Tommy John And Lee Lacy Appearance

I took a trip down to Frank & Sons last Saturday with Spiegel and Franz. I was there to get Tommy John's and Lee Lacy's autographs and pick up a few other things. 

When we arrived, Lacy was signing autographs for free. I've got his autograph numerous times at Dodger Stadium, but I still needed to get his 1973 Topps rookie card signed, so I got that done.

There were still a couple of hours to kill before TJ signed, so we took a stroll around F&S. Someone was selling the Chick Hearn and Kareem Abdul Jabbar bobbleheads the Lakers gave away this year, so I picked up both. I'll do full posts on both bobbleheads in the future.

After picking up a couple other items at the show, we headed over to the autograph line. Pete Rose was there signing at the same time. I was tempted to get Rose as well, but passed because I've got him before and I needed to get home pretty quickly. 

When we got to TJ's table, I got my baseball signed, took some pictures and put my camera away. Then Tommy made a comment on Franz's Mike Piazza T-shirt, they chatted for a minute or two, then he asked me to take my camera out of my pocket so he could take some pictures with Franz and myself. I've never had an athlete ask to take pictures before, so I was bit shocked. 

As usual, I had a great time at Frank & Sons. Not only did I get to meet the legend Tommy John, I also got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen since the baseball season ended, so it was nice catching up.

Tommy Lasorda/Walter Alston Bobblehead Night

Last Saturday the Dodgers honored former Managers Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda with a dual bobblehead. Presented by Bank of America this bobblehead was given to the first 50,000 fans in attendance.


Usually, I go the bobblehead games with Mrs.Dodger Bobble, but earlier in the day I won two more tickets at a Steve Garvey appearance, so we took our two sons with us. We arrived at Dodger Stadium early, over two hours before game time, because the last time the Dodgers gave away a bobblehead on a Saturday night, I ended up getting there very late. Plus, former Dodger catcher Paul LoDuca was signing autographs in autograph alley from 4:10-5:30 and I knew there would be a lot of people trying to get his autograph.  

Boy was I right. When we got to autograph alley there was already a very long line for LoDuca. We heard he was only personalizing autographs, which was a little disappointing, but we decided to get the signature anyway.  Paul was very nice, and signed everything put down in front of him. It was a little strange to see a Dodger employee standing over his shoulder making sure he personalized every autograph. 

That's me and LoDuca

From there, we went up and got our bobbleheads. There was a surprisingly small crowd there that night. Dr. Frank Jobe, famous for performing the first Ulnar Collateral Ligament replacement surgery, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Tommy John, the man who Jobe performed the first surgery on and who the surgery is now named for. It was a touching moment which received a standing ovation.  

Like every other bobblehead recipient, Lasorda and Alston got a  nice video tribute on the Jumbotron which also got a standing ovation. The Dodgers on the other hand did not deserve a standing ovation. After taking a 6-5 lead into the 9th inning, and being only one strike away from winning, Closer Kenley Jansen had a brain fart on the mound. The Padres had runners on second and third base when Jansen began removing dirt from his cleat. The runner at third saw this and stole home. Jansen then  made a high throw to the plate allowing the next baserunner to score. The Dodgers failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, and fell to the Padres 7-6. It was a sad way to end a night that started off good.


On to the bobblehead. This is another dual mini bobblehead that looks absolutely amazing. I'm not a big fan of the size, but I can live with it because of how great the features are. Lasorda looks like Lasorda and Alston looks like Alston. Enough said. 

The next bobblehead giveaway is Kirk Gibson on Tuesday, July 31 when the Dodgers play the Arizona Diamondbacks.

2005 Donruss Greats Tommy John Autograph

Here's another Dodger autograph, Tommy John, the man for whom the revolutionary surgery is named. John played six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, from 1972-1974 and from 1976-1978. In those six season with L.A., he went 87-42 with a 2.97 ERA.

In the middle of the 1974 season, Tommy John was 13-3, when he injured his pitching arm. He damaged the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his elbow, or UCL, which led to a revolutionary surgical operation performed by Dr. Frank Jobe. The surgery, now known as Tommy John Surgery, replaces the ligament in the elbow with a tendon from the forearm.

John would sit out the entire 1975 season, but came back to pitch in 1976, going 10-10 with a 3.09 ERA. He would go on to pitch in 14 seasons following the surgery.

Here's the card, a 2005 Donruss Greats Tommy John Autograph.