Cubs of a Different Color - The Letter A

So, I've been trying to streamline my collection lately, due to it overflowing our living room and my girlfriend's gentle nudges.  Turns out that boxes of baseball cards are not acceptable living room decor - who knew?

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:

1. The card must depict them in an MLB uniform that is not the Cubs.  
2. MiLB cards do not count; they go into their own, separate collection.  
3. "Zero-year" cards do count, provided they show MLB teams (so Bowman Draft counts).
4. 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.