The Penguin alone

 

 

My blog reaches around the world and I'm pretty proud of that, but really the most important area for it to reach, as far as my collection, is Southern California.

 

Thanks to people from across the nation knowing me as a Dodger fan, I've been able to obtain items that usually would be off-limits to me, a lifelong Northeast resident living in a small, remote city. I've received lots of Dodgers items sold exclusively at Dodger Stadium, a place I've only seen in pictures and video screens.

 

A couple of weeks ago, my all-time favorite player, Ron Cey, was honored as a "Legend of Dodger Baseball," a fairly recent award the organization has presented to former players who have made an impact on the team but are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Due to time constraints -- and nearly 3,000 miles between me and the event -- I couldn't be there in person to bestow my thanks. I knew that the team would be handing out a Cey bobblehead to fans. No matter, I'm  not a big bobblehead guy.

 

Well, fellow blogger and ... uh, Giants fan ... Nick happened to be there to see the Dodgers take on the Brewers (Dodgers couldn't even score a run for The Penguin). And he left the stadium with several Cey bobbleheads!

 

I got one.

 

I was surprised that I had to do some work once I took the bobble out of the box. The bat came separate and I had to insert it into the non-gloved hand.

 

I don't know about the likeness, but that's often how bobbleheads go. It's part of the reason why I don't try to collect them (along with not having that kind of room).

 

But there is one unique aspect about this bobblehead that makes me glad Nick sent it. Cey is known for quite a few things but two of the most cited are achievements that came as part of a group. He was part of the longest-running starting infield with Bill Russell, Dave Lopes and Steve Garvey. And he was part of a trifecta of MVPs for the 1981 World Series, along with Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager. Both of those achievements are mentioned on the bobblehead box.

 

And I've got bobbleheads recognizing each of those feats.

  

The infield.

 

 

The MVPs.

 

But Cey did other stuff, too. There was that April in 1977 when he went nuts and set an MLB record for RBIs in that month. There was the grand slam off Steve Carlton in Game 1 of the NLCS that same year. There was the diving catch and double play in the 1981 World Series, which is still one of the best fielding plays I've ever seen in a World Series.

 

So it's nice to have a bobblehead that recognizes those accomplishments, too.

 

Now, as far as where I'm going to put this new item:

 

This is where most of the bobbleheads reside. The only one I have that's not here is Shawn Green, because it's far too big and is off on another shelf. The only way The Penguin Alone will fit here is if I move the stack of Kellogg's 3D Dodgers in the back to another spot. But surface area is at a premium in my card room, so I don't know where the Kellogg's cards will go and not risk getting knocked around.

 

So I think the Cey bobblehead will keep me company on my card desk on the opposite side. This is the place where I put together card packages. I've already cleared off some space on the desk for Cey's arrival.

 

And while I'm discussing items featuring my favorite players ...

 

I recently added this 1990 Fleer box-bottom panel because it contains a card of Orel Hershiser that I somehow had never seen prior. I was made aware of this by Jason and, yes, I immediately had to go out and get one.

 

I plan to cut it up -- because I collect cards over panels. But part of me likes how nice it look with the logos on the side. But that would require buying another one and I don't know if I want to do that -- I mean it's 1990 Fleer, you guys.

 

The things we go through for our favorite players.