Jaime Jarrin Doesn't Get A Bobblehead, But He Does Get A T-Shirt. Oh, And Dodgerbobble Got Some Autographs!

Normally I don't write about any other Dodger Stadium promotional nights besides bobblehead nights, but last Monday I attended Jaime Jarrin T-shirt night, and I wanted to talk about it a bit. The first 30,000 fans in attendance received shirts with Jarrin's famous catch phrase "Se Va, Se Va, Se Va" on the front which means going, going, going and "despidala con un beso!" on the back, which means kiss it goodbye. I'm talking about this promotion because I think the Dodgers screwed up by not giving Jarrin a bobblehead this year. I know this has been talked about and written about numerous times, but I thought I'd mention it again. With ten bobbleheads being given away at Dodger Stadium to commemorate the 50th anniversary, the Spanish voice of the Dodgers didn't get one, which I consider a slap in the face after 54 years of service. Maybe they wanted to make him one and he didn't want it, who knows, but if Vin Scully finally got one, why not Jaime?

Jarrin was honored before the game with a special video from the Dodgers and he also threw out the ceremonial first pitch. But before the ceremony on the field, Jaime met with the fans and signed autographs. I've been lucky enough to meet him a few times, but never got the autographs I really wanted, on the sweet spot of a baseball. That night I finally got it, plus a couple others. 

Jaime Jarrin 

This is a Fernando Valenzuela card I got signed along with Jarrin.
You can see Jaime's face peeking through there, so I figured I'd have both men sign it.

Dodger Stadium organist Nancy Bea Hefley with her trademark musical note.
She's another Dodger Stadium icon who shoulda got a bobblehead.

Dodger legend Maury Wills

Dodger rookie Shawn Tolleson

Don Mattingly

I hope next year the Dodgers get their act together and give Jaime Jarrin that bobblehead he deserves. I think the T-shirt is really cool, but a Hall of Famer deserves better.

Dodgers Players And Coaches Sign Autographs For Tornado Relief

I attended "Viva Los Dodgers" Day at Dodger Stadium today. They had all the usual festivities, mariachi bands, dancing, raffles and giveaways. The Dodgers also raised funds today for tornado relief in the southern states. Many players and coaches signed autographs for the fans in attendance. For a $5 donation, you were able to get one autograph. The whole event was spearheaded by Dodger reliever Lance Cormier, who is originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, one of the hardest cities hit by the tornadoes.

Some of the other Dodgers who appeared were: Manager Don Mattingly, Pitching Coach Rick Honeycutt and players Clayton Kershaw, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Guerrier, Chad Billingsly and Marcus Thames.

Tommy Lasorda was there too, taking pictures with the fans and the 1981 World Series trophy. Jim Campanis was also there, as the original schedueled autograph alley signer.

I got there early, and headed straight for the Don Mattingly line. The line moved quickly. I had Donnie sign his 1987 Donruss Yankees card.

Don Mattingly

Next was Rick Honeycutt. I had him sign a ball. I wasn't paying attention, and he signed the ball with Sharpie. Oh well.

Rick Honeycutt

Next was Clayton Kershaw. Surprisingly, his line only took about 15 minutes to get through. Marcus Thames was signing at the same table and they let us get both signatures for the $5 donation. I had Kersh sign a card and Thames sign my hat.

Kersh

Marcus Thames

I got in the Tommy Lasorda line next, but missed him by just a few people. I wasn't too upset because I've met Tommy before. As I walked away, I ran into Dodgers photographer Jon Soo Hoo.

Jon Soo Hoo

At that point, the game was about to begin and people were heading to the stadium. Jim Campanis was still there signing,so I got in his line. He was very nice. He signed a card and my hat. He also took a picture with me and let me wear his World Series ring.

Jim Campanis

I had a great day today. I hope the Dodgers raised a lot of money! Thanks to Theresa for everything today. It was nice seeing Simon, Jason, Javier, Gustavo and Joseph. If I missed anyone, sorry. And thanks to Vin Scully Is My Homeboy for all the info on today's event.

Bobblehead News

Here's a bit of bobblehead news to start off the week:

Last month the Dodgers released the first images of the Don Mattingly bobblehead they'll be giving away on June 1. Roberto from Vin Scully Is My Homeboy has the first hi-res images of the bobble. This looks like another good one.

Today is the one-year anniversary of Ubaldo Jimenez' no-hitter. The Colorado Rockies celebrated the anniversary by giving away Ubaldo bobbleheads. Doesn't really look like him.

The Anaheim Angels have a few bobblehead nights on their 2011 promotional schedule. The first one falls on Tuesday, May 24, when the Angels will be giving away Kendrys Morales bobbleheads. The interesting thing about this bobblehead is, they'll be giving away two different versions of the star first baseman, one batting left-handed and one batting right-handed.  From Angels.com:

Right Handed or Left Handed? Which Kendry Morales Bobblehead will you get? (one per fan per entry, no exchanges)

I'll be attending this game with my wife. Maybe we'll get both of them.

On July 17, the Oakland Athletics will be giving away MC Hammer bobbleheads to the first 10,000 fans in attendance. No, the bobblehead will not be wearing the baggy pants. Hammer was an A's batboy when he was a teenager. The above picture is a prototype of the bobblehead.

And finally, the Tampa Bay Rays needed to come up with a new promotion to replace the Manny Ramirez bobblehead on May 29. Manny retired last week instead of taking a 100 game suspension for a positive drug test. With Manny going bye-bye, so did the bobblehead. The Rays are taking advantage of the hot start from outfielder Sam Fuld. The Rays will be giving away Super Sam Fuld capes instead.

I wonder what's gonna happen with the 10,000 Manny Ramirez bobbleheads that have been produced. Something tells me will see one on Ebay soon.

First Look: Don Mattingly Dugout Bobblehead

Here's another 2011 Dodger bobblehead preview. On Wenesday, June 1, the Dodgers will be giving away Don Mattingly bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. This bobble will be given away courtesy of Carls Jr.

Here's Donnie Baseball:

Glad to see the Dodgers going with something new. I love this bobblehead. Mattingly at the top of the dugout stairs is genius. This shot is from Dodgers.com. It's very small and blurry though.. Hopefully we'll get a bigger and better shot of it later today.

Dodgers Pride Night At Staples Center

Thursday night, the Los Angeles Kings hosted Dodgers Pride Night at Staples Center. Dodgers' Manager Don Mattingly dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game and former Dodger Billy Ashley was on hand signing autographs.

This was a special night for me because I got to take my wife and sons to their first hockey game. The Kings played the St. Louis Blues. When we arrived at Staples, we could feel the Dodger vibe. Fans were walking around wearing Dodger blue and Kings purple and black.

The first thing we did when we got there was look for Billy Ashley. He was tough to find. We were told he would be signing in the main concourse. So we walked over there, but he wasn't there. So we just kept walking, and eventually we ran into his signing table. We walked straight up to him and asked him if he was signing yet, and he said yes. I asked him how he was doing and he told us he was trying to stay awake. He was very nice, he signed a card, a hat and a ball for us.

After we met Ashley, we went and watched the Kings and Blues warm up. We were able to go right up to the ice, and I think that's when my wife and kids fell in love with hockey.

After watching the two teams warm up, we went up to our seats. We got there just in time to hear the National Anthem. Then it was time for the dropping of the ceremonial puck. Don Mattingly came out wearing a Kings jersey. The Dodger fans gave him a nice round of applause.

Then it was game time. My wife and kids really got into it. Hockey is one of those sports that you have to see live to really appreciate.They told me they wanted to come back to catch a few more games this year. I can't wait to come back to Staples with my family to see the Kings, but what I'm really anxious for is that first Dodger game.