Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Heavyweight Champ, Riddick Bowe

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

Sorry about the delay on this posting.

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Former heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe will be in Whittier on Saturday.  Get more information here.

Harry's Dugout 
10715 W Beverly Blvd 
Whittier, Ca 90601 
(310) 639-1061

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2012 Panini Prizm Baseball - All the Dodgers' Cards

Panini just released their newest Baseball card set earlier this week and it's 2012 Prizm Baseball.  Why they continue to use the 2012 date I do not know - it's confusing... and stupid.  Anyway, this set is fulled with shiny chrome cards.  They also lack MLB team logo's, so they look a little strange.  Panini was shut out of a MLB license, but they did get a license from the Players Association.  Still, it's a little uncomfortable looking at a card and not seeing the Dodgers logo where it should be.

Below are all of the Dodgers' players you can find in the set, starting with the base set.  Panini even includes one old-timer, Fernando Valenzuela.

#3 Matt Kemp                                    #15 Hanley Ramirez

#29 Clayton Kershaw                          #39 Adrian Gonzalez

#82 Zack Greinke                               #110 Andre Ethier

#113 Carl Crawford                            #128 Fernando Valenzuela

#183 Elian Herrera RC

Elite Extra Edition Autograph Cards

 #EEECS Corey Seager

Team MVP Cards

#MVP14 Matt Kemp

Top Prospects Cards 

#TP6 Zach Lee

USA Baseball Cards

There is also an autographed version of this card.  Unfortunately, a photo of it is not available at this time.

#USA6 Clayton Kershaw

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Blog Kiosk: 4/19/2013

From Last Nights Dodgers Pride Night at the Staples Center, here is Jim Hill, Luc Robitaille, Tommy Lasorda and Eric Stonestreet.  Pic via Twitter @Dodgers.

• Mike Petriello at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness writes a timely piece called, "Is It Time For Yasiel Puig Now? How About Now? (No.)"  Mike is right, Puig just isn't ready yet.  But he will be once he figures out pitch recognition and can lay off the breaking stuff.
• Mark Saxon at ESPN wonders, "Is Carl Crawford becoming a different kind of hitter?"

But what has been a surprise, a pleasant one, for Mattingly is Crawford's approach. Always a free swinger, Crawford has been more selective for these first few weeks. His batting average probably isn't particularly telling, but few would have expected a .426 on-base percentage from him at this point of the season, or really any point of a season. 

• Orel at Sons of Steve Garvey retells Vin Scully's story from Tuesday recalling the perils of live commercial broadcast.
• MLB 13 has alternative covers available for download, and one of them features Matt Kemp.  Go to their facebook for more info. 

• 9 Inning Know It All shares his interview with Ron Cey.

Playing for the Dodgers was truly a privilege.

Being able to carry the History and Tradition forward was everything one could ask for.

• Jose Canseco recently appeared on reddit for one of their famous "Ask Me Anything" sessions.  Check it out here.

• This might be the greatest name for a Dodgers podcast, ever!  Sit down a listen a little bit to "The Kurt Bevacqua Experience."
• This is cute.  Watch Dodgers fans Adele and Anadel (who are twins) providing their most recent Dodger Fan Weekly Video Blog. 

Video Link:

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Dodger Pride was on Display Last Night

The NHL hockey regular season is quickly coming to close.  The Kings are safely near the top of the pack in the conference, and baring a spectacular meltdown look headed to make the playoffs for the 4th season in a row.  They've rebuilt the franchise from the bottom up and are obviously reaping the rewards.  That being said, the Dodgers headed to the Staples Center last night in celebration of local sports pride, but I think the Blue Crew hoped a little bit of that Kings magic rubs off on them.

It was Dodgers Pride Night last night, and I was there to bask in its glory.  Furthermore, I wanted to make sure I got a glimpse of those cool looking Dodgers hockey jersey's the Kings would be wearing for the pregame warmup, so I had plans to get there early.  Unfortunately, that didn't go as planned.  By the time I did finally arrive the Kings were finishing up their warmups and I only had a chance to see them in Dodger Blue for just a few minutes.  Check out the only pics I was able to capture below.  Click any pic to embiggen.

Definitely not my best effort. 

(tweet link: @LAKings)

Fortunately, both the Dodgers and Kings provided a great back up plan.  Check out some of the pics provided by Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2013 below and some videos by KingsVision.  Also, the pic above was tweeted by the Kings.

BTW, the Kings beat the suddenly good Columbus Blue Jackets, 2 to 1.  I swear, I turned to my seat-mates and said, "I don't remember Columbus being this good."  Anyway, on to the pictures.

In the above pic (from left to right) is Dustin "pancakes" Penner, Brad "put me in coach" Richardson, Slava "I'm better than Jack Johnson" Voynov, Mike "glad to leave Philly" Richards, and Alec "Estrada" Martinez.    Below left, Brad Richardson gets in front of the Kings flag and Dustin Brown shows his singular move to the camera on the right.  See more photos from the Dodgers at Jon SooHoo's blog here.  BTW, all of the photos were taken by Jon's cohort, Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2013.

Here is a KingsVision video of the Kings in Dodger Blue.  The background music really sucks.  What's the deal, Kings?

 Video Link:

Tommy Lasorda was also on hand, and dropped the ceremonial puck.  I love how he crouches deep down to drop the puck, shakes Kings team captain Dustin Brown's hand, and turns around to leave without acknowledging the Blue Jackets captain, former Kings Jack Johnson.  This had my row busting up in laughter.

Video Link:

Then, Tommy Lasorda spoke with Patrick O'Neal. 

He went on to explain that you don't talk to the opposition as the reason he didn't acknowledge the Blue Jacket.  Tommy, I love you!

Video Link:

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Mailbag: A Vintage Van Lingle Mungo Card

My quest to chase vintage Dodgers' cards is in full swing.  I recently came across this beauty on eBay.  It is a 1936 National Chicle Fine Pens premium card/photo of former Dodger and all-around-ruffian Van Lingle Mungo.  The set it comes from is posthumously known as R313 in the Standard Card Catalog.

As you probably know, Mungo plays an infamous part in Dodger lore.  He was a known rabble-rouser and terrible drunkard during his playing days, and as you can imagine it caused problems off the field.  One story includes him having to escape Cuba during Spring Training in order to escape the police and an angry husband who caught Mungo cavorting with his wife and another women in the dead of night.  The angry husband was wielding a machete and had plans to kill Mungo.

Mungo may be more well known, though for a song that was named after him.  It was a little jazz ditty by Dave Frishberg called "Van Lingle Mungo".  Have a listen to that song here.

The card above had a fairly high opening bid, but not so high that it was over-priced.  In fact, I thought it was valued right were it should be, and immediately placed a bid in hopes of securing it.  With nobody else bidding, I won and walked away with this beauty at an affordable price of $15.00, delivered.

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Heritage: Some Great Vintage Dodgers' Uniforms (from 1913 to 1965)

This is turning out to be a big month for auctions.  First you've got the SCP Auction featuring items from Steve Garvey's collection, and REA just opened up their once-a-year Baseball auction extravaganza (I'll write about this one soon).  In this post, however, I want to highlight Heritage's offering that includes some great game-used Dodger uniform pieces. 

Below is a 1965 Willie Davis game-worn jersey.

(auction link)

If you are looking for something really rare, check out this vintage 1913 Brooklyn Superbas (the former name of the Dodgers) road game jersey that was once worn by left-handed pitcher Earl Yingling.  This item is reaching the market for the first time.  It come directly from the Yingling's granddaughter. 

(auction link)

Here is another uniform from Earl Yingling.  This time we have the home white 1913 Brooklyn Superbas jersey.  Real game jersey's from this time period are exceedingly rare, so to have two of them available to view is a real treat.

(auction link)

This is just awesome.  This is said to be a 1955 Spring Training game cap once worn by Sandy Koufax.  From the auction description, as written by the consignor:

"My father Karl Drews played professional baseball for 21 years...He pitched in relief for the Yankees in the 1947 season going 6-6 and had two appearances in the 1947 World Series...He had his best season in the majors in 1952, winning 14 games and finishing 5th in the league with a 2.72 ERA. He finished his major league career in 1954 with the Cincinnati Reds. My father continued to play professional baseball with numerous minor league teams, eventually finishing his career in 1960 with the Mexico City Reds. When we were young our father brought home from his spring training site a hat that he said he got from a very young Sandy Koufax. He told us how he was a very young left handed pitcher who everyone had great expectations for and that he too thought would be a truly great pitcher one day. He told us how special this hat would be some day if Koufax had the type of career that the players and coaches envisioned. We kept the hat in our closet with other items from my father's playing days (there were no fancy hat boxes, bat holders, etc back then)...All of this information is true to the best of my memory and recollection and those of my older sister as well."

(auction link)

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