It Came From Within, Pt. 2

Yesterday on Wrigley Roster Jenga, I wrote all about how my own aloofness caused me to completely pass over a card that I had needed.

I think this is something that all of us collectors can relate to.

To recap, Bob Rhoads was on my "to obtain" list for my CATRC.  However, courtesy of a full-set purchase a few months back, his 1982 Renatta Galasso reprint from the 1911 Turkey Red release was clearly already sitting in my trade bait box.

While it would have been easy to write this off as a one-time mistake, I couldn't help but wonder if that was the only card that I had missed when sorting that set.

*Spoiler alert*

It wasn't.

It was actually Downey that finally provided the impetus for me to go and follow up.

Nick over at Dime Boxes was lucky enough to find some Cracker Jack reprints that showcased Federal League players.  Why can't that sort of thing ever happen to me?

After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, I noticed that one of the names sounded familiar - Buffalo's Tom Downey.

Upon further research, I saw that he played for the Cubs shortly before he went to the Feds (not that he's a "rat" or anything).  In 1912, he got into 13 games and batted a meager .182 in 22 AB's while playing all over the infield.

When I typed his name into Ebay, much like I did with Mr. Rhodes previously, I found his original 1911 Turkey Red cabinet release.

Uh oh.

Sure enough, when I dug out that box (yet again) I found that card nestled amongst my trade fodder.

But hey, I only missed two right?  That's not so bad....

Curses; foiled again!

Looks like George Browne slipped by me too.  Maybe I should stop drinking while I sort cards?

At any rate, Mr. Browne played for 7 teams in his 12 year career.  Aside from his 6 year run with the NY Giants (with whom he earned a ring in 1905), he jumped around more than a frog on a hot plate!

One of those 7 clubs was the Cubs and in 1909 he appeared in all of 12 contests during the early portion of the schedule.  In 39 AB's he put together a .205 avg with only 1 XBH from rightfield.  Certainly not going to cut it, especially for a corner outfielder; thus, he was waived that May.

He probably hadn't even unpacked his suitcase.

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So, all told, I missed three cards that I needed for my CATRC when I originally sorted through my Turkey Red reprints.

On one hand, it's always pretty cool to add new Cubs players to the collection without having to plop down any money or trade anything away.  On the other, I'm a little annoyed with myself that my "free" additions were a result of my own small attention span.

Oh well, it's not worth getting upset over.  After all, there are much more important things in the world that I could have forgotten.

Like, for instance, if I were to forget my mother's birthday or my anniversary....... wait a minute.... what month is it?

October?  Ok, nevermind, I'm good then.

Phew.