Player Appearance: Javy Guerra

Dodgers reliever Javy Guerra made an appearance at Video & Audio Center in Santa Monica on Saturday. He was scheduled to meet fans and sign autographs from Noon to 1pm.

I was looking forward to this event. Javy's hot right now as the Dodgers current Closer, going 8 for 8 in save opportunities and sporting a solid 1.85 era. I wasn't expecting a large crowd though because Matt Kemp and Tony Gwynn Jr. were signing at the same time over at Frank & Sons. I was right about that. When I arrived, there about 25 people in line, and when Javy started signing, there were only about fifty people there.

Guerra arrived on time, and he started signing right away. He was signing everything that was put in front of him, so I went with a  ball and an 8x10. He was also very friendly, chit-chatting with everyone and taking pictures. I had a chance to get back in line, but I figured two autos was plenty.

I had a great time at the event. Thanks to Video & Audio Center and Javy Guerra.

Player Profile: Fernandomania Bobblehead

Last Tuesday, the Dodgers celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of Fernandomania. The team gave away bobbleheads and payed tribute to El Toro throughout the night. One of the highlights of the evening was a player profile of Fernando on the JumboTron. The Dodger legend talked about some of the best moment in his career, but instead of hearing it from Fernando himself, it was told by the Fernandomania bobblehead. Check it out:

Contest Time!

Alright, it's time for another Dodgerbobble.com/Bobbles Galore bobblehead contest.

The first dodgerbobble.com follower to answer tonight's question correctly wins the Fernandomania bobblehead. You must also 'LIKE' Bobbles Galore on Facebook. You can see all the contest rules here.

OK, here's tonight's question:


Fernando Valenzuela played 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodger. He also played for five other teams in his career. The first dodgerbobble.com follower to tell me any TWO of the five teams he played for wins the Fernandomania bobblehead.


Don't forget, you must answer on Bobbles Galore's Facebook page.

Contest Reminder

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Fernandomania bobblehead contest will be held tonight following the Dodgers/Rockies game. The lucky winner will receive a Fernando Valenzuela "Fernandomania" bobblehead courtesy of Bobbles Galores. It's the same one that was given away at last night's Dodger game.


Remember, you must be a follower of dodgerbobble.com and you must 'LIKE' Bobbles Galore on Facebook. Of course, you must answer the question correctly on the Bobbles Galore Facebook page. The question will be asked here on dodgerbobble.com. For all the rules click here.

Fernandomania Bobblehead Night

Click here to purchase

One more bobblehead night is in the books. Tonight was Fernandomania bobblehead night, and the first 50,000 fans in attendance received a Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead courtesy of Kaiser Permanente.

When I arrived at Dodger Stadium at 5:40, there was an enormous line in the Reserve level parking lot. I knew this was going to be a popular giveaway, so the place was gonna be packed. And the stadium did fill up, but I don't think it was as crazy as the Andre Ethier bobblehead night a few weeks ago.

More than 50,000 fans did show up to the game, and not all of them got the bobblehead. This included some friends that met us there. Instead of getting a bobblehead tonight, they were given a voucher to get a bobblehead for a future date. I thought it was nice of the Dodgers to honor the giveaway, but why not just give them the bobblehead tonight? Oh well, at least they'll get one.

Clayton Kershaw started for the boys in blue, and as usual, he pitched a gem, going 6.2 innings and giving up only 2 earned runs while striking out six Rockies. Kersh got the W, and Kenley Jansen got the Save, pitching a perfect 9th inning. 

Fernando was honored tonight with a short video montage before the game. It highlighted some of the great moments in his career, with many former Dodger legends remembering those moments, including Mike Scioscia, Rick Monday and Ron Cey. There was Mexican music running underneath the video, and it really got the crowd going. It's hard to believe it's been thirty years since Fernandomania.

Onto the bobblehead. 

I think this is one of the better looking bobbleheads the Dodgers have given away. But, this is the third Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead though. I think it's time to start honoring some other Dodger legends and current players. There are many to choose from, so hopefully the Dodgers can bring us something new in 2012.

Who's Going to Fernandomania Bobblehead Night?

Alright, we've come to another bobblehead night. Presented by Kaiser Permanente, the Dodgers will be giving away Fernandomania bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. 

We all know how popular Fernando still is n Los Angeles, so get to the stadium early. Dodger Stadium was packed on Andre Ethier bobblehead night. I would expect the same type of turn out today.

So, who's going to the game tonight?

Player Appearance: Fernando Valenzuela

This past Sunday, Fernando Valenzuela made an appearance at Viva Los Dodgers Day at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Fernandomania this week. In honor of the anniversary, Fernando met with the fans and signed autographs for an hour at the event. 


Fernando was scheduled to appear from 11:30 to 12:30. I got to the stadium at 10:30, but the fans weren't allowed past the gates and into the parking lot until 11:10. Once the those gates opened, people started running to the line. And that line got long very quickly. I think there were a few hundred people there within 10 minutes. I was about the fiftieth person.


After waiting in the heat for twenty minutes, Fernando arrived. The staff at Viva Los Dodgers run things very smoothly, so the line moved quickly. Security is also there, so people don't cut. I saw a few people try to sneak in, and they were held back. If every player appearance were like this, it would make things a hell of a lot better. 


I decided to get my 2001 Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead signed. He's got a long name, and that bobble has a larger head, so I thought it would fit better. When it was my turn in line, I gave Fernando all the Spanish I know, "Hola, como esta"? He signed the bobblehead, and I said "gracias". I was a little proud of myself because I usually     get embarrassed when trying to speak Spanish. After he signed the bobblehead, he handed it back to me and I was so happy. The signature didn't come out as nice as I expected, but I still love it.

This was the line for Fernando when I left. There must have been 300 people.

Thanks Fernando!

Player Appearance: Clayton Kershaw

Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw made an appearance at Living Spaces in La Mirada today. He was scheduled to meet the fans and sign autographs from 10:00am to Noon.

I arrived at Living Spaces at 4:30am. There were already about 150 people in line. This was one of those appearances I knew would get crazy. I had heard from a few different people that they would be arriving very early. Well, by 6:00 am, the line was wrapping around the building, and by 8:00 I think there were over 400 people there.

At around 8:30, that's when all hell broke loose. Two Living Spaces employees started handing out wrist bands. Everyone from from the back of the line began rushing them. Before you knew it, there were hundreds of people at the front of the line surrounding the lady with the wrist bands. A lot of those people from the back of the line were now closer to the front, and the line had turned into a huge mess.

The first group of 100 people  got yellow wrist bands. I eventually got a green wrist band, which put me in the second group of people. This pissed me off because I should have been in that first group.

Things finally started getting organized, but the line was growing longer and longer. I was finally sent into the store at around 9:30 and was about 215 people back. Clayton arrived on time. He walked in through the front door and the crowd started cheering. The line began moving at around 10:10, and it moved at a nice pace.

I got to the front of the line at around 11:30. We were told one autograph per person and no pictures with Clayton. I decided to get my bobblehead signed. Kersh was very nice, signing his name on one side of the hat and  inscribing 2011 All-Star on the other side.

When I walked out of the store at 11:35, the line was still very long, and still wrapping around the building. There were hundreds of people there, and I've heard now that most left without the autograph.

I hate to say it, but this event was a little disappointing. Living Spaces usually has their shit together, but today was very unorganized, and the whole wrist band incident could have been handled better.

This was the line when we left

There are just too many people to give shout outs to in this post, but it was great seeing everyone today. Thanks to Clayton Kershaw for the autograph and Living Spaces for hosting the event.

Two New Suspects Arrested In Bryan Stow Case

Word is just coming in that two new suspects have been arrested in the Bryan Stow beating case.. The original suspect, Giovanni Ramirez, has been exonerated by the LAPD.

From LATimes.com

Los Angeles police have arrested two men on suspicion of beating baseball fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium and have concluded the suspect they took into custody in May was not responsible, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told The Times on Thursday.

The developments mark a dramatic turnaround in the case. Until now, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other police officials expressed confidence that Giovanni Ramirez, a parolee, was responsible for the beating.

But since Ramirez's arrest in May, detectives struggled to build a case. Beck moved the case in June to the  elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

Beck said in an interview in June that the case against Ramirez was based "hugely" on eyewitness identifications and that such cases can be difficult to prosecute. Prosecutors had asked that more work be done on the case before they filed charges.

Reached on Thursday, Ramirez's attorney said he had not heard about the development.I haven’t heard anything [about the new arrests] yet,” said Anthony Brooklier. “But if it’s true I’m happy for my client. I always believed he was factually innocent. There was a lot of pressure on LAPD. I believe that they were operating in good faith and made a good faith mistake.”]

Brooklier waged a highly public case arguing his client was innocent.
Brooklier repeatedly has gone before television cameras to assert Ramirez's innocence, had his client take a polygraph exam and made headlines with his claim that nearly a dozen people could place Ramirez at his home at the time of the attack. He announced as well that Ramirez had hair on his head when the beating occurred and so could not have been the bald assailant described by witnesses.

On Thursday, the LAPD was preparing to release an official statement saying the investigation “is continuing” and that detectives were making “good progress.”  More information would be released when it becomes available, officials said.
It's unclear what evidence prompted police to arrest the new suspects.

I'm one of the many people who thought Ramirez was guilty before he was even tried in a courtroom. Of course, his mug shot looked very similar to the LAPD's composite sketches of the suspects. It just goes to show, you can't judge a book by it's cover and you're always innocent until proven guilty.

 

Bobblehead Contest Rules

Alright everyone, I've got the details on the next dodgerbobble.com/Bobbles Galore bobblehead contest. The  rules will be the same as the last contest, simply because I'm too lazy to come up with something new right now. Plus, the last time I changed things up at the last minute anyway. So this time we'll stick to the rules, at least for now. I could change things up at the last second again.

Here are the rules:


(1)You must be a follower of this blog. What does that mean? Your name must be in my list of 'Followers' in the blog sidebar. If you're already a follower, you can win. If you're not a follower, click on the 'FOLLOW' button in the sidebar. 

(2)You must be a fan of BobblesGalore.com on Facebook. Click here, and 'LIKE' their page. Why do you need to do that? That's where you'll be answering the question to win the bobblehead.

(3)Answer the question correctly. On Wednesday, July 27, I'll post a question here on dodgerbobble.com following the Dodgers/Rockies game. The first person to answer the question correctly on the BobblesGalore Facebook page will win the Fernandomania bobblehead.

If anyone has a question about the contest, email me at dodgerbobble@yahoo.com. Remember, you must be a follower of dodgerbobble.com and a fan of BobblesGalore on Facebook. 

First Look: Duke Snider Bobblehead

The Dodgers have given us our first look at the final bobblehead of the year, Duke Snider. This is the one I'm most excited about. And it doesn't disappoint. I love the classic look of this bobblehead. I think they got the Duke right. Presented by State Farm ,this bobblehead will be given away to the first 50,000 fans in attendance.

From Dodgers.com:

The Dodgers will celebrate the life of Hall of Famer Duke Snider on Tuesday, August 9 with pregame ceremonies honoring the franchise's all-time leading home run hitter and special presentations throughout the game. In addition, fans at the game will receive a bobblehead featuring the legendary outfielder's likeness and will be able to pose for photos with Snider's Hall of Fame plaque, which is making a rare trip to Dodger Stadium from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York for the event.


Duke Snider's Hall of Fame plaque will be displayed on the field at the bottom of Field level aisle 27, just down the third base line from the Dodger dugout, from 5:10 - 6:30 p.m. for fans to pose for photographs. After the start of the game, the plaque will be displayed in the club level memorabilia concourse as part of a special Duke Snider exhibit.


Fans at the August 9 game will receive Duke Snider bobbleheads, presented by State Farm, which feature him at the plate in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform.


Snider's wife Bev, four children, Kevin, Kurt, Pam and Dawna, several grandchildren and other family members will all be on hand at the game and will participate in the pre-game ceremonies.
Snider passed away on Feb. 27 at the age of 84. He was born Edwin Donald Snider in Los Angeles, CA on Sept. 19, 1926 and became one of the game's most feared hitters during his 16 seasons with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-1962), playing on a pair of World Championship teams (1955 and 1959) and in six World Series overall. The eight-time All-Star center fielder ranks as the franchise's all-time leader in home runs (389) and runs batted in (1,271) and during the 1950s, he topped all Major Leaguers with 326 homers and 1,031 RBI. He slugged four home runs in both the 1952 and 1955 World Series.

The Dodgers have worn a memorial patch in Snider's honor at all games this season. Snider's uniform number was retired on July 6, 1980 and is one of just 10 retired numbers in franchise history. His number is displayed over the left field pavilion.

Contest Announcement

Alright, we're one week away from another bobblehead night. On Tuesday, July 26, the Dodgers will be giving away Fernando Valenzuela "Fernandomania" bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. Presented by Kaiser Permanente, this bobblehead commemorates the 30th anniversary of Fernandomania.

Dodgerbobble.com and Bobbles Galore would like to give one of these bobbleheads away as well. We'll be holding another contest next Wednesday following the Dodgers/Rockies game. I'll have all the contest details tomorrow. 

Bobblehead News

We're a little more than half-way through the baseball season and there have been some great bobblehead giveaways so far. Usually, I  talk bobblehead news once a month, but July's been one of the better months. So, here's some more  news from the bobblehead world:

Twins honor 1991 World Series Champs. The Minnesota Twins will be selling a 20th anniversary set commemorating the 1991 World Series Championship team. The set will include all 25 players and manager Tom Kelly. 1,000 sets will go on sale Monday, July 18 at 9am. They will be sold for $391 and all proceeds will go to the Minnesota Twins Community Fund.

Hammer Time. The MC Hammer bobblehead, which I've mentioned in the past, will be given away by the Oakland Athletics to the first 15,000 fans in attendance today.Before he was known as Hammer, Stanley Burrell worked in the A's clubhouse from 1973 to 1980.

116-win Seattle team honored. This past Friday, the Seattle Mariners celebrated 2001's 116-win team by giving away Mike Cameron/Mark McLemore bobbleheads to the first 20,000 fans in attendance. The bobblehead depicts the two players holding an American flag together.

King Felix gets a Cy Young Bobble.  OK, this isn't a July promotion, it's an August promotion, but the pictures were finally released this month. The Inland Empire 66ers will be giving away Felix Hernandez Cy Young  bobbleheads on August 20. Hernandez played for the 66ers in 2004.

And in some non-sports bobblehead news...


Clarence Thomas gets a bobblehead. Justice Clarence Thomas is the latest Supreme Court Judge to be honored with a bobblehead. Created and distributed by Green Bag, a quarterly law review, this bobblehead has Thomas holding an American flag and standing on two pizza boxes.  And no, there isn't a coke can with a pubic hair on it. The bobbleheads will not be for sale, and will only be made available to Green Bag subscribers. Here's a breakdown of the Thomas bobblehead:

You can see the rest of the Supreme Court Justice bobblehead collection here.