Jan. 1.

In Riverside County, the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) again will provide FREE rides on all fixed route buses between 6 p.m. until the end of service that evening. On January 1, RTA buses will operate on a Sunday schedule.

In San Diego, MTS, in partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Sycuan, will be offering FREE “Night Owl” service on December 31. Beginning at 9 p.m. and running through the night , all MTS bus and Trolley rides will be FREE of charge. Most bus routes will end at their normally scheduled time, but Routes 7, 11 and 901 and the Trolley will run throughout the night. On New Year’s Day, When one person pays for a bus or Trolley fare, a friend or family member rides free.

"Where Is Rob?" -Clap- Clap-ClapClapClap

Here is another Improv Everywhere prank sprung at a Knicks game. This would be a blast to pull off.

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