Inept is what Billy Martin Called the Dodgers

These were fighting words.  No doubt! 

Featured above is an October 27, 1953 letter written by Dodgers President Walter O'Malley to Collinsville Herald columnist Elmer Hazzard that is currently available at Hunt Auctions (auction link here).  The Illinois reporter had sent along a story he had written focusing on Yankees infielder Billy Martin.  Below is what O'Malley wrote:

Thank you for sending along a copy of your column on Billy Martin.  We here in Brooklyn do not think that the Dodgers are as inept as Martin claims.

Ouch!  Billy was slinging some mud.

Kershaw Receives his Second 2016 Topps Now Card - #71

You just knew this was going to happen.

Clayton Kershaw was otherworldly last night.  He yielded three hits, struck out thirteen batters and walked just one in a complete game shutout against the Mets, and in the process set a MLB record that hadn't been accomplished since at least 1913.  As the newest Kershaw 2016 Topps Now card says on its reverse, he is "the first pitcher to ever record double-digit strikeouts with one walk or less over five consecutive starts."

Wow!

And there are folks out there who actually claim that Jake Arrieta is better right now... Really?

Featured here is the second Clayton Kershaw 2016 Topps Now card of the season, and it is currently available for order.  Go here to check that out.  His first card, issued less than two weeks ago (link here), sold only 453 copies.  I wonder if this card will outdo that one, 'cause he certainly outdid himself last night.

UPDATE:  This issue consist of a print run of 694 copies.

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Blog Kiosk: 5/13/2016 - Dodgers Links - All About Clayton Kershaw

Preparation.

Clayton Kershaw not only warms up then studies the lineup for an upcoming game, but he also takes a moment to sit in the dugout, look out onto the field and mentally prepare for the job to come.  In the photo above, via a tweet by the @Dodgers, he is shown taking some time before the game to get his mind in the right place.  He's the best there is, and his physical and mental routine are the foundation for his excellence. 

Last nights performance is an example of the outcome we've come to expect from Kershaw.  Per Doug Padilla at ESPN:

“I don’t know how to explain it other than walking guys is how you get in trouble. For me, I’d rather have them string hits together and make them swing the bats to beat me. That’s just always my mentality.

So how good has he been?  According to MLB on twitter, Clayton is the first pitcher since 1913 to record five straight starts with ten or more strike outs and one or fewer walks.  In fact, in eight starts and 62 innings pitched he has walked only four batters.  FOUR!  It's a feat so remarkable that August Fagerstrom at FanGraphs took some time to write about each of those walks here.

Clayton Kershaw’s been nearly perfect this year. The pitcher who was already thought to be just about perfect before any of this is running a career-best ERA, a career-best FIP, and a career-best xFIP through eight starts, and he’s shaved his already-elite walk rate more than every pitcher in baseball except for one. He’s unthinkably walked just four batters out of 225, and a closer look into those walks reveals one walk that featured two borderline strikes and a check swing, another with the season’s worst-called ball plus another missed call, another with a borderline 0-1 call that could’ve swung the count, and a really good at-bat by David Wright with a couple bad misses by Kershaw.

BTW, you can go here to check out more pics from yesterdays game from Jon SooHoo here, and listen to him talk about his performance with Alanna Rizzo here.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: Today was supposedly the day in 1947 when Pee Wee Reese put his arm around Jackie Robinson as a sign of solidarity at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.  Of course, we now know this incident never happened.
• Happy Birthday, Johnny Roseboro and John Ely!

Cardinals Series Starts on Friday - Scheduled Autograph Sessions, Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, and several former Dodgers are scheduled for an autograph session with fans as a part of Viva Los Dodgers.  Below are the scheduled autograph opportunities and other odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

(pic via @2EP0L on twitter)

The St. Louis Dog will be available for this homestand only against the Cardinals at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. It features a quarter-pound, all-beef hot dog topped with smoked beef brisket, tangy BBQ sauce and crispy onions.

A BBQ cheeseburger will also be available Friday and Saturday. The Angus beef BBQ cheeseburger will be offered at the Bud and Burgers food truck in the left-field pavilion. Sunday, the food truck will be located at Viva Los Dodgers at the 76 station.

Fans can help save lives by signing up May 14-17 to donate blood during the American Red Cross’s 18th Annual Angels/Dodgers Blood Drive on June 11. From the start of the game through the sixth inning, fans can sign up on the top deck, reserve and loge sections. To schedule an appointment, donors can go to www.redcrossblood.org and enter Sponsor Code:  HOMERUN or call 1-800-GIVE LIFE (800-733-2767). All presenting donors will receive a voucher, good for two tickets to a designated Dodger or Angel home game.

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Friday, May 13 at 7:10 PM
RHP Michael Wacha vs. RHP Ross Stripling
SNLA / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

The Anniversary of when Steve Garvey Ended the Baseball Career of Chico Escuela

Some anniversaries are heartfelt.  Others denote an important benchmark.  This anniversary is neither of those things.  Instead, the anniversary I speak of today should hopefully tug at your funny bone.

On this date 37 years ago, Bill Murray, then an newscaster on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update", revealed to the world that lovable and English-deficient All-Star second baseman Chico Escuela, played by Garrett Morris, would hang-them-up and end his quixotic comeback to the Major Leagues.  As we came to understand, a screamer off the bat of Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey struck Escuela below the belt.  That batted ball had rendered him irreversibly infertile.

On that day, Baseball was not very (berry, berry) good to Chico.

Blog Kiosk: 5/12/2016 - Dodgers Links - Magic, Ryu and Kenta Maeda

It was a hard luck night for Kenta Maeda.  He pitched well, and if not for the extraordinary exploits of the Noah Syndergaard at the plate Maeda and the Dodgers would likely have walked away with a win.  Via Anthony DiComo and Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"The nine-hitter hit two home runs and drove in four runs. You don't see that every day," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

No kidding.  The pitcher, who had hit a home run last season, recorded his first two hits of the season, and they both left the yard against the Dodgers.  Go figure!

Kenta had this to say:

"They were definitely not good pitches, the ones that he hit for home runs," said Maeda. "It ended up being a regrettable result contributing to a total of four runs."

Dave Roberts added, via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

“He was using his breaking ball a lot tonight and just didn’t have that sharpness to it, working behind hitters,” Dave Roberts said. “Didn’t have the fastball command. The homer to Syndergaard, the first one, was a misfire, and the other one was a backdoor breaking ball located down and away, and he’s a strong kid.

As has been said many times, this is the kind of game you just have to move on from.  They beat us fair and square, and all you can do is tip your hat.  Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter.  Go here to check out a bunch of pics from the game by Jon SooHoo.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1956 Carl Erskine threw his second career no-hitter against the Giants at Ebbets Field.  In 2004 Alex Cora had his famous 18 pitch at-bat (including 14 consecutive fouls balls) at Dodger Stadium against Matt Clement of the Cubs that culminated in an unbelievable two-run home run.  You can watch this at-bat here.
• Happy Birthday, Adam Liberatore!