This must be the time to send out surprise mailings because this is the second unexpected envelope to show up in my mailbox (so far) this week. I imagine that this has something to do with the impending arrival of Opening Day, as well as a confluence of new baseball card products hitting the shelves. However, the number one reason is that we have obviously have an exceptionally generous community on the ol' blogosphere.
I don't think anyone can successfully debate that latter point.
One of the most generous bloggers that I have encountered over the past few years has been, without a doubt, Oscar (aka - Stealing Home) of All Trade Bait, All the Time fame. I suppose the name of his blog should be an indicator of how much he likes to swap cardboard; so, I guess it all makes sense. This Dodger collector must have a knack for pulling Cubbies, since I always get a steady supply from his California roost.
This time, the first few cards out of the PWE had a definite theme running through them:
In addition to the fact that they're all from quite recent, 2017 Topps releases (Flagship and Heritage), they all feature statistical league leaders from across baseball. Much has been made of the traditional, three-player "leader" cards being split up into single players in this year's edition of Flagship and count me in as one in support of that separation. After all, I like my Cubs cards to feature just Cubs - why shouldn't Kyle Hendricks get singular recognition for leading the NL in ERA (not bad for an expected fifth starter)?
On the other hand, traditional is the name of the game in Heritage, so the three-player leaders remain, albeit with oddly cropped photos in order to preserve the cap logos ($$$). I must admit, while I prefer the single-player change, it is pretty damn cool to immediately see how the Cubs' rotation was so dominant in 2017.
Following the leaders - ba dum tiss - we have a pair of base cards from the 2016 edition of Flagship. I've always liked the picture chosen for the Russell card, seeing as it perfectly puts his number one skill on display: his expert glove work. Meanwhile, the Zobrist is also significant, seeing as it's the very first Cubs card of the eventual 2016 World Series MVP. That definitely steals some added interest from this Chicago-centric blogger.
Sticking with Flagship...
... and this is really where the envelope goes down the Schlitter - again, ba dum tiss.
Brian was a reliever who constantly rode the shuttle from Iowa to the Majors in the first half of this decade and it's rare that these sorts of players get any love from the titans of baseball card producing. Thus, it's always refreshing to see this card pop up and be reminded that, every now and then, Topps goes a little bit further with their player selection. Still, it would be nice if they actually put a low-cost, collector-friendly set (like good ol' Topps Total) that showed more emphasis on comprehensive team sets. Maybe someday....
Wrapping up Oscar's generous mailing, we again turn back the clock. However, this time we're going to jump back a little bit further in time:
To put a period on his surprise PWE, we have a pair of fan-favorites from the late 80's through the 90's in "Amazing Grace" and the man who inspired the "Shawon-O-Meter."
Gracie was always one of my favorites as a kid, probably because, in the decade of Clinton and Tamagotchis, there wasn't much talent to cheer for at Wrigley Field, outside of Grace, Sammy Sosa, and Ryne Sandberg. With that in mind, any new card of the underappreciated, hits leader of the decade is more than welcome in my collection, especially this shiny upgrade for a previously damaged copy. Furthermore, this Donruss rookie of the canon-armed, but erratic shortstop is entirely new to my binders and it's downright strange to see Mr. Dunston looking so fresh-faced and young.
1986 Donruss might be a scanner's worst enemy - aliasing is a bitch - but, it's always had a soft spot in my heart. I have a feeling this has to do with the fact that the main colors in the linear design are blue and red and thus work notably well with Cubs cards.
Science!
With that, we've reached the bottom of this kind, surprise PWE. Thank you Oscar for taking the time to put this together and for thinking of me when you pulled these sweet Cubs cards. I'll make sure to put together a proper thank you package, ASAP. Lucky for you, the knack for pulling Dodgers that I developed last year appears to still be going strong in 2017.
In my neck of the woods, it's exceptionally rare that a product ever hits the shelves on time, let alone a day or two early. I'm always jealous when I see a blogger touting their finds of the latest baseball cards on or before the official release date. Meanwhile, as with Heritage earlier this month, I'm often left to search the local big boxers for several weeks afterwards. In fact, the first time I saw Heritage in my Target was today, when I popped in to pick up some snack foods for my wife's sweet tooth.
So, imagine my surprise when, next to the rack packs of Heritage that finally appeared on the metal pegs, I saw a nice sampling of the latest, retro-themed product put out by the Topps Company.
There it was, Gypsy Queen in the flesh (or cardboard, rather), a full day earlier than it's official release date. My mouth was actually agape. You darn well better believe that I took advantage of this unusually punctuality and grabbed myself a value pack, which promised three packs, three exclusive green parallels and a coupon for a free pack of Opening Day.
Now, usually I couldn't care less about Gypsy Queen. In a market that's over-saturated with throwback sets, Queen has long been the ugliest. in my humble opinion. Lots of tans, browns and blacks in the color scheme, with over-filtered photographs made it the ugly, red-headed stepsister of Allen & Ginter. However, the 2017 edition of the product features the very first card of new closer, Wade Davis, in his Chicago Cubs uniform. Therefore, regardless of how I feel about the usual look, I definitely have a card to chase for my CATRC in this year's GQ.
So, without any further ado, let's crack into this value pack and see what 2017 Gypsy Queen is all about:
First of all, the packs themselves. Kris Bryant makes his second appearance of the year as the cover boy for a major release, as does Kyle Schwarber. "Sparkles," of course, is plastered on the foily front of Topps Series One, while "Schwarbs" received the same honor for Panini's Donruss brand. However, this time they have to share real estate; I'm sure they'll make excellent roommates.
I have to say, it's pretty damn cool to see so much Cubbie love across the baseball card world. Although, I'm sure you non-Cubs fans are probably already plenty tired of it.
Anyway, enough yackin' about the wrappin' - let's see what these cards look like (and if I was lucky enough to pull my Davis):
Here's my Cubs content from the three, six-card packs... and no Wade Davis *womp, womp*. Oh well, can't be too disappointed with who I pulled, however!
As for the design for this years base cards, I must admit, I think I like these... I think I like them a lot! While in year past the design has been brown and boring, this year see's a nice injection of subtle color in the bottom border and text, with an almost chrome illusion tint to it. In hand, these cards looks quite nice and, dare I say elegant. They manage to keep the mystique of an old-timey tobacco card with the ornate framing while giving it just enough of a modern kick to keep from ruining the illusion. Of course, they're not perfect though; the photographs are still filtered to the point of looking unnatural. If you're going to do that, why not make them appear to be drawn, painted or sketched? Wouldn't that fit the antiquated motif?
The backs are devoid of stats, like usual and like the source material; so, that's neither a surprise nor a problem. Furthermore, Topps follows the KISS method here; that's not to say that they feature an aging rock band, but rather that they Keep It Simple, Stupid. We see a continuation of the framing and piping from the front, which blends into the copyright information. Additionally, the ribbon nameplate is also a nice addition, especially when combined it the parchment-like, aged paper background upon which it's set. All in all, the 2017 edition of Gypsy Queen is definitely appealing to the eye and deserves the crown that it's royal and roguish title implies.
Shall we take a look at the non-Cubs stuff? First, the best of the rest:
Nothing too exciting here, at least in my team-collecting eyes. We have a Night Owl forced favorite in Tom Murphy, potentially my new forced favorite in Joe Musgrove and some other stars and semi-stars from around the league. If you see anything you like, please feel free to speak up - otherwise, these will be distributed in my next round of trade packages.
Next up, the inserts:
Okay, *ahem,* insert... as in singular. The only insert that I pulled from this value pack was this Hand Drawn Art or Portrait Art Reproductions card, featuring a rival Redbird... drat. These inserts feature the reproduced artwork of a few different artists; this one, in particular, shows off the original artwork of one Brian Kong, a freelance artist who focuses on sports. I believe these are seeded at 1:8 packs, or something close to that... I forgot to write that down before I tossed the wrappers. Silly blogger.
Well, since that takes care of ALL of my inserts (not that I expected more), let's take a look at my parallel pulls:
First up, we have something of a small mystery... and that is not a comment on the stature of the star middle infielder of the Houston Astros... okay, maybe a "wee" bit.... dammit, I can't help myself.
Anywho, as you can see, this card has a faded, washed-out look to it - clearly different from a standard base card. However, I cannot find any information about a "faded" or similarly termed parallel from any of my normal sources. It's not numbered either. Anybody have any idea what I have here? Is this an actual parallel, some sort of variation that I'm unaware of, or is this a legitimate printing error?
Secondly, we have something a tad more cut and dry - a pink parallel of current closer and almost assuredly soon to be a former White Sox, David Robertson. This one does have a serial number stamped into the back, numbered 187/250. Admittedly, while I feel colored parallels are gimmicky and oftentimes annoying, on the whole, it seems that this particular design works well with the multi-colored frames. For me, the hints of color in the elaborate piping invite more. Thus, the bright borders don't feel as absurdly out of place, as they have in years past. Again, there's little about this template that I don't like.
That covers it for the three, regular retail packs that came in my plastic pouch. Let's wrap this pack busting experience up with my three, exclusive (to Target, I believe) green parallels, which came enclosed in their own, separate cello wrapping:
Robbie Ray hot pack! If you're an eagle-eyed reader, you might have noticed that I pulled in base in the "best of the rest" scan. Accompanying the young Diamondbacks starter, we have Houston closer, Ken Giles and Braves outfielder, Nick Markakis. Nothing that really moves the needle for me; but, again, I kind of enjoy the look of the colored parallels in this product. I might have to chase some multi-colored Cubbies.
With that, we've exhausted all of the cards to come out of this Gypsy Queen value pack.
However, don't walk away just yet - there's still more to be blogged abot. I also mentioned that these GQ value packs came with a peel off coupon for a FREE pack of Opening Day on the front. You darn well better believe that I cashed that puppy in with my early purchase:
Now, I don't think that much has to be said about OD, at this point. Like usual, it's a dull, uninspired parallel to Flagship that only holds any appeal due to the cheap pricing and fun inserts. I'll spare you and my scanner the contents of most of the pack, seeing as I landed no Cubs or any notable base cards. That said, I did land one of those aforementioned fun inserts, so I might as well show that card off while it's fresh:
The mascot cards have been an Opening Day staple for several years now and the Angels' famed Rally Monkey was included in this season's offering. He's no Clark, but how could this cute, mischievous Capuchin monkey not bring a smile to my face? I suppose a smile is all I can truly ask or expect from a free pack of cards. Maybe next year we can get a relic with a piece of his sign?
Also hitting the shelves today are Panini's Diamond Kings and the inaugural release of the fantasy baseball card game, Honus Bonus. However, while Target was quick to set out the Gypsy Queen, they were seemingly not as enthused about those other two sets. I look forward to hopefully catching some rips on the blogosphere, hopefully from collectors who were lucky enough to find those bad boys early, or, at least, on time.
With that, we can put a period on my first experience with the 2017 edition of Topps' Gypsy Queen. Despite the fact that I normally find Gypsy to be bland, uninspired, derivative and, oftentimes, downright ugly, all in all, I give the product a solid A- minus on design. My only disappointment comes from the fact that I didn't land my Wade Davis Cubs debut. Not that it was reasonable to ask for a specific, single card from a 230-piece checklist, out of a 21-card tasting. If anyone picks that up in the next few days, I'd love to talk trade with you!
Gypsy Queen has won me over this year and I never though that I'd see the day.
Surprise mailings are the best kind of mailings. Seriously, whenever I come home from a long day at the office, dealing with cranky kids and even crankier computers, to find an envelope or bubble mailer resting quietly, with my name on it, in my mailbox... suddenly, it's like I'm a kid on Christmas morning again and all of my worries melt away. For the few minutes in between carrying my treasure to my card space, ripping through the seal, and sifting through the contents, all is okay in the world. I'd like to think that most of us online card collectors feel the same way.
Adam, from Cardboard Clubhouse, must feel that way, seeing as this is the second time in recent history that I've been the beneficiary of an unannounced gifting. While he did give somewhat of a notice on his blog post from a few days ago, I got the same bubblies in my stomach when I saw my area code on his list of outgoing mail.
This mailer was no disappointment either, Adam truly knows how to get my Cubbie Blue blood pumping:
Ah - the Contenders brand, back when it flew under the Playoff banner and Panini hadn't yet taken over. Adam must know that I love minor league and collegiate baseball cards, as the unfamiliar uniforms and teams add some extra zest to the product (even if they were then unlicensed). They're even better when they depict future Major Leaguers, before they made it big, like Tony Zych. Zych never made the ultimate ascent in Chicago; but, he did see time with the Seattle Mariners in each of the last two seasons, after his contract was purchased in 2015. As such, this Zych will slide into my "Coulda Been a Cub" binder, quite comfortably.
Moving backwards in time, we have a pair of Carlos Zambrano's from the latter days of Upper Deck baseball. Now, the first thing that struck me was, "why does Big Z have two base cards in 2008 UD?" Was one a photo variation or some kind of parallel? Not exactly.
It's super hard to tell, thanks to the silver foil text on the front; however, once you flip these bad boys over, the answer becomes much clearer.
The one on the right is Carlos' true base card, while the one on the left is the team checklist. As someone who's never really cared for checklists, I have and always will approve when card manufacturers attempt to make their checklist cards appear to be more like "normal" baseball cards. After all, I have no use for 2.5" x 3.5" record keeping; I guess that just personal preference.
Let's roll back the clock a little bit further, to the mid-90's, for the meat of the mailer:
Adam included a nice sampling of 1995 Pinnacle and 1993 Donruss in this padded mailer. The Pinnacle set from that year is a garish, foil monstrosity with a highly intrusive nameplate that lazily only gives the player's last name. Yet, despite all of that, it was one of the first sets I saw at the onset of my collecting days, so I'll always feel a twinge of nostalgia for those cards. Meanwhile, on the other hand, 1993 Donruss is a simple, bare-bones design that gets the job done without any flair. It's definitely among my favorite collations from the latter Junk Wax Era.
Sticking with the mid-90's, but switching out our cleats for ice skates...
Here we have a pair of Blackhawks cards, from when the franchise was beginning their slide into irrelevance, by way of 1994 Donruss. This set seems almost more like something Stadium Club would have put out in that time than it does Donruss. On that note, it's a nice, clean set that lets the photograph do the talking. Unfortunately, in this case, neither of these two photos are particularly eye-catching; but, the cards still look nice overall. At any rate, they'll still fit perfectly well in my Blackhawks collection.
To wrap things up, we go back to the diamond and then go backwards in time by another decade plus.
Yay - vintage! Adam was kind enough to include some 1984 Topps, as represented by the Penguin, and some 1978 Topps, as represented by a rookie-year Dennis Lamp. It may make a certain "night owl's" head explode, but I'll always think of Cey as a Cub first, as a result of his being the third baseman for the beloved '84 NL East Champions. As such, any day I can add a new Cubs card of the Penguin to my collection is a good day and I did not yet have his 1984 single.
Meanwhile, Lamp looks like he smelled something nasty, just as the photographer snapped his headshot. Maybe he was just resentful that he'd have to share his rookie card with three other guys, of whom only he and, to a lesser extent, Roy Thomas (8 seasons, 3.1 WAR) proved to be credible Big Leaguers.
With that, I've reached the bottom of the bubble mailer and Christmas morning is over. Well, not entirely, I still get to sort these new additions to my collection and put them in their proper places, not to mention write this blog post that you're currently reading.
Thanks, Adam, for thinking of me and taking the time to put this unexpected and generous package together - it was greatly appreciated. I'll make sure to craft a return gifting ASAP, to give you that Christmas morning feeling - as soon they finish the renovations on my local post office, that is!
Obscure holidays are phenomenal jumping off points for when you need something to write about. I highly recommend you bookmark the National Day Calendar in your internet browser, as soon as you get a chance. That is, if you haven't already done so.
Today's seemingly random and off-kilter day of celebration is National Joe Day, which is about as straightforward as it sounds - the spotlight is on people with the name "Joe," "Jo," "Joseph," "Joey," "Josephine," and whatever other variation you can think of. The moniker comes from the Scottish word "joe," which originally meant "sweetheart." Over the years, the term has evolved to refer to the working-class everyman. As terms like "average Joe," "ordinary Joe," and "Joe the plumber" came into the vernacular, a Joe came to be known as a regular guy. Thus, today is the special day that those regular guys and gals get to be celebrated.
I suppose you could also just take it as an excuse to pour yourself a big, ol' cup o' Joe, as well. I mean, it is a gloomy Monday morning too.
Being that the name and all of it's variants are such common names on this side of the world, it's no wonder that there are so many "Joe's" are scattered throughout the pages of Major League Baseball history. Furthermore, since the Chicago Cubs are basically the oldest team in professional, American sports, they have had their fair share of "Joe's" on their roster, at one time or another. So, in honor of National Joe Day, it's only appropriate that we spotlight some of these "Joe's," who once donned Cubbie blue, currently reside in my CATRC binder, and have yet to be featured on Wrigley Roster Jenga. I'll also notate just why each of these "average Joe's" should be remembered - 'tis the spirit of the day, after all.
We'll even wrap things up with a countdown of the top 5 Joe's in the history of the franchise (limited to players - sorry Joe Maddon!); but, first things first:
Joe Hatten
With Cubs: 36 games, 1951-52
Why remember him?: He was the prize of the eight-player, blockbuster trade that saw franchise-great Andy Pafko shipped to Brooklyn.
Joe Kmak
With Cubs: 19 games, 1995
Why remember him?: He had one heckuva awesome nickname during his playing days - "Buy a Vowel."
Joe Kraemer
With Cubs: 19 games, 1989-90
Why remember him?: Joe made his Big League debut as a spot starter on the beloved 1989 "Boys of Zimmer" club.
Joe Marty
With Cubs: 187 games, 1937-39
Why remember him?: The outfielder was the first Chicago Cubs player to homer in a night game, which he did on July 1, 1938 at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.
Joe Mather
With Cubs: 103 games, 2012
Why remember him?: "Super Joe" was the spring training hero of 2012, taking the Cactus League by storm. Also whacked a walk-off, 2-run single against his former club, the Cardinals, on April 23.
Joey Nation
With Cubs: 2 games, 2000
Why remember him?: Unfortunately, the live-armed prospect was forced out of the game after only a few seasons due to an enlarged heart. I guess you can have too much heart in this game.
Joe Wallis
With Cubs: 221 games, 1975-78
Why remember him?: On June 15, 1978, Wallis was traded twice in one day. First, the Cubs swapped him to the Indians for outfielder Mike Vail. From there, the Indians sent him to the Athletics for Gary Alexander.
In fact, the Cubs haven't really had many notable men by that name during the entirety of their 147 years playing baseball. Originally, for the second half of this post, I intended to write up a top ten list of the team's best "Joe's;" but, I was forced to chop that down to five, as I found myself stretching so far that I was afraid I was going to pull a muscle.
That being said, while there may not be an abundance, that doesn't mean there aren't ANY above-average Joe's in the history of the Chicago National League ballclub. So, let's count them down, starting with number five:
#5
Joe Pepitone
With Cubs: 268 games, 1970-73
Why remember him?: His best years were spent with the much-ballyhooed Yankees, but he sure did grow some sweet sideburns when he was traded to the Cubs. Pep was the initial replacement for Ernie Banks at first base and provided some steady offense for Cubs teams that were constantly on the cusp of contention. Also, he was my mom's favorite player, so there's that.
#4
Joe Niekro
With Cubs: 74 games, 1967-69
Why remember him?: Though, like Pepitone, he provided the best years of his career elsewhere, the younger Niekro brother was a steady presence on the pitching staff the Cubs in the late-60's, going 24-18 with a 3.83 ERA during his time in the Windy City.
#3
Joe Borowski
With Cubs: 175 games, 2001-05
Why remember him?: JoeBo was the surprise closer of the "Why Not Us?" Cubs, which came ever so close to being the team that finally broke the curse. Joe came from obscurity to save 33 games for the club, in a bullpen that was shoddy, at best.
#2
Joe Girardi
With Cubs: 578 games, 1989-92 & 2000-02
Why remember him?: Girardi is an all-time fan-favorite in Chicago. He was a key contributor to the "Boys of Zimmer" in 1989, an All-Star in 2001, and was one of the most respected team captains in franchise history. On the latter note, on June 22, 2002, he was chosen to deliver the stunning news that the day's game was canceled "because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family," that tragedy being the death of Darryl Kile. He may be most associated with the Yankees, thanks to his World Series ring and his long managerial tenure, but he'll always have a spot in the hearts of Chicagoans.
And now, the moment we've all been waiting for, the greatest Joe in the history of the Chicago Cubs. Drumroll please...
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Okay, okay. Without any further ado, the all-time greatest Joe in the history of Northside baseball is unequivocally, without a doubt...
#1
Joe Tinker
With Cubs: 1,539 games, 1902-12 & 1916
Why remember him?: Where to begin? He was the shortstop on one of the most famous infields of all-time, he was an essential contributor to two World Series Championships (1907-08) and four National League pennants. he was name checked in one of the most well-known bits of baseball prose ever put to paper (Tinker to Evers to Chance ring a bell?), and he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. Simply put, there was not other way to "tinker" with this ranking, this Joe had to be number one.
There you have it - a comprehensive examination of the Joe's found scattered throughout the pages of the Cubs' record books. Happy National Joe Day, everybody - celebrate accordingly!
In honor of the holiday, I encourage you all to share the name of the greatest Joe, Joseph, Joey, or Jo in the history of their favorite franchise, at least in your opinion and to the best of your memory. Type that name in the comment section below, in honor of Joe's everywhere!
In the meantime, I'm going to go scour the internet to find out if there's a National Tony Day scheduled at any time during the year. If not, I'm going to set about finding out how to declare it. We Tony's are pretty cool too!
