Blog Kiosk: 5/17/2016 - Dodgers Links - Bolsinger, Seager and Trayce Thompson

Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson has been fantastic.  He's been so good, in fact, that many are beginning to demand that he start everyday.  Per Jack Baer and Alden Gonzalez at MLB.com:

"Trayce is doing a lot of good things," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He definitely deserves a little more playing time. I know what kind of player he is. He's got a bright future. This game is performance-based, so there's definitely more playing time for Trayce."

Last night Trayce hit two home runs to tie the team lead at six for the season with Corey Seager, and he drove in three of the Dodgers six runs in a losing effort against the Angels.  Over the past nine games he's played Thompson has hit five dingers, knocked in twelve runs, is batting .345 and has a OPS of 1.393.  No doubt he is starting to show that he belongs.

Photo at the top via SportsNet LA on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1947 Hank Greenberg asked Jackie Robinson if he was hurt in a collision with him at first base. Then, he remarked; "Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up."  Jackie would later say that Greenberg was his "Diamond Hero" due to his own battle with bigots when he entered the league.  In 1978 Dodger utility man and professional pinch hitter Lee Lacy becomes the first player in league history to hit three consecutive pinch hit home runs.

Texas Skirmish Overlooked by Topps Now - So, I Made My Own Fantasy Cards

Topps Now had gained a fair margin of success recently.  They sold a boatload of Bartolo Colon home run cards a couple of weeks back (8,826 to be exact), and you had to figure that yesterdays incident in Arlington would garner similar interest with fans.  After all, a set marketed as up-to-date with the previous days top events would have to make note of the brawl between Jose Bautista and Rougned Odor.  Right?

Wrong!  Instead, Topps wimped out.  And in doing so, are arguably missing out in the most "meta" event of the season.  Social media was awash in all kinds of memes yesterday, and a Topps Baseball card highlighting it would have been a huge publicity booster for them.

Instead, we get a trio of other cards, as you can see from the screen-grab above from their daily email.

I suppose we really shouldn't be surprised. I'm sure MLB wouldn't want something like this gaining any sort of steam, and a vendor like Topps is certainly fearful of an corporate backlash.

Fortunately, I'm too small a fish to be noticed, so I spent a little bit of time this afternoon making my own fantasy Baseball cards to memorialize the fight.  Check them out below, and if you're so daring you can print them out and trade them with your friends.

1960 Topps

Blog Kiosk: 5/16/2016 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

This guy showed up at Dodger Stadium on both Saturday and Sunday to the delight of players and fans alike.  We first noticed him when Ziggy Marley shared a pic of him signing this fans uniform (link here) on Saturday.  Then, he appeared again on Sunday (link here) with a whole new set of drawings on his face.

Photo at the top via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.  Go here to check out more pics by Jon from yesterdays game here.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: On this day in 1970 a fourteen year old fan named Alan Fish was struck by a Baseball at Dodger Stadium and die four days later.  This marked the first fatality of a fan from a batted ball in a Major League game, and it happened off the bat of Manny Mota.  Tom Hoffarth provides more detail about the incident here.  In 2000 was the infamous fight at Wrigley Field that started when Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter was hit in the back of the head and had his hat stolen by a unruly fan.  Several players and coached jumped into the stands during the melee.
• Happy Birthday, Rube Walker!

Angels Freeway Series Starts on Monday - Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts Monday evening against the Anaheim Angels.  Below are some odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

The Freeway Series Wrap will be available for this homestand only against the Angels at the Marketplace on the field level and Healthy Carts on the loge and reserve levels. The L.A. wrap features grilled chicken breast, sundried tomatoes, pickled red onion and fresh spinach in a whole wheat tortilla.

Fans can help save lives by signing up Monday and Tuesday 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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Monday, May 16th at 7:10 PM
RHP Matt Shoemaker vs. RHP Kenta Maeda
SNLA / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

Blog Kiosk: 5/14/2016 - Dodgers Links - Haren, Erskine and Baseball Voodoo Helps Puig

Ballplayers will go to just about any length to get their bats going right.

Case in point, check out the photo above tweeted by Yasiel Puig.  It features a reverent Kiké Hernández standing over his bats.  Puig wrote (likely Kiké wrote):

Electric stim machine for treatment on bats. Trying to extract hits. Puig's bat is next.

I say, do whatever works.  BTW, Kiké also Instagrammed the following:

Kids; make sure that if there's something wrong with your body, you let a trainer know. I learned the hard way, but now my bats are getting treatment and they should be better in the upcoming days! Thanks to everybody for the prayers and good wishes! Love y'all!

So, what happened?  Did the voodoo work?  Why yes, it did!  Yasiel broke out after just having three hits over the past 24 at-bats.  Last night he recorded three hits; including a run scoring single and a home run in the sixth inning.  No doubt, Kiké Hernández's magic worked out.  Via a follow up tweet by Puig after the game:

I think the electric stim machine gave result thanks @kikehndez for the idea

Go here to check out a bunch of pics from yesterdays game from Jon SooHoo.  Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1981 Fernando Valenzuela improved his season record to 8-0 with a complete game victory over the Expos at Dodger Stadium.  In 2011 the Dodgers, for the first time since 1914, were defeated after giving up only one hit.  Chad Billingsley gave up a double in the second inning to Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks; who eventually scored on a failed pick-off play at second.  Jamey Carroll had forgotten to cover the base, so the throw went into centerfield.

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.