Topps First Pitch Cards of Jessica Alba and Elle Fanning

One of my favorite inserts from this season is Topps "First Pitch" set, so imagine my delight when some new cards came to light.  Check out the Jessica Alba and Elle Fanning cards below.

I ran into these cards while perusing eBay and I'm now scratching my head wondering where the heck they came from.  I now for a fact they have yet to be included into Topps flagship sets, but based on their existence it seems likely they'll be in the upcoming "Update" set coming out next month.

For the moment, the Alba and Fanning cards are available only as 5"x7" jumbo cards and are limited in number, so they must have come directly from Topps online.  Over the past year Topps has been selling limited edition 5x7 cards to collectors.  Oftentimes, they are larger size versions of cards already found in packs, but sometimes they offer entirely new and unique sets.

With regards to the "First Pitch" set they recreated the 25 card set found in Topps Series 1 & 2 in 5x7 form, and have them for sale right now (check them out here).  As you know, first pitches featured at Dodger Stadium in Series 1 & 2 include Jeff Bridges, Jermaine Jones, Suzy, Kelsey Grammer and Melissa McCarthy, but no Alba or Fanning.  So, what gives?

Are these cards a part of that set Topps is currently selling, or was there a second set of cards Topps created that is no longer listed on their website?  Since the checklist provided at Topps doesn't include either of these actors I hesitate to assume they are a part of that set.  If you happen to know where these come from please let me know.

In the meantime, take a gander at these ladies throwing the ball.

2015 Topps Heritage Minor League - All the Dodgers Cards

Here is another new Baseball card set from Topps.  It is a part of their Heritage brand and focuses on minor league prospects.  Go here for a complete checklist.

Called Topps Heritage Minor League it features the best and brightest young stars in the game.  Both Julio Urias and Corey Seager are included.  Unfortunately, autographed cards of either of them are not available.  As you can see, its design is based on the vintage 1966 Topps Baseball set.  Check out all of the Dodger cards available in packs below.

Of note is the Corey Seager Base Short Print card.  That Oklahoma City Dodgers uniform he's wearing is sharp looking.

Base Set

#1 Julio Urias                                       #9 Jose De Leon

Blog Kiosk: 9/22/2015 - Dodger Links - Anderson, Jansen and Jaime Jarrin

Brett Anderson got knocked around pretty good last night.  He went 4.2 innings, giving up ten hits, five runs and two round-trippers.  Anderson struck out only one batter.  It was not his best game and an worrisome loss as we head towards the end of the season.  Hopefully, this is just a minor speed bump.  Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"My stuff was fine," he said, rejecting a suggestion that he is fatiguing. "They were swinging early in the count and just hit me. Only a handful of times I feel I just got beat and today was one of those times. They had a good game plan, like they were angry at the baseball or something, hitting rockets. It was just a bad outing. I only have a couple more and I expect to pitch better."

He also wants to pitch regularly. While management has been trying to give him extra days of rest, especially after he suffered a calf cramp three starts ago, Anderson feels whatever benefit is negated by messing with routine.

"I would like to be on normal rest to get back in the rhythm," Anderson said. "It's tough, trying to get me extra rest. I'm in uncharted territory with starts and stuff; still, I'd like to get in a normal routine. That's when I was pitching the best, every four or five days and knowing what I'm doing day in and day out."

Photo of Anderson above via @SportsNet LA on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:

• Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest shares his "2015 Dodgers All-Prospect Team."
• ICYMI: Jaime Jarrin has signed a three-year deal to remain the voice of the Dodgers in Spanish.  He is currently 79-years old and in his 57th year with the franchise.  Per a Dodger press release:
  

  “I’ve been so blessed,” said Jarrín of his tenure with the Dodgers and his broadcasting career.  “It has been such a special time sharing the broadcasts with our fans and having my son, Jorge, join me in the booth.  I started thinking about the number 60 in my mind this season.  I sat down with the Dodgers and agreed on three more years to get to my 60th year and then we’ll see about the future at that time.  I’m still having a great time and I love what I am doing.  And the Dodgers and our fans have been very supportive.”

• Kenley Jansen has been fantastic.  Via Owen Watson at Just a Bit Outside, "When one pitch is all you need."

And so we have Jansen. We know he’s great. He’s been great for a few years now; with his almost sole use of a hard cutter, it’s easy and fun to compare him to a version of Mariano Rivera. With that lofty comparison made, it might not be surprising that he’s putting together a very unique, special season.

Consider this fact: Jansen went the first month and a half of his season without walking a batter. He was injured for April, but after he debuted in mid-May, he didn’t issue a walk until June 28th. During that time, he struck out 26 batters in 15.2 innings. That’s a mind-boggling mix of dominance and control, and it’s formed the basis of what Jansen has become in 2015.

• I totally missed this.  Via Jason Foster at the Sporting News, "Dodgers owner Magic Johnson doesn't know what time his team plays."
• Even though this is the Pittsburgh Pirates enjoying themselves at Dodger Stadium I though I should pass it along.  Via Extra Mustard on Sports Illustrated, "Pirates dressed up like superheroes after beating Dodgers."  There are some fun pictures to enjoy.

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Look at the Earliest Clayton Kershaw Cards - A Rookie Card Checklist

I had so much fun putting together a listing of all the rookie Corey Seager cards earlier this month, I decided I should do the same for our homegrown staff ace Clayton Kershaw.  I've focused on cardboard from the years 2005 to 2006 - his primary rookie collecting years. 

Like Seager, Kershaw has an officially licensed Baseball card while he was still in high school.  He was a member of the Team USA Junior National team, so Upper Deck included him in a box set they release in 2005.  They were initially sold as a complete 25-card set and included a random autograph card, a game-used autograph jersey relic card, a dual signed autograph card and an insert card (a "Vision of the Future" acetate card).

Check out all of the available Kershaw cards in this set below.  BTW, there are several different variations available for each of the autographed cards based on the color of the ink he used to sign them.  They come in black, blue and red.  Also, I seem to remember there being green ink cards, but I have yet to find a good checklist indicating that.

UPDATE:  I thought I would add that his teammates on this team who also made it to the Majors include Brett Anderson, Greg Peavey, Shawn Tolleson and Bellin Betances.

2005 Upper Deck USA Junior National Team Box Set

Base Card #86 Clayton Kershaw

2015 Topps Triple Threads - The Dodgers' Triple Relic Cards

These are the cards within the Triple Threads set that causes so much yapping.  As you can see, Topps does its best to be as creative as possible when choosing phrases to use for their relic cutouts.  Sometimes they are boring, like the "A Gon 23" card seen below.  Other times they are simple and descriptive, like the "First Sackers" card (also below).  What really gets folks talking, though, are the phrases that make you laugh or scratch your head in wonder.

Last week I pointed out two of these cards in a post.  Check that out here.  I shared some background of the Ryu "Smile Again" card and the Puig "Puig Destroyer" card.  Today, I wanted to focus on another Ryu card that I found totally foreign.  It has the phrase "Zero Sum."  What the heck is that suppose to mean?  I get what "Zero Sum" means on its own, but what does that have to do with Ryu?  If you have any insight please let me know.

BTW, Gellman at Sportscard Uncensored wrote a post recently pointing to other Triple Thread cards worth checking out.  Check it out here: "2015 Triple Threads Relic Die Cuts – Best of the Worst." 

Go here to check out all of my previous post on this set.

Relics Set

#TTR-AGZ1 Adrian Gonzalez            #TTR-AGZ2 Adrian Gonzalez

Blog Kiosk: 9/21/2015 - Dodger Links - Koufax, Turner and Kiké Hernandez

Check out this fantastic photo of just a small part of the Mitch Poole bobblehead collection found in the Dodger clubhouse, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015. 

Below are more links to check out:

• Via Hillel Kuttler at Haaretz, "Why Sandy Koufax's Refusal to Pitch on Yom Kippur Still Matters."

“The reason the Sandy Koufax example works so well is that baseball is very much a part of American culture and he is Jewish,” Benjamin said. “At some point he had to make a choice.

“So some guy stayed home from work and it was Yom Kippur – he’s not the only one, but he’s a public figure,” she added. “Still today, that example is relevant, it works and it has impact.”  

• Via Anthony Witrado at ESPN, "Justin Turner's status unknown due to sore left knee."

"We'll watch [Turner] over the next few days to see how he does," said Mattingly, who said on Saturday that Turner has been dealing with knee issues for a couple of years. "I don't think it's anything totally new. It just flared up. We'll be cautious with him."

(Buehler w/ Hershiser, via @Dodgers)

• Via Robert Morales at Inside the Dodgers, "No. 1 draft choice Walker Buehler talks Tommy John surgery."

“I’m a little bit more than six weeks out from surgery, so I’ve been in Arizona five of those six weeks,” said Buehler, a right-hander who played his college ball at Vanderbilt. “Things went well, according to plan. Feel good.”

• Via Dodgers Nation, "Don Mattingly Says Chris Hatcher Has Earned 8th Inning Role."

“He seems really confident and he’s having success,” said Mattingly. “I think his confidence is growing. One thing we have seen since he’s been back from the injury is he’s piecing his pitches together differently. His mix is different, he’s learned a little bit about using his pitches.” 

• Via Steve Bourbon at MLB.com, "Hernandez making strides in hamstring rehab."

"Kiké is doing better than anybody on that trail," Mattingly said. "He's been running at almost 100 percent, not feeling anything. He's been doing really well."

Mattingly also added an update on Yasiel Puig:

"Yasiel is like 65 percent, so it's a little bit of a different story," Mattingly said. "His right hamstring is good, the left hamstring is tight."

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