The Spice of Life

 
It's fairly safe to assume that you've heard the old saying, "variety is the spice of life" before.  The ancient turn of phrase has been used to (correctly) point out that new and exciting experiences make life more interesting and actually worth living.  It's a proverb that I've oft-repeated and considered when making decisions on where to dine, what bands and music to listen to, what beer to try, what movies to see, etc.  After all, life just gets darn boring if you're going to same places, doing the same stuff, and listening to Stairway to Heaven on repeat.

You might say that, at this point, "variety is the spice of life" is my own particular... ummmm.... (sigh)





Although the main focus of my cardboard collection is my documentary Cubs All-Time Roster Collection - the goal of which is to obtain at least one card of every player to suit up in Cubbie Blue - trading cards would quickly get dull.  That's why I've also added roster collections for the Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks to occupy my time.  Not to mention, I have several other collecting offshoots, including minor league cards, miscellaneous oddballs, runners, and motorsports-related cardboard.  When I get bored with one binder, I can easily scoot over to another focus.

When it comes to applying this thought process, it appears as though I am not the only one in the card-blogging community.  Dime Box Nick recently dropped a surprise package into my mailbox and this brick of cardboard was as varied as a jar of potpourri:

Nick is always good for a varied trade package and this one was certainly no exception.  The man is always coming across interesting and different oddities as part of his famous dime box digs - Nick is the king of Dimeboxdonia for good reason, after all.  Likely unearthed during one of these excavations was the Kellogg's 3D oddball of Cubs third baseman, Bill Madlock, which tops this post.  It's cracked and weathered surface may have seen better days, but you better believe that it nestles nicely into my oddball binder regardless. 

And there was plenty more where that came from!  Sorting through this exceptionally "spicy" selection of cardboard was the perfect way to unwind after a long day at the office.  Please allow me to further showcase just how much this generous offering lived up to Nick and I's shared idiom:

Keeping with the oddball theme was this assortment off-the-beaten-path pasteboard.  Short-termer, Benito Santiago, seemingly played for every team in baseball as his career wound down; however, his single year in Chicago wasn't met with a lot of cardboard documentation.  Luckily, MLB Showdown was on the ball!

Additionally, we have a triage of Cubs greats in Sammy Sosa, Ron Santo, and a beaming Ernie Banks, via UD Power Deck, a late-90's team issue set, and a glossy '85 Topps Home Run Kings single.  In regards to the Slammin' Sammy, is there anything more "different" than a mini-CD, "futuristic" baseball card?

Furthermore, Nick also included an assortment of minor league baseball cards, a cardboard genre that has held my fascination since I pulled a 1994 Action Packed Matt Franco single out of a repack as a little kid and was baffled by the IOWA Cubs team designation.

Sean Cheetham and Luis Flores never made the ultimate ascent to the Majors; however they will make it into my minor league Cubs collection.  Although, the latter is still active in 2018, plying his trade in the Mexican League; so, there is still a small chance Luis could make it to the show someday.

Changing gears once again - remember, this gift was all about variety - we have a fair selection of vintage cards to gaze upon.  How often do cards from the fifties and sixties end up in a surprise mailing like this?  And vintage O-Pee-Chee??  That Nick is one kind fellow!

Jumping forward a few decades, Nick tossed another curveball with a gathering of super shiny parallels, including what might be my very first "dufex" card in Jayson Peterson's '95 Pinnacle release.  My eyes are burning with pure delight!

Next up was a grouping of relatively recent products that remain nearly non-existent in my collection.  I try to rip at least one pack of every new product that hits store shelves; that said, last season's Allen & Ginter and Fire brands, as well as 2018 Donruss, have only rolled in via trade packages.

That doesn't mean I have anything against these products - I just never got around to sampling them.  Good thing I have Nick to keep me up to date.

Speaking of which, these are definitely the maiden 2018 Bowman Chrome singles to slip into Wrigley Roster Jenga headquarters, including my very first card of the Cubs highest draft pick in 2017, Thomas Hatch.  Now, should either of these men earn the call-ups they've both been inching towards, I'll be ready to throw them into my CATRC binder immediately afterwards.

WABAM!  Nick's next change of pace was a doosy - a pair of hits in the form of an Addison Russell A&G relic from last year and a 2015 Mark Prior  Topps Tek autograph.  Hot damn!

This marks the second Prior signature to enter into my collection and had you told me in 2003 that I'd have such a pair in the future, I'd assume that I was a wealthy man.  While he may have fizzled out, Mark was always a favorite of mine and I'll gladly scoop up all of the Prior ink that I can.  Meanwhile, the gray jersey swatch is easily my best Russell card and will promptly take his place in my CATRC tome.

In any other package, these two hits would easily have taken the cake as the best of the bunch.  However, a Nick mailer is never predictable.  This cardboard potpourri still had one more surprise hidden inside:

As an exclamation point on an already excellent and varied bubble mailer, Nick also included a partially completed set of a rarely-seen in the wild, team issued set.  This Fox Sports Net sponsored checklist was issued in 2000 and documented the roster of that year's club.  The 29-card set was given away at a certain home game... but, no one seems to remember which contest that was.  There's simply not a lot of information out there about these SGA's.

The dismal 2000 Cubs were built with aging veterans and obscure, cameo Cubs and this surprisingly robust set provides several cards of guys who are rarely associated with Cubbie Blue.  This fact had already put the FSN set on my collecting radar and I audibly gasped when I saw these in Nick's stack:

This pair of Jeff's were of particular interest to me.

The well-traveled Jeff Huson's Cubs career was limited to the 2000 season - those 70 games marked the finish line for his Big League career.  Thus, the SGA above is the only Cubs card to have been printed of the longtime MLB utilityman.  In addition, like Huson, Jeff Reed also completed his Big League tenure in the Windy City, serving as a backup backstop from 1999-00.  As far as I can tell, this SGA single and a game card in '00 MLB Showdown are the only cards that commemorate his final MLB stint. 

Both of these rarities were much-needed and long-targeted "Cubgrades" for my CATRC three-ring.

Finally, unlike mainstream releases, this stadium giveaway set made sure to cover not just the active players, but the coaching staff as well.  As a result, guys like batting coach, Jeff Pentland, and pitching coach, Oscar Acosta - neither of whom ever received much cardboard love - get their only known Cubs cards.  Hot diggity.

I make much more of a hubbub about the player section of my CATRC; however, I also have sections dedicated to managers and the coaching staff.  It's rare that I get to make additions to the "coach's corner," seeing as how rarely coaches appear on baseball cards these days.  Therefore, whenever I get a chance to do so, it's certainly an occasion worth celebrating.

With that, we've finally reached the end of Nick's extremely generous and diverse platter of cardboard.  To summarize, within that array, Nick managed to include a healthy mix of intriguing oddballs, minor league singles, beautiful vintage, shiny parallels, catch-up current products, eye-popping hits, and major additions to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  To put it simply, the man is just a legendary trader! Thanks, Nick - I'll be sure to whip up a proper and varied trade package in return, as soon as I possibly can.


Collecting cards wouldn't be nearly as fun if there was only one way to do so, would it?  That's why this trade package is one of my favorites of 2018, so far - variety is the spice of life!