Breaking Down Cards With a Whole Lotta Words

Aloha, everybody, 

My humble little collection has been blessed these days by the arrivals of PWE's and packages full of cardboard goodness. This of course means my humble little blog is blessed with plenty for me to show off and write about. 

Gavin, the custom card artist and master blogger behind Baseball Card Breakdown, recently sent over a surprise PWE, and he asked if I could follow up my 100 words post with 75 words about the cards he sent me. 

I'm sorry, Gavin, my good friend, but squeezing my usual long-winded-posts into just 100 words was pretty difficult for me. Cutting an additional 25 words off and giving justice to what you sent to me just isn't in the cards (as we say). 

Heck, I've probably already written close to 100 words and I haven't even shown a single card yet. So let's fix that right quick...

Bam! Leading off is a beautiful Topps Chrome third-year card of the longest tenured Dodger, Captain Clutch. 

I have high hopes for Ethier this year. It may be Andre's last year in Dodger blue, but he's currently sidelined with a sore back, so we'll see how that goes. 

Moving from the oldest Dodger to the newest one, it's a couple of cards of Logan Forsythe as a Padre...

That's a great double play of Forsythe RCs in base and cognac diamond versions. (I wonder if I sent any of these over to Gavin before, and they've now come full circle back to me.) 

It's been a while since I received any diamond parralels. I'd forgotten just how cool they look in hand. 

Here's another shot of cognac. 

Javy was a favorite of mine, but the Dodgers DFA'd him. After bouncing around a couple of clubs, he recently signed with his former manager, Damn Mattingly over in Miami. Good luck, Javy!

Gav wasn't finished with the diamonds. Here's a sweet Ethier...

Man, these cards are beauts! I sent a bunch of these diamonds away some time ago to someone who was collecting these parallels. Seeing them again, I'm gaining a new appreciation for them. 

Finally, not cardboard diamond, but a player who was a diamond when he was with the Dodgers. 

Like a diamond, he took time to change from a lump of coal to something appreciated and coveted. 

You see, Juan Uribe came over to the Dodgers from the Giants. Lots of us hated to see a former Giant join our favorite team, and to top things off, he kinda sucked at first. 

Eventually Uribe found his stroke and filled out the Dodger home whites quite well. I loved to see his great friendship with Hyun-Jin Ryu. 

One of his biggest games was when he shrugged off Damn Mattingly's galactically STUPID call for a bunt and blasted a two-run home run to kill the Braves and send the Dodgers to the NLCS. 

This Uribe card is my favorite of the bunch. He went from a hated Giant to a beloved Dodger, and I just don't have enough Uribe Dodger cards. 

It's such a cool card, let's see it again. Check out that cool powder blue Brooklyn throwback uni, and spot-on swing. 

Beautiful and awesome, just like the PWE. THANKS, Gav. 

Ummm...how many words was that? 

Aloha! 

Sending Cardboard Love for Hyun-Jin Ryu's Return to the Mound

Aloha, everybody, 

2014 NLDS, Dodgers vs Cardinals. This man was on the bump for the boys in blue...

  
Ryu went six innings, only giving up one run on five hits. He struck out four. 

That was the last time Ryu pitched for the Dodgers. The Korean southpaw has been on the long-term DL ever since.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is one of my favorite pitchers when he's active in the rotation. I tend to favor southpaws, and I like the big man's fun personality. Did you know Juan Uribe was one of his closest friends back when he was with the team? 

 Perhaps Uribe had to go because the Dodgers couldn't afford to feed both of those guys on a daily basis. 

 Here's some sparkly red...(magenta?)

Ryu faces the Padres tonight; a team that he pitches well against. Also in his favor, is getting his first start at friendly Chavez Ravine, wearing the home whites. 

And the blue parallel...
 

A Bowman Chrome beauty...

Finally, another recycled photo on the regular issue Bowman...

 

Good luck to the lefty tonight! 

Aloha!

The Maligned Dodgers Win The Game!

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press / April 21, 2014)

A month into the season and 70% of the L.A. market still can't catch a game on TV.  Even Vin Scully can't watch the boys while sitting in his living room.  For those of you who didn't see it, ATBATT will fulfill it's public duty and fill you in on what took place in tonight's battle against the Marlins - because you need to know! 

Let's begin by saying the Dodgers have not been living up to the 2014 hype yet, to say the least.  Every game these days seems to be a grinder.  If we fans feel like we've been through a shredder after the game, I'm sure the players themselves feel like they were in a machete fight.  

Tonight was more of the same.  We were easily winning 7-3 and feeling fully pumped up after a MASSIVE 3-run bomb off the bat of Puig.  It was the kind of shots they hit for show at the All-Star Home Run Derby.  Happy head slaps and puffy chests were seen up and down the dugout.

Then Brian Wilson (about to become a new member of The Maligned), immediately coughed up the lead and had to be pulled off the mound by Mattingly before our 7-6 lead became a 22-7 hole.  The rest of the bullpen couldn't hold them back and the Marlins forced the game into a tie and extra innings.  

The last thing the Dodgers needed was yet ANOTHER extra inning marathon, but it looked and felt like we were about to thrash around for 16 innings and then lose in heartbreaking fashion.  A lesser team would have wilted into that role and acquiesced.  They had just slept-walked through an uninspired loss yesterday - would they mentally switch it off again?

But that wasn't happening tonight.  Even Mattingly (much maligned by little ol' me) fired up his team in the top of the 10th with a legitimate and loudly-barked argument with the plate umpire.  

The umpiring crew must have been sensitive over losing so many instant replay challenges that they wouldn't even check a pitched ball for a dirt scuff.  Mattingly was right about dirt being on the ball - and the umps probably knew they would lose face again - so out of pettiness they wouldn't give the Dodgers the satisfaction of an on-field inspection of a ball in play, like they're paid to do.

Mattingly lost the battle, but in the end, it was a great managerial play because he showed his team he was ready to fight and scratch for every pitch.  His play set the stage for the win.  

Juan Uribe (ex-Maligned) opened the top of the 11th with a walk, and up stepped Carl Crawford (Maligned).  Crawford manned up and crushed a huuuuuge 2-run blast, the ball bouncing forcefully off of the concrete separating the upper and lower levels. The Dodgers went back ahead 9-7.

Then Flash Gorden Jr. (ex-Maligned) came up. BASE HIT!  Tonight was the first ever five-hit game in his career.  He also stole three bases.  He's the first Dodger to do that since 1914.  
Do you know who's leading the leagues in stolen bases?  I'll save you the trouble of looking it up. It's Dee Fricken' Gordon.

Could another member of The Maligned on the squad step up and cement the win?  While our big 8th and 9th inning guys have been a real cardiac squad lately, Brandon League has been quietly settling into a good pitching groove.  League pitched a quick and easy three up, three down, bottom of the 11th and sent the Fish back into the sea.  

Tonight showed the team it's not just El Jaguar and Puig, Grienke and Ryu.  Tonight's win, our not-able-to-watch-on-TV-audience -  was brought to you by The Maligned.

Hyun-Jin Ryu Can Hit Home Runs Also

Hey everybody,

Happy Easter out there.  Today is a day for BBQ, chocolate Easter eggs and church services for many of us.  It's also a day to hug your children extra tight.  If you don't have any children yet, hug your mom - because we sometimes forget just how fragile life is on this big, Dodger Blue marble of ours.

I'm sure you all heard by now about the SEWOL ferry that was full of high schoolers and capsized in South Korea last week.

One of my favorite Dodgers, Hyun-Jin Ryu, has been active with efforts to support those affected by this tragedy.  The fact that English is not his first language is irrelevant as his actions have been speaking louder and clearer than any speech ever could.

Before today's game Ryu went out and signed autographs for anyone donating to assist the relief and rescue efforts over in Korea.

Earlier in the week he pledged $100,000 of his own money to help.

Ryu reminds us just how closely we are all connected, regardless of the flag we were born under.
Go ahead - Hug somebody you love today.

Dodgers Bullpen Flawed? Try Looking Inside The Dugout

 I've said it before and I'm gonna say it again, a smart manager will win 5 to 10 games for a team every season, while a bonehead manager will lose 5 to 10 games.  Last night the Dodgers lost to the Diamondbacks precisely because of Damn Mattingly's dopey handling of the Dodgers in the final innings of a tough, tied game.

Granted, the Dodgers had no business being in that situation in the first place, as their batting lineup looks like gangbusters on paper.  However, they just can't seem to hit their way out of a wet paper bag these days.

I keep reading bloggers and the L.A. Times sportswriters running headlines that declare "Dodgers Bullpen Fails Again".  Is every night supposed to be a shutout?  The bullpen is being blamed when we lose 2-1 and 3-2?  Really?

I've said this one before too - if a team scores three runs per game, they are going to win far more games than they'll lose.  Particularly if that team has a pitching staff as good as the Dodgers. If those anemic Dodger bats had scored three, we never would have been in a position of having to rely on Mattingly's "strategy".  But this game did come down to how Mattingly (mis)handles a batting order.

Cue the bottom of the eighth, and we're tied 1-1 with the Snakes. Yasiel Puig started off the inning with a walk. Everything looked good. With Puig at first, the Dodgers could have went with a sac bunt or play for a base hit because Puig's got the wheels to go to third on a single or steal at any time during the at bat.  That probably was a good time for a smart manager to make a smart move. But our manager is Damn Mattingly.

Justin Turner (BA .185) was due up.  Turner had started in place of Dee Gordon and had already struck out twice.  Gordon waited on the bench.  The same Dee Gordon of the .365 batting average, who can bunt and has the speed to possibly be safe giving us two rabbits on base, who has shown he can hit legitimate singles, has shown surprising power, AND can remain in the game at second base when he pinch hits for Justin Turner.  But Flash Gordon Jr. remained on the bench.  Result: Turner struck out for the third time.

Hanley advanced Puig to second, but was the second out on a close play. We needed an RBI and now had one sitting on second base, waiting to be driven home.  Next up was Matt Kemp.  I know most Dodger fans love Kemp unconditionally, and I'm not anti-Kemp by any means, but the Snake's pitcher at the time, Brad Zeigler, absolutely owns Kemp. 

We also had the guy who has the second most RBI's on the team, one of the Dodger's best situational hitters this season, and can replace Kemp in CF, sitting on the bench.  It would have set up a lefty hitter against a RH pitcher.  Andre Ethier sat, Kemp stayed in.  Result: Kemp hits into a puny force out.  Momentum gone, ownage continued.

Sure, Mattingly would have been crucified if he PH Ethier for Kemp and Ethier didn't succeed, but it was the kind of gutsy (and percentage) move that I believe the situation called for.

The Dodgers gifted a run to the Snakes in the top of the ninth, so they went ahead 2-1. 

Bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers needed a run just to tie and stay alive.  Scott Van Slyke had already smashed one home run in the game and maybe can catch lightning in the bottle again.....but wait....Mattingly Von Stengel decided to make a move.  A bonehead move. 

Van Slyke, the guy who just gets better with more at bats, the guy with the awesome momentum-producing Led Zeppelin walk up music, the guy who's bat still smells like the burnt wood of an earlier home run, is benched.  Mattingly replaces him with Carl "I forgot how to hit" Crawford.  *sigh*   Result: Lazy fly out.

Juan Uribe followed Crawford with a heroic home run blast to tie the game.  Who knows what the significance of Uribe's homer would have been if hot hitter Van Slyke had been allowed to bat?

Instead the game was only tied, we eventually lost in 12, and everyone wants to blame the bullpen.

NEVER, EVER Ask The Mighty Casey To Bunt!

Once again the Dodgers win in spite of Damn Mattingly's complete misunderstanding of when and how to use bunts.

In the 8th inning tonight, down 2-1, rookie sensation Yasiel Puig bashed a lead off double and stood triumphant on second base with both arms raised high, energizing his teammates in the Dodgers dugout and the entire Dodger Nation.

Mattingly tried to take all of the air out of the Dodgers rally by asking one of the Dodgers' hungriest and clutch home run batters to....bunt.

Juan Uribe is not a bunter, and he never will be.  He fouled off his first two bunt attempts and quickly found himself in an 0 and 2 count.  Third base coach Tim Wallach called Uribe over and whispered something in his ear.  I like to think Wallach said, "Later for that bunt crap.  Slam the shite out of it."

And that's exactly what Uribe did!  BLAMMO!!!!    A massive shot into the Dodgers bullpen and the Boys went up 4-2.  Dodger Stadium (and my living room) went absolutely bonkers!!!!

Kenley Jasnsen came in to strike out the side in the 9th, and the Dodgers will now move on to the next round of the playoffs.

What a game, what a series, WHAT A TEAM!!!!

See you all in the next round! 

My Top Ten Predictions For the Dodgers In The NLDS

 Happy days are here again as my favorite team is about to face off against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, which begins on Thursday.  We haven't faced each other in the postseason for 16 years, so this should be a good one.

Here come my predictions of what to look forward to and what to watch out for:

Bleachersports.com

 10. Andre Ethier will make the playoff roster and will start Game 1 in center field. His sore ankle won't be much of a factor in the field because his ability to get good jumps off of batted balls will allow him to run straight lines at fly balls. He'll go on to bat over .300 with three home runs in the series.

Can anyone here manage this game?                   en.wikipedia.org

9. Don Mattingly will continue to fumble the batting order and use the wrong pinch hitters in the wrong ways under the wrong circumstances. Despite these and other questionable game strategies, the national media will push Mattingly forward as a serious candidate for Manager of the Year, as though his on-field decisions aren't part of the criteria for the award.

Flickr/Dan4th Nicholas

8. Channeling Ronnie Lott, Nick Punto will have his troublesome ingrown toenail completely removed. In an extra show of grit, he'll then wear that toenail around his neck, sparking a new baseball necklace fad.

rntv.com

7. Channeling former FEMA Director, "Heckuva Job Brownie", teflon-coated Dodgers Batting Coach Mark McGwire will continue to send batters to the plate with no viable or visible action plan.

billyball.com

6. Magic Johnson will show up for Game 1 at a deserted Dodger Stadium, under the mistaken belief it's his scheduled bobblehead night.

ilovefoodblog.blogspot.com

5. Starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu will launch a food blog dedicated to the culinary treats offered at the Atlanta Braves' home stadium. Under the pen name "The Bloated Glove", his goal will be to sample every food item offered at Turner Field, even when that means he has to pitch an inning with a box of Tomahawk Chop Fried Tomatoes sitting behind the mound. Ryu will go on to pitch 7 innings and win Game 3.

cbsnews.com

 4. Beleaguered Bison, Matt Kemp will seemingly make it safely to Atlanta, where he will spontaneously combust upon the plane's arrival at the airport terminal.

www.latimes.com

3. Rock steady Adrian Gonzalez, El Jaguar, will continue onward as the most reliable and productive Dodger, playing every inning of every game, leading the team in home runs, RBI's and clutch hits over the series. The national - and the local Los Angeles media, for that matter - will continue to ignore his invaluable contributions.

www.youtube.com

2. Speedster Dee Gordon will not make the playoff roster, but will still make it to Atlanta, smuggled onto the Dodger's plane inside of Juan Uribe's cheek.

With apologies to www.zimbio.com

1. Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig will swing so hard on the first pitch he sees in Game 1, that his head will literally explode. His playful smile will then reappear in place, chesire cat-like. Puig will go on to steal 3 bases, hit 2 doubles and a home run - all in Game 1.

Bonus Prediction: L.A. Dodgers win it in 5. Let's go, Dodgers!

Damn Mattingly - A Big Blue Liability

Right before the 2013 All-Star game, lots of folks wanted to throw manager Damn Mattingly under the Dodger bus.  They were right then and they continue to be right still. 

No, we can't lay that crazy, first half of the season, epidemic of injuries at the feet of  the manager.  Having half of our team on the DL for half of the season certainly accounted for many of the losses that led the Dodgers to last place.   I don't blame him for things outside of his control - like those injuries - but Mattingly's gotta take the heat for the things he can control.

                                    Can't manage a bullpen.                       Associated Press

There are those out there who argue that a manager just doesn't matter that much, and I've stated my opposite opinions on that in the past.  While it's often true that a historically long losing streak can't be blamed solely on a manager, a historically long winning streak shouldn't automatically go to his credit either.

When the Dodgers got healthy and turned their season around  with a winning rampage, a number of sports writers and bloggers were quick to anoint Mattingly as a good manager who simply needed his full line up in order for all of us to appreciate his superior baseball management skills for what they really are.  Hogwash!

His limitations as a manger were evident in 2012, and they continue to rear their ugly heads regularly now.

                                         Can't manage a big league batting line up.                      Getty Images

If we can't blame a manager for all those losses any more than give him supreme credit for all those wins, doesn't that mean a manger doesn't make that much of a difference?  On the surface it might look like that, but let's revisit some of Mattingly's decisions over this recent losing run the Dodgers are currently mired in.

Over the recent 4-game series against the Giants, Hunter Pence absolutely ran roughshod over Dodger pitching.  He crushed homers in every game, including a grand slam and two - TWO fricken' homers on Sunday.

There are things a manger can control; that's why he's called THE MANAGER.   By the time we got to Sunday's game, one would think Mattingly would order his pitchers to just not give anything close to a strike to Pence.  Especially in a game that was as close as Sunday's.  I'm going out on a limb and say Mattingly gave no such orders.  Pence notched two more homers in the final game and his bat beat us for the fourth game in a row.

Exit Giants, enter the Diamondbacks.  First game, first inning.  Hyun-Jin Ryu had just walked lead off man A.J. Pollack on four pitches, and Paul Goldschmidt was next up to the plate.  Anyone who follows the Dodgers and the Snakes knows that Goldschmidt is a career Dodger killer.  Anybody who knows baseball knows that after walking the first batter on four pitches, Ryu was going to immediately try to get back into the strike zone.  But Mattingly never should have let Ryu do that. How about giving the guy an unintentional, intentional walk?  You don't have to give him four wide ones, just stay off the plate and see if he chases because he's anxious.  Nope.  Let's pitch to him and see what happens.  Strikes + Dodger killer = 2-run HR.  Anybody else have visions of Jack Clark?

The Dodgers have been losing a lot more than I like recently, but most have been close games, and the results were always hanging in the balance, which is often the place where a savvy manager makes a difference.

My final case in point tonight...

                                             Can't manage a 9th inning rally.                                   Getty Images

Despite the injuries plaguing us yet again, and a scrappy second-tier lineup, the Dodgers manged to keep the game close and get the tying and go ahead runs on base in the 9th.  We had Hope!  Things looked pretty darn good as Juan Uribe, he of massive home run power and one of our hottest bats right now, stepped up to the plate.

Are you ready for this?  Damn Mattingly had him bunt - BUNT !!!!!!!!!!!!   Something the guy has only done successfully 4 times over the past 4 years.  Uribe recently had a 3-home run game and Mattingly took the bat out of his hands by having him bunt.  It must have been because last week's farm leaguer, Chili Buss was on deck. ARGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!  Of course this uber-genius strategy of having the Mighty Casey bunt didn't work and the Dodgers eventually lost.  And don't even get me started on his decision to bat Uribe seventh in the line up.  *Sigh*

I'm going to estimate managers make enough crucial game decisions in enough close games over the course of a season to win or lose 10 to 15 games with those decisions.  And that's a conservative estimate in my opinion.  Smart managers will help their teams pick up 10 wins, while dopey decisions will lose 10.  Anybody else have visions of Brandon League?  

Mattingly didn't cause the first lousy half of the season, and he didn't mastermind the brilliant second half.  But man oh man, he had his hand in controlling enough other factors to make a difference.

Think about that, where would the Dodgers be right now with  8-10 extra wins in their pocket?