Thus, when I saw that Red Cardboard had this new collection idea, I decided that I was going to "borrow" this creative line of thought. Like my CATRC, this accumulation aspires to obtain one card of every Cubs player; however, these cards will showcase the players in other Major League uniforms. *Gasp*
I shall call this binder my "Cubs of Different Color Collection."
"Well now - that's a Cub of a different color!"
Obviously, not every player has played for other franchises,so this won't be completely comprehensive; but it will allow me to create some space and use up a stray binder. Plus, it made for a fun little project.
The rules:
- The card must depict them in an MLB uniform that is not the Cubs.
- MiLB cards do not count; they go into their own, separate collection.
- "Zero-year" cards do count, provided they show MLB teams (so Bowman Draft counts).
- Have fun (mandatory!)
I chose each card based on availability, which I liked the best and variety in clubs - with extra weight given to teams each player may be most identifiable with. Plus, I may have been biased to other teams I have a rooting interest in (White Sox, Red Sox & Phillies). Sue me.
Each Sunday, I'll showcase a letter of the alphabet, since I have these cards sorted in ABC order. Spoiler alert - we're starting today with the letter A:
Who do we have here?:
- David Aardsma - 2005 Bowman #162 - Giants
- Aardsma is both first on the Cubs' all-time roster and overall in MLB - two a's will be tough to beat - and I'll always remember the day the Cubs traded the maligned LaTroy Hawkins to SF for him and Jerome Williams. So, Giants it is.
- Bobby Adams - 1986 CCC '51 Bowman Reprints #288 - Reds
- This is the only other card I had of Bobby Adams. I found the full, boxed set of these a garage sale several years ago for $5. One of my favorite bargains!
- Terry Adams - 2002 Fleer Tradition #156 - Dodgers
- Again, the only non-Cubs card I had of the guy. But, the faux vintage of this set has always caught my eye.
- Rick Aguilera - 1987 Classic #79 - Mets
- The Mets might have a stigma attached to them by the Cubs fanbase; but, as a member of the iconic '86 Mets, Rick will go in as such.
- Manny Alexander - 1996 UD Collector's Choice # 53 - Orioles
- Manny was honored with a pretty excellent fielding shot in this checklist - easy selection here.
- Grover C. Alexander - 1986 Hygrade Baseball's All-Time Greats #?? - Phillies
- Oddballs rock and this particular set has always been one of my favorites. Plus, this is the only colorized card I had of "Ol' Pete."
- Antonio Alfonseca - 2005 Topps Update #UH64 - Marlins
- "El Pulpo" may have had a couple of extra digits on his hands and toes, but, I didn't have many extra cards of him. This nifty grip shot will have to suffice.
- Ethan Allen - 1993 TSN Conlon Collection #779 - Phillies
- The well-know and much-celebrated blog reader Stubby sent me this piece shortly after I bought a card of Allen and I immediately regretted my impatience. Now, this mess up has been rectified.
- Moises Alou - 1999 UD Ovation #27 - Astros
- Moises has many cards in my collection, as he was the first player that I dubbed my favorite. But, the baseball design/texture of Ovation made this an easy choice,
Page 2 of the A's:
- Jimmy Anderson - 2002 Topps #198 - Pirates
- Most people seem to find the brown borders of 2002 Topps quite unappealing; however, I've always been drawn to them for some reason. I guess it's because they're just different.
- Shane Andrews - 1999 Upper Deck #420 - Expos
- Remember the Expos! When I pass this binder down to my future child, I want them to ask me, "there was a team called the Expos?" like I asked my grandpa about the Browns.
- Jose Arcia - 1971 Topps #134 - Padres
- The first piece of actual vintage in the binder. It always saddened me that when I "Cubgraded" an old card from my CATRC, that I didn't have anything specific to do with it anymore. This collection will help rectify this issue.
- Alex Arias - 1993 Upper Deck #631 - Marlins
- Arias was always a glove-first infielder; thus, it's appropriate to include a slick-fielding shot of the man. Plus, teal jerseys!
- Jake Arrieta - 2012 Topps Update #US150 - Orioles
- One day, in the not so distant future, baseball fans will think "Jake Arrieta was an Oriole? I totally forgot about that" when they see this card. Sweet throwback cap too!
- Richie Ashburn - 1986 CCC '51 Bowman Reprints #186 - Phillies
- Cards of this Hall of Famer (definitely not for his time in Chicago) within my budget are tough to come by. However, thankfully this garage-sale set find rescued me again. Plus, my girlfriend is a Phillies fan; so, I have a tendency to root for them as well.
- Paul Assenmacher - 1986 Topps Traded #4T - Braves
- 1987 Topps is hit or miss with me, however, the colors on this particular card play well together. Not to mention, the stirrups really make the choice a no-brainer.
- Bobby Ayala - 1996 Donruss #199 - Mariners
- I honestly just chose this card because I didn't use a Mariner yet. It's a bland set with 90's foil, but the Emerald City needs some love too.
And that's all I have for the letter A so far - it's a short introduction to my "Cubs of Different Color" collection.
I've really enjoyed putting together this collection and I look forward to adding more. It's always great to find a use for cards I like but don't really know what to do with.
Also, thanks again to Red Cardboard for providing this idea - I tip my cap to you, sir!
Next Sunday, we'll take a look at the letter B. There's a few more B's listed in the Cubs franchise history; so, we'll have a few more pages to look at. That said, I think today was a nice first foray.
Until next time.
Jake Arrieta was an Oriole?! When?
ReplyDelete"Turns out that boxes of baseball cards are not acceptable living room decor - who knew?"
ReplyDeleteShe obviously does not understand "feng Topps shui".
This is a cool concept, definitely. One I may have to try once I get all my Brewers sorted out sometime in the year never. :-)
ReplyDeleteI got your message -- shoot me an e-mail at off (dot)hiatus(dot)baseball(at)Gmail so I can get your address and send you mine!