Kershaw FTW!

The game has just gotten underway, but I'm hoping Kershaw can put a lid on the NY Mets crowd. Go ahead guys, keep boooooing Chase. The Dodgers needed something to light a fire, so let's hope this is only a start of better things to come. I'm pegging Kershaw for an 11 SO/1 earned run game. Let's see if I'm right! Go DODGERS! My latest Kershaw pickup from 2016 Gypsy Queen:

Julio Mania!

So the day has finally arrived.  The 19 year-old "phenom" is making his first start in the big leagues against the Mets in what's sure to be a very hostile environment.  I have heard that nothing really bother Urias, so I don't expect the crazy NY crowd to get to him, but of course you just never know.  In honor of the kid, here are some of my cards:

“We’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em.”

I have been so torn this year regarding the Dodgers.  I tune in to listen to the legend that is Vin Scully, but it’s becoming more of a chore to watch the Dodgers as of late.  How many times can one watch the Dodgers get runners on and no outs, and do absolutely nothing with it?!  It’s literally starting to drive me crazy.  I mean look at last night for example.  We are facing the Reds, who are by all accounts one of the worst teams in MLB this year.  We managed 1 meager run in 9 innings, and the runner scored on a double play, but hey, whatever gets the job done, right?  “We’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em.”  Of course, the one glaring bright spot is Clayton Kershaw.  He didn’t strike out his usual 10 plus, but he only gave up 2 hits and thankfully his pitch count was low enough that he could go all 9, which was vital, especially after the 17 inning marathon yesterday.  Kersh is such a gamer! 

Kershaw card of the day:

 

Some St. Patty's Day Kershaw Action...

A few years back the Dodgers busted out the green unis for St. Patty's Day.  I knew I had to get one of these jumbo autos, but I drew a hard line with my price.  When this one turned up in an ebay auction I decided to make a run at it, but I really didn't expect to win it.  I think the big time Kershaw buyers didn't see this listing, because otherwise there is no way I would have won this.  The auto is a bit messy, but I love the jumbo jersey and the fact that it's 2/5.  Enjoy:   

Kershaw card of the Day:

I have admired this card from afar for quite a while now and hadn't seen an auction for this in a long time.  When one finally popped up on the Bay, I had to at least take a shot at it.  To my surprise I actually won the card with a pretty low bid, at least in comparison to what this card used to sell for.  Shoutout to Dodger Penguin, as I noticed he has a graded version of this card.  I may just have to take a shot at getting this graded, because his copy looks pretty sweet encased with that gold banner. 

I’ve gone a bit card crazy lately, so unfortunately I will have to take a step back and try to save some money.  I have a few duplicate Kershaw’s that I may try to sell in the meantime.  Happy Monday to everyone and enjoy:

I'm not a Prospector Buuuuut...

I'm not much of a prospector, mainly because 95% of the time, prospects don't become superstars.  That's just the sad truth unfortunately.  So when I see people dropping hundreds of dollars on graded Bowman Chrome autos based purely on hype and speculation, I tend to think to myself, "Wow, these guys are either crazy or crazy rich.  With that said, I still like to pick up a few cards of the Dodgers top prospects, as long as the price is right. 

Much like Corey Seager a few years ago, I was able to pick up Alex Verdugo cards in the off season for really good prices.  I'm really high on this guy, and I truley believe he will be a star one day.  I got to see him play in Rancho last year, and I came away super impressed.  He was a two-way player in H.S., but for now the Dodgers are keeping him away from the mound.  His bat is just too good to not give him a shot in the OF.  Of course, if he isn't able to keep up with the bat, he can always be converted back to a pitcher.  But for now, his speed, good glove and canon arm, along with a constantly improving bat make me think that he will truley be a star player one day.  Of course we all know, he has a 50/50 shot at this point, but I think he's going to be a special player.  Here are some of my Verdugo's:

Is it 1988 All Over Again?

"Nobody thought we could beat the Mighty Mets.  Nobody thought we could beat the team that won 104 games, but we believed."  -Tommy Lasorda

I think it's only fitting that I share this card today, because the "Mighty Mets" are in town town this week.  The 1988 NLCS was a HUGE series for the Dodgers and all of the co-called experts said that the Dodgers had absolutely no change against a stacked Mets team.  Well, we all know how that one ended.  The "experts" then said there was no way the Dodgers could beat the A's, and well...

The baseball gods were looking down on Chavez Ravine in game 1 of the WS.  One of the most important homeruns in franchise history set the tone for the rest of that series.  Gibby was ready for that back door slider and he handled business as per usual.  This card means so much to me, because of the memories I have as a little girl seeing that homerun on tv.  I may not have completely understood the magnitude of what was happening, but what I do remember is becoming a diehard Dodger fan at that very moment.  The 2016  Dodgers do not have the same makeup as that '88 team, even though they have so much more talent than the '88 team.  This is why it's soooo infuriating watching them at times.  We need a Mickey Hatcher!  Kike is similar, but man, that intangible has been missing on the Dodgers for the last 30 years!

Kershaw Card of the Day:

The No-hitter pin autograph was a card I had been after for quite a while, but the prices were way too high for my liking.  I remember narrowly missing out on the first two auctions, which was not a big shocker, because as I've said before, anytime a new Topps release hits the market, the big ballers always show up and outbid me on all the new Kershaw cards.  Months and months had passed without any new auctions for this card, and I was starting to give up hope, until this finally popped up last week.  I was able to win the card well under my high bid, which really helps out the pocket book.  This photo really doesn't do it justice.  I would love to add the Koufax version of this card, but I highly doubt that will ever be possible.  Happy Friday everyone and GO DODGERS ay!