is he back?

matt kemp's got his average up to .283 for the season, and in the last two weeks, he's hitting .391 with 6 homers and 13 rbi plus two stolen bases.  still, that's not necessarily 2011 matt kemp or even 2012 matt kemp, but it's better than 2013 matt kemp.  i am hopeful that the injuries are healed and the confidence is back, and that don mattingly doesn't overthink his four outfielder situation and just lets kemp play.  meanwhile, this is kemp's 1972 topps basketball design insert from 2013 topps archives

featuring the brooklyn dodger helmet and the la dodger sleeve patch.  must have been a photo from an april 15 game.  i've been meaning to show that card for about a year now, but i guess i've been waiting for signs of life from the dodger (former) center fielder.

let's take a trip back in time and visit some card backs.  this one is from 2005 bowman

so, the dodgers hoped kemp "would develop into a bigger version of…brian jordan".  kemp is just 29, and i would say that mission has been accomplished, aside from the nfl career.

here's the front of the 2005 bowman card

sadly, i don't have one of the chrome autographed versions.

here's another back, this one from 2005 topps total

so, it appears that matthew could excel at the high-a level?  27 home runs, 90 rbi, .306 batting average, and an ops of .918 in 2005 at high-a vero beach.  yes, he did excel at high-a.

here's the front of that card, with kemp sharing space with heath totten

totten got his k/9ip ratio up to 6.2 in 2005 at triple-a, but that wasn't enough proof that he could "mow down hitters" to earn a call-up from the dodgers.  instead, he wound up going to the phillies organization before eventually returning to the dodgers' minor leagues in 2008.

here's one more kemp - this one from 2012 topps heritage featuring the league rbi leaders from 1963 and 2011

the "then and now" theme plays well with kemp's return to form.  i just hope there is a lot more of his "then" in his "now".

random cards from the scanned folder are like a box of chocolates

look deep into scott erickson's eyes on his 2005 topps total card

he'll make you forget that this is a post of cards thrown together with little to no thought or common theme.  just a bunch of cards i have scanned over the years, but not posted for one reason or another.  as an aside, i forgot all about this card when i went to a signing that erickson attended three years ago when the twins celebrated the 1991 world series team.  that's ok - his wife was there, and i forgot all about baseball cards for a moment.

now it's time for some edwin jackson.  this is a 2005 topps turkey red card

and this is a 2005 upper deck all-star classics

jackson made his big league debut on his 20th birthday (9/9/03), squaring off against randy johnson and the diamondbacks.  the dodgers made him a winner that day, and again a couple of weeks later in san francisco (a game that i attended).  jackson was wild in that game, walking 8, but he struck out barry bonds and allowed no runs and only 2 hits in his 6 innings of work.  jackson was back with the dodgers for a handful of games in 2004 and 2005, but was traded to the devil rays prior to the 2006 season.  in his 12-year career (so far), jackson has pitched for 8 teams.

2005 upper deck espn cesar izturis web gems

izturis won a gold glove in 2004 which largely explains his appearance in an insert set

2011 panini playoff contenders chris reed

reed was the dodgers' first round pick in 2011.  he was born in london, but attended high school in socal and went to stanford after that.  he's currently a double-a chattanooga. 

2011 bowman andre ethier gold parallel

and 2011 bowman ted lilly gold parallel

ethier only gets one parallel in this post, but lilly gets three.

2011 topps ted lilly diamond anniversary platinum parallel

and 2011 topps update ted lilly cognac parallel

i still prefer lilly's 2013 topps card.

here's a few more from 2011 topps update.  remember javy guerra?

who comes in cognac form

and platinum parallel fashion as well

guerra was picked up on waivers by the white sox earlier this year, so he and ronald belisario are making it deja vu all over again in the chisox bullpen.

one more from 2011 topps update - it's matt guerrier

guerrier was dealt to the cubs last year for carlos marmol, but signed with the twins prior to this season. he was just recently dfa'd by the club, although aside from his last outing he hadn't pitched that poorly.  i was a fan - as much as one can be of a non-closer reliever.

in other news, chris capuano is now a yankee.  here's his 2012 topps update card

and his 2013 topps gypsy queen white framed parallel

he had started the season with the red sox after two years with the dodgers, but was released on july 1. after a short stint with the rockies' organization, capuano had his contract purchased by the yankees and made a start for them just the other day.  he turned in a quality start, but didn't get a decision.

i saw the saenz - a few more from the flea market

here are a few more cards i picked up at that flea market last weekend.  just dodgers this time.

2005 topps total olmedo saenz

i think this is a silver parallel.  i couldn't leave olmedo the tomato in the dime box.  in fact, i would guess that this is one of about three olmedo saenz as a dodger cards i have in my collection.

here's a 2010 topps card your mom threw out 1956 jackie robinson.

original back, to boot!

even though i already have at least two copies of this card, i couldn't leave o-pee-chee behind.   i only wish there were more than just this 1985 o-pee-chee rick honeycutt.

here's a nice orel hershiser card from 1993 score.

and a 1996 ud collector's choice chad fonville arizona fall league card

i probably have about a dozen of the chan ho park afl card, but i don't think i had a chad until now.

here are a couple of 1999 ud collector's choice (or is it just ud choice?) - charles johnson

and ellis burks

the reason i bought a giant card is that i am pretty sure that cj is making an appearance there in the upper left hand corner.  giant cards are better when dodgers are present.

i like this 2004 upper deck sp authentic shawn green card

because of the dodger stadium image in the background.

that works for me better than upper deck's use of a '3' in place of a 'g' on this 2005 ud trilogy card

still, i always enjoy adding a jeff kent card to the collection.  especially for a dime.  from a flea market that i didn't know existed. that i only noticed because i was driving by at the right time.  or is that the ri3ht time.

dessens double dipped

another day, another break from double play cards.  don't worry - they'll be back tomorrow.  i think.  in the meantime, here's the next post in one of my ongoing topics - double dippers!

[this is the forty-seventh installment in the double dippers posts.  here are the previous posts - brett butler, omar daal, eric young, nick willhite, chris gwynn, mickey hatcher, dave anderson, don zimmer, rafael landestoy, dave hansen, jose vizcaino, hideo nomo, greg maddux, mike maddux, jon garland, chan ho park, vicente romo, gene mauch, denny lewallyn, von joshua, joe moeller, dioner navarro, rudy seanez, bart shirley, randy wolf, ismael valdes, bobby castillo, mike devereaux, pete richert, jay johnstone, jesse orosco, lee lacy, giovanni carrara, jeff weaver, ted sizemore,  orel hershiser, tom goodwin, joe ferguson, eddie murray, matt luke, ken mcmullen, tim wallach, jerry grote, don sutton, ralph branca, and todd hundley.]

elmer dessens first came to the dodgers in an august, 2004 trade with the arizona diamondbacks.  he wound up appearing in 12 games for the dodgers over the remainder of the regular season, making one start and finishing with a 1-0 record and a 3.20 era.  that lone start that dessens had came in game 161 which is also the game in which steve finley hit the walk-off grand slam to send the dodgers to the postseason for the first time since 1996.

in the postseason, dessens appeared in game one of the nlds against the cardinals, allowing a mike matheny solo home run in 1.1 innings of work.  that was enough for topps to make a card, ok - half of a card, of dessens in their 2005 topps total release

sharing space with kelly wunsch.  wunsch, by the way, had his career end when he was injured while warming up in the bullpen at coors field in july of 2005.  that's not the way anyone wants to go out.

dessens remained with the dodgers for the 2005 season, and posted a 1-2 record with a 3.56 era in 28 appearances (7 of which were starts).  after the season ended, dessens signed with the royals as a free agent. he received a card of his very own in upper deck's monstrous 2006 flagship set

in kansas city, dessens was used exclusively in relief, and compiled a record of 5-7 with a save and 9 holds in 43 appearances before he was dealt back to the dodgers for odalis perez and a couple of minor leaguers.  in his second stint in la, dessens was 0-1 in 19 games with a 4.70 era, and he was featured in topps' 2006 update and highlights set with what i believe is his only solo dodger card.

dessens was traded to the brewers towards the end of spring training in 2007, and went on to pitch for milwaukee and colorado that season.  he pitched for the braves in 2008, and finished his career with two seasons as a met.


here's to you, elmer dessens - a dodger double dipper!

a trio of gio

[this is the thirty-third installment in the double dippers posts.  here are the previous posts - brett butler, omar daal, eric young, nick willhite, chris gwynn, mickey hatcher, dave anderson, don zimmer, rafael landestoy, dave hansen, jose vizcaino, hideo nomo, greg maddux, mike maddux, jon garland, chan ho park, vicente romo, gene mauch, denny lewallyn, von joshua, joe moeller, dioner navarro, rudy seanez, bart shirley, randy wolf, ismael valdes, bobby castillo, mike devereaux, pete richert, jay johnstone, jesse orosco, and lee lacy.]

giovanni carrara not only double dipped as a dodger, but became the first dodger triple dipper that i am aware of (but  not the last, thanks to juan castro).  remember, i define a double dipper as a player who appeared in a big league game for the dodgers, left the organization, and then returned to the dodgers and appeared in a game for them.  that means that carrara left the dodgers twice and pitched for them thrice.

now, is there a card that better depicts the dejection of being pulled mid-inning than this 2003 mlb showdown card?

i think not.  that's giovanni carrara leaving the mound with his head down while pitching coach jim colborn waits for the next reliever.  carrara was released by the dodgers during spring training in 2003 following back-to-back 6 win seasons for the blue.  he moved on to seattle,

where he got a card of his own and appeared in 23 games.  he was 2-0 despite an era of 6.83 and left as a free agent after the season ended.  he was signed by cleveland and then by the cubs, but didn't make his return to the big leagues until later in the 2004 season when he returned to the dodgers.  unfortunately for carrara, he was back to sharing space on baseball cards, like this 2005 topps total card he shared with duaner sanchez

carrara's second time around in la resulted in a 12-6 record and 2 saves in 114 appearances over the next two seasons.  after the 2005 campaign, carrara became a free agent and signed with the pirates.  pittsburgh, however, released him on the eve of the 2006 season, and he signed with the dodgers a couple of months later.  in his third and final turn in a dodger uniform, carrara was 0-1 with a save in 25 games.

here's to you giovanni carrara, a dodger triple dipper!

i am staggered and heartbroken and bipped all at once

although it's a mini-bip, courtesy of heartbreaking cards of staggering genius.

five 1994 donruss special edition ramon martinez cards.  i can deal with that.

there were many many more cards included, such as a 1986 topps carlos diaz

carlos was born in honolulu, which is fairly rare for a major leaguer - baseball reference shows only 35 hawaiians have played in the big leagues, and not all of them were from the capitol city.  of course, diaz is the second third dodger pitcher to be born there - charlie hough and sid fernandez are is the others.  here's some trivia - the dodgers traded fernandez to get diaz in 1983!

2005 topps total hee seop choi.

jim tracy's whipping boy manning first in dodger stadium.  i sure wish topps would bring total back.  where else am i going to get a brent leach card?

2007 upper deck mark hendrickson

i wish the dodgers would go ahead and retire maury wills' number already.  i know it's against their policy (other than the jim gilliam exception) but come on.  when dave roberts wore it, he had maury's blessing.  i doubt big bird did.

a couple of autographs - 2004 fleer greats jeff torborg

it's a sticker, but still...

and a 2004 upper deck legends timeless teams mickey hatcher

on card stunt man!  i wish mickey would sign ttm.  the only time i have met him (a couple years ago at spring training) i was unprepared.

finally, matt sent me my first 2010 card.  not just dodger, but card. 

it's true - i haven't bought any 2010 stuff. yet. i probably will, although i will likely just buy singles.  until i really feel the need to open packs.  which should be any day now.

thanks matt!