Fleer Tradition is a set that doesn't seem to pop up secondhand very often anymore, for whatever reason. This 1999 base card from the set seems to be the only card that commemorates Richard Barker's brief MLB career (5 games in '99). Thus, I had to have it for my CATRC.
Problem is, I've only once found a stack of '99 Fleer Tradition in my years of card-hunting and this card was the only one missing. Figures, right? Well, thankfully Bo of the insightful blog known as Baseball Cards Come to Life came to my rescue.
*Side note* Bo, your adventures with your wallet card to all the nooks and crannies of New York are fascinating!
Finally landing that card alone would have been enough for me to let out an audible gasp; but, he didn't stop there. Bo also included a healthy stack of other miscellaneous Cubs singles.
While I already had the boring, paper version of this card, shiny chrome-ness will always trump. So, two new cards for the CATRC in this trade package!
And potentially three... it's a long-shot, but it's still possible! Mr. Mota on the right there has been in the Cubs org since way back in 2005, filling in wherever and at whatever level the club needs him at. Obviously his prospect status had long since expired, but he's the kind of guy that deserves a reward for being a good org guy.
Kyle Reynolds also came to the Cubs farm system in 2005 and stuck around through 2009, getting as high as AAA. But, like most Wrigley prospects of the time, he stalled out. Names like his make me appreciate the TheoJed era so much more!
A couple more Bowman guys who never made the ultimate ascent to the majors. Again, thank God for TheoJed!
Hmmmmm.... I'm sensing a theme here. No matter, I've been working on a stockpile of Cubs' failed prospects as another mini-collection, so these cards have all proven to be quite useful.
So far, Bo is absolutely killing it here!
Here are a couple of Bowman guys who actually made it all the way to the Major League Cubs. Rich Hill seemed destined to a long career in the rotation; but, he went all Steve Blass after a promising 2007 campaign. He still seems to pop up for a few games every year as a lefty-specialist though - Boston last time I checked,
Betcha didn't know the Cubs had one of the Molina brothers. In fact, the Cubs produced Jose; however, they didn't think he had the tools to stick in the MLB and cut him after the '99 season.... Well, he only just retired this past offseason as one of the most respected defensive catchers of the era.
Mulligan please?
Ah Rosie Brown. Also known as Corey Patterson, Mach 1. So much was made about him, circa 2001-02 for his 5-tool potential. Unfortunately, while he did have 5 tools, none of them were really good enough to stick in the Bigs.
Ah, speak of the devil! Chad Meyers never really amounted to anything either; but, he wasn't filled with as much potential as K-orey... *sigh*
There we go! A new card of this guy will always lift my spirits - even if it is unlicensed. This guy deserves some MVP attention, just sayin'.
A couple singles from a couple years of UD Collector's Choice. A lot of collectors did (and probably still do) choose to collect Sammy Sosa. I don't think the same can be said of Terry Adams.
Can we please bring sets like this back into existence though?
A couple of fantastic shots from the 1998 edition of Fleer Tradition. Oh Henry laying out for what I assume to be a fantastic diving catch. Had he made that grab at Wrigley, they would have showered him with Oh Henry candy bars as a reward.
Shooter looks like a man on an island here, contemplating how he's going to come in and give every Cubs fan a heart attack before coming through in the end. For such a short-term guy, he's still beloved here in Chicago. RIP Rod.
A couple new cards of playoff Cubs are always welcome here at Wrigley Roster Jenga!...
...especially so if they are on oddball cards, at that! Although, it figures that I just bought myself that Dawson card on the left. No matter, the black borders are prone to chipping (as we all know) and the one Bo sent seems to have less of that issue. Another binder card!
On the right we have one of those Fleer box set singles from the mid to late 80's. All hail the Red Baron!
More mainstream oddballs of all-time great Northsiders!
I'm usually not one for mini cards, my OCD tendencies dictate that, but how can I say no to new Rynos or Hawks?
From too small to too big! Never before has Shawon's toothy grin loomed so largely on cardboard. These particular cards just scream 80's in their layout and design; I absolutely love it!
On the left, we have Opening Day when Topps actually put a little bit of effort into the set by changing up the color of the border. On the right, we have the exact same card as Flagship, except without foil and a bunting stamp.
I think I'd care a little bit more about Opening Day if they actually looked like a different set, a la that Derrek Lee.
Still, I didn't have either of these cards either. Score!
We close things out with a couple of Flagship cards. Can we please bring back manager cards?? I really really really want a Joe Maddon card where he's wearing the proper uniform!
That wraps up an excellent package from Bo. In total, he provided one white whale of a new player for my CATRC, two upgrades for the CATRC and a whole host of singles that I didn't have previously for my Cubs player collections. Thank you kindly for the extremely generous package!
Bo knows Wrigley Roster Jenga.
Glad you like them!
ReplyDeleteNice stack of Cubs cards. That's one of my favorite sports themed commercials!
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