Dee Gordon Looks Good In Orange

In yet another Facebook trade, I was able to pick up a new Dee Gordon autograph for the PC. This was my eighth trade on The Sports Card Hangout, and this time the trade was with a fellow Grapher named Alex. After a couple of weeks of negotiating, Alex and I were able to come to an agreement on this beautiful orange 2011 Topps Finest Gordon auto numbered to 99. This is Dee Gordon auto number 9 for me and the fourth different Topps Finest.

Alex also sent over a nice assortment of Dodger cards including a Jerry Sands Bowman Chrome rookie numbered to 500 and and a sweet John Ely(remember St. Ely?) Bowman Chrome blue refractor numbered to 199. 

I wanted to thank Alex for the trade and if anyone is interested in making a trade with him, you can check out his PhotoBucket here.

A Trade With Mr. Baseball

I was contacted by Scott of Mr.Baseball-Scott a couple of weeks ago. He was interested in a 2011 Topps Lineage Chris Carpenter mini jersey card and some of my Red Sox refractors. After taking a look at his trade bait, we were able to work out a deal.


Scott hooked me up, sending me a 2010 Topps Heritage James Loney jersey card, helping me complete a trifecta. He also sent a 2010 Bowman Platinum Jerry Sand rookie card, and two 2010 Topps Commemorative patches, Mike Schmidt and Eddie Matthews. 

Thanks Scott for the great trade, I can't wait for the next one! You can check out Scott's blog here.

Some Recent Dodger Auto Pick Ups

I've picked up a few Dodger autographs over the last few weeks. What I've been doing is trying to concentrate on some of the youngsters in the organization.

Here's a 2004 Javy Guerra/Justin Orenduff Upper Deck SP Prospects dual auto /175. Javy Guerra, the Dodgers current Closer, has been one of the few bright spots in this terrible 2011 Dodgers season. Can't say much about Orenduff, who retired from baseball in 2009, then came back to the Dodgers in 2011. He was released in July after posting an era of almost 9.

Ivan DeJesus Jr. has been up and down between the Dodgers and AAA Albuquerque a couple times this year. I'm sure he'll get a September call-up, but will he be on the roster next April? We'll see. Here's his 2007 Bowman Chrome Auto.

Another guy who's made a few trips between LA and Albuquerque is Jon Link. Link, who came to the Dodgers with John Ely in the Juan Pierre trade, has had a mediocre 2011 down in AAA. This is his 2010 Topps Chrome Auto.

One of the guys I'm most excited about in the Dodgers organization is Jerry Sands. He's another guys who's sure to get a September call-up, and hopefully he's a regular player in LA next season. Here's his 2010 Bowman Platinum Auto.

One of my latest pick-ups is this 2011 Topps Pro Debut Garrett Gould Auto. Gould was the Dodgers second round pick in 2009. He's currently playing for the Single-A Great Lakes Loons in the Midwest League, and has made some great strides over the last couple years. 

This last Dodger auto is one I wish I didn't have, but I figured I should pick it up in case anything becomes of him. This is a 2007 Upper Deck National Signatures Tim Federowicz Auto /275. TFed came from the Red Sox in the Trayvon Robinson trade. Robinson, of course was a top prospect in the Dodger organization and was sent to Seattle in the three-team deal. Federowicz well, he wasn't even a top ten prospect for the Sox. But the Dodgers lacked depth at the catcher position. Thank you Ned.

"Let's face it, this game is over" -Vin

After winning two games in a row, the Dodgers were back to their losing ways, falling to the Atlanta Braves tonight, 10-1.

Hiroki Kuroda pitched a solid 6.1 innings, giving up just two earned runs and striking out four Braves. But it didn't make a difference. Atlanta starter Brandon Beachy, who pitched 6 scoreless innings, and the Braves bullpen held the woeful Dodger offense to one run.

But the offense, or lackthereof, wasn't the only issue with the boys in blue. The Dodgers bullpen completely imploded tonight. Kenley Jansen and Ramon Troncoso combined to give up 8 earned runs in the 9th inning, including a two-run homerun by Eric Hinske and a three-run homer by Dan Uggla. Jansen now has an era of 11.42 , Troncoso 20.25. Yes, that's an era of TWENTY!

In the top of the 9th inning, after the Braves had scored their tenth run, Vin Scully said, "Let's face it, this game is over". When Vin says something like that, you know it's bad.

Jerry Sands, in his second major league game, went 1 for 4 with a double. He also did some bad base running, making out while trying to go to third on a grounder to the shortstop. The kid's got some learning to do. Matt Kemp went 0 for 3 tonight with a walk, lowering his league-leading batting average to .438

Sandman Called Up

We all knew he was coming, but who knew it would happen this soon? Dodgers top prospect 1B/OF Jerry Sands was called up from AAA Albuquerque to the Dodgers today. To make room for Sands on the roster, the Dodgers designated Xavier Paul for assignment.

Sands is on fire right now, batting .400 with five homeruns and 17 RBIs at Albuquerque. With the Dodgers in an offensive funk, it makes sense to get his hot bat into the line-up. And they're wasting no time doing that. Sands will bat 7th tonight and play left field.

The Sandman will be patrolling left field tonight, but he can also play firstbase. So, should James Loney be worried? In 16 games this year, Loney is batting .150 with one homerun, 6 RBI and an OBP of .175. I'd say he has something to worry about. If things don't get better, Loney could be benched for the hot bat. Maybe this will burn a fire under James.

Dodgers News And Notes

We're two weeks away from Opening Day. Woohoo!
Anyway, here are some notes on this Thursday:

The Dodgers wear green uniforms for St. Patty's Day. The boys, who are normally in blue, wore green hats and jerseys for St. Patrick's Day. Those jerseys were signed and auctioned off for the Dodgers Dream Foundation.

Season Ticket Open House at Dodger Stadium. Interested in becoming a Dodger season ticket holder? The Dodgers will be holding an Open House on Saturday, March 19th and Saturday, March 26th. Anyone who purchases a season ticket plan at the Open House will also receive a Dodgers fleece blanket.

Dodgers reassign Jerry Sands to minor league camp. I think many of us want to see him play in LA now, but the truth is, he needs some more time in the minors. He'll probably start the season in AA Chattanooga. We could see him called up to the big club in September.

Jay Gibbons gets new contacts. Gibby, who is 2 for 22 so far in Spring Training, had his eyes checked in San Francisco, and was fitted for new contact lenses. Let's see if this helps him at the plate.

Is Darren Dreifort considering a comeback? The former Dodger, who hasn't pitched since 2004, visited Camelback Ranch this week as a guest instructor on the Minor League side. He threw a bullpen session and batting practice and hinted at a return to the majors. He'll be 39 in May. Dreifort retired at age 32 because of a condition that cursed him with weak connective tissue and led to 12 operations on his elbow, hip, knee, shoulder and ankle.

New Dodger billboards. The Dodgers have a new ad campaign. They've gone away from the "This Is My Town" ads and have come up with "It's Time". Roberto at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy shows us some of these new billboards.

Dodgers News And Notes

Breakfast with Tommy. LATimes.com's TJ Simers sat down with Tommy Lasorda. The two talked about losing wieght, living to 100, Don Mattingly, Tim Wallach and Vin Scully. Tommy even threw in a funny Mike Scioscia story.

The Dodgers sign Tim Redding. The Dodgers signed journeyman right-handed pitcher Tim Redding to a Minor League contract today. Redding, who last pitched in the majors with the New York Mets in 2009, is 37-57 for his career with a 4.95 era.

Tommy Davis to play in legends game. Former Dodger Tommy Davis will be playing in the 23rd Annual Joe DiMaggio Legends Game. The game will be played on Saturday, January 29 at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, former spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. The game will raise money for the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Is Jerry Sands close to making it up to the majors? ESPNLA.com's Jon Weisman takes a look at the Dodger prospect. He thinks Sands could make his major league debut this season and could be a serious contender to start in 2012.

Will the Dodgers sign another lefty reliever? Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness wonders if the Dodgers should pick up another lefty to join Hong-Chih Kuo in the bullpen. Mike gives us a list of possible candidates.