A 1981 Dodgers Yearbook

My coworker and great friend Mike recently passed along a cool item as he had multiple copies and thought I would enjoy one. I do, and as so often is the case, the art is the best part of it.

This 1981 Dodgers Yearbook features Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker high-fiving. Baker and former Dodger Glenn Burke -- an important figure in his own right for non-baseball related reasons -- are credited with "inventing" the high-five. Championship year Dodgers' stuff is always extra cool in my book.

Thanks as always Mike!

Jay Johnstone is Awesome and Hilarious.

Working in a card shop brings new experiences with it each and every day. About two weeks ago we got a call from a guy looking to bring in some stuff he wanted to get rid of. The next day he called and asked if he could park his truck behind the store. He was almost backing up as he called so I wasn't going to say no. I let my boss know and he headed out to see what was what. My boss soon thereafter walks in with the gentleman and asks me if I know who he is. He tells me the guy hit a home run in the World Series, which of course narrows it down immensely.

As a look of bewilderment spread across my face the guy walked up to me, gave me a big hug, and informed me he was Ernie Banks. That humor should be expected considering the guy hugging me happened to be one of the game's all-time great pranksters, Jay Johnstone. A Dodger in the store! That alone made the day great. Jay proceeded to hang around for about an hour and tell us story after story. My bosses ended up buying everything he brought in, which included a couple of really cool and unique pieces as well as a boatload of 80s and 90s stuff sent to him directly from Sy Berger and Topps.

I had to grab something Dodgers-related for him to sign, and we happened to have the 1981 Topps O-Pee-Chee you see above in-stock. Jay kindly signed without any prompting and also was nice enough to sign the magazine you see above. Jay brought in a handful of those himself, handed them out, and told us it would make for some good bathroom material. Having him sign his John Hancock right across Steve Garvey's body seemed like the logical move.

Jay is actually the second Dodger to come in since I started working there, as Justin Turner came in a few months back. Many, many thanks to Jay for his kindness and willingness to autograph a couple of items for my collection!

The Cheapest Group of Gypsy Queen Dudes in 2012.

I scored a sweet lot of five 2012 Gypsy Queen hits from my LCS a while back. For whatever reason I never got around to scanning them and writing something up. Anyways, for about seven clams and change, here's what I walked away with.

First up, a sweet Brandon Belt on-card auto. I had wanted a Belt auto for some time - I don't really know why, but I did - so that's been accomplished at the least. He's got an interesting signature.

Now, on to the relics. The mini relics usurp the full GQ relics, though I like both. The Steve Carlton was an easy pickup, and Topps went with some old-school wool the Hall of Famer once donned.

The only Dodger of the bunch is none other than Steve Garvey. It's the first Garvey relic in my collection, and Topps selected a great action shot of Steve.

Next up, a guy I marginally collect in Tommy Hanson. CYBORG HANSON TOMMY AGREES WITH THIS PICKUP.

And finally, another mini relic, this one featuring Angels' hurler Dan Haren.

"Recent" In-Person Dodgers' Autographs.

I've got a few in-person autographs to post, and I'll lump them together, considering they happened ages ago. First up, a new project I've begun and am 25% done with.

Steve Garvey was doing one of his many free signings, and I had some time to swing by. I asked him to sign an 8x10 that will eventually include the rest of The Great Infield. Steve was kind enough to inscribe "'74 NL MVP" and was a great and nice guy, as he always is. Shout-out to Paul for letting me borrow a pen and giving me pointers on what pen to use for a project such as this, as well as George for saying hi. Great seeing you gentlemen!

Next up, a pair of John Hancocks I picked up at Dodger Stadium before a Friday Night Fireworks game. I hit up Aisle 27 and got Kenley Jansen on my "2012 Team Ball," and had I not had my cast on, I'm not sure he would have stopped, as he was wrapping up a quick signing session. After coming off of the field, I ran into Harry, who runs Eye On LA Sports. Harry spotted Ron Cey signing and helped me get his signature on my "team" ball, as doing these things one-handed is rather difficult. Good luck in El Paso buddy, and come back and visit!

Trade With drewscards: A Russell Martin Rookie Autograph I Desperately Needed.

I completed my first trade with Drew of drewscards. Drew posted some pickups from his trip to the White Plains show I've read so much about, and one card in particular stood out to me, just calling my name. I inquired as to its availability, and offered up a replacement signature in its place. Drew kindly obliged my request, and the below beauty is now mine!

Numbered 033/185, this sweet 2005 UD SPx Russ rookie sig marks Martin Autograph # 23. Drew picked it up because with Martin now a Yankee, he needed a Russ auto. I was able to replace the above with a Russ minor league auto I had a duplicate of, and I'm so happy Drew was willing to part with a card I know he liked simply because it fit well in my budding Russ SuperCollection. What a mensch, this Drew is! I also sent a pair of Jets relics to the East Coast to make up the difference in the Russell signatures. As an aside, I've never seen Russ with the number 70, and honestly didn't know he wore it at any point. Shame on me.

There was one more card involved in this trade, and after spotting it in Drew's trade bait, I immediately thought of the best home for it. That home is not my own, although if Dennis doesn't need it, I'd have no problem keeping the above Jake Long patch due to the fact that it's awesome and uber-patchy. The patch, numbered 39/50, ran me a C.C. relic and a Steve Garvey relic Drew needs for his Garvey Trifecta.

Drew also looked over my Want Lists and sent nine new additions to help me as I chug along with 2011 Ginter (seven base, one Animal in Peril, one Hometown Hero). I'm down to just six base cards to complete '11 Ginter, plus a handful of assorted insert needs!

I sometimes feel like a young pup in this great card blogging community of ours, but Drew makes me feel like an old man, what with him being in high school and all. Which, of course, makes it all the more impressive that he runs a successful and entertaining blog with great post after great post. Thanks for the fantastic trade Drew and the awesome Martin, I truly appreciate your generosity and willingness to part with it to help a fellow collector out!

Trade With Thoughts & Sox: Sutton, Snider, Pedro, Garvey, 1992 UD

My second trade with Adam from Thoughts & Sox. Follow this friendly link to read up on our first deal.

Adam posted some trade bait a while back, and I hopped on the Dodgers. He sent those, a nice '81 Stolen Base Leaders card, and near about the entire Dodgers' Team Set from 1992 Upper Deck (19 of 30). Which includes a nice rookie/early card of Pedro. Oh, what could have been.

I had one of the remaining eleven '92 UD cards needed for the team set, so I've added the remaining ten to my Want List. I never intended to, but what the hell, I'm close enough that I may as well take a shot at completing the team set.

1979 Sutton, a pair of 1983 Garveys.

If anyone wants one of the Garveys, let me know.

Action Valenzuela!

Much thanks Adam! I have some cards in mind that I'll be sending to you, one in particular I think you'll enjoy - just need to grab it from it's current resting place. Keep an eye out for the postman; I plan to send something out in the next few weeks. Hopefully the cards will be to your liking. And if they are, post them!

"Trade" With Baseball Savvy: Vintage. And Darren Dreifort.

I helped set up Lakers Savvy, a new Lakers blog that will be coming to a computer near you at some point soonish, a while back. It's the brainchild of Howard Cole, who runs Baseball Savvy. I told Howard no payment was necessary, that I was happy to help as much as I could. When he eventually offered to send cards my way, I couldn't turn them down. I mean, when someone offers you cardboard, and vintage cardboard no less, you jump on it.

Howard was kind enough to send me five cards, and all five now have a permanent home in my collection. Without further adieu, let's get to 'em:

1955 Bowman Don Hoak

This thing is in near mint condition. A beautiful looking set from Bowman, and my first from the set which I one day hope to put together. The Dodgers portion of it, of course.

1960 Topps Carl Furillo

1961 Topps Dodgers Team Card

1973 Topps Steve Garvey. Third Base. Awesome.

1995 Donruss Gold Leaf Rookies Darren Dreifort

This bad boy is my first Dreifort, well, anything, if memory serves. And it's signed. The best part of this card is how Howard came to procure it. This is how he told the story: "I paid $55 million for this one, over five years." Ah, it's the little things in life that bring me so much joy.

Thanks again for the cards Howard, and good luck with Lakers Savvy.

Dodgers At The LA County Fair

When I found out via Vin Scully Is My Homeboy that the Dodgers would have a signing at the LA County Fair, and the players featured would be Steve Garvey, Maury Wills, Steve Sax, and Fernando Valenzuela, I knew I had to make it out to Pomona no matter what.

First, here are a few other recaps of the event. DodgerBobble's can be found here, and Bruce wrote a recap and sent it in to Vin Scully Is My Homebody. Eric Karros was originally slated to appear, but was replaced (I think by Sax). Now on to my experience.

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I had no idea what to get signed, and decided to look for something more unique than a ball. I of course waited until the last minute, ending up at a Sports Chalet searching the morning of the fair. When I couldn't find a mini helmet or something else different than the norm, I just bought a ball and decided that I'd use that and if I was lucky enough to get Fernando's signature, I would have him sign his rookie card. I actually have the error version of that rookie card, which features "Fernand Valenzuela" on the front of the card.

I was lucky enough to find a little stand and buy a mini-helmet at the fair. The helmet was only $20, and was the last one at this stand, so I couldn't pass it up. Funny enough, I found out the guy who sold it to me later had a couple more magically appear at his little stand.

The line wasn't terribly long when I finally decided to get in it, and I was fortunate enough to meet a number of nice people to talk to and pass the time. I met the great DodgerBobble for the first time in person, and talked with a number of other fans. Eric, Bruce, and Joey are the guys I got names from.

First up was Steve Sax, who arrived on time and stayed a bit past his designated hour to make sure everybody who wanted his autograph got it. Very nice guy, and he even added his number after his signature, which I didn't see on anybody else's Sax signature, so that's a pretty cool thing in my book.

Next up was Wills. I was lucky enough to get near the front of the Wills line as well, as most everybody was waiting for Garvey or Fernando. Wills was scheduled to sign from 5-6 P.M., but was stuck in traffic and didn't arrive until about 5:40ish. He did stay a whole hour though, and was quite apologetic about his tardiness. He, like Sax, was very nice and talkative with fans, inscribing many autographs with career highlights.

The third Dodger to sign was Steve Garvey. I ended up about mid-line with DodgerBobble and Eric. I had met Steve once before, but I was about 10 years old and remember very little about that experience. Steve, like his fellow former players, was very kind. I thanked him for coming out to the event, and he said "Thanks for your patience".

At that point I left, as I already have Fernando's autograph, and the line for him was crazy long. He had already turned up, arriving just as DodgerBobble and I were about to get our Steve Garvey signatures.

A shot of the mini helmet in it's nice protective case.

While perusing the fair, I also came upon a cool little sports memorabilia shop and picked up three cards.

I'd never seen this Pedro Martinez card before, so it was an easy pick-up for me.

I really liked this 2009 Topps Unique Matt Kemp, so I grabbed it as well.

Finally, could someone who used to post under the moniker KempKershaw really pass this next baby up, even considering it's just an Upper Deck Checklist card? I think we all know the answer to that is an emphatic NO.

The three cards cost a total of four dollars and change.

Just a few parting shots of my time at the LA County Fair. Everything was great, a fantastic event. I definitely intend on going back as often as I can for this yearly event.

Saw this Chad Billingsley "This Is My Town" billboard on the drive to the fair.

Apparently the Dodgers will still have competition selling the now-trademarked "Los Doyers" shirts.

The fair's pig mascot, Thummer, decked out in Dodger Blue. OY. VEY.

Presented without commentary.

Grip of people in line.

Grip of people in line. Part Deux.

Long line for Fernando Valenzuela

Jonathan Broxton Bobblehead Game Recap

I attended the Broxton Bobblehead game this past Tuesday. My buddies and I had infield reserve seats, third base side. We planned to get to the game around 6, and I wanted to go check out Autograph Alley in center field, having never been before.

Of course, my camera ran out of juice about 5 minutes after I entered the stadium, and try as I might, I couldn't take a picture after about 7:00. Remember kids, always charge the batteries for something you plan on using. Lesson learned.

This first response van was next to us at a light driving to the game. I imagine it was on its way to the stadium to pick up Garret Anderson's corpse.

On the way to the game, we passed by this huge billboard for Mannywood. Of course a huge bus got in my way, but you get the idea.

As we entered Dodger Stadium, we were given this nice booklet with Chad Billingsley on the cover.

We were parked right around 6:00, and made our way to center. I had no idea who would be at Autograph Alley, as the Dodgers hadn't announced it, and lo and behold I find Matt Luke there. Honestly, I have no recollection of Matt Luke as a Dodger, and had only heard his name maybe once before. I stand in a line of about 5 people, and Luke signs the card you see below for me. He was also nice enough to take a picture with me. Nice guy.

Loved seeing former Dodgers images immortalized on the pillars at the stadium. Though I unfortunately didn't run into any of the sons of the Sons Of Steve Garvey while at the game. Davey Lopes can be seen behind Garvey; I also saw Ron Cey, Bill Russell, and the amazingly awesome and exciting Mike Piazza.

The game was fantastic, a pitcher's duel from start to finish. There was a proposal (it seems there's one at every game I go to), and I thought it actually looked fairly fake, with the potential bride-to-be running away from her kneeling and ring-bearing boyfriend. She later returned and said yes, and we saw them walking in the parking lot after the game, having parked about two rows over from us. I clapped and said congrats, and they nodded and said thank you, then got in the same car and sat next to each other. So who knows, maybe it was real, maybe it wasn't. I hope it was real and they are getting married, but it did remind me of this other "marriage proposal" which was as fake as can be.



After Manny Ramirez's double to right to drive in the lone Dodger run (and the crowd was electric that whole inning), in walked the man of the day, Jonathan Broxton. As Iron Man blared throughout Dodger Stadium, the fans were going crazy, and Brox's first batter just so happened to be the best player in all of baseball, Albert Pujols. An epic at-bat followed, with Broxton finally striking out Pujols. Broxton closed the inning out, and the Dodgers went home with a 1-0 victory.

And I went home happy as well, having seen a great game and come away with an autograph and a sweet Broxton Bobblehead.