Tuesday, July 30, 2013

"O" No, It's A Quickie With A Bird Blog!

Hey everybody,

Here's a quick and easy trade with Ryan, over at "O" No, It's Another Orioles Blog.  

Ryan's got a great list of cards over at his blog for trade. I highly recommend stopping by to see what catches your eye.  That's what I did, and I found a cool coupla cards to add to my collection. 

First up is a 2013 Bowman reprint of Hank Aaron's RC.  I saw a couple of folks comment at the "O" No blog that the blue borders are unattractive.  True, that blue border isn't really my cup of cardboard tea, but it's Hank Aaron's RC!  I know it's a reprint, but it's Hank Aaron's RC!  I hadda have it!



The other card I hadda have is this very cool "Dealing Aces" issue, featuring Mr. Kershaw...


I'd seen this Kershaw card floating around the blogs, and I was getting the feeling that I was the only Dodger blogger in town without this one.  Thanks to Ryan, that's no longer the case.


What good is a quickie without a little something to remember it by?   Ryan included this little gem...



Nice touch, buddy.  Thanks for the trade! 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

It's TIIIIIME For Vin Scully Bobblehead Trade Bait

Hey everybody,

As mentioned previously, I went out to the Dodger game on Thursday night and grabbed a couple of those sweet Vin Scully bobbleheads. 

I didn't get a lot of quality photos to build a post around, but I'll be at the game again on Sunday afternoon, so I'm hoping to get some great shots that day.  I did manage to snap off a few pics, so let's check those out before we get to the trade offer...

Entering the ballpark...


How about this gal that I spotted on the way in?  Rock that tatt, sister...


My seats were on the very last row, tip top, but there aint a bad seat in the house...


I've mentioned here before that I've told my family I want my ashes strewn over the Elysian Park hills so that every summer I can watch my Dodgers play.  Here are those beautiful hills...


Here's Puig getting a base hit...(the ball is just above the third base chalk line between Puig and the pitcher.)


Here's a tough guy who figured it would be a great idea to flaunt a frisco jersey at Dodger Stadium.  Nobody was surprised when cops and security had to be called about some disturbance in the bathroom.  This was the scene when they hauled everyone out...


We lost the game, but it was a great night out, and we got these cool Vin Scully bobbleheads...


Which leads me to my offer of a straight up, one for one trade.  I missed last year's Vinny bobblehead, the one where he's sitting at his desk, and I'm wondering if anybody out there has an extra one of those to trade for my extra one of these...


To quote Pink Floyd..."Is there anybody out there?"



Thursday, July 25, 2013

What Are You Doing Tonight?

Hey everybody,

The Boys are back in town... 

We rule in FIRST PLACE...

Greinks is on the mound....

it's FRICKEN' VIN SCULLY BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT...

it's a sellout...

a decent team is walking into Chavez Ravine tonight to challenge us...

and I've got a pair of these...



 Life is good, readers and trade partners.  Life is good, indeed. 




Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Trade Me (Almost Anything) - Toronto Blue Jays

Greetings readers and trade partners,

It's been a while since I ran one of these posts.  The FIRST PLACE DODGERS are now playing north of the border, so that's as good a time as any to resurrect this series.

Here come some Blue Jays, and let's get started with a Jay that made quite a big splash with the Dodgers...













 Now let's finish up with a Jay who is a baseball papa...


Monday, July 22, 2013

Former Red Cardboard Finds A Dodger Blue Home

Hey everybody,

It's been way too long since I've had a trade to post about (hint, hint, all y'all out there), but just this afternoon I got a PWE in the mail.

The second nice thing about today was, this trade was the FIRST between Matt from Red Cardboard, and me.  Cool, huh?

Of course, the name of Matt's blog is a dead giveaway to the team he collects.  It was either a tribute to the sheer massiveness of his collection of Reds, or a painful exposure of my lack of Reds trade bait to offer, but it took a while for me to dig up some Red cardboard he didn't already have.  I finally dug up some trade bait for him to bite on, and we settled on a deal.  I mean, it was a fantastic deal.

Let's begin with a cool RC of our cool Korean rookie pitcher.  Being a southpaw myself, I have an extra penchant toward collecting cards of  Dodger left-handers.


I dig the casualness of this photo.  Since it comes from 2013 Topps Archives,  I like the way it has that throwback feel to the old days when players had their photos taken at whatever high school baseball field they were holding practice at.  This card also looks tailor made to be autographed.


 Bison?  Slice him, dice him, and DL him - because there's a new gun in town.  And this guy's bat barrel is red hot.  I don't watch ESPN much, but I'm curious if that east coast biased network has even mentioned the way Hanley here has resurrected his career in a very serious way.

This card design is right on for the photo and the feeling of excitement that Ramirez is bringing to Dodger fans.


Speaking of my penchant for collecting Dodger southpaws...
The 'K' Kids.  'Nuff said.

Now you know a trade aint a trade without some vintage.  So Matt and I rolled it like that.  Check it out...


Al Downing surrounded by some pretty decent company.  Wanna know the answer to a trivia question - What pitcher gave up number 715 to Hammerin' Hank Aaron?  Look at the Dodger on the card.


Finally, a little beat up, a bit chewy, and still rockin...


Sal "The Barber" Maglie from 1957 Topps.   As Mick Jagger once said, "A little worse for wear and tear...", but definitely the ace of the trade for me.

Thanks, Matt, for a great trade.  Lookin' forward to the next one.  

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Question Answered - Loud And Clear !

Greetings readers and trade partners,

Away back on  June 22nd I wrote a post that essentially called out my team, and laid forth this 239 million dollar question...


At the time, my beloved Dodgers and the 2013 season were pretty much absolute failures.  The Boys had a record of 30-42, were sitting in last place, the homer announcers on the Dodger TV broadcast were all out of excuses and were finally calling it as they saw it ("Abysmal"),  and even die hard Dodger fans were admitting defeat.

I wrote that June post as a challenge...a call to arms if you will...a plea to my team to WAKE UP!  and get their collective shite together!  I'm very happy to report that I did my part to contribute to the success of the Dodger's 2013 campaign, and it seems my humble little post worked.

Since that writing the Dodgers have won 20 of their last 25, and are looking every bit like the bad-ass juggernaut that all those payroll millions were supposed to deliver.  Hallelujah, I say!

I'm not here to analyze what caused that turnaround.  The beat writers and stat bloggers can write all about that - and they have.  Let's simply take a look at who I called out as a bum in that past post and see what's happened since.

STILL A BUM
Brandon "I Only Pitch In Blow Outs Or If Absolutely, Positively Everyone Else has Already Pitched, And The Umps Won't Let Coach Rick Honnecut Pitch" League
 Mattingly finally had to admit this guy has as much business on a mound as Korean pop star Jessica Jung.  League's been relegated to the absolute back of the line for pitching eligibility.  In yesterday's extra-inning, nail biting, close game with the Nationals, Mattingly used every single bullpen pitcher available, except for League.  You could almost feel the ache in the Skip's stomach as he hoped closer Kenley Jansen would not lose the lead, forcing him to bring in this bum.

At least he wasn't traded away like this guy...

STILL A BUM

Matt Guerrier was traded away to the Cubs.  I heard Ned "Bum To Be Mentioned Later" Colletti quoted a scene from the classic film "On The Waterfront" when he sent Matt packing to the Windy City.  It comes near the end when the gangsters have left Marlon Brando beaten to a pulp behind their headquarters.  The mob boss spits out his words full of venom and spite - as Colletti probably did to the Cubs - "You wantum?  You can haveum!!"


SEEMINGLY SNAPPED OUT OF BUMDOM


With Man Monster Puig tearing up shite in RF, Ethier found himself patrolling Center.  He's got his mind right, has been playing well enough in the field, and has started hitting the ball again.  As an extra bonus, he's actually starting to get his power groove on as well.  In the Dodger's first game back after the All Star break, Ethier blasted a 9th inning HR to lead the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the Nats.


STILL A BUM 


Some of the writers have been fooled out there by the Dodger's big turnaround, and are actually saying things like Mattingly was making genius moves all along; it was simply the players that weren't executing.  Hogwash!

While it's true many of the players finally got healthy and began doing well, this guy is still making stupid field management decisions.

Case in point: Bison's first game back from the disabled list.  He was absolutely Thee Bison, going 3 for 4, with a homer and 3 RBIs.  It was the 9th inning, in a 9-3 blowout against the Nats. 

All Mattingly had to do was let us all bask in the glory of Kemp's awesome return, and pull him off the bases after his last at-bat in the 9th.  The INJURY PRONE Kemp, in his FIRST GAME OFF THE DL, could have come off the field a hero, to celebratory high fives from all in the dugout.

Nope, after Kemp's 9th inning walk, Damn Mattingly, "Super Genius", left him in to run the bases and stupidly twist his ankle at home plate.  Injured, yet again!  Pulling an injury-prone player, in the 9th, in a blowout, is what smart managers do.  Ya haven't fooled me, Skipper.


RECENT VICTORIES, STILL A BUM


Speaking of guys that have had their careers reignited by the vapors of the surging Dodgers, Slick Nick here dropped some of the dead wood that he previously signed, and did make a couple of decent pick ups (see Ricky Nolasco) to buy some time with the new Dodger ownership.

It's my prediction that at the end of the season, if push comes to shove, Ned will throw Damn Mattingly under the team bus, and roll on as our god-awful G.M.


STILL, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, HONORABLE MENTION BUM 


The less I'm reminded this guy is "leadership" on my team, the better.


On the surface, this may appear to be a negative vibe post, since so many of the bums I mentioned in the original post, still are.

However, on the EXTREMELY POSITIVE side, the 25-man roster, the guys between the chalk lines, my beloved Dodgers, have shaken off those days of bumtacity, and have become the team I don't want to miss a single inning of - nay - I don't want to miss a single pitch, because the Boys are back in town.




Thursday, July 18, 2013

Dodgers All Stars In Championship Years 1981 1988

Welcome, beloved readers and treasured trade partners, to the final installment covering the past Dodgers who participated in All Star games during their respective World Championship years.

The last time the Boys in Blue won the W.S. was back in the 80's.  We had bookend victories, at the start and end of the decade.  First up...


1981


 Gary Carter hit two HRs and he was MVP.   The '81 squad featured a whopping half-dozen Dodgers!  Bruce Bochy's head woulda exploded!  And I woulda loved it...

Garvey didn't start, but he had two ABs, and he hit a double.

Pay-Dro  Goo-Rare-Oh pinch hit and struck out.  No worries, as Pedro went on that season to become an MVP in the World Series. 

Happy Hooten pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning and struck out George Brett.   He got hammered in the sixth, giving up 3 small ball runs. 
Lopes started at 2B.  He came up once, and walked. No SB.


Fernando was the starting pitcher.  He gave up 2 hits, but no runs.



Dusty Baker entered the game in the 6th, and had two ABs, hitting one single.  At least he didn't jinx the National Leaguers, as they won 5-4.


1988
1988's contest was played in Oakland-Alameda Stadium.  The National Leaguers won 2-0.  The N.L. returned once again at the end of the '88 season in the form of the Dodgers...


Bulldog entered in the 5th inning.  He got Harold Reynolds, Kirby Puckett and Wade Boggs to ground out.  Now-Dodger Manager Damn Mattingly walked.

He went out and pitched the 6th as well, facing the minimum batters.  Tony Fernandez, George Bell and Dave Winfield went out 1-2-3 against the Bulldog.


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Dodgers All Stars In Championship Years 1963 & 1965

Hey Everybody,

Here's Part 3 of the compelling series featuring Dodgers who played in the All Star game during years the team won the World Series.  This time it's...

1963 

If you checked out Part 2 of the series, you'll remember they played double header A.S. games from 1959-62.  1963 returned us all to the single game format.  The game was played in Cleveland Stadium, and it was the final of Stan Musial's 24 - I said 24! - A.S. games!   The N.L. won 5-3.


 Tommy Davis started in LF and batted lead off.  He singled, walked, and scored a run.  Defensively, he threw out Nellie Fox at 3rd base. 



Wills may have been elected to the '63 squad based on his 1962 season accomplishment detailed in the card above, but unfortunately, he rode the pine during this year's A.S. game.


Speaking of Dodgers who were on the A.S. team but didn't play, Sandy Koufax sat on the bench next to Wills and didn't get a chance to play either.  You would think it was Bruce "I don't play Dodgers" Boche managing, rather than Alvin Dark.

Drysdale pitched the bottom of the 8th.  He struck out Elston Howard and Carl Yaztremski, then got Joe Pepitone to fly out.

In the 9th, he got the first batter, Luis Aparicio to fly out.  Brooks Robinson singled, and Drysdale closed out the game by getting Bobby Richardson to hit into a double play.



1965




 1965 brought us Koufax and Drysdale once again. They tag-teamed with Drysdale pitching in the 5th and Koufax the 6th.

Drysdale only saw one batter, getting Rocky Colavito to ground out.

Koufax saw 5 batters in the 6th, struck out one, and got the win.


Wills was the starting shortstop and picked up one base hit.  The N.L. won 6-5.

Next Post:  The Dodgers reappear in the '80s.


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Dodgers All-Stars in World Championship Years Part 2 1959

Welcome Readers and Trade Partners,

Here's the Dodgers that were selected to the two - yes, TWO - All Star games that were played in 1959.

They actually played two A.S. games during the years 1959 to 1962.  Why two?  The long story can be found in an article here.  The short answer is, they did it for money.

It seems the players felt they weren't being paid enough to play in an exhibition game, so in order to increase revenues, MLB established a second game, with part of the proceeds going toward the player's pension fund.  After a few years of that experiment, they decided to return to just playing one game and simply paying the players more in the first place. 

In the first year of double dipper All-Stars, Game 2 was played at the L.A. Coliseum. Here are the Dodgers who made the grade...

1959 


GAME 1 -  In the first of 8 trips to the All Star game, "Knock 'Em Down" Drysdale dominated.  He was the starting pitcher, throwing three no-hit innings, while striking out four.  He struck out Nellie Fox, Al Kaline, Rocky Calavito and Early Wynn.  He was the winning pitcher.

GAME 2 - Drysdale had mixed results in the second game.  He pitched 3 innings, striking out 5.  However, he was also lit up for 2 home runs (Frank Malzone and Yogi Berra) and gave up 3 earned runs.  This time he was tagged with the loss.

For an added bonus, our Wally Moon card is brought to us courtesy of my latest trade with today's birthday boy, Mr. Night Owl.

GAME 1 - Wally Moon started in LF.  He had a walk and struck out twice, once looking. 

GAME 2- Moon again started in LF.  He walked twice, flied out and hit into a double play.


GAME 2 - Charlie Neal had one AB and he grounded out.  But as you can see in the card above, Neal followed through on that '59 season to become a World Series hero for the Blue.



GAME 2 - Gilliam had a good game considering he didn't even start.  He had 2 ABs with one solo home run and one walk. 


Next Post: 1963. Welcome to the All Stars, Mr. Koufax.