A Vintage Brooklyn Dodgers Souvenir Sell Sheet

I came across this great little letter the other day on eBay and thought you'd all get a kick out of it.

Featured below is a 1953 letter from the Brooklyn Dodgers Publicity Department responding to a request from a fan for some autographs and memorabilia. They politely stated that they couldn't provide what the fan wanted, but he/she can get many of these items from their concessionaire. 

Then, they detailed the cost for such items.  Check out the letter below, and marvel at what a few coins could get you 60 years ago.

• A facsimile autographed Baseball for $2.25; a
• 1951 Dodgers Yearbook at $0.50; a
• Scorecard at $0.10; a
• Dodgers cap for $1.00;
• Bracelets (including a luxury tax?) for $1.50;
• Beanie hats for $1.00;
• Autographed bats (large) for $0.75;
• Autographed bats (small) for $0.50; and
• Pennants for $0.50.

Wow!  Even if you put these values into an inflation calculator they still come out to be great deals.

(auction link)

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RIP, Pete Seeger

I was saddened to hear the news that country/folk singer Pete Seeger passed away yesterday.  He was 94 years old.  All I can add about his impact is to relay a quote I just read in a comment on youtube that I find most apt:

"Pete Seeger's banjo surrounds hate and forces it to surrender"

Watch the below video of Seeger on The Johnny Cash Show, March 4, 1970 where he sings the song "Worried Man Blues".

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Goodnight Pete.  Thank You.

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Blog Kiosk: 1/28/2014 - Dodgers Links - Community Caravan, Dazzy Vance and Hugs all Around

How touching.  Good friends reunited.  Pic via @Dodgers on twitter.

• Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo shares a bunch of pics from the first day of the Dodger Community Caravan at Children's Hostipal Los Angeles (CHLA).  See a pic of Matt Kemp and Kenny Landreaux on the right.  Go here to see more.  Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider follows up with a great story, "As Matt Kemp knows, there are challenges, and then there are challenges".

“There’s a little bit of a backstory to it. I had a little brother, growing up — he was sick, he was always in the hospital and he later passed. Just coming to the hospital for me is pretty tough. The smell of a hospital reminds me of my little brother. Coming to see some of these kids, hooked up to these machines, it just takes me back. It’s definitely tough just to come here and see some of this stuff. But it’s what I guess I was born to do, and it’s nice to do and puts everything in perspective.”

• Mark Saxon at ESPN asks five questions about the Dodgers' bullpen.
• Eephus Blue has just finished up a great new t-shirt design focused on AJ Ellis and Clayton Kershaw as Calvin & Hobbes inspired characters.  It's awesome, and I suggest going here to check it out. 
• Via Chad Dotson at Hardball Times, "The improbable career of Dazzy Vance".  He was a former Brooklyn Dodger who came out of nowhere to be a successful pitcher in his 30's.

As Bill James noted in his Historical Baseball Abstract, no one knows the exact procedure performed by this random New Orleans doctor. James speculated that bone chips and debris were cleared out of the elbow. Whatever the doctor did, the pain was gone and Vance could suddenly throw hard again.

• Please send along your prayers and best wished to Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley.  Her husband will be having heart surgery in a couple of weeks, per her twitter @NancyBea.
• Via Josh Tucker at Dodger Insider, "Vin Scully, Clayton Kershaw reap awards from Southern California Sports Broadcasters".
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Steve Garvey has jersey retired at Michigan State on Sunday".
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "MLB Urban Youth Academy to launch Black History Month activities".

In recognition of Black History Month, the second annual Compton Community Day will be celebrated Saturday, February 1 at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, featuring dignitaries representing Major League Baseball and the City of Compton. 

• David Laurila at FanGraphs has a Q&A with Hall of Famer Tom Glavine.
• Ryan G at Chaos and Kanji recently visited the Japan Hall of Fame and shares a bunch of pics to prove it.

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What They Saw and Said About the Dodger Stadium Hockey Game

What an amazing evening!

But, don't just ask me.  Check out some links below featuring some photos that others have shared, and commentary about Saturday nights Stadium Series hockey game at Dodger Stadium.

Photos:

• Jon Rosen at the LA Kings Insider (the Kings official blog) has a whole bunch of great photos from the game.  Go here.
• The Dodgers photographer, Jon SooHoo, shares his pics, here.
• Kings centerman Anze Kopitar shares some pics from the Dodger Stadium game here.
• Redditor Shadax has an album filled with pics from the game on imgur. 
• Redditor WoozleWuzzle has some awesome panoramic photos up on imgur, as well.
• Gann Matsuda at Frozen Royalty has a bunch of photos up.
• Panini America has a handful of pics up at their blog. 
• Dodgers Penguin shared some of his pics here. 
• Crowned Royal has up a handful of photos.
• Jen Neale at Puck Daddy roamed around Dodger Stadium for some jersey fouls.
• Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA shared a bunch of his pics, here.
• Here are my pics from the game.
• A redditor named OutofStep13 shared a photo of Ned Colletti at the game.  See it below.

Commentary:

• Apparently, the @Dodgers twitter account ruffled some feathers on Saturday, via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew. 
• Jason Drantch at Feelin' Kinda Blue writes, "NHL Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium a Rock 'n Rollin' success". 

From the moment, my dad, my uncle and I stepped out of the car, we could tell that this game was going to be like nothing we had ever experienced before. Orange and black jerseys were everywhere, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings rivalry in the air, with little to no Dodger Blue to be found.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Fans pack into Dodger Stadium for outdoor ice hockey".

"But it's nice to come to the park," the Dodgers general manager (Ned Colletti) and passionate hockey fan said, "and not care who wins."

• Jimmy Bramlett at the LAist has written his last post for that online journal, and it's all about the Stadium Series game, "Well that was something".  Check it out here.  My best wishes to you, sir.  I've enjoyed reading your stuff.
• Phil Hecken at UniWatch writes, "Boys of Winter".  It's his review of the Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium.  Overall, he was very impressed with it.
• Via Gann Matsuda at Frozen Royalty, "NHL Hits Grand Slam Home Run At Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium".

All one had to do to understand this was to sit down in breathtaking, iconic Dodger Stadium, look slowly around at the packed house, and realize that over 54,000 people had come to see an outdoor NHL game in Los Angeles—many wearing T-shirts and shorts—even though, as reported earlier, tickets were drastically overpriced, not to mention tacking on exorbitant parking fees as high as $50.00.

• Via Jill Painter at the LA Daily News, "Hockey a huge hit at Dodger Stadium".
• Eric Duhatschek at the Globe and Mail writes, "Ice conditions and atmosphere the big winners as Ducks down Kings outdoors".
• nickc79 at Jewels from the Crown writes provides, "Grades and Anaylsis" of the game.
• Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy, "Ducks dominate at Dodger Stadium, shut out Kings in NHL outdoor game".

Videos:

A Kings fan just put up a video on youtube of his game experience.

Video Link:


Stadium Bound has a video up of him leaving the stadium, via the right field section.  He shows some of the renovation work being done there.

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Below is a video of the pregame ceremony with Vin Scully and Bob Miller.

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Watch the Wayne Gretzky Puck Drop, below.

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Since this is a Dodger blog watch Tommy Lasorda and Brian Wilson pontificate about the event.  Tommy shows up at about the 0:46 second mark, and Wilson shows up at about the 1:05 mark.

Video Link:

Here is Jordan Sparks with the Natinal Anthem.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 1/27/2014 - Dodgers Links - Community Caravan, Michael Young and Kershaw's Cy Young

KISS!  If you haven't seen it yet.  Here are Jon SooHoo's photos from the Stadium Series.  BTW, you can see my pics here.

• The Dodgers Community Caravan starts today.  Ron Cey, Kenny Landreaux, Matt Luke and Dennis Powell who will visit Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Clear Channel Radio will be broadcasting live as part of a radiothon fundraiser benefitting CHLA. The radiothon will be co-hosted by Dodger alumnus Eric Karros. Dodger alumni will also take photos and sign autographs for patients and their families in support on this event.  See a Dodgers press release here.
• Christina DeNicola at MLB.com writes, "Dodgers' Rodriguez seeking redemption in 2014".

"Trying to stay strong through the whole year," Rodriguez said. "Last year, I thought I prepared well enough, but at the end I might have gotten a little tired and I didn't pitch as well as I wanted to. I felt like I had to work a little harder just to get to that point where I can last a whole season."

• Via Dylan Hernandez on twitter, Mighael Young still deciding what to do.  He also follows up with a story at the LA Times, "Michael Young deciding between retiring and returning to Dodgers".

Michael Young still undecided if he will play this year or retire. Young said that if he plays, it's "a safe bet" it will be for #Dodgers.
— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) January 27, 2014

• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Clayton Kershaw – Baseball’s anti-rockstar".
• Matt Snyder at CBS Sports puts together a, "All-Time Single-Season Team: Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers".
• Nick Diunte at Baseball Happenings tells us that former Brooklyn Dodger Charlie Osgood recently passed away.  RIP, Charlie.  Nick has an extended story about Osgood, here.

Charlie Osgood, pitcher of one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944, passed away on January 23, 2014 in Tewksbury, Mass. He was 87.

Osgood made his debut at the tender age of 17 when baseball was rapidly losing players to the World War II draft.

• Via Craig Minami at True Blue LA, "Dodger prospects chat with Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus".
• Jon Rosen at LA Kings Insider shares some photos from the Kings minor league affiliate Manchester Monarchs game featuring them wearing a vintage Kings "Burger King" uniforms.
• Clayton Kershaw received the Cy Young Award on Saturday.  Watch Sandy Koufax introducing the Dodger ace below.

Video Link:

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Here are My Pics from Last Nights Stadium Series Hockey Game at Dodger Stadium

I won't bother going into much detail about how poorly the Kings played.  Suffice to say, it was uninspired.  My only regret, is that we never really got to hear the hometown Kings crowd roar.  If they only scored once, I'd be a much happier camper.

Now, on to my photos from Dodger Stadium.  Click any pic to embiggen.

These next few photos are from the pregame festivities in the parking lot.

I saw this guy just hanging around.  Is this guy trying out to be the Kings mascot.  Thankfully, we already have one.

Some Kings Ice Girls.

This might have been the coolest thing at the pregame festival.  I saw it too late, and didn't want to wait in line for it since I was heading my way to my seat.

Just a beautiful sight.  Notice the construction.  They are far from finishing the upgrades.

I am now in my seat.  I'm up in the Top Deck, and the views are absolutely incredible.  I was worried I'd be too far away to see anything. 

Nope, far from it.

My view was just fine.  I kept telling my season ticket buddy that we aren't that far from where our  Kings seats are.  We even might be a little closer.  He told me I was crazy.

Here, the tykes are on the floor hockey field for warm-ups. 

Then, the big kids go out for their pregame warm-ups.

Soon afterwards, KISS comes out to both entertain and amuse the crowd.  So much smoke!

The USC Marching Band serenades the players as they walk to the ice.

The National Anthem.

Game on!

Here's a pic of the second period puck drop.

And, it's over. The Kings lose 3 to 0.  Strangely, I am both disappointed and pleasantly surprised.

What a great evening; as conflicting as it was.

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