Vintage Dodgers Memorabilia from Laker Dave

Aloha, everyone, 

Let's open a package full of Dodgers memorabilia sent to me from Laker Dave. 

Enjoy and aloha! 

Social Distancing With Baseball Cards - Vintage Dodgers Edition

Aloha, everyone, 

Thanks for returning to Social Distancing With Baseball Cards - Vintage Dodgers Edition. 

Inside: Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Johnny World Series Hero Podres (in an LA uni!) and much more. 

Enjoy and aloha! 

Social Distancing With Baseball Cards

Aloha, everybody, 

It's been a while since I've been down here, but the c-virus outbreak and the national "holding in place" strategy has offered opportunity for me to get back in the game. 

This is the first of a series where I dig out my baseball card binders of my favorite cards and share them with you. 

Hope you enjoy, and be safe out there...IN there? 

Aloha! 

Surprise 2020 Package From Too Many Verlanders

Aloha, everybody, 

Just before Christmas, I received a surprise package from Too Many Verlanders. Lemme tell u, my 2020 started off with a blast bc this was a windfall of Dodgers cardboard and relic awesomeness.

Aloha!

Blog Bat Around - All Autograph Team Part 2: Pitchers and Assorted Cogs

Aloha, everybody, 

Let's conclude the All Autograph Team (Starting Nine with DH are here) with the pitching staff and a couple of others tossed in for fun. 

Starting Left-Handed Pitcher:

I happened to show this beauty off on Twitter the other day; mentioned that my good luck brought this baby right out of a pack. 

Starting Right-Handed Pitcher: 

Bullpen: Kershaw and Podres

Oh yeh, the ATBATT all-auto team's got some pretty decent pitching. 

Pinch Hitter: Manny Mota

Bench: The Toy Cannon, LoDuca and The Butter and Eggs Man

Finally, what team is complete without a manager...and whom else would I choose?

Tommy Lasorda, autograph obtained walking around Dodger Stadium, back in the days Tommy was more mobile. 

There you have it folks. I'll stack my ATBATT All Autograph team against any other. We'll bet a bag of peanuts on it. 

Aloha! 

Blog Bat Around - All Autograph Team

Aloha, everybody, 

My buddy Zippy Zappy started a Blog Bat Around that consists of a team lineup that's made from autographs. It doesn't matter if the auto is on cardboard or any other memorabilia (like a signed Penguin lamp, for example), the only caveat is: the auto has to be in our possession. 

While it sounds like a fun idea, I thought for sure I didn't have enough autos to put together a nine-man lineup, including relief pitchers and PH/DHs. Once I got into my binders, I was surprised that I had just enough to field an auto-team alongside those you all are putting up. However, I did have to place one player out of position, and you'll see how that played out soon enough. 

Without further ado, I give you the ATBATT All-Auto All-Stars:

Batting leadoff, and playing second base: Maury Wills

Maury is third on this triple-autographed card I received through trade - the other two are Manny Mota and pitcher Claude Osteen. 

Batting second, and playing right field: Tony Gwynn. 

I got this Gwynn auto TTM. I originally had two, but traded one away. 

Batting third, and playing center field: The Duke of Flatbush

The Duke came to me through trade with mi hermano, JBF. 

Batting cleanup, the DH: Paul Molitor 

Molitor is a TTM auto. 

Batting fifth, in left field: The Straw (He's out of position, but I don't have any left fielder autos, and I figure Daryl can handle LF better than Gwynn) 

My only Strawberry auto came to me in trade. 

Batting sixth, and at third base: The Penguin

While I don't have an autographed lamp, this traded Cey will do. 

Batting seventh, the backstop: The Boomer

I got this Yeager auto (and another) in person at a local pizza place. The second auto I sent off to the guy with the Penguin lamp.

Batting eighth, and at shortstop: Alan Trammell

I got two Trammells TTM. One is traded away. 

Batting ninth, and at first base: Big Mo

Mo Vaughn is a TTM auto. Isn't this a great one? I dig the way Big Mo wrote his name on that monster arm. 

We'll close the starting nine with that awesome auto and save the pitching staff, PH, and also-rans for Part Two. Stay tuned. 

Aloha! 

You Can't Have Too Many Great Things to Read

Aloha, everybody, 

I have to start this post off with an apology to Dennis, from Too Many Verlanders. You see, Dennis sent a package to me long, long ago, and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. 

It wasn't because I didn't like what he sent - rather, I liked it so much, that I immediately stashed it in my library to be enjoyed in my leisure time, but I forgot it was there until now. 

When Dennis' package arrived, I was still reading "Electric October". So I put it aside to be perused when I finished the book. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it until a few days ago. All the while, the package sat there waiting, while I forgot to post about it. Ugh!!

OK, self-flagellation is over. I finished the book, and I'm currently enjoying this generous package of past collecting periodicals from Dennis. 

Most were old Beckett mags, and I love 'em. I read Beckett religiously back when I started collecting, and I saved a few from back in those days. These are great additions to my collection. 
There's so much goodness and collecting nostalgia in these mags, I'm going to spread them out over a few posts. 

Let's get started with Mike Piazza, the cover boy for July 1996. 

I love reading and reminiscing over what the card collecting world was like back then. For many of us, Beckett was the cardboard bible, and it set trends as much as it reported on them. 

Here's who collectors were chasing back in '96. Frank Thomas and Piazza were at the top of my wish list back then. 

The main attraction this mag has for me is a gallery of full-page photos that were meant for autographs. I wonder of anyone ever got every autograph needed to fill out the set. 

Autographed or not, these are great photos. I'll hold commentary and let the pics speak for themselves...

Good stuff, right? THANKS for these wonderful mags, Dennis. Sorry it took so long to post up. 

Next time, we'll get into the way-back machine and pull out a real vintage Beckett with plenty of fun reading inside. 

Aloha! 

World Series Dodgers Cardboard: Bums No More

Aloha, everybody, 

Here comes Part Two of the Dodgers on World Series cardboard. When we last saw our blue heroes, the hard luck Brooklyn team had earned the nickname of "Dem Bums" by breaking the hearts of their faithful time and again. They made it into plenty of  World Series, but just couldn't close the deal. 

That all changed in 1955. 

Once again, it was the damn Yankees vs the Dodgers. This time the boys from Brooklyn weren't bums, they were the Boys of Summer. 

 Lots of Dodgers fans will tell you that Sandy Koufax was the greatest Dodgers pitcher in the Fall Classic. Others will tell you it was Orel Bulldog Hershiser. 

My choice is the man who had to carry the weight of years of  Dodgers frustration to the mound. The hopes of everyone in the Brooklyn borough rode on his shoulders. Johnny Podres was the man who broke through the Yankees fortress and ended their postseason dominance over his team. It took all seven games to bring the first ever Worlds Championship to the Dodgers. 

Here's another card, same shot of the World Series hero...

One of the iconic images of that series, captured by Upper Deck Masterpieces...

1955 was the last WS played in Brooklyn. The team moved out to LA, and they won the pennant in 1959. It was LA's first Fall Classic, and the boys won it all in six games. 

 I'm chasing this subset. Still have a ways to go. 

The Dodgers' home field was the LA Coliseum. Game 5 drew 92,706, which still stands as the WS attendance record. It was also the first WS in which no pitcher for either side threw a complete game. 

The next crop of cards come from the 1963 series. It was the first time the Dodgers played the Yankees since 1955, and this time Sandy Koufax led the boys in blue to a four game sweep. 

The year is 1965, but the World Series hero is the same. Once again, Sandy Koufax led the team to the promised land. They beat the Minnesota Twins in seven games. 

Next time: Dodgers World Series that I remember! 

Aloha! 

You Can't Have Too Many Good Trades

Aloha, everybody, 

Dennis from Too Many Verlanders sent a fistful of cards to me a few weeks ago, and boy, it was a doozy. Let's not waste any time with blah-blahs and instead, get right down to checkin' out some righteous cardboard.

Leading off is my favorite Dodgers catcher...

Note Piazza wearing the Tim Crews death patch on his sleeve...

I tell ya, this package from Dennis was chock-a-block stuffed with shiny goodness from the heyday of shiny cards. Awesome.


Chan Ho Park. Upper Deck Black Diamond Numbered 1500

These cards are so shiny n' glossy that they register the opposite on my scanner. 

Here's an early Joc Pederson card notching him as a future member of the 500 HR Club. While I doubt that, Joc is definitely heating up right now, and I hope heading for a 20 HR season.

This guy is mashing pretty good right now also...

Here's one of my favorite home run hitters from the day...

I've got the swatch version of this moonshots card. Now they can sit side by side in the ol' binder. 

Dennis also included this beauty. A new relic card for my Green PC. This one is extra cool because it identifies the day he wore this jersey. It was Opening Day 2002 vs the Giants. This was back when I never missed Opening Day, so I was most likely at this game. 

A quick search tells me Green went 1 for 4 that day, with a single. Awesome card. 

How about some Opening Day pitchers? Starting with Kershaw....

This ones a little weird. Looks like Kersh was pulling noodles, but they snapped on him...

I'm becoming a big believer in Diamond Kings...

Before Kershaw ruled the mound at Chavez Ravine, there was Fernando...

Fernando Gypsy Queen mini, numbered to 199. Sweet! 

Before there was Fernando, Dodger Stadium's mound was graced by this man...

Here's the third baseman who got away...

Todd Hollandsworth was one of those ROYs who only lived up to his potential on cardboard. This card is a beautiful diamond finish in hand. 

Finally, a tribute card to a member of the legendary Infield that GCRL Jim named a blog after...

 Check out this card back. You just don't see that time with one team anymore...

Whew! That was a whole lotta cards. And there's a whole bunch more I didn't show. What a package. 

THANKS for the awesome cards, Dennis. These are gonna be fun to fit into the binders. 

Aloha!