Blog Kiosk: 7/2/2013 - Dodgers Links - One of Puig's Attempted Defections and Where is Grady Little Now?

Above is a look at July's issue of Dodgers Magazine featuring Adrian Gonzalez, pic via twitter @Dodgers.

• Dustin Nosler at Feelin' Kinda Blue has an interesting report on the International Signing period that starts today.  Apparently, we have our eyes on a kid named Lucas Tirado.
• True to the Blue has the early scoop on the 3 new Nike Yasiel Puig T-Shirts.  They are fabulous.  To the right is one of them.
• All of the talk yesterday was about a potential trade bringing Carlos Mormol, Garza or Utley to the Dodgers.  I refuse to spend any time thinking or writing about these or any "trade rumors".  I've made the mistake in the past in thinking there was merit to the discussion, but at the end of the day most of it is just a useless mental exercise.  Besides, most of it is bunk, anyway.  The above causes me to point to a great article by Bill Shaikin of the LA Times called "Dodgers will spend again to improve, but improving farm system is key".  He shares a quote from team President Stan Kasten.

 "There are no shortcuts. I also think the direction we pursued last year — established veterans, looking at big free agents — we are going to move away from that.

"I know people think we are in this deal, in that deal, and in any deal. That is not what the next phase of this franchise requires."

His way of thinking reminds me of how the Kings established a long term plan 5 to 6 years before they eventually won the cup.  It's all about Prior Proper Planning Preventing Piss Poor Performance.  Clearly, we are still in the early stages, and I look forward to seeing how everything develops.

• Via Jeff Passan at Yahoo, "Coast Guard crew reflects on time with Yasiel Puig during attempt to defect to U.S."  This is a must read!

One night, the gravity of the situation depressed Puig. Torres could tell the toll his impending return to Cuba was taking, so he went to his locker and retrieved a pair of tennis balls. He brought them to Puig, along with a Sharpie, and asked him to sign.

Carlos Torres was the first American to get Yasiel Puig's autograph, looped in perfect cursive with his number for Cienfuegos: "Y Puig 14."

• "The way Stephen Fife is going do Dodgers really need a starter?"  Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times.
• Dodger Penguin recaps the Mike Marshall signing at Harry's Dugout this past Saturday.
• Sports Illustrated has out a "Where are they Now?" feature in their newest issue and they include former Dodger manager Grady Little.  Here is a little taste of it.

“I started to feel the same way after a five-game losing streak as I felt after a five-week winning streak,” he says. “I knew that wasn’t right. I’d been going for a lot of years. And at that time I thought, I don’t want to do this anymore.”

• "Puig's electrifying debut month"  Yasiel Puig had a record-setting first month in the bigs, his 44 hits second in MLB history in that span after Joe DiMaggio.  Check out their video below celebrating it.

Video Link:

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Roy Campanella All-Stars Barnstorming Team Photo at Hake's Auctions

Hake's Americana and Collectibles is running another one of their great auctions and it includes even more Negro League memorabilia from the famed collection of Richard Merkin.  From a previous post:

Merkin was a American painter and illustrator who taught his craft for over 40 years at the Rhode Island School of Design. His own works reside in the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian Institution. He also wrote for Vanity Fair and illustrated the book "Leagues Apart: The Men and Times of the Negro Leagues." BTW, pop culture enthusiast might find it interesting to know that Merkin appeared on the cover of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album (back row, right of center).

He was an avid collector of vintage Negro League photography as evidenced by his collection that has appeared at Hake's over the past couple of years.

Below is a Dodger related photograph from the Merkin collection.  It is from 1954 and features the Roy Campanella All-Stars barnstoming team.  As you know, many ballplayers traveled the country playing Baseball to eager fans during the winter months to earn some extra coin.  Other Dodgers in the photo below include Don Newcombe, Joe Black and Jim Gilliam.

From the auction description:

Photo show(s) 12 players, 11 of which played in the Major Leagues and are wearing a MLB uniform. The only exception is Othello Renfroe who played in the Negro and Mexican Leagues and is shown here in a Toronto uniform. The others players/uniforms are: Larry Doby/Indians, Dave Hoskins/Indians, Jim Pendleton/Braves, Bob Boyd/White Sox, Don Newcombe/Dodgers, Harry Simpson/Indians, Joe Black/Dodgers, Bill Bruton/Braves, George Crowe/Braves, Roy Campanella/Dodgers, Jim Gilliam/Dodgers.

(Auction Link)

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Blog Kiosk: 7/1/2013 - Dodgers Links - Jose Dominguez, Josh Beckett is Done and Dodgers Themed Art in Brooklyn

On a sweltering Sunday afternoon, rookie reliever Jose Dominguez was on fire.  Pic via twitter @Dodgers.

• Via Bill Plaschke at the LA Times, "Dodger Stadium usher worked to the end: Ira Hawkins had been with the team since it came to Los Angeles in 1958. The Dodgers became his family, the stadium his home. He was 'a real institution,' a fellow usher said of Hawkins, who died in June."
• Josh Beckett is done for the season, via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA.

Beckett consulted with team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache and with nerve specialist Dr. Greg Pearl. Beckett will have the surgery the week of July 8 in Dallas, to be performed by Pearl.

• Check out this great billboard artwork in Brooklyn made by artist Raymond Pettibon for High Line Art.  It features Jackie Robinson.  (Hat Tip: Let's Go Dodgers)  Check out a better close-up view of the billboard here.  (This pic via Reddit: piss_n_boots)

The drawing evokes a longstanding history well-known to baseball fans: the departure of the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Pettibon alludes to an East Coast-West Coast feud throughout the drawing: on the left he writes “Moses,” a reference to both Robert Moses, the New York City power broker who played a major role in the Dodgers move from Brooklyn to L.A., and the biblical Moses, who led his people on an exodus to the promised land. “Jackie” refers to Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major League, while “Where Brooklyn at?” references the chant from the famous freestyle rap battle between East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G. and West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur. 

• Gellman at Sports Cards Uncensored takes a look at the prices for Puig's 2013 Bowman Inception cards.
• Newest Dodger reliever, Jose Dominguez had an impressive debut.  Via Bill Shaikin on twitter:

Jose Dominguez threw 10 fastballs in his first MLB inning: 2 at 101 MPH, 1 at 100 MPH, 6 at 99 MPH, 1 at 97 MPH. #Dodgers
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 30, 2013

• Dodger Penguin has a recap of Yasiel Puig's autograph signing at Frank & Sons over the weekend.
• David's Autograph Signing was at Viva Los Dodgers on Sunday and shares a report; including getting Adrian Gonzalez's autograph.

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Boooo! ...Best 2013 Bowman Inception Dodgers' Cards are Redemptions

Last week Topps officially released their newest Baseball card set and I am disappointed.

Not because it lacked the Dodgers' players that would make me joyous, but because those players in the set are nowhere to be found.  The 2013 Bowman Inception set is a high-end product that will run you from $80.00 to $90.00 a pack.  You get only 5 cards in the pack, but 4 of those cards will be autographed.

Being a Bowman product you know that it will focus on rookies and up-'n-comers, so there are a handful of names that you know should be in the set.  And for the most part, they are in the set.  Unfortunately, none of their actual cards are inserted into packs. 

The autographed cards of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig are all redemption cards, and since this is a autographed heavy set (without any base cards) there really aren't any photos of them to share.  Boo!!!!

Fortunately, there are a handful of Dodger cards that we can see.  Check them out below.

Autograph Relic Cards

#AR-JPE Joc Pederson

The below cards are supposed to be short-printed, and (I thought) autographed.  As you can see, that is not the case.  This subset is the only non-autographed and non-relic cards in the entire set.  They are "Blue Sapphire" reprints of their first Bowman rookie cards.  Former Dodgers' Paul Konerko and Adrian Beltre are included in the set.

Blue Sapphire Inserts

#48 Paul Konerko                               #49 Adrian Beltre

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Sunday Dodgers Videos - UCLA, Dodgers in the All-Star Game and a Giants Fan Loses a Bet

Here are this Sunday's Dodgers' Videos.

Via Fox Sports, The Dodgers pay tribute to the UCLA baseball team after winning their first national championship. Hear from Bruins head coach John Savage.

Video Link:

Vote Dodgers for the 2013 All-Star Game! via Aaron Roberts at the MLB Fan Cave.

Video Link:

I found this video hilarious, and I even dry-heaved a bit.  From the video description: Just like the Giants and the Dodgers have forever been rivals, so are Jeff and Sef.  Jeff is with the Giants. Sef with the Dodgers. A challenge and a loss later for Jeff, he needed to wear the shameful blue color and eat pork tongues....

Video Link:

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Welcome to the Blue, Jose Dominguez! - Welcome Back, Withrow!

There have been some major moves to the Dodgers bullpen lately.  I guess Colletti figured it was time to shore up one of the more glaring problems with the team.  About time, eh?

Instead of making some trades for veteran relievers, they go young by calling up some of the kids in the minors.

Last night, the Dodgers brought up AAA reliever Jose Dominguez and optioned Peter Moylan to Albuquerque.  Per a Dodgers press release:

Dominguez, who will be making his Major League debut and will be wearing jersey number 60, has appeared in 22 total games between Triple-A Albuquerque and Double-A Chattanooga this season, posting a combined 2-0 record with five saves and a 1.79 ERA (5 ER/25.1 IP), while striking out 40 against 13 walks and limiting the opposition to a .108 batting average. The 22-year-old last pitched for the Isotopes on Thursday at Memphis and struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief, totaling eight scoreless relief appearances for Albuquerque (8.0 IP). Dominguez, a native of San Pedro de Maroris, Dominican Republic, was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2007.

Dominguez is said to have a live arm with a fastball that hits 100-mph.  Per Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times:

“Last year, I was throwing 97, 98,” Dominguez said. “Occasionally, I’d touch 100. This year, I’ve been more consistent.”

The increased velocity has led to improved results. Dominguez didn’t give up any runs in eight appearances for Albuquerque. Earlier in the season, he posted 2.60 earned-run average in 14 appearances for double-A Chattanooga.

Then, news came down this morning indicating that another bullpen move has just been made.  Reliever Chris Withrow is back with Dodgers, and Matt Guerrier has been DFA'd. 

Withrow was called up earlier this month and pitched in 3 games.  In his last appearance against the Yankees he pitched 2 scoreless innings

*Photo used in fantasy card at very top via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013.

Below are minor league stats for Jose Dominguez, via Baseball Reference:

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