Trade With The Daily Dimwit: MOST OF 2015 ALLEN & GINTER + Awesome Kemp, Kershaw, and Puig Hits!

I reached double-digit deals with Sam from The Daily Dimwit fame as we recently competed our tenth trade. You can see the first here, second here, third here, fourth here, fifth here, sixth here, seventh here, eighth here, and ninth here.

The bulk of the deal was a near-complete set of 2015 Allen & Ginter. Sam sent 348 of the 350 Base + SPs (or theoretical SPs this year, I suppose). I already had the Yasiel Puig base and Sam was without one other base random dude (#97) so I'm only one card short!

There were inserts galore -- 65 to be exact -- which were led by 36 Starting Points. I can't thank Sam enough for hooking me up with this beastly group of set needs!

A new Kershaw relic is always welcome.

As is a new Kemp; this happens to be the card that long ago began these talks.

Now for a couple of complete surprises that popped out of the 800 count box. This Gary Sheffield dual jersey card is just fantastic. I'm in the process of thinning my tertiary collections but this bad boy will be staying put.

The real stunner was a first, actually: my first Yasiel Puig relic! It follows my first Puig auto and I'm so happy to have it in my #ManBearPuig PC. It hails from 2015 Panini Diamond Kings (a really stellar product despite no logos), features bat and jersey, and is numbered 07/25! Sam, your generosity continues to amaze me!

Some random goodness. The Puig is /199; the Pederson is /599; the Lasorda die-cut is #'d 10/25; the Verdugo Bowman Chrome RC might be my first card of Alex (I hope he turns into something one way or the other, the organization needs more home-grown position players); the Museum Collection Kersh base is a need; and Ginter miiiiiinnnniiissss! One Yasiel has a standard back, the other an A&G reverse, and Joc is a black-bordered.

I'm highlighting a simple Kershaw base card because damn Panini, well done!

As always Sam, thanks for the phenomenally stellar trade amigo!

1952 Parkhurst Frostade: Johnny Podres' First Card! I'm Calling It A RC, Dammit!

I'm exceptionally excited to showcase this pickup today as I had no idea this set even existed before stumbling upon it late one night. I was browsing a vintage card website looking for oddball food releases from the '50s and '60s when I came across the 1952 Parkhurst Frostade set. A bit of research revealed Frostade to be a Canadian competitor to Kool-Aid, and the checklist was rife with future Dodgers.

There were only a handful of copies on eBay within a price range I was comfortable with but one stood out above the rest and I was determined to land it: the above Johnny Podres, slabbed an SGC 10. The seller had it listed for a reasonable BIN with a Best Offer option so I submitted what I thought was a fair enough offer. It was quickly accepted and for $14 delivered I landed what is essentially Podres' rookie, although technically it's a pre-rookie to his 1953 Topps offering.

Podres is pictured in a stoic portrait shot looking off into the distance. He was a member of the Montreal Royals in 1952, then the Dodgers' AAA affiliate. The set features only three teams and they're all Canadian, as you might imagine: the Montreal Royals, Toronto Maples Leafs, and Ottawa Athletics.

Prominent future Dodgers include Podres, Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda, and Jim Gilliam. I'd love to nab the Gilliam one day, even more so than the Alston or Tommy. Putting together the Montreal Royals team set is....tempting.

The backs are really cool although it might be difficult to tell in Johnny's plastic tomb. All of the writing is in red and kids are clearly encouraged to send in 25 cents and the "front panel from 2 packages of FROSTADE" in order to receive a "smart new plastic six-shooter!".

My favourite part of the back -- and I absolutely adore everything about it -- is that it lists Podres' 1951 team which I previously did not know existed. I didn't even know the league the team played in existed. For the '51 campaign Johnny pitched in the Mountain States League for the Hazard Bombers of Hazard, Kentucky.

Baseball Reference also lists the Newport News Dodgers of the Piedmont League as a stop for John in '51. God I love the internet.

So, I Started Writing For Yahoo! Sports....

Through the Yahoo! Contributor Network, that is. Following the lead of Dustin and Chris, I decided I would take a shot at penning some pieces for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. I love writing about sports, any exposure would be great, and I could make a few bucks on the side for something I enjoy doing and already do for free. It's been pretty sweet so far, and I'm looking forward to hopefully getting the express posting privilege.

Any clicks, sharing, Re-Tweets, and the like would be much appreciated. Here's a link to my profile page, and that link will soon go up somewhere on this here blog.

http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1736707/greg_zakwin.html

And here are the pieces I've had published thus far:

Athletes Can’t Win With Fans, As Personified By Los Angeles Dodgers’ Superstar Matt Kemp.

Los Angeles Dodgers Lefty Clayton Kershaw: The Best and Most Underrated Pitcher in Baseball.

With Los Angeles Dodgers Struggling, It’s Important To Understand What Is and Is Not Don Mattingly’s Fault.

Los Angeles Dodgers Have a History of Mishandling Injuries, But They Did Right by Zack Greinke and His Broken Collarbone.

The Biggest "Goat" in Los Angeles Dodgers History Is A Group That Includes Tommy Lasorda.

Los Angeles Dodgers Must Demote Luis Cruz -- For Good.

Trade With Sports Cards Ate My Brain: A Potpourri of Dodgers' Relics.

I completed my second trade with Scott from Sports Cards Ate My Brain. I requested an Adrian Beltre hit as part of a future trade, and Scott sent it over with some contest winnings I had coming my way. He tossed in a few other goodies I wasn't expecting, so I must keep my eyes open for stuff to send back.

The card I was most interested in. Numbered 029/250, it's just my second or third Beltre relic. It's most definitely a keeper. I really like the red hue the card sports. Oh, and it took me a while to realize this, but it's an eBay 1/1, as Beltre wore number 29. Archer woooooo!

Next up, a card I've already promised to Arno from I'm Ballsy. I'm sure the Nomo relic will find a good home with him.

Another piece of bait that has yet to be promised to anyone. The Oliver, featuring bat and jersey pieces, is numbered 031/100. The jersey swatch happens to have a couple of lines of stitching.

And finally, a Tommy Lasorda Manupatch. I have plans for this already. Needless to say, it will end up with somebody at some point this year.

Thanks for another great trade Scott! I'll get something sent your way as soon as I can come up with something to send your way.

2012 Dodgers' FanFest Recap: Better Late Than Never.

Yeah, this happened way back on May 19th. After putting it off for so long, here's a quick recap. It was hot as hell, I had a cast on, and the line system was terrible. I picked up three autos while I was there. Here's the first, on what I was hoping would be a sweet-spot but in turn led me to classify this as a "team ball."

Thankfully Chad Billingsley is signed to a multi-year deal, so I'll have the opportunity to pick up a sweet-spot signature from one of my favorite Dodgers in the future, and hopefully get him to sign a handful of things, as he's long been one of my favorites.

The last two autos came from former Dodgers in Wes Parker and Sweet Lou Johnson, and found a nice place on my "Dodgers who played for a World Series winner mini-helmet." The mini-helmet, which I haven't focused on in any major way, is coming along quite nicely.

I got pretty close to Andre Ethier, A.J. Ellis, Kenley Jansen, and Tommy Lasorda, but due to line configuration and new signers coming to the tables, I missed out on all of them. I have a great item for Lasorda to sign, and hopefully I'll have the opportunity to meet him in the future and get him to sign it.

A quick shout-out to Spiegel and DodgerBobble, both of whom I met up with, and to my best friend for accompanying me and helping me out with my then one-handedness.

Help: Is This An Authentic Autograph?

Back when I first re-entered this glorious hobby, I was faced with getting organized. While it took me quite a while to finally feel like I had achieved that goal, my first attempts mainly consisted of separating my cards by sport, and occasionally by set.

In doing so, I came upon a group of cards that Night Owl would describe as wholly imbuing a West Coast flavor: Mother's Cookies. I had a vague memory of these from years gone by, but it was pretty cool to come across a small piece of my youth. If you've ever scanned my Want List, you'll see that I almost have the entire 1996 Team Set, less four cards. As I began to group the Mother's Cookies cards I had together, something caused me to flip at least one of them over.

I have no idea what possessed me to do so. But had I not, I would not have come across this potential authentic auto.

Clear as day, that says John Roseboro. The question, of course, thus becomes whether or not it was John Roseboro himself who wrote John Roseboro.

I honestly have no idea how I would have gotten Roseboro's signature, and why I would have used a Mother's Cookies card of Tommy Lasorda in doing so. My best guess would involve me somehow being near field-level at Dodger Stadium once upon a time (so much easier to do back yonder, before the McCourts), with this card as my only available item to be autographed, and Roseboro there as well.

Not entirely impossible, and even, I would go so far as to say, decently plausible.

Anyways, quickly back to my attempt to put the 1996 Team Set together. Lasorda is one of the cards I'm missing, though as you can see, I'm technically not sans-Lasorda. However, as you might imagine, if this is in fact a real John Roseboro auto, this card will go with the rest of my Dodger autos, and not with the team set. But if it is indeed a falsified John Hancock, I'll throw it in with the team set.

So, for those of you kind souls who read this far (or just decided to skip this long-winded diatribe and answer my question), is this a real John Roseboro autograph? A quick Google search has me wondering, if only because some show a similar "J" but a different "R", while others show a similar "R" but a different "J".

So yeah.

I have no idea.

Though I'm leaning towards legit, if for no other reason than it would be cool to have a Roseboro auto.

Cash For Cards Deal With Blue Heaven

I purchased two cards from Ernest of Blue Heaven. Check out the many items he has up for sale or trade.

The first card I purchased from Ernest is a 2009 Topps Finest Redemption Autographed Rookie Card of one of my favorite non-Dodgers, Tommy Hanson.

The second is not only non-Dodgers, but also non-baseball. I've always wanted a really old card, something that can truly be called vintage. My goal is to acquire an 1800s Allen & Ginter baseball card, but until then this 1909 E75 American Caramel card of boxer Jimmy Britt will just have to do. Hey, it's over 100 years old. In my book, that's pretty awesome. It's almost as old as Tommy Lasorda.

Thanks again Ernest, and good luck selling some of your vast and impressive collection of sports regalia.

Dodgers Draft Zachary Lee

The Dodgers drafted Zachary Lee, a two-sport athlete, out of a Texas high school with the 28th overall selection in the first round of Monday's First-Year Player Draft. Lee, a pitcher, is also a QB commit to LSU.

Tommy Lasorda announced the pick, as the Dodgers took a chance on Lee, who has major signability issues, as LSU is dead-set on making him their QB for the upcoming season.

"People can think what they want, he was the best talent available and I want to sign him, absolutely," said Logan White, assistant general manager of scouting. "I didn't take Zach to not sign him. You'll see as the summer goes along we'll make every effort to sign him, and I want to sign him. I know it won't be easy, but hopefully we'll get it done."

The deadline for picks to sign is Monday, Aug. 16. The last time the Dodgers failed to sign their top pick was 2005, when they drafted but did not sign supplemental pick Luke Hochevar, who became the first overall pick by Kansas City the following year and is in the Royals' starting rotation.

The largest bonus the Dodgers have given a Draft pick is $2.3 million for Clayton Kershaw in 2006. Lee and Kershaw have the same advisers, Alan and Randy Hendricks from Houston. White said he had a preliminary conversation with Lee's representatives after making the selection.

Five of White's nine top picks have come from Texas. He said Lee's competitive nature reminds him of Nolan Ryan, while Lee's athleticism and feel for pitching reminds him of a young Roy Halladay.

Listening to Monday's game on the radio while coming home, Charley Steiner said Lee has a fastball that touches 93 MPH and a slider. I would have preferred the Dodgers draft an offensive prospect, but sometimes life throws you curveballs. Or sliders. Or footballs, as is the case with Lee, who will probably end up heading off to play QB at LSU because the Dodgers ownership is cheap and traditionally cheaper when it comes to paying draftees more than slot.

And what we know for sure about Zachary Lee, the 6-foot-4, 195 pound righty from Texas, is that he's looking for more than slot, enough money to make him drop his commitment to LSU and take up baseball full-time.

Tommy Lasorda & Kyle Russell Talk Hitting

Tommy Lasorda and Kyle Russell work on hitting in this instructional video.



"I'll give you an Oklahoma guarantee! It ain't worth a shit!" Ah Tommy, you are priceless. This is what I found online for the meaning of an "Oklahoma guarantee":

An “Oklahoma gurantee” isn’t much of a guarantee. The term probably began with Oklahoma used car dealers offering shady “guarantees” for their used cars. An “Oklahoma gurantee” might mean that “if the product breaks in two, you get to keep both pieces!” An “Oklahoma guarantee” also might mean that “this product works, or you can call me a son of a bitch!”

The term “Oklahoma guarantee” has been popular in Texas and Oklahoma, but has some limited nationwide currency.

For those of you wondering, Tommy was born in Pennsylvania.

Tommy Lasorda To Represent Dodgers At Amateur Draft

The upcoming 2010 amateur entry draft will be held on June 7th. Tommy will be joined by senior adviser for the Dominican Republic Ralph Avila at the draft, which takes place in New York and airs at 4 P.M. PST on the 7th. Avila has been with the organization for over 40 years.

MLB.com will offer live coverage and analysis of the entire First-Year Player Draft on June 7-9 on MLB.com/Live. The first round and Compensation Round A will be broadcast live on MLB.com and MLB Network on June 7, beginning with the Draft preview show at 3 p.m. PT/6 ET.

MLB.com Draft expert Jonathan Mayo will join Greg Amsinger, Harold Reynolds, John Hart, Peter Gammons and Baseball America executive editor Jim Callis on Monday's broadcast.

Tommy's been an active participant of the amateur draft for a good stretch of the past decade, announcing the Dodgers' first pick every year but one since 2002.

You can follow Tommy's every move on Twitter: @TommyLasorda.

[Tommy Lasorda To Represent Dodgers At 2010 First-Year Amateur Draft]

[Image via Tommy Lasorda's World]

Italian Baseball Team Named After Proud Italian Former Dodger Manager

The Tollo Tom Lasorda, an Italian baseball team, is named after our dear own Tommy Lasorda, as a picture he Tweeted attests to.

Lasorda is a proud Italian, and worked with the team in 1985. Apparently, the team dropped the "Tom Lasorda" at some point, but does still exist.

Read the whole, very interesting story over at Big League Stew.


[Above image via Big League Stew through Tommy]

All Is Not Lost

Because of one game.

And because Tommy Lasorda got to take a cat nap in the 8th inning. Aww, doesn't he look precious? So cute, I could just eat him up!

Happy Happy Birthday

Tommy Lasorda turns 82 today.

Links On A Wednesday Night

Tommy Lasorda is going to the Smithsonian. [Lasorda = Smithsonian]

Fire Joe Morgan (temporarily) returns in all its scrappy glory. [FJM @ Deadspin]

Chad Billingsley will have a start skipped. Regardless of how he was pitching at this point, this was something that should have happened. Same with Kershaw and his shoulder injury - there's no shame in having a start skipped to conserve a young pitcher's arm. [Billingsley To Skip Start]

An interesting recap of the Mets' 2009 season. [Mets' Messy History - The Game of MetsSloppily]