Player Appearance: Nick Punto

It's late in the day, but I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas. I hope you all had a nice holiday and got everything you wanted. I got a few new Dodger items and autographs from Santa this year. I also got myself a gift last weekend, a Dodger bobblehead mini plan for 2013. I picked it up at the second to last stop of the Dodger Holiday Mall Tour at the Westfield Shopping Center in Valencia. I was there on Saturday, December 15 to meet Dodger utility man Nick Punto, who was scheduled to meet fans and sign autograph from Noon to 2:00. 

I arrived at the mall about an hour before Punto was scheduled to appear. There weren't many people there and the Dodger ticket reps were setting up for the event. While waiting in line, I decided to pick up my mini plan. If you signed up for any ticket plan, you received a gift bag from the Dodgers, which was a duffel bag full of swag including a Don Mattingly bobblehead, a fleece blanket and a Dodger holiday ball signed by Fernando Valenzuela. It's on a cheapo China ball, but I'll take the Fernando auto!

After I got my ticket plan, I jumped back in line. It was almost 12 o'clock and Nick wasn't there. Finally Noon, still no Nick. The line was getting longer, more time kept passing  and still no Nick. We were joking in line that maybe he was designated for assignment. At 12:45 Nick finally arrived. Apparently he went to the wrong mall. But he started signing as soon as he got there. It was one auto per person, so I got a baseball signed then jumped back in line and got a picture signed the second time around. 

Thanks to Nick Punto and the Dodgers for putting on a great event and hosting this Holiday tour. Although I only made it to two of the Holiday Mall Tour stops, I was still very happy to get baseball autographs in the offseason. I've gotta give the Dodgers credit too, this was a great idea, getting the fans interested in the upcoming season and giving them incentives for buying tickets in November and December. I hope they do this again next year!

Fernando Valenzuela Bobblehead Night

On Tuesday, August21, the Dodgers gave away Fernando Valenzuela bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. Presented by State Farm, this bobble was the ninth in the series of ten Dodger Stadium Greats bobblehead series. The Dodgers played the Giants that night and lost 4-1.  Before the game, the Dodgers honored Fernando with a video tribute on the Jumbotron and then he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

This is one of the stranger looking bobbleheads the Dodgers have given away. It commemorates the no-hitter Fernando pitched on June 29, 1990. Fernando wore glasses at the time, big gold glasses! Now, the bobblehead's gold glasses are a bit exaggerated, but that's the cool thing about it. Other than that it's pretty damn plain. 

As most of you know, this is the fourth Fernando bobblehead the Dodgers have given away since they started handing them out back in 2001. If you ask me, it's enough. Yes, Fernando is a huge part of Dodger Stadium's 50 year history and he needed to be represented somehow, but they could have paired him up with Jaime Jarrin, who was somehow left out of the Stadium Greats Series after calling games in Spanish for the Dodgers for 54 years. In my opinion, this Fernando bobble was just another money grab by Frank McCourt, and I hope the new ownership group doesn't have to resort to these kind of tactics. Putting a good product on the field and winning will get people into the stadium and it looks like they've already begun doing that.

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.

First Look At Fernandomania Bobblehead

Photo via Dodgers.com

The Dodgers released a new ticket mini plan today, the Retro 4-Pack. This ticket plan includes the remaining three bobbleheads, Andre Ethier on July 7, Fernando Valenzuela "FernandoMania" on July 26, and Duke Snider on August 9. It also includes the Brooklyn Dodgers fleece blanket on September 13. The plans start at $15 a seat.

 With the announcement of the plan, the Dodgers also released a picture of the remaing three bobblehead boxes. On the FernandoMania box, we get the first glimpse of the actual bobblehead. It's a bit difficult to see, but it looks like a young Fernando standing in front of a scoreboard. If anyone knows exactly what it is or if anyone has any guesses, I'd love to hear from you.

 I'm hoping the Dodgers release a hi-res picture of the bobblehead soon. Thanks to BobbleheadFred for the tip.

LA Times' Bill Shaikin Ranks Local Bobbleheads

Alright, we're about one month into the baseball season, and now it's time start thinking about the upcoming bobbleheads. The first Dodger bobblehead giveaway, Clayton Kershaw, is now three weeks away. I'm starting to get excited. There's nothing better than going to Dodger Stadium and picking up another bobblehead for the collection.

With that in mind, Bill Shaikin of LATimes.com ranked some of the upcoming bobbleheads being given away by local baseball teams. Clayton Kershaw's Dodger Stadium giveaway is ranked fourth on the list of 18 bobbleheads. Fernando Valenzuela's Dodger Stadium giveaway is ranked numero uno. Here's Shaikin's list:

For your collecting and/or reading pleasure, Bill Shaikin ranks an entirely subjective list of local bobblehead giveaways, ranked from most coveted to least coveted:

1. FERNANDOMANIA (Dodgers, July 26) He's Fernando. This is L.A. Plus, he actually did bob his head during his delivery.


2. DUKE SNIDER (Dodgers, Aug. 9) Contemporary tribute to Dodgers' Hall of Famer, who died in February.


3. FELIX HERNANDEZ (Inland Empire 66ers, Aug. 20) Cy Young winner pitched for the 66ers in 2004.


4. CLAYTON KERSHAW (Dodgers, May 17) Bobblehead first; the Cy Young will follow soon enough.


5. CLAYTON KERSHAW (Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, May 20) Same bobblehead, but $12 for best seat in house.


6. KENDRYS MORALES (Angels, May 24) Half the bobbleheads have Morales hitting right-handed, half left-handed.


7. KENDRYS MORALES (Inland Empire 66ers, May 28) Same bobbleheads, but $10 for best seat in house.


8. ANDRE ETHIER (Dodgers, July 7) Attendance on his bobblehead night last year: 55,662 — vs. Astros, on Tuesday.


9. ANGELS GNOME (Angels, Aug. 18) Angels currently running contest to "Gname the Gnome."


10. ANGELS GNOME (Inland Empire 66ers, Sept. 4) Angels say they brought back gnome "by popular demand."


11. AEROSPACE APPRECIATION (Lancaster Jethawks, Aug. 13) Tip o' the astronaut helmet to this cool idea.

12. DON MATTINGLY (Dodgers, June 1) Would rank higher if he were hitting, not standing atop the dugout steps.


13. DAN HAREN (Angels, June 28) At this rate, he could be a 15-game winner by then.


14. DAN HAREN (Inland Empire 66ers, July 9) Buy a $5 lawn seat, sell the bobblehead for more on EBay.
15. HONG-CHIH KUO (Dodgers, June 14) Dodgers hope he'll be off the disabled list by then.


16. WOOLY BULLY (High Desert Mavericks, July 16) That's the team mascot, a bull swinging a bat. No bull.


17. ADRIAN BELTRE (Inland Empire 66ers, June 11) Beltre played for the San Bernardino Stampede at age 17.


18. BUD BLACK (Padres, May 7) Padres' manager has as many home runs as his second baseman, shortstop and right fielder combined — zero.
 
Great list. I think Fernando will always be popular here in SoCal, but this is his THIRD Dodger bobblehead. I covet the Duke Snider and Kershaw a little bit more. So, Did Shaikin get this list right? Thoughts?

Opening Day 2011 - Dodgers vs Giants

What a day. It really felt like Christmas. I woke up this morning and all I could think about was getting to Dodger Stadium to see the Dodgers take on the San Francisco Giants.

When I finally got there, I met up with my buddy Albert, who was waiting at Autograph Alley for me. Former Dodger Bill Russell was signing. Russell got there at 2:30. He signed a card, a hat and a postcard for me and my wife. He also took pictures with us.

After we left Autograph Alley, it was time to get into the Stadium. We sat in the All You Can Eat Right Field Pavilion. The crowd was energetic, and everyone was ready for the game to start.

There were a few planes flying pro-Giants banners.  There was one banner that read "SF Giants 2010 Champions Beat LA". It was so far away, and so small that it made it very difficult to see what was written on them.

The Opening Day ceremony was very simple. Plácido Domingo's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" was amazing. Then Fernando Valenzuela came out with Tommy Lasorda. Fernando threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and the crowd went nuts. Then, Vin Scully got on the jumbotron and told the crowd "It's Time For Dodger Baseball", and the season had officially started.

Then it was game time. Clayton Kershaw was brilliant. It was a pleasure watching the kid pitch. Tim Lincecum was pretty good too, but Clayton just outperformed him.Kershaw struck out nine in seven scoreless innings while allowing four hits and only one walk. He left the game winning 2-0.

When Broxton came into save the game in the ninth inning, there were a lot of worried fans. He ended up surrendering a solo homerun, but in the end he got the save. Dodgers won 2-1.

Everything was right in Dodgertown. The Dodgers beat the Giants on Opening Day. Even though it was hotter than hell out there,  I had a great time.


Here's some video of the Opening Day ceremony. I shot it with my phone, so the audio is a bit distorted.

Dodgers Community Caravan: Dodgers Dreamfield Dedication In Northridge

I attended the unveiling of the newest Dodgers Dreamfield today. The Dodgers Dream Foundation and LA84 Foundation dedicated the new Dodgers Dreamfield at Northridge Recreation Center. It was the last stop of the Dodgers' annual community caravan. The dedication ceremony was led by Dodger Owner and Chairman Frank McCourt, 12th District City Councilman Greig Smith, LA84 Foundation President Anita L. DeFrantz, LA84 Foundation Vice President of Grants and Programs Patrick Escobar and General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation Jon Kirk Mukri.


Dodger players in attendance included Rafael Furcal, Matt Kemp, Tony Gwynn Jr., Jay Gibbons and Gabe Kapler, as well as former Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Derrel Thomas, "Sweet" Lou Johnson, Don Newcombe, Todd Zeile and Dodger broadcaster Charley Steiner.

The entire event was a lot of fun. It was nice to see all the little leaguers in attendance.

When the players first arrived, they headed straight to the field, and the fans were told not to ask for autographs until the event was over. People ignored this and started taking pictures with the players and asking for autographs. That was put to a stop quickly once the dedication ceremony began.

Charley Steiner started the ceremony. He introduced all the players and speakers. We heard from Greig Smith, Anita L. DeFrantz, then Frank McCourt. Frank gave a nice speech, then he got all the kids together to start a baseball clinic.

The clinic was separated into stations, and the kids would rotate every five minutes. It was a pleasure to watch.

When the clinic ended, a group picture was taken with all the kids and Dodger personnel. Afterwards, the players took pictures with the fans and signed some autographs. I was there with my Don Newcombe bobblehead hoping to get his autograph. That didn't happen. I had a terrible experience trying to get him to sign. I would love to tell this story, but I don't want to bad-mouth anyone. Maybe one day I'll actually get him to sign the bobble. Anyways, with all the time I wasted trying to get Newk's autograph, I missed out on some other opportunities. I did get to meet Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Todd Zeile and Gabe Kapler though.

Dodgerbobble and Fernando

Dodgerbobble and Garv

Dodgerbobble and Todd Zeile

It's hard to see, but that's Gabe Kapler's autograph

Now I'm ready for baseball. First Spring Training then Opening Day. We're almost there.