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.

First Look: Walter Alston/Tommy Lasorda Dual Bobblehead

 

The Dodger realeased the first image of the upcoming Walter Alston/Tommy Lasorda dual bobblehead. Presented by Bank of America, this bobblehead will be given away on Saturday, July 14 when the Dodgers play the Padres. This game has a 6:10pm start time. 

We only get a view from the back, but from what I see I like.  It's hard to tell, but I'm assuming it's a dual mini bobble. Hopefully we get a view from the front soon.

Update: Here's a view from the front.

Tommy Lasorda Loves Bobbleheads

The Dodgers have put out some pretty good commercials this year, including a few with bobblehead themes. This is one the better commercials, an ad for Andre Ethier bobblehead night.

Bobblehead of the Day: Tommy Lasorda(HOF)

There are just two Dodger Stadium bobbleheads left on my list that I haven't covered, and they're both Tommy Lasorda. We'll take a look at the newer of the two, 2007's Hall of Fame bobblehead.

On Friday, September 14, 2007, the Dodgers gave away Manager Tommy Laosrda bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. Presented by FSN Prime Ticket, this bobblehead was made by P Squared Promotions. This was the fourth and final bobblehead given away that year. The others were: Nomar Garciaparra(April 26), Rafael Furcal(July 6) and Russell Martin(August 2).

This bobblehead commemorates the tenth anniversary of Lasorda's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Tommy is holding his HOF plaque, and is wearing a jacket. This is the only Dodger bobblehead that has a jacket on!

The Dodgers played the Arizona Diamondbacks that night, and won 7-4. Brad Penny started for the Dodgers and beat Doug Davis, earning his 16th win of the year. Takashi Saito got the save, his 39th.

Here's Tommy:

On July 26 of this year, the Dodgers will be giving away a Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead, his third. Should the Dodgers give Tommy Lasorda a third bobblehead as well?

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.

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.

Happy Birthday Burt Hooton!

Burt "Happy" Hooton turns 61 today. He was nicknamed "Happy" by Tommy Lasorda because he rarely smiled. From Tommy's autobiography:

"He became Happy Hooton on New Year's Eve. Normally, he looks about as happy as a farmer during a drought, but when I caught him playing solitaire during a New Year's celebration, he earned his nickname, and he's been Happy ever since."

Hooton had a great start to his career. On April 16, 1972, in only his fourth major league game, he pitched a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs. His best years came as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers though.

He pitched for the Dodgers from 1975 to 1984, going 112-84 with a 3.14 ERA.  He helped get the Dodgers to the World Series in 1977, 1978 and 1981.

On Happy's birthday, I'd like to show his 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Nickname Greats, NG-BH. The signature is on sticker, but it's still a pretty cool card.