Dodgers Zoom Party II

With the murmur of the possibility of baseball in July, our blue bleeding hearts start to beat faster again. What helps is seeing our boys in blue live during one of the zoom parties. Last week (party #2) was awesome. Go HERE to read my blogpost.

This week I got the chance to join once again. It had that same friendly vibe even with a lot of different faces joining the party.

Alanna Rizzo and Joe Davis hosted and moderated again and were joined by Walker Buehler, Matt Beaty, Dave Roberts, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, Eric Gagne Max Muncy and Gavin Lux. There were surprise appearances by the one and only Billy Jean King and doctor turned comedian Ken Jeong.

Some of the highlights…

Everybody had been keeping busy. Buehler worked on a deck at his home in Kentucky, Beaty had been cycling on his stationary bike and felt good enough to compete in next year’s Tour de France. Mookie did some fishing and bonded a lot with his 18 month old daughter, who, by the way, was a surprise appearance during the Zoom Party. Gavin played a lot of online games. When asked who his go to guy was for an online Call of Duty encounter he answered that Belli was his guy. Austin Barnes not so much.

Billy Jean King had been doing loads of fundraising and interviews for the Dodgers Foundation. She also mentioned she could not imagine being in this lockdown without the modern technology to keep in touch with everybody.

Ken Jeong Joined and was flattered that Justin used a picture of them together as a background. He wanted the rest of the boys to leave so he could have a 1 on 1 with Turner. Which was funny. He got serious as well. Talking about the importance of staying in touch during these difficult times. But he turned funny again when he told everyone if they needed a teamdoctor, he would do it, and he had loads of ointments. He proudly told about his flag waving antics before game 7 of the 2017 World Series. He and Rob Lowe paraded around on the Asstros dugout and Carlos Correa splashed him with water.

Eric Gagne was serious. He looked back on his career. How he would get scared in the 7th inning. But that being unpredictable on the mound was how he became the great pitcher he was.

Dave Roberts only had good words about his guys. They are all stars! But they are even better off the field. Roberts also downed a good amount of red wine. I presume it was product placement of Red Stitch Wine from Cardiff, California. ;)

Mookie couldn’t wait to put on his Dodger uniform for real. Now, you can say something like that but his face showed us he really wanted to get out on the field and show what he can do. Which is exactly what the fans want to hear!

All in all, as it was last week, it was loads of fun seeing the boys. They looked relaxed but ready to get back to work. Let’s hope they can, soon!

Dodgers Zoom Party

Spring training had started and suddenly was cancelled. All the players went home and stayed there. Being with their families, working out on their own. Opening day was postponed, the All Star Game will probably be cancelled. No concrete news on how and if, when the regular season will start. Corona is a bitch and I thought I would not see my boys in Blue live in any capacity this year.

Then the Dodgers organization came up with the idea of a Zoom Party. Active and former Dodgers just chatting away from home, with the occasional celebrity added in the mix (Cedric the Entertainer in this case). Now that sounded sweet, so I tried to get an access code. No such luck the first time, but lo and behold, I got access to the second Zoom Party. Okay, so did more than 11-thousand other fans, but who’s counting? It felt special.

Fifteen minutes before the Zoom Party started I got my login information. And on May 5th 2020, at 3am (yes, it was an early morning for me here over in the Netherlands) Alanna Rizzo and Joe Davis came online to welcome the fans. They were surrounded by so many great names. Lucky for me there were a lot of personal favorites among them.

Rizzo and Davis were accompanied by: Orel Hershiser, Adrian Gonzalez, Steve Garvey, Justin Turner, Ross Stripling, Kike Hernandez, Kenley Jansen, Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw and André Ethier. Now, that’s a lineup!

Alanna and Joe moderated the party and the banter started from the get go. Joe asked Jansen about him playing basketball when Kenley’s feed froze so Belli told him: ‘Kenley, you’re rich, get better wifi’. Watch that clip! Ethier, who was in full gear, including the pants, told his kids were streaming Youtube videos all day (on four iPads and six tv’s).

But it wasn’t all fun and games. Some serious topics came up. Private issues like homeschooling the kids. But also baseball related stuff like the chance that Orel’s consecutive scoreless innings record could be broken. Watch the clip!

It was fun, good to see how they had a blast together. It shows on the field but it was good to see it still works in these weird times. It felt good to see them. If you haven’t had a chance yet, try to get into the next Dodgers Zoom Party on Monday the 11th at 6pm, pacific.

A rant about actions or lack thereof...

While we are all waiting for the bats and arms to do the talking, spring training games are only days away, there still is enough talk about the cheating Astros. Some people criticize players who attack the Astros players, but aren’t they the ones who particularly are hurt by this? May they, please, have their say? And while we’re on the subject… fans should be allowed to air their grievances as well. Get it out in the open! Some are more modest, others go bat shit crazy. Good! We all mourn in different ways.

The lack of punishment by ‘commissioner’ Manfred is beyond comprehension. What message do you want to send out to kids and baseball lovers in general when your actions are so weak? It’s even more mindblowing that the ‘commissioner’ “is making it clear that retaliation against Houston by throwing at their batters will not be tolerated. In a recent interview with ESPN, Manfred revealed that he intends to release a memo to the other 29 teams, warning that there will be increased punishments for hitting Astros players. (thespun.com)”. So, a team can cheat it’s way to a World Series title, the ‘commissioner’ says: “the shame is punishment enough”, but retaliations against those who unrightfully got their hands on a ring and the trophy will be ‘increasedly punished’?
What the fuck, Manfred?

And another thing… you are the ‘commissioner’ of Major League Baseball, you douche! Baseball should be your number one priority! Do you know what all teams play for, every 162 game regular season? A spot to be able to battle on in October. For what? THE COMMISSIONER’S TROPHY! That’s the only thing that counts. And you call it JUST A PIECE OF METAL?

Master of Puppets is more than JUST A PIECE OF METAL, the Golden Record on the Voyager is more than JUST A PIECE OF METAL, a Purple Heart is more than JUST A PIECE OF METAL. The Commissioner’s Trophy is more than JUST A PIECE OF METAL. It’s what franchises play for. That, and the ring! It represents MLB. You should represent MLB as well, Rob!

I’m a Dodgers fan, but I write this as a baseball fan in general. If my Dodgers had done what the Astros did… I would be ashamed for a long, long time! This is a shit stain on the Astros organization for EVER!

To end this rant on a positive, and yes, blue note… my Dodgers seem to have a load of positive energy and a great starting lineup! Let’s look forward, make us all forget 2017 (and 2018, for that matter!). This is 2020! THIS IS NEXT YEAR!

We got robbed!

Somehow, the entire cheatgate never really registered, since the story became public. Ofcourse I read all the articles but instead of getting angry or sad, I just became numb. Now, after all the punishments have been dealt… anger is rising in me.
Flashback to october 2017… the Dodgers looked like they were going to do what I, and every blue bleeding dodger fan, had been waiting for: reach the World Series. Where the Cubs dumped the Boys in Blue in the NLCS in 2016, the Dodgers completely whiped Chicago off the stage in 2017. And lo and behold, goosebumps everywhere, when I heard the 8 best words in a sentence: ‘The Dodgers are going to the World Series’.
I packed my bags, bought a plane ticket to LA and was there, at Dodger Stadium at the first two games since they won in 1988. A Surreal and satisfying feeling. (I wrote about my World Series experience in THIS blog entry). Game one was awesome, afterwards it was great to high five Dodgers faithful around the stadium. Everybody felt this would be next year.
Although we ultimately lost, I enjoyed this World Series. There were awesome plays, great games and while it was a bitter pill to swallow, I accepted the outcome eventually.

Flashforward to november 2019… stories of sign stealing began to surface. Was this for real? Again? After one of the best Dodger teams ever got robbed in 1951, did they do it to us AGAIN? In 2017 AND 2018? What the actual fuck? Then a state of apathy set in.

Now that the dust has settled and the Asstros got their punishment, I’m mad. $5 million is a laugh! No first and second round draft picks for 2 years, some suspensions and firings. Well, that will teach them… NOT! To be honest, I only see one true punishment. Strip them from their World Series Title. They cheated. Armstrong cheated as well, he was stripped from his Tour the France wins. No winners for 7 straight years.

Saddest thing of all is the fun they took away from the whole 2017 World Series experience. I was heartbroken when we lost in 7 games, but after a few months I could accept it and looked back on a fantastic series with awesome games and absurd scoring. Now, I know it was all fake.
And even worse… all those older people who have been waiting for years for a Dodgers championship. Tommy Lasorda, Vin Scully, fans who died recently, that moment of glory (which was imminent if we had won that game 5, and we would have!) was taken away from them.

In short: I’m mad, sad and very curious how many heads will roll and ultimately see only one result: no winners of the 2017 World Series, just losers.

World Series Press Pins I - 1947

Press pins have been around since the 1911 World Series. Which means there is one for every Brooklyn & Los Angeles appearance. They are small and great items for collectors who do not have a lot of space, like me, to display their Dodgers related stuff. When collecting, the first thing popping in my mind is: COLLECT THEM ALL! In the case of press pins that will never work for me since some of them are quite expensive. The 1916, 1920 pins probably will set you back at least $2000 each. Maybe if I win a lottery, but for now I decided to try to get my hands on one pin for every decade our boys played in the World Series. That comes to 6 press pins: one from the 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 2010’s.

I did some research and have decided on the ones I want, if I can get my hands on them. They are the ones I think are the most interesting of their decade. Recently I got my hands on the first one and it really is a thing of beauty. Not only the looks of it, but also the story behind it of that particular World Series.

1947 World Series
It was the first televised World Series, the first after the color barrier was broken and it featured the Dodgers and the Yankees. A rivalry that was in it's infancy. Also chronicled in detail by Kevin Cook in his book ‘Electric October’. Which I reviewed earlier. After five games the Yankees lead 3-2, game 6 had to be won by Brooklyn to force a 7th game. In that 6th game one of the best World Series catches was made. The Dodgers were leading 8-5 in the sixth inning. With two on and two out Joe DiMaggio came to bat and hit one that looked like a home run to tie up the game. But Al Gionfriddo caught it and the Dodgers went on to win game 6. In the end they lost the Series.

The Pin
I love the Dodger blue, gold plated pin featuring the Brooklyn bridge, literally bridging New York to Brooklyn where both teams were from. The baseball bat is prominently featured as the weapon of attack against the Yankees. There is a lot of detail for a pin only 1" in diameter. The pin was made by Dieges & Clust from New York.

Below are the instructions for Dieges & Clust, including color use and pin size. I do not own the documents, just found the pictures online.

Clem Labine "Always a Dodger": Review

A book written by someone who is so smitten by it’s subject is never a good thing. Colin Gunderson was so in love with Tom Lasorda, his biography about the man was a cringeworthy experience. Richard Elliott’s Clem Labine “Always a Dodger” is more of the same. Which is a shame because it’s the only book on just Labine.

The writer is the son of the best friend and off-season employer of Clem Labine. They became good friends. That fact is visible in the writing. Labine is worshipped to the max. So much so that there is little room left to tell about the man himself. Now, I really believe Labine was a good guy, a great reliever and an important piece of the Dodgers puzzle during the 1950’s, but enough is enough. No negativity is tolerated. Even Roger Kahn gets smeared.

One of the lesser Dodgers related books I’ve read. A nice addition to the Woonsocket Public Library, but other than that... leave it on the shelve.

A Piece of History

I have a very strange relationship with Dodgers autographs. If I have to choose between getting an autograph or having my picture taken with a Dodgers celebrity, I choose the latter. I still am bummed I didn’t get a pic with Nomar although I did get his autograph. The best is, of course, getting both. Like I did when I met Orel Hershiser.

Maybe this has to do with the fact that I live in Europe and don’t have a lot of opportunities to get autographs, during spring training or before regular games. A picture is a better memory of a trip, in my opinion, than an autograph.

That being said… there is not much as personal as an autograph and there is a shitload to be found on various auction sites and on Ebay. Some of them are very pricey like those of Sandy Koufax or Jackie Robinson.

There are autographs everywhere. On baseballs, on cards, bats, letters, and so on. And then you have letters. I've looked at letters for years, some with great 'Dodgers' letter heads but most of them are to someone who requested an autograph or some business that had nothing to do with baseball at all. The majority of the letters is typed.

Then, one day, I found this letter that was completely hand written and signed. It was a letter from 1945 by Clem Labine. Now, Clem was no Koufax or Drysdale but he was a very important pitcher for the Dodgers. When the Dodgers played the Giants in the 1951 tiebreaker series, the Dodgers won game 2 behind a shut out by Labine to reach a deciding game 3 in which we all know what happened.

He became a fixture during the 1950's and won two World Series Championships ('55 and '59) with the Dodgers and one with the Pirates. In 1955, the Dodgers would win their first World Series during which Clem would win game 4 (Don Larsen got the loss). In 1956 he won game 6 in the World Series, the one in which Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in game 5. He was an all star in 1956 & 1957.

The Letter
This letter is so awesome because of many reasons. Like mentioned before it’s entirely handwritten. Not typed with just a signature. It’s about baseball. The core business of both sender and receiver. Oh, yeah, the receiver... who is the letter to? Only to a guy who single handedly changed the face of baseball on many levels. With the Dodgers and in St. Louis and Pittsburgh: Branch Rickey. WWII had just ended and Jackie Robinson would be called up to the majors in less than two years, exciting times.

The full text of the letter can be found below.

29 December 1945

Dear Mr. Rickey,
May I send my hearty thanks to
you for the sweet Christmas present.
I feel a little ashamed not having corresponded
with you during my time in the service!
It certainly feels great to know
someone is thinking of you while your
far away from home. Nothing would
please me more than to be back in
your employ by spring.
As you probably know I'm still in
the army, but with some luck I may
be out in time for spring training.
May I again send my thanks to
you and your staff, and wish you all the
luck in the world

Cordially yours,
Sgt. Clement W. Labine

Stamped by the Brooklyn Baseball Club on the date it was received before the letter was handed to Branch Rickey.

The envelope in which the letter arrived.