Rallying Back

It has been awhile since I have typed up some words at the Platter.  I also have cut down on my card buying significantly.  I still have a lot of trade packages to scope through and there are still stacks of cards on my bedside.  That is the reason for not purchasing many more cards.  I have so many that I still need to box, binder and enjoy, sitting right next to me.

The best way for me to get back in the habit and mood for blogging is to write something up that I am most passionate about.  A part of blogging that I dig the most is building trade partnerships with people thousands of miles away.  Night Owl and I seem to always set cards aside for each other.  We send bubble mailers from California to New York about once a month.

 
There have probably been a handful more blogs that have popped up since my last post.  Some of you may be new readers at the Platter.  Just to get the new guys acclimated to my blog, I collect all types of Hideo Nomo cards.  That may be obvious from the title of my blog.  This is also a Dodger themed blog.  I collect Nomo in any uniform including his stint in Detroit.

I remember asking Night Owl to set this card aside for me several weeks or several months back.  He has many trade partners, I have no idea how he keeps track of all his card swaps.

I love shiny cards of Dodger hall of famers.  This card features a young looking Don Sutton.  I am so used to seeing Sutton with a curly 'fro that is shocks me that he didn't always rock the curls.

Sutton must have started growing a clownish style of hair as he progressed through his hall of fame career.  He must have done so, to hide his big ears.

I have a signed version of this Frank Howard card.  The signed version has a Topps Heritage feel and is an on-card autograph.  This shiny one is sweet though.  I wish the shiny version was signed also.

The Dodgers need a player like Frank Howard right now.  The 2012 Dodgers need a big, hulking, right handed hitting first baseman.  I am sick of watching James Loney bat.  I am also sick of seeing the 2012 Dodgers line-up loaded with lefties against left handed pitching.  Give us a righty Ned Colletti!

Hell, get Frank Howard back in the batting box.

Great card of Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw.  This is when he was repping Team USA as youngster.  Kershaw probably knew even back then that he was going to become a beast Doyer.

The Dodgers start a big series against the Frisco Giants tonight in about and hour.  Night Owl will probably be watching the game thousands of miles away.  Viva Los Doyers!

Thank You!

Sharing Duties

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Kings were trying to finish off a sweep of the New Jersey Devils to win the Stanley Cup.  The Kings are the hockey team of Los Angeles.  Some Angelenos may not know that.

The Kings have also never won a Cup, even though they have been in the NHL since the late 60s.  I wanted to watch the Kings crush the Devils in Game 4 to get the sweep and hold up the Cup.  This game would have been a big part of LA sports history.  I even ventured out to a sports bar to watch this game among the people and to drink some beer.  The bar was packed and the crowd was enthusiastic.

Sadly, the Kings lost this game and will have to wait until Game 5 to become a part of LA sports lore.  Even though, they lost, it wasn't a total loss for me personally.

I got some baseball cards that day with signatures of baseball players on them.  Great for me!

I watched the hockey game with a member of our blog community.  Dodgerbobble met me at the sports bar last night.  He brought his good cheer and he also brought some baseball cards with him.  Dodgerbobble and I have a continuous trade agreement this season.  I send out for some through the mail autos and he is an autograph hunter.  Dodgerbobble lurks in the shadows of the Dodger Stadium parking lot for signatures, he roams the around the press box section and even paces the bowels of Dodger Stadium in search of baseball players to sign some cards.

I am a guy that would rather hand write a letter to a ballplayer and ask for a signature.  This agreement between the two of us works out perfectly.  I trade him my extra TTM autos and he trades me his extra in-person autos.  We also hang out regularly so, we don't even have to worry about making trips to the post office.

This time around he, gave me some autographs of some young Dodgers.  I didn't have a Kenley Jansen signature yet.  Somehow, Topps doesn't produce boatloads of his cards yet.  Jansen has struck out 181 batters in 109 innings in his three year career.  He is a beast and was a big part in the Dodgers sweep of the Phillies this week.  Against the Phillies he secured the win in three of the four games.  Citizens Bank Park is a house of horrors for Doyer fans and Jansen was a smooth operator on the mound, closing out the Phillie hitters.

 
Javy Guerra was the Dodgers closer to start the year before Jansen seized the job from him.  Guerra started the year on fire, then began to falter, got hit in the face by a Brian McCann line drive, lost his closing job, pitched well as a seventh inning reliever, and now recently had knee surgery.

That is an eventful year for him so far.  We are only in June and Guerra is due back in July.  That is a chunk of season yet for Guerra to add more plot points to his 2012 season.  I hope he adds some success but, with Guerra, you never know.

Another young Dodger that is making contributions to the NL West leading club is Ivan DeJesus Jr.  DeJesus hasn't played too much this year since his call up in May.  He has made the most of his 24 at-bats.  He has a very respectable .751 OPS and has played solid defense.

DeJesus also was a part of the Dodgers thrilling victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 22nd.  This was one of the more exciting games of the Dodgers 2012 season.  DeJesus had a game winning double off Diamondback closer J.J. Putz with two outs in the 9th inning.

He has an odd looking signature.  I am not sure what letters his is trying to write but, I do like it when a player adds his jersey number.  I can clearly see the 13 at least.

Thanks to Dodgerbobble for scouring the land of Dodger Stadium to hunt down these signatures.  I have a few more through the mail autos to hand you and I am sure you will dig them.