2009 UD Baseball Signature Stars Trios Triple Auto: Kemp, Billingsley, McDonald

I secured the below triple auto featuring former Dodgers Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, and James McDonald for a very reasonable price. It's my newest Bison.

#'d 18/30, it hails from the Trios subset of 2009 UD Baseball Signature Stars.

A Plethora Of Contest Wins and Thanks.

I wanted to say thanks to a few bloggers who recently held contests I was fortunate enough to win. First up, I won a week or two's worth of "hey everybody, guess the serial-numbering" over at Jaybarkerfan's Junk. Wes sent along some really cool stuff, highlighted by my newest Matt Kemp hit.

I really dig these All-Star Game relics. The next card of note is my second certified James McDonald auto, and my fourth overall (one a Dodgers' note-card, the other a TTM Ginter auto).

The best of the rest is below, and I love the variety of these great new additions to my collection. The Magill is a refractor and numbered /799, while the Blake Smith is a sweet blue parallel /500. Thanks for the great stuff Wes!

Next up is Kevin from The Diamond King. Kevin held a contest to keep us readers motivated, and I was the first to meet his requirement for victory.

Kevin sent along a ton of awesome stuff, beginning with the above Shawn Green relic, numbered 226/250. It has quite the thorough COA on the back with a picture of the jersey the swatch came from. Love it, as well as the overall card design.

 
A Claude Osteen TTM? Sweet. I was without an Osteen auto, and it was a most welcome surprise. The black sharpie really pops.

He sent along so much stuff I couldn't scan it all, so here's just a taste of it above and below this here paragraph. Arno, the Nomos are headed for your pile. I love the mixture of stuff I received: former Dodger backstops, some near-vintage, shiny. The Green "Danger High Voltage" card is NAILS and I love the Piazzas. Thanks Kevin!

Finally, the last round of awesome freebies. Ross from Sports Card Info sent along this cool two-color race-used flag piece, numbered 03/50, of Darrell Waltrip which I won in one of his many contests. Thanks Ross!

Thanks to the aforementioned fine gentlemen for their hospitality and giving nature!

Trade With My Past Time.......I Love It!!: Martin and Ethier Autos, Relics Galore

I just graduated from UCLA! I feel so old now.

Anyways....

I completed my third trade with Alfredo from My Past Time.......I Love It!!. Our first trade centered around a Chad Billingsley Auto/Relic, and our second trade had as its centerpieces a Hong-Chih Kuo/Shin-Soo Choo Dual Auto and a David Wright 2004 Bowman Futures Game Relic. For this particular deal, Wicked convinced me to part with a Hanley Ramirez Auto/Triple Relic I had.

You can see the entirety of what headed off to Florida here. It's a lot, and I knew I'd be giving away more in (at least perceived) monetary value than what I'd get back. But that was okay, because Wicked will appreciate what he now has more than I would have and did. Also, I hope to eventually add another Hanley Auto to my collection. In the meantime, Wicked always has the best Trade Bait, and I wound up with a number of fantastic cards.

Starting us off:

I've been looking for this 2005 Bowman Sterling card of Russ' for quite some time, so I'm thrilled to finally add it to my collection. There is a serial-numbered parallel of this, so hopefully one day they can team up.

I've also been on the hunt for a Dre auto for many months. I'd trade him in a heartbeat for the right deal, but regardless, I'm happy to finally have his signature.

55/65

I wanted this card the second Wicked posted it. The yellow manupatch is a bit of foreshadowing I suppose, what with James now a Pirate and all. McDonald was pretty cool when I met him.

And now, on to the relic portion of the show.

A new David Wright is always a great sight.

102/180

A numbered Hebrew Hammer, and boy does he like to dress with glamor.

/wah wah

A Manny from 2007 Ginter. I'm tired of accidentally (and then not so accidentally) rhyming.

Thanks Wicked, I appreciate the trade!

Trade With Eutaw Street Cardboard: Rafael Furcal Patch, James McDonald Auto

I completed a trade with Kirk from Eutaw Street Cardboard. In exchange for autos of Erik Bedard and LaRon Landry (Landry's being of the rookie variety) I was able to land this sick Rafael Furcal patch from 2009 Upper Deck A Piece of History Box Score Memories. The card is #'d 7/25 and features a nice amount of sick stitching. I do believe this is a gold parallel. The card hits up a pair of my PCs: it's a Dodger relic, and it's a patch.

I like patches. A lot.

7/25

The second card Kirk sent along was a James McDonald RC from 2009 Allen & Ginter. Some Pirates fan got it signed at the Pirates' 2011 Fan Fest/Caravan (hint hint Dodgers, start having a Fan Fest), and Kirk swiped it up in a lot of cards off of SportsGraphing.com.

I liked McDonald; unfortunately, the Dodgers didn't share that opinion. And that is how you end up with Octavio Dotel on your team. The card is actually the second McDonald auto I've got, as I met James at a stop on the Dodgers' 2010 Caravan.

Thanks for the trade Kirk, hope to trade again! Enjoy the autos, and good luck grabbing an autograph from every Oriole ever. If I come across anyone you need, I'll be sure to let you know.

Dodgers Links On A Sunday Night

Andre Ethier had a splint placed on his fractured right pinkie. He'll try to swing a bat, but if I were a guessing man, I think a DL stint is still more likely than not. [Ethier Has Splint Placed On Broken Finger]

"We're hoping he's able to function, but we'll see," Torre said before the exam. "It's sore today. The trainers have been in touch."

"Over the next couple days, we'll see if there's a comfort level for him. We'll give him a day or two to let the soreness out and see what he can do with it and decide if it's enough. The last thing we want is to have him go out and do something and get into bad habits and wind up with a bad situation."

Torre related how difficult it is for a hitter to swing a bat with a broken finger, even a pinkie like the right one Ethier broke Saturday night in batting practice. Ethier explained that the finger "contorted" under the knob of the bat during a swing and the pressure of the bat cracked the first knuckle.

Ramon Ortiz will get another start. He'll take the mound on Wednesday. OY. VEY. The moral of this story, again, is that being a veteran means your leash is ridiculously long with the Dodgers. Struggle n the majors as a veteran and you get shot after shot, but prove things in the bigs, as James McDonald and Scott Elbert have done in varying sample sizes, then struggle a bit in the minors, and you're doomed to minor league servitude. [Dodgers To Give Ortiz Second Start]

"Really, there's nobody other than him," said Torre. "Carlos Monasterios [who also made a spot start May 1] was under consideration. Probably because Ortiz is the most experienced guy. We started Monasterios one time and had Ortiz behind him. When [Ortiz] gave us 80-plus pitches [last Saturday], we had a better feel for what we'd get out of him."

Charlie Haeger made a rehab start for Class A Inland Empire on Saturday, going five solid innings. [Haeger Goes 5 Innings In Rehab Start]

He will need several bullpen sessions and at least three Minor League rehab starts before he returns, which manager Joe Torre said remains some time in July.

A great story about Dodger farmhands lending a helping hand to a downed motorcyclist. The minor leaguers included Rafael Ynoa and Elisaul Pimental. [Dodgers Farmhands Assist Motorcyclist]

Who Should Replace Vicente Padilla?

With the news that Vicente Padilla has been sidelined with a strained forearm and will hit the 15-day DL, the question becomes who will replace him in the Dodgers rotation? Who will Joe Torre and Rick Honeycutt deem worthy enough to replace our venerable Number 4 1/2 starter?

First, confirmation from the Dodgers that Padilla is Padidown (/wah wah), and a fairly troubling quote from Vicente:

"I can't even throw right now," Padilla said, declining to speculate on the severity of the injury.

The choices at their disposal, currently up in the bigs:

• Ramon Ortiz
• Jon Link, recalled to replace Padilla
• Carlos Monasterios

A few more choices, currently at AAA:

• James McDonald
• Scott Elbert
• Josh Lindblom
• Josh Towers
  

Eric Stults, where for art thou, Eric Stults? Oh yeah, you're turning Japanese. And Jeff Weaver, who would have undoubtedly gotten the spot-start, is DL'd with a bad back.

Two excellent rundowns of the options come from Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, who fears we'll see Josh Towers (who I had thankfully forgotten about), and Eric Stephen at True Blue L.A., who prognosticates Elbert could get the call. One thing that's for sure: we're all just hoping it's not Ramon Ortiz.

If I were to guess, and that's all it really is, a guess, I would rank these gentlemen, in likelihood of getting the start:

1. Ramon Ortiz
2. Josh Towers
3. Scott Elbert
4. Josh Lindblom
5. James McDonald
6. Link/Monasterios
   

Whoever it is (and there is the possibility of rain in New York or Torre deciding to run a 4-man rotation for a short amount of time) the chosen one only needs to realistically go 5 innings or into the 6th, and not get completely shellacked.

I'm fairly positive they all can do it once or twice, but I'll admit it, I'm terrified of a Ramon Ortiz start. Josh Towers doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside either, but they're both veterans, so it will more than likely be one of them getting the ball handed to them in New York next week.

Still, my vote, if I had one, would go to James McDonald. Then Scott Elbert. Somehow, I think Josh Towers would get the bronze from me. I guess it's because he kind of reminds me of Dave Bush. And that is........well, it's something alright.

McDonald Among 3 Sent Down

James McDonald was optioned today, along with Lucas May and Jon Link.

McDonald had a dreadful spring, but is too talented to stay down for long. Whether he returns as a starter or reliever is up in the air, but if last season is any indication, coupled with his spring struggles, it will most likely be the pen again.

All Professional Athletes Should Be This Nice

Luckily, the few I've met have been. Matt Kemp, James McDonald, Ramon Troncoso, Brad Ausmus, a thank you for your kindness.

Dodgers' 5th Rotation Spot

Ned Colletti is looking for a "bona fide No. 5 starter", according to an interview he gave to Buster Olney. Colletti is of course overlooking the fact that a number 5 starter really just needs to be able to eat innings and not crap himself every time he steps on the mound. Any upside from that number 5 starter is a bonus, as the spot is usually just a revolving door of mediocrity and washed-up old veterans.

Especially, when it comes to the Dodgers, of the "washed-up old veterans" variety.

Ned, if you can't feel comfortable letting James McDonald, Charlie Haeger, Scott Elbert, Eric Stults, or some truly crappy veteran you, for some strange reason, decided to pick up off of the scrap heap, hold down the number 5 spot, then you really need to give up your job.

It's not like we can go out and acquire a Johan Santana or even an Oliver Perez, someone who has been more than a number 5. We have the classic set-up of number 5 starter candidates: young guys, rookies, and old messes like Russ Ortiz, Ramon Ortiz, and Josh Towers.

Oh, and I'd be down to see you not be GM regardless of who is the number five starter. Who's with me?

Favorite Dodgers

A discussion has broken out in the comments section over at Memories Of Kevin Malone regarding a person's "5 favorite Dodgers". So, here are mine, with the first two being, well, quite obvious.

1. Matt Kemp
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Jonathan Broxton
5. James McDonald

My reasons for McDonald's inclusion can be found here, in my recap of my trip to the Dodgers Caravan Event at Best Buy earlier this month. The man is comical.

The gentlemen most likely to have been my first two choices for # 5, Carlos Santana and Josh Bell, are inexcusably no longer with the organization. Always remember to thank Ned and Frank for those brilliant moves!

Dodgers Caravan Best Buy Event Recap

Complete with pictures, a fun after-the-event story, and a screw-up of Campanis's of fairly epic proportions, so you know it's good!

A quick thanks to Eric Stephen at True Blue L.A. for posting the info which alerted me to the event.


My friend and I arrived for the Wednesday event (3:00 start time) at about 1:15ish, wanting to ensure that we saw, at the least, Matt Kemp. It took us a while to find the line (thanks Best Buy, great customer service you got there!), and when we did we found around 15 people already in line, far less than I thought would be there. As we passed the time, talking with some of the other Dodger fans there (shockingly they don't like Billingsley and Broxton, thankfully they don't run the team), the line grew at a very slow pace, culminating at about 40 by the time we were herded into the store.

We were shown the various lines, and then told, much to our shock, that no current players would be signing autographs at the event.

Obviously, this was a huge disappointment to everyone there, as the choice between playing video games with the players or getting autographs and talking pictures with them was quite an easy one for all involved. There was a fair amount of consensus that the players could be talked into signing, considering only about 5 little kids were in the video game lines, while the rest of the crowd, numbering around 60 by this point, were patiently waiting in the autograph line.

(As we were waiting, there was a loud screaming match between two fans, one of whom claimed the other owed him a picture from a previous event. It was quite the spectacle, with the man being accused of nefarious business challenging the other gentleman to a fight, which was comical because the other guy was clearly not going to leave his children and his spot at the front of the line to fight over some picture.)

I had called another buddy to come down, and while we were trying to direct him to where we were, he informed me that he was outside of the mall and could see the Caravan, complete with everyone we were waiting inside for. I eventually made my way out there, and much to my surprise, there was Matt Kemp, James McDonald, and the rest of the scheduled attendees.


Needless to say, I took advantage of the situation, with excellent results.

Kemp and Valenzuela

After snapping a few pictures, my buddy and I introduced ourselves to and took pictures with Charley Steiner, Matt Kemp, and Fernando Valenzuela, also managing to snag autographs from Kemp and Fernando. I mentioned to Steiner that I thought he was great at the UCLA event I attended in early January (which I have yet to recap, but still intend on doing so). My buddy had none of the traditional items one gets autographed on hand, so he is now the proud owner of a Matt Kemp autograph on a Disneyland ticket stub. Whatever it takes, I always say. Better to get an autograph then to not get one. Especially when it's Kemp's signature.

Mattycakes and Mickey

The highlight of this was of course when I got my Kemp autograph, but also what Kemp said. When I approached him, I mentioned that I knew they weren't supposed to sign, but I was hoping he could. With a straight face, he took my baseball from me and said "I'll sign what I want to sign!" Needless to say, Matt Kemp is one cool, funny, and supremely nice dude. And Kemp signed a lot during the event, as did the other current players, which leads me to the obvious question: why were we told no current players would be signing? We, as Dodger fans, already deal with enough bull from the team on a weekly basis. Thankfully this time, the bull was all bark and no bite.

McDonald was nagging Kemp the entire time we were outside, imploring him to hurry it up so they could go inside. My buddy swears McDonald called Kemp "Max" numerous times, and while that would certainly be interesting, and probably come with a riveting story, I'm not buying it. McDonald sounded as if he was too cold outside. It was probably about 75 degrees outside, so maybe he has a circulation problem of sorts?

The players, after a Kemp interview, headed in to Best Buy, and we followed right behind, almost ending up in the 8th picture in this slideshow found on the Dodgers website. Following the link and looking at the 8th picture, right between Kemp and McDonald is a guy with a Dodgers jacket on. Behind him is a gentleman in a hat. We were right behind him, as evidenced by this picture:


The event began with Charley Steiner introducing everybody in attendance, thanking all of us for attending, and a taking quick look forward to the 2010 season. I could have paid more attention, as evidenced later in the recap. Fernando and Yeager were chillin while waiting to sign. Brad Ausmus, Steve Yeager, and Jim Campanis were faces I hadn't expected to see.


After his intros, the current players began to play video games with the fans, while Fernando, Steve Yeager, and Jaime Jarrin signed autographs.


We picked up special cards the Dodgers had on hand, which Yeager, Fernando, and Jarrin signed. Fernando also signed at least one jersey, and I saw a few helmets already decked out with signatures a few spots ahead of me in line. I later used two of the cards to collect the autographs of Brad Ausmus, McDonald, and Ramon Troncoso. I had Ausmus sign the card which Yeager had signed, and McDonald and Tron signed the card Jarrin had signed.

Ausmus and Yeager

McDonald, Troncoso, and Jarrin

Fernando (given to a friend, she's fascinated that it appears to say "Ida")

My buddies and I then milled around, watching the current players play video games, taking pictures, and enjoying the great atmosphere. Ausmus was playing Guitar Hero, Beatles Edition; McDonald was on DJ Hero; Troncoso was locking down the Wii (and I'm sure a variety of games); not surprisingly, Kemp was playing a basketball video game, perhaps NBA 2K10, from what I overheard.

There were plenty of highlights, both from the players and the fans. McDonald told my friends that after playing DJ Hero, "my forearm be hurtin!" (hopefully nothing that will carry over, as McDonald also informed my friends and I that he'll be starting this season- you heard it here first (?) folks). Matt Kemp then had one of the few embarrassments he will ever know. Playing this kid who was at most 10 years old, Kemp had a one-point lead and fouled the kid with 0.9 seconds remaining. The kid then took the ball out and made a miraculous three quarters court-length shot to beat The Bison. Kemp jumped out of his chair, and the whole place burst into applause and laughter.


Ausmus played guitar hero with my 2 friends, and also scolded me after suggesting that they play "Come Together", due to the fact that "we just played that one!" Sorry Brad. I suggested to Brad that he spell Russell a little more to keep him fresh; he laughed and said Russ would be fine. My friend asked Ausmus for those spiffy glasses of his; he declined. My friend later told Steve Yeager of this, and Yeager gave an all time answer. I'm not sure whether I should include it or not, but thinking more about it, it really is such a classic answer, far too good to pass up: "If those were my glasses I'd f-cking give 'em to you!" Yeager is the man.


McDonald was trash talking all day long. He beat this little kid, then danced in his face (I believe the kids would say this little Dodgers fan got served?)


McDonald worked over my friend in DJ Hero as well. He destroyed him so badly that midway through, he stopped playing to sign autographs. He still won by roughly 20,000 points. McDonald was one of the funniest athletes I've ever come across, always joking around with the fans and his teammates.


A final collection of assorted pictures and notes:

McDonald & Jim Campanis, Guitar Hero; Campanis took vocals for a time

Steve Yeager's 1981 World Series Ring

The Bison Always Draws A Crowd

• Ausmus checked out early
• Kemp and McDonald laughed at fantasy baseball related questions
• Yeager told us "to behave ourselves"
• Caught a player grabbing a quick smoke before the caravan left- a former player
  

I saw a Campanis jersey, and my first assumption was, "Oh wow, it's Al Campanis". For the record, Al Campanis was before my time. I even told one of the other fans, who showed up late, that Al was in attendance, and when he replied to me "I thought he was dead", I calmly said "No, he's alive and well (or kicking)". Someone has egg on their face, don't they. Egg from 1998. Sorry Al, rest in peace. In retrospect, might have helped to listen closer to Steiner's introductions.

In the interest of protecting my wholly important anonymity, I have not included any pictures of myself. Much like the Sons Of Steve Garvey, I am a shadow in the night, and will remain that way for now. Plus, what if this site's namesake, Bill Plaschke, found out who I was? He would heap "shame on you" on me ad nauseam. Though maybe he would send me one of those spiffy argyle sweaters he likes to rock on Around The Horn. Hmmm....if you're reading this Bill, hit me up! I'm a solid interviewer (I imagine).

So, to recap my haul:

• Matt Kemp and Fernando Valenzuela autographed baseball
• 3 autographed Dodgers cards: Steve Yeager/Brad Ausmus, James McDonald/Ramon Troncoso/Jaime Jarrin, Fernando
• Pictures with Kemp, Fernando, McDonald, Tron, Ausmus, Yeager, and Charley Steiner
  
• Free Dodger Towel
• Fun, Fun, Fun
  

This was one of the greatest Dodgers-related experiences of my life, and one of the greatest experiences of my life in general. The players and other attendees were fantastic, and it's always refreshing to see athletes and fans interacting nowadays. I really hope the Dodgers have more of these types of events during the season, and that I'm able to attend, because it's events like these that will help to build a new generation of Dodgers fans.