League is our Guy

Ned Colletti made a bold signing today for the Dodgers.  He gave relief pitcher Brandon League a 3 year, 22.5 million dollar deal.  Big money for a relief pitcher.  League pitched well for the Dodgers last year after he was traded from Seattle to LA.

Brandon League had a 2.30 ERA with the Dodgers to go along with 8.9 strikeouts per 9 innings.  Those are solid numbers and his pitches have great movement.  The dip on his fastball is superb.  The problem is that he hasn't struck out that many hitters per 9 innings since he was a Blue Jay in 2009.

I hope he is one of those guys that has figured it out.  I have read that he fixed a mechanical flaw when he came to the Dodgers.  Maybe this gave new life to his pitches.  League is getting 22.5 million bucks to be the Dodgers closer.  Seventh inning guys don't get that type of cash.

League is the Dodgers guy to shut down games.

In honor of Brandon League's big contract, I decided to show some cards of some of my favorite Dodger relievers of the 2000s.

Being a relief pitcher is tough in the big leagues.  You may be entering a game with runners on base.  You may be coming in to close out a high pressure game.  If you screw up in a big moment, everyone will remember that.  You may be the last guy the fans see making a gaffe.

If you are a relief pitcher, gets two guys out in a seventh inning jam with runners on base, casual fans may not even know your name.  Casual fans may not know the 25 man roster so, the 19th or 20th man on the team may be anonymous to most fans.

Relief pitchers are the ones that have given he heart attacks.  They are also the one that give me thrills by punching out stiffs in a crucial situation.

Some guys like Hong-Chih Kuo hit home runs and make multiple comebacks after several surgeries.

Jeff Weaver is one of the greatest Dodgers of all time.  He pitched for the Dodgers as a starter in 2004 and 2005.  Weaver came back to the Dodgers in 2009 and 2010 after wasting his time as a Seattle Mariner.

Possibly, Weaver's best moment as a Dodger came in 2009 as a relief pitcher.  Weaver came into Game 1 of the NLDS against his former team the St.Louis Cardinals.  Weaver relieved starter Randy Wolf in the fourth inning and pitched out of a bases loaded jam.  The Dodgers would win that game 5-3 thanks to the crucial outs that Weaver got early in that game.

Joe Beimel was one of my favorite Dodger pitchers.  Beimel looked like a stoned caveman and was pretty good at pitching.  Pitching with your eye lids drooping takes an elite skill set.

Beimel was a pretty good lefty arm for the Dodgers in 2006 to 2008.  He was the odd player that became a fan favorite despite being a middle reliever.  That is tough to do.

Think about your favorite baseball team and try to remember a middle reliever who was a popular fan favorite.  Beimel even got a Dodger bobble head night that the fans voted on.  That is big time.

Takashi Saito was phenomenal as a Dodger closer.  Saito pitched in the same Dodger bullpen as Beimel.  They were both on the team for the same years between 2006 to 2008.  Saito and Beimel must have smoked some cigs together, threw back a couple tall boys, played some Madden football or whatever bullpen guys do during the early part of a baseball game.

Saito was also a very popular player and many Dodger fans were sad when he left to pitch for the Boston Red Sox.

The Dodgers have gotten some solid seasons out of their closers in the 2000s.  Eric Gagne, Takashi Saito, and yes even Jonathon Broxton have had stellar years closing games in a Dodger uniform.

I hope that Brandon League can keep that tradition alive.

My Oldest One

On my desk at home, I have a stack of baseball cards that I set aside for the Platter.  These cards are ones that I have picked up randomly from pack pulls to card shop purchases.  I think they look cool and would make for a nice story to tell.

Most of this stack is vintage cards.  The way the players looked and even the wear on the card itself is interesting when it comes to the vintage years.  The weathered faces of baseball players of the past is fun for me to look at.

Another attribute of the random stack of cards that wait to be posted about is uniqueness.  Cards that I have never seen before of players that I collect.  Maybe a card of a Dodger star in an oddball set may fit this bill.

This Hideo Nomo is definitely unique.  This card comes from across the sea in Japan.  Nomo is a snazzy, retro, early 90s uniform.

That is a great throwback look.  The hat or the jersey should be in my wardrobe.  I have thought for awhile that I had everything I ever needed.  I guess I was wrong.  I need a Kintetsu Buffaloes hat from 1991.

The set that this card comes from is 1991 BBM.  Nomo pitched 5 seasons with the Buffaloes.  Nomo burst onto the Japanese seen with a stellar rookie season.  He had 287 strikeouts in 235 innings pitched.  Nomo was only 21 years old that season.  I kind of miss the days of letting good young pitchers rack up heavy innings totals.

The attitude of win now and winning now means using your best pitcher for 235 innings in his rookie season, then so be it.  National fans must be wondering, what if?

In 1991, Nomo once again struck out 287 dudes, which would be his high strikeout total while in Japan.  Nomo was a workhorse in 1991.  He throw a career high of 242.1 innings.  That is the most he threw in Japan and in the U.S.

Also in 1991, Nomo was working on his craft has a cardboard superstar.  He probably know that posing in front of a giant dark green wall was a bad idea.  Nomo was trying to make the best of the photographer's poor judgement and is standing with his unique wind-up.

I am unsure as to what the back of the card says.  Only some of the letters and numbers are understandable to me.  I think the back of the card is showing the history of the Kintetsu Buffaloes.  The years on the left start in 1960 and go to 1990.

This 1991 BBM is my oldest Nomo card by far.  My next oldest in from his rookie season of 1995 with the LA Doyers.

Was Nomo dreaming of going to the U.S. and playing major league baseball in 1991?  How far in advance to he plot his escape route to come to the Dodgers?

I wish I could find those answers out.  Now I need to go on a search for a Kintetsu Buffaloes hat.

Sinking Into A Bad Habit

If you are forming a poor trait, isn't one of the first steps to bettering yourself is to admit you have a problem?  You would have to notice a bad situation in order to solve it.  The bad habit that is becoming a part of you must be spoken about and solved through discussion.

So, here I am to admit a bad habit that I have acquired.  It is a terrible blogging issue.  I have become a bad trader.  I write up trade posts before I even send a return package.  I have become that guy.  The guy that waits and procrastinates about sending out trade packages.

I need to work through this.  I am sorry for the nice people of the blog world that haven't into the same habit as me and send out their trade packages in a prompt manner.

Not only am I admitting my trading problem so, I can get back into better trade practices, I am also here to show off some cardboard.  The Daily Dimwit made a trade with me and I still have some cards for him sitting on my desk.  They will go out soon.

The Daily Dimwit sent me this Matt Kemp black refractor.  I haven't seen this parallel yet.  The card isn't as shiny as some of the other refractor parallels.  This card will probably get the top left corner of a 9 pocket page.  A brighter version of this card will get the middle pocket.

Framed relics always look sweet.  The frame adds some class to a piece of fabric.  This card will also look nice to get signed.  A lot of  open space on the card surrounding the cloth.

What is Kenji Johjima up to these days?  I know I can just Google this but, I am curious to see if someone just happens to know this.  For all I know, he is the assistant to the traveling secretary for the Seattle Mariners.

Some trade packages have already been sent out.  Some will be on their way soon.  Once again, I am sorry and I promise to get better.

New Trade Agreement

The post office must make good cash from bloggers.  Bloggers venture into the post office quite often and usually have multiple bubble mailers or boxes to ship off all over the country.  Before the Platter was born, I probably almost never walked into a post office.  I think most other people are that way.

Today marked a day where I actually spent double digits at the post office.  I let my trade packages build up and now had to get them out to avoid more shame of delaying a shipment.  There are hundreds of other bloggers just like me that ship off cards on a regular basis.

A blog that was started in the summer is a new trade partner of mine.  Home of the Toddfather is a blog with a sweet name and a really cool blog design.  The blog is named after Todd Helton and is run by a Rockies fan named Tim.

The design is very eye catching.  The color scheme of black and purple really works well and is a unique color pattern.  Most other blogs don't use black and purple.

I praise the blog that Tim writes and I also praise his trade package.  This is my first Takashi Saito relic.  I have raved about Saito before at the Platter.  Saito gets praise too.

I am not too big of a fan of the Upper Deck X base card design.  The Upper Deck X design does look nicer with a piece of cloth in it.  When I was a card collecting kid in the 90s, I thought all baseball cards would have this design in the future.

I was wrong of course.  Luckily kids don't design card sets.  Sadly adults design card sets and some of them look atrocious.

My collection is lacking in Yu Darvish cards.  The blog community must be hoarding them.  Tim was nice enough to spare one for me.  This is a nice purple parallel of Darvish's 2012 Topps Chrome RC.

Darvish had 221 strikeouts in his rookie season.  He walked a lot of guys and if he cuts down on those he is going to be even more dominant.  I understand the hoarding of his cards, he may be a great pitcher.

Darvish also passes the eye test as well as having good rookie numbers.  The pitches he throws just dance while zipping towards the plate.  Darvish will also probably play on some good teams also.  This will give him more postseason starts to shine in front of a larger audience.

If anybody can spare some of his cards, please let me know.

Thank you for the trade, Tim.  I will be on the lookout for more Rockies for you.

Many Tasks

The hobby of baseball card collecting can be time consuming.  An entire day can be spent tending to your collection.  Hours can be occupied organizing and sorting your baseball cards.  I feel that is one of the better parts of the hobby.

Some people may have simpler, bland hobbies that aren't as time consuming.  Those folks may have hobbies that don't involve a psychotic level of attention to detail.

I love the hobby that I chose.

Earlier to day I got to go to my local card shop and purchase some baseball cards.  I then brought those cards home to sort in various spots such as in trade packages or in piles to be placed in binders at some point later tonight.

I also went through some trade packages that were sent out to the Platter recently.  One of those bubble mailers came from the Diamond King, who sent me this Fernando auto.  A signed Fernando Diamond King card from the Diamond King.

Perfect.

The Diamond King also sent me this autograph of Claude Osteen.  Osteen was a solid pitch for the Dodgers.  He helped them win the 1965 World Series.  He pitched 14 innings against the Twins that series and had a 0.64 ERA.

Almost as important as Osteen dominating in the World Series while wearing a Dodger uniform, is his first name Claude.  That is a sweet name.  For all the folks that are reading this blog and are thinking about having kids or have one on the way, please consider the name Claude.  You would be doing America a favor.

Thanks for the trade, Diamond King.  Your cards are packaged and will be sent out on Monday.

One more thing before I go, I have recently sent out some cards to Check Out My Cards.  The cards have been processed and are up for some bidding.  Please check out my page and email me a link to your store on that site if you want.

From Email to my Mailbox

From time to time, I like to write a post that sort of works as a refresher course to the Platter.  Not every Platter super fan has been reading about my collecting exploits since the birth of this blog.  Some new fans may have been created yesterday and haven't had time to catch up and read all my past posts yet.

Those new fans will get caught up soon.  I have that type of writing power of people.

Anyways, my main point is that I like to remind my loyal readers what I enjoy collecting and what I am seeking most to add to my collection.  Since the summer, I have been loading up on some hall of fame players on cardboard.  I have been building up my binder with some nice base, oddball, reprints and some other random stuff that you have all seen before.  I have also been able to pile up on some vintage and hits of  legends from baseball's past.

I purchase some cards from a seller that sends a list out via email.  He usually has some good deals and some nice hall of famers to pick from.

The prices of game used hits has seemed to dip after all the garbage of card companies knowingly buying non-game used jerseys and playing them off as game used.  The scandals are awful.  The low price makes it easier for me though, to buy these pieces of cloth stuck in cardboard.

Even, guys like Gaylord Perry that reside in Cooperstown sell only for a few bucks now.  This piece of blue Rangers jersey #/25 was only 3 bucks.  I am including shipping into the equation.

Fake or real, this card looks nice to me.  I feel every collector prefers a baby blue jersey piece as opposed to a white or gray piece.

Los Angeles born Eddie Murray was a hitting legend.  He hit over 500 home runs and had over 3000 hits in his career.  His lifetime OPS was .836 over 21 seasons.  Murray was a smooth switch hitter with a big, strong swing.

Murray was also a two time Dodger.  He got to play in his hometown during the 89-91 seasons.  Murray also had a second stint with the team in 1997 where he had a grand total of 9 plate appearances to finish out his legendary career.

Murray played most of his career as a Baltimore Oriole in the 70s and 80s before being traded to the Dodgers for Juan Samuel, Brian Holton and Ken Howell.  Murray usually pops up on modern cards in an Orioles uniform which is understandable.  Therefore when I see a Murray game used bat card with a Dodger photo on it, I must pounce.

This is my first hit of Eddie Murray as a Dodgers.  Great addition to my collection.

One more thing, please check out the Blog of Trade Bait which still has some cards that are unclaimed.  Make a deal with some of the many solid contributors that have been assembled on that blog.

1955 Is In My Head

I love going to the card shop with the anticipation of picking up a super cool card that is waiting for me.  Valley Sports Cards has a weekly bid board with mostly baseball cards for sale.  Other collectors post up a variety of cards from vintage to classy hits and this is where I like to spend some of my collecting dollars.  If I win any cards with my bids, the shop owner will email me my total.  I rarely ask what cards that I have won. I enjoy the mystery.

This last week was different.  I asked what cards were waiting for me.  Their was one card that I bid on that I really wanted.  I put a low ball bid on it, even though it was the card that I wanted most hanging from the wall.  I am stumped as to why I put a low bid on it.

I must have been distracted by Dodgerbobble and was in a hurry to eat some chili dogs.

My idiotic bid just slightly over the asking price worked?!?!  How could I have ended up with a 1959 Topps Clem Labine autograph, certified by JSA and slabbed, while bidding on a baseball card featuring a Dodger, in Los Angeles, in a card shop frequented by fans of Los Doyers while being oddly thrifty?

The baseball gods did me a solid and I will honor them with prayer before I go to bed tonight.

The reason that I really wanted this signature was because of my love for the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.  That team beat the Yankees in a seven game series to be crowned world champs.

Labine was a star relief pitcher for the Dodgers.  He made some spot starts but he mostly threw out of the bullpen.  Labine appeared in a league leading 60 games in 1955 and notched 11 saves.  Of those 60 games, 8 of them were starts.

Labine closed out a Dodger victory in Game 5 of the '55 World Series.  He pitched 3 innings to earn that save and help the Dodgers win 5-3.  Real men pitch multiple innings for saves.

In Game 5, Duke Snider would be the real star of the game.  Snider mashed 2 homers and a double off Yankee starter Bob Grim.  A 36 year old Jackie Robinson batted seventh this game.  A hall of fame infielder batting seventh!

Those were your 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.