Does it Spark Joy?

Well, I'm back.  Hope you all didn't miss me too much.

As the Cubs sputtered to finish line of the 2019 season, I checked out.  Call me a bad fan or whatever, but baseball just wasn't fun anymore.  I know that fans of the North Side baseball club would have basically sold their soul just to be in postseason contention less than a short decade ago (myself included), but the last few months of Cubs baseball were just... grating.  Between the Addison Russell crap (launch him into the sun), the political dealings by ownership, the suspect new television conglomerate, the managerial drama, the general toxicity of the fan-base on social media, the seemingly lackadaisical play on field when it mattered most, and the second straight craptastic collapse, I simply wasn't enjoying America's pastime anymore.  With that in mind, I turned to the only voice of reason I could find in this topsy-turvy world: the goddess of decluttering, Marie Kondo.

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Simply put, baseball was not sparking joy in my life; so, I disposed of it.  Unfortunately, part of dumping baseball was dumping baseball cards, as well.  With that, the blog went on indefinite hiatus.

After a couple of months of focusing on greener pastures, like training for the Chicago Marathon, focusing my need to collect on vinyl records, and whiling away the hours with my wife - sans the burden of subconscious stress over the performance of two dozen random men participating in a child's game - I feel quite rejuvenated.  Now that the World Series is halfway over, I feel comfortable jumping back in, once again.  After all, the split was never meant to be permanent, I just needed a nice long break to regain perspective and to remind myself that there are infinitely more important things in life than sports.

Of course, the Bears are trying their damnedest to drive me right back to the brink.

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Turns out they needed more than just a kicker, huh?  The whole offense is screwy.

Thankfully, I'm not nearly as die-hard towards the Bears as I am the Cubs, so I can still enjoy the sport of football while keeping it at arm's length, without the intense emotional investment.  In fact, before last weekend, I had never even attended a single Bears game.  Heck, I had never even been to Soldier Field for so much as a carnival, let alone a professional football tilt.  Notice also that I am speaking in past tense.

That's right, this lifelong outskirts of Chicago native had never seen the Monsters of the Midway perform outside of a TV broadcast.  That is, until my Eagles fan of a mother-in-law accidentally won tickets to last Sunday's game in a raffle and (since she would rather burn them than entertain the thought of going) offered them up to my wife and I as a gift.  That definitely sparked joy!

That being stated, the Philly native got the last laugh, as the Bears were absolutely pantsed by the injury ravaged Saints, despite coming off of a bye week.  Even though they lost 36-25, it didn't even feel that close.  During the Bears' very first offensive set, a blocked punt led to a safety, which really set the tone for the rest of the evening.  By the end of the third quarter, Mitch Trubisky and crew had only four first-downs on the ledger.  Four.  Needless to say, it was a lopsided affair.  Nevertheless, I had an absolute blast as absolutely everything was a new experience to me.

Some highlights:

We arrived at the complex super early (more on that in a bit), after a train ride and a mile and a half walk, partially along the fog-draped lakefront.  Nevertheless, I still had enough energy to excitedly sprint back and forth along the original and still empty, column-lined concourse of Soldier Field.  I am a runner, at heart, after all.

Seeing the gridiron, in person, for the first time as we emerged from bowl plopped on top of that historic concourse briefly took my breath away.  In fact, it was much like my first time seeing the diamond at Wrigley Field way back in 2004.  I was awestruck long enough to have the much more experienced folks blocked behind me contemplating knocking me over the railing so they could get to their seats.

And, of course, souvenirs.  The reason why my wife and I arrived at the gates early - an hour before they opened and three before kickoff - was so that we'd each be guaranteed that day's giveaway:  the above Walter Payton bobblehead.  "Sweetness" is going to be making some new friends on my desk at work very soon.  Additionally, I also made sure to keep my souvenir soda cup and a Miller Lite can celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NFL with a Bears logo on it because I adore my ephemera.

But, this is a card blog, is it not? And I am a card-carrying, card collector, right?  With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that my souvenir scavenging was not limited to stadium giveaways and beverage containers:

That's right - I also picked up this bad boy from the first kiosk I came across.

Not only have I been shying  away from my baseball cards during my self-imposed hobby exile, but my football cards have been ignored too.  As such, there's definitely some new, fresh faces in this factory team set blister pack that are needed for my Bears All-Time Roster Collection.  I pulled the trigger - even though it was more expensive there than in regular retailers - because I loved the idea of having Bears cards from my maiden Bears game hold such prominent places in my collection.  If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much emphasis I place on my roster-based binders.

While there were some repeats, including a highly unnecessary Brian Urlacher single (throwback players being included in what is serving as a flagship product is a rant for another day), I was able to nestle a few new names into my BATRC after the shellacking ended and the Metra train took me home.  For example:

Roquan Smith was last year's first round draft choice and, as such, his cards came with a premium in Chicagoland card shops.  Prices didn't go down either after the linebacker posted 122 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended, and one interception in his rookie campaign, arguably the best defensive debut since Brian Urlacher.  Unfortunately, he's been struggling quite a bit this year; but, then again, so is pretty much the entire roster.

Anyway, it's always nice to cross a big name off of the list!

Next up, a pair of fresh-faced rookies.

David Montgomery has been an integral part of what is technically considered Matt Nagy's "offense."  The running back was a third round draft choice last winter and now leads the team in rushing yardage with 231.  In fact, it's not even close, with last year's breakout star, Tarik Cohen, lagging miles behind with 47.  Once again, it's quite apparent that the offense is broken, but Montgomery is doing his best to carry the team on his back.

Meanwhile, Riley Ridley hasn't played so much as a single snap for the team so far, though he is on the 53-man roster.  Thus, I don't have much to say about the fourth round draft choice.  Maybe he deserves an opportunity to play?  Heck, he even looks like he's stuck on the sidelines and annoyed in the picture chosen for this rookie card.

While not entirely new to my Bears roster collection, Khalil Mack certainly needed an update - he looks so much better in blue and orange!

Mr. Mack has been nothing but a beast since being pillaged from the Raiders prior to the start of last year.  For frame of reference, in 2018, he registered 47 tackles, 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception returned for a touchdown. Significantly, the 12.5 sacks were the most by a Bears player since Richard Dent back in 1993.  So far in 2019, Mack already has 4.5 sacks and leads the league with 4 forced fumbles.  Like I said, he's a nearly unstoppable beast.

Finally, though I was quite happy to properly update my card for the Bears' biggest star, my favorite card from the blister pack was actually the one that follows:

While my OCD tendencies are usually somewhat offended by cards which picture a player on a different than he is listed as being with, that quirk still does not diminish this pull for me.  From now on, Cordarrelle Patterson will always hold a special place in my heart because he provided the lone Chicago highlight from my very first live gameday experience and, boy oh boy, it was a doozy:

I have always thought that return a punt or kick-off for a touchdown was the most exciting single play in sports and, after seeing one in person, that it nearly caused my heart to lead straight through my rib cage.  I haven't had a declared favorite player since Devin Hester moved to Atlanta, but I think Mr. Patterson might have stolen the crown!  The Swiss army knife offensive weapon was only brought over from New England last winter, but he'll now always hold a special place in my heart.

With that, we've covered all of the relevant content from the factory team set which commemorates my first visit to Soldier Field. 

All told, despite the result, the memories made and the souvenirs obtained definitely contributed to making the game an overall positive experience.  I had a great time and hope to make it back again sometime sooner than in another 30 years.  Is there anyone else out there like me that roots for a particular team but has never seen them play in person or took decades to finally do so?  Was it a geographical location thing or was there some other reason that kept you from making the pilgrimage?  Let me know in the comment section below!

Another benefit was that I felt inspired to return to the Chicago sporting world and to blogging, so that I might have some documentation of my first Bears game.  Here's hoping that it sticks!  On that note, here's hoping my newfound balance in life and sanity stick too.  We shall see - there's nothing or nobody better than the Cubs at testing my limits though.  Thankfully, they have far less opportunities in the off-season.

Don't make me Marie Kondo you again, Cubs!

Returning to Relevance

For the first time in this blog's history, the Chicago Bears are heading to the NFL playoffs!

With yesterday's thrilling 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers (of all teams), Matt Nagy's "Monsters of the Midway" officially punched their postseason tickets by clinching the NFC North Division.  Notably, this is the first time Da Bears have achieved a division title or playoff spot since 2010.  Granted, that's not all THAT long ago, but it sure feels like forever... especially with how embarrassingly bad the marquee franchise has been since that bright spot, under the listless leadership of Marc Trestman and John Fox.

I don't mean to put the buggy before the horse, but 1985 is getting smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror - maybe, just maybe, this team can go all the way and win their first Super Bowl of my lifetime?  The defense is unforgiving, the offense is adequate, and the team seems to be firing on all cylinders as the regular season nears the finish line.  I'm just saying, this lifelong Chicagoan has now seen the Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox, and the Cubs win championships in my time... c'mon Bears, you're slacking!

Anyway, there's still a lot of football left to be played before that becomes a real possibility.  Let's live in the moment - to celebrate their divisional crown, how about I show off the two most recent cards to enter my Bears All-Time Roster Collection?

That was a rhetorical question, by the way.  Sorry, not sorry - I'm super excited!

Trey Burton took home a coveted championship ring last season as a key member of the Philadelphia Eagles offense, even throwing a touchdown pass as part of an outstanding trick play during the contest.  The tight end parlayed that performance into a big four year, $32 million contract with Chicago during the off-season; so far, knock on wood, he's earned that paycheck.  All in all, Trey is having himself a career year, matching his career high in TD's (5) with two games yet to play.  Additionally, he's far surpassed his career marks in receptions (40) and receiving yards (470) during his first year as a member of the Bears.

The way things are looking, maybe I'll get to upgrade this 2018 Donruss "The Champ is Here" single with a Bears equivalent in a few months.  Fingers crossed!

Burton has been a popular target for Mitch Trubisky so far in 2018.  Photo credit to Steve Lundy - Chicago Daily Herald

I should also note, that my wife and all of my in-laws are rabid Philadelphia Eagles fans, so our family was a largely happy one this past February... ecstatic even.  While that might sound odd for mid-westerners, they have strong roots on the east coast.  Meanwhile, my entire family and I have been planted in the Chicagoland area for generations and, thus, we are all faithful to "Da Bears."  You might remember that a former Bears hero, Alshon Jeffery, loomed large in the birds SB win over the Patriots, catching 3 passes for 73 yards and scoring the first touchdown of the game.  How appropriate would it be that, just one year later, that the Bears take the crown on the back of a strong performance from a former Eagle?

I'm just saying, that'd be some damn good symmetry.  Plus, it'd make for a helluva two-year run for my family!

Anyway, while Trey Burton appears to be an integral piece of the Bears' 2018 resurgence and in the future to come, this next guy is, unfortunately, an easily forgotten part of the team's past.

The Nigerian-born Amobi Okoye was (and still is) one smart cookie - after all, he spurned Harvard (in favor of Louisville), was in college by the age of 16, and completed his psychology degree in just three and a half years.  Not a one dimensional student, Amobi's smarts were matched by his brawn, eventually, leading to his being drafted by the Houston Texans tenth overall in the 2007 draft.  At just 19 years old, he remains the youngest player to ever be taken in the first round.

Entering the league as the youngest man to take to the turf since 1967, Okoye instantly became a force on the Houston defensive line and had a productive four year tenure with the club.  However, the magic wore off as the years passed and he eventually lost his starting spot.  After taking his talents to the Windy City for the 2011 campaign, Okoye started only one contest for the Bears, though he did post five sacks in blue and orange over the next two seasons.

After 2012, Okoye's NFL career came to a premature close due to some serious medical issues, which necessitated his being placed in a medical induced coma for a while.  He attempted a comeback with the Cowboys and in Canada, but never made it all the way onto an active roster.

Amobi bringing the hurt to Dallas'  Tony Romo in 2012.  Photo credit to Vernon Bryant - Sports Day

Okoye was not a bad player - that's not why he won't be remembered by Bears fans.  It's just that he was a non-starting, defensive tackle who played on some hugely disappointing teams AND had his career cut short.  With that in mind, it's not all that surprising that Okoye does not have an official Bears card listed in the Beckett price guides.  As such, this 2007 Topps Draft Picks and Prospects base single will have to do.

At that, we've covered both of the most recent additions to my Bears All-Time Roster Collection, though there could be more to come.  With the way the Bears are playing, how absolutely dismal the Blackhawks and Bulls have been, and how dull the Cubs' supposedly budget-stunted off-season has been, I may be shifting my main focus to this binder in the near future... we shall see.

In the meantime, I'm still basking in the glow of the Bears return to relevance.  Although, Trey Burton and company still have two more games left to play in the 2018 regular season; so, hopefully everybody makes it through the schedule in one piece.  Then, of course, they have the playoffs to wade through before the "big game" becomes a legitimate thought.  Nevertheless, I'm going to milk this moment for all of the enjoyment that I can before reality sets in.  It's all we Chicago sports fans have to hold onto this winter.

NFC North Division Champs!!

Who Disturbs My Slumber?

Oh man - how long has it been... what year is it?!

Well, it's still 2018; but, not for much longer.  Anyway, it's been about a month and a half since my last post here on Wrigley Roster Jenga - that's quite a long and fairly unintentional radio silence.  I could run down the list of reasons why and how this hiatus came to be... however, I'm sure you've all heard (and lived) this list of excuses before and don't really care.  Work got crazy, some personal issues, the holiday season sucking up all my time, a general feeling of apathy towards the hobby... you've heard it all before, so why bother wasting the character count?

But, all is well in the Burbs and it's time to shake off the rust, stretch out the blogging muscles, and get this blog back up in running.  Let's see if I can still do this - it's been a minute since I've done this, after all.

A trade package (relatively) recently came across my desk and this generous soul deserves some recognition - it is Trevor P who disturbs my long slumber.  Trevor is the creative force behind the gridiron-centric blog, Bump and Run Football Cards, a long-time favorite on my blog roll.  Being a pigskin guy, it should come as no surprise that the bulk of this package contained football cards.  What was surprising was the fact that so many of the pasteboards included within were needed for me Bears All-Time Roster Collection!

That said, Trev is a Packer backer, so he is most assuredly all too happy to dump as many Bears items on me as possible.

With the Bears being so un-bear-able the last half decade or so, I've kind of pushed my Monster of the Midway collection to the side.  However, under the leadership of new head coach Matt Nagy, things have changed here in the Windy City and, at 8-3, they look like real Superbowl contenders right now.  It's been a while since we Chicagoans could say that!

This pair of 2017 Score cards had been ignored by me during the dark times, but Trevor has brought them back to my attention.  Danny Trevathan has been played a key role in the revival of  Bears' defense and I'm happy to be able to finally add his name to my Bears tome.  Meanwhile, Kendall Wright spent just one season in the Windy City (2017) and is currently out of football.  Nevertheless, a Bear is a Bear, not matter how much of a bust.

Leonard Floyd had been already repped in my binder; however, it was with a card that pictured his days with the University of Georgia squad.  That's well and good, but a true blue and orange Bears card is better.... much like his Leonard's play as of late!

The Throwback-themed Panini Classics product isn't a bad-looking product either.  I always enjoy simply-designed sets that make heavy usage of corresponding team colors.  Speaking of Classics, from this point, Trevor has turned back the clock and shifted the focus to Bears legends of yore:

While I do have several cards of "Da Coach," believe it or not, this 2016 Classics single, from the Legends subset, represents my very first card depicting "Iron Mike's" playing career.  I'd much rather have a card showing the Hall of Famer reeling in a catch than skimming a clipboard or talking into a headset as his representation in my Bears All-Time Roster Collection, so this will be a nice upgrade. 

Meanwhile, this is my first card whatsoever of fellow Bears' Canton-resident, Stan Jones.  I know it's hard to believe that card collectors might still have needs from Pro Set, perhaps the most overproduced brand in the history of trading cards, but it's true.  Love the artwork though!

Additionally, Trevor also included this Bears card masquerading as a Dolphins card - I missed this fact, at first glance.  Cox signed with Chicago as a free agent during the 1996 off-season, after a decorated tenure in Miami, a fact that Donruss hurried to document in that year's Football flagship.  Of course, he was about to begin a major downswing and his Bears career wasn't much to document.  Though, he would eventually swap jerseys again and win the Superbowl with the Patriots afterwards.

Now, Trevor also included a large amount of other Bears cards that were quite welcome; however, I decided to limit this post to just the new additions to my main roster collection.  This is my first blog post since early October - I can't afford to pull a muscle trying to do too much to soon, after all!

That said, I would be remiss if I didn't show off the massive, unannounced boost to my Bulls collection that Trevor included with his football gifts:

Trevor may be a gridiron guy, but clearly he dabbles in the paint as well.  That's seven, count 'em, seven instant additions to my Bulls All-Time Roster Collection, a collection that hasn't seen much action in the last year or so.  Like with my Bears binder, with as bad as the Bulls have been since Derrick Rose fell apart, it's been hard to feel any enthusiasm towards this project.  Of course, collecting of any kind is all about the ebbs and flows.

As if all of that wasn't enough already, there was a whole section of Cubs cardboard stuffed in Trev's bubble mailer too.  However, I gotta come clean, it's been so long since I found this package in my mailbox, that I cannot remember what was included from that bunch.  That's what I get for not properly documenting and for letting myself fall headlong into a blogging rut.  My bad.

Thank you, Trevor, for bumping me out of the blogging doldrums.  Sorry it took so long for me to finally take the bait, but I am ever so grateful to you for providing the carrots.  With so much awesome new cardboard to add to my roster collections, it was only a matter of time before the inspiration finally dug it's claws into me.

Here's hoping I can keep this momentum rolling - it's nice to be back, pounding the keys!

Coming Out Of Hibernation

This recent uptick in work activity that has kept me from blogging has also, sadly, kept me from keeping up with my collection.  I'm terribly far behind on recent releases from Topps and Panini and crew and I have yet to collect the first cards of names like David Bote (hot rookie premium prices aren't helping either), Steve Cishek, Tyler Chatwood, etc. in their Cubs uniform.  However, as my first Wrigley Roster Jenga post in three weeks yesterday indicated, things are finally starting to slow down to a manageable pace and now managing my baseball card collection doesn't feel like another extra chore.

I love my cards, but when work gets crazy, I don't want to do anything but nap, snack, and binge watch Friends on Netflix during my fleeting free time.  Super sedentary.

However, my energy has been on the up and up this week and with Heritage High Numbers having been out for more than a week now, I finally decided to stop by my LCS on the way home from work rather than beeline straight to my sofa.  HHN includes all of those Cubs debuts that I mentioned and I still enjoy the minimalist design of 1969 Topps - thus, it was the perfect Burbs bait.

Lo and behold, apparently my LCS has been falling behind as well, as there was no trace of the latest Topps product on the proprietor's shelves.  In fact, it wasn't even listed on his chalkboard of recent releases.  *womp, womp*

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Curses, foiled again!

Rather than immediately retreat back to my hidey-hole at home and dive head first into a bag of popcorn, I decided to mill about the shop and see what else I might be able to dig up.  After all, I was already there, I might as well.  I'm glad I did too because, while the shop's baseball stock was a little behind, there was a completely up to date selection of cards for another sport.  While my Cubs binder has been ignored lately, this box of cards proved to be exceptionally fruitful for a far more neglected collection of mine:

Da Bears!

The Monsters of the Midway were well-represented in the shop's football section, with a healthy selection of 2018 releases to choose from.  Seeing as how I had to brush the dust off of my Bears All-Time Roster Collection binder when I put these new finds into their proper slots, it'd been a minute since I last cracked open that tome.  I mean, with as embarrassingly bad as they've been over the past few years, I can't say that I've been motivated to keep up with the tire fire.

However, things are looking up this year, thanks in no small part to young, high-ceiling quarterback, Mitch Trubisky.  Although, the Bears have mauled the careers of many a young signal-caller,  so maybe, subconsciously, that's why I've waited until now to finally pick up a card for the second-year player.

Allen Robinson offers a veteran target for the aforementioned Trubisky, a position which has mostly been a revolving door since the departure of Alshon Jeffrey.  On Monday, the former Jaguar went out and caught 10 passes on 14 targets for 83 yards - that'll get the job done!  His very first Bears card comes as part of the 2018 Donruss release and his bug-eyed facial expression makes this card a gem!  

Meanwhile, the Bears managed to pull their biggest blockbuster trade since they traded for Jay Cutler when they managed to pry defensive beast, Khalil Mack, away from the Raiders.  This trade had fans dancing in the streets and, so far, the Mack Attack has been a godsend for the team.  Unfortunately, this transaction didn't go down until late in training camp, so Panini wasn't able to get him in the blue and orange for their newest stuff.  So, this 2017 Donruss single, from his days in Oakland, will have to do for now.

Josh Bellamy has been with the Bears since 2014, yet it took me until now to finally track down one of his cards... and he'd been one of the few bright spots during the John Fox-era. I told you that I've been slacking on this project!  Those he's been bumped down a few sports on the depth chart, here's hoping he continues to contribute during the Nagy-reign.

Javon Wims is a rookie, so I'm excused here.  The seventh-round draft selection hasn't seen any game action yet, but he did make the 53-man roster out of camp.  I hedged my bets and picked up a card for my BATRC... hopefully he doesn't get cut before making it onto the field!

Lastly, I picked up this pair of young stars, as well, thinking it was strange that I'd ignored them.  Well, as it turns out, not only am I behind on acquiring cards, I'm lacking in tracking my cards too.  While my Google Sheets document made no indication that I'd already hunted down Jackson and Cohen, my nine-pocket pages indicated otherwise.  Oh well.  As they say on the gridiron, I guess I now have "double coverage" on this Bears duo.

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And so, even though the shop didn't have what I came for, the journey turned out to be well-worth skipping out on Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe in the end.  That said, with only a 21.71% completion rate on my Bears All-Time Roster Collection, I still have a LOT of ground to make up.  Good thing work has finally slowed down enough to let me enjoy cards again!

With that, I think (knock on wood) I might finally be out of my blogging and baseball card funk.   Now if I could just find some of those Heritage High Numbers packs or blasters to keep this momentum rolling.  Otherwise, even though work appears to have finally normalized, I might just end up disappearing back into the bottomless abyss that is Netflix.... a marathon of The Office is always tempting...

I Just Don't Understand

There are plenty of things in this world that I don't understand.  For instance, what is the meaning of life?  Who really killed John F. Kennedy?  What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?  What is the solution to peace in the middle east?  Who is Banksy, really?  If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?  What do Tigers dream of, when they take a little tiger snooze?  These are questions that truly baffle the mind.

However, this is a trading card blog, not a conspiracy theory or philosophy forum; thus, this is not the space for me to work through these conundrums.  That said, there is one specific, cardboard-related issue that recently came to the forefront of my mind that I simply do not comprehend... not in the slightest.  It's a situation that I'm sure you fellow collectors have encountered, as well, as it appears to be a fairly common one in today's hobby market.

Please, allow me to explain:

As you might recall, yesterday, I wrote about my first experience with the 2018 edition of Topps Series II.  While I was nonplussed, there were still a handful of cards that I desired from the checklist, including the Yu Darvish single that you see above.  This pasteboard represents the erstwhile ace's first traditional card in Cubbie Blue and thus a dire need for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Unfortunately, Yu did not fall out of the 72-card hanger box that I blogged about; however, it has thankfully made it into my grubby hands.

Quite the quick turnaround, eh?

Shortly after hitting post on yesterday's thoughts, I took an impromptu trip to my local card shop - Baseball Dreams and Memories.  While on my way home from work, I suddenly felt the urge to swing by, flip through some cardboard, and see if the owner had priced any singles from Series II yet.  Maybe the cards I was chasing would be right out in the open for me?

Not so.  At least, not initially.

Although, I wasn't too disappointed with the lack of Series II displayed, seeing as I was able to spot a pair of young Chicago hotshots for a couple of my other Windy City team-based roster collections.  Both DeBrincat and Cohen were surprising, breakout contributors to the Blackhawks and Bears (respectively) last season and were thus hot targets in the Chi-Town hobby scene.  However, patience is a virtue and waiting until the off-season allowed me to bring these rooks home for much more reasonable prices.

Here's hoping they can avoid the sophomore slump!

I was also able to dig another pair of Bears out of a plastic bin for my Monsters of the Midway All-Time Roster Collection.  Eddie Jackson emerged at safety in 2017, showing the potential to become a key member of the defense for years to come.  Meanwhile, Allen Robinson was signed during this off-season to hopefully provide a steady target for quarterback, Mitch Trubisky.  The Bears have had a whale of a time finding wide receivers over the last several years.

Then, just for good measure, I decided to grab this 2017 Heritage single out of a box of miscellaneous Cubs as I made my way up to the cash register.  What can I say?  Those pearly whites just drew me in.  This happy, retro card will happily represent Q in my CATRC binder - I like i much better than any of his 2018 cards that I have.

And that is where my shopping came to an end.... or at least that's where I thought it was going to end.

When I met the owner at the check out, I randomly and impulsively slipped out of my socially awkward shell and asked about his Series II stock.  Maybe he had busted a box and simply hadn't put the loot out on the shelves just yet?  Normally my debilitating shyness keeps me from any sort of inquiries.  But, something in the back of my mind told me I needed to get over it and just ask.

And it's a darn good thing that I did.

As it turns out, the shopkeeper hadn't yet busted a box of the newest product to hit the market; however, one of his customers had done so in-store.  Furthermore, that same customer busted his box, took the hits, and left EVERYTHING else behind.  I'm not just talking about the base cards either, but the inserts and parallels as well.... just as if they were crumpled wrappers, good for nothing but landfill stuffing.  This absolutely boggles my mind.

First of all, maybe this is my inner cheapskate talking, but why wouldn't you just take what you've already paid for instead of immediately discarding it?  Talk about a waste of hard-earned dinero!  I can't imagine being willing to drop over fifty bucks on a box, in the hopes of landing an Ohtani hit (or whatever), and immediately casting aside 99% of the purchase.  In my eye, you might as well just light those bills on fire.

His (or her's) frivolity was my benefit though, seeing as the above single represents the first true Cubs card of Dillon Maples to make it into my collection;  the Kane County Cougars single from Pro Debut, which had previously occupied his spot in my CATRC, will be kicked back to my minor league binder.

Furthermore, I just don't understand this mindset of "collecting."  Clearly, this mystery customer was only after the expensive and shiny hits of the hobby - like I said, they even left the inserts behind.  Simply chasing the latest and the greatest, only the high-end... where's the fun in that?   That sounds like and expensive, boring, and almost always disappointing way to collect something as fun and interesting as baseball cards.

This person clearly would not feel the joy that I did when I found Drew Smyly in a Cubs uniform.  Although he is still on the shelf, recovering from Tommy John Surgery, his rehab appears to be progressively rapidly and me might just see him take the field in 2018.  At any rate, his two-year deal basically guarantees that he'll receive an audition at some point, so this was a definite need for my CATRC.  As an added benefit, now I don't have to chase down Drew's 2018 Heritage Cubs debut, a dreaded short print.

Nope, this person just took their hit and ran... leaving the remnants behind for someone else to deal with.  As I was flipping through the abandoned loot, I assisted the shop owner with pulling out the Cubs and White Sox cards for pricing.  As a thank you,  he allowed me to add the Darvish, Maples, and Smyly to my purchase pile for pennies on the dollar.  I must admit, that left me feeling pretty "smyly" myself.

Has anyone else here on the blogosphere encountered this type of "just the hits, ma'am" collector?  How do you feel about this method of collecting.  If you are one of those who happens to collect this way, how do you keep the hobby from getting stale in your eyes?  I don't mean to judge, I'm just trying to understand.

Also, if someone could explain the concept of dark matter and the enduring popularity of Fortnite    those are a couple of other things that I just do not get.

The Third Annual Obligatory Super Bowl Post

It's that time of year again - the "big game" is just around the corner and Minneapolis is now the focal point of the entire sports universe.  As is per annual tradition, the Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will make their eighth appearance in the championship game, taking on the underdog Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.  In the meantime, we sports fans all have to sit through insufferable amounts of articles, news segments, and fluff pieces about the game, as we have been since the conclusion of the AFC and NFC title bouts.

Also an annual tradition is the fact that I have absolutely no rooting interest in the match-up.  My Chicago Bears have been once in my lifetime (and that was a clunker) and it doesn't appear as though they'll be in the mix any time soon.  Also, while everyone loves to hate the Pats and their evil empire, I can't say that I lose sleep over Bill Belichik filling up his jewelry box.  However, I still like parties, copious amounts of junk food, halftime concerts, and commercials more akin to short, art films; thus, I will still be watching the tilt.  And, since I normally feel like I should find something to latch on with one of the competing clubs, for the past few years, I've used this annual exercise to figure out who to cheer for.

Since starting Wrigley Roster Jenga, I've reviewed the rosters for both, dueling franchises and thrown my support behind the team with the most ex-Bears on the sidelines:

The ways things stand, technically, the Patriots only have one former Monster of the Midway on their payroll and, barring total disaster, on the sidelines he will stay.  Brian Hoyer was signed, mid-season, to backup the juggernaut known as Tom Brady, after their much-ballyhooed trade of Jimmy Garrapolo to the 49'ers.  Funny enough, it was San Fran that released Hoyer to the open market to make room for the former Brady understudy.

Of course, before all of that drama, Hoyer was one of countless QB's that were chewed up and spit out by the Bears.  Brian appeared in six games (starting five) for the forgettable 2016 iteration of the team.

However, the Patriots do have two other former Bears among their ranks; that said, they will definitely not be appearing in the "big game," seeing as they are both parked with injuries. 

Tight end,  Marty Bennett, was brought in from the Packers, midseason, but only appeared in two games before a shoulder injury ended his season.  Meanwhile, linebacker, Shea McClellin, has missed the entire 2017 campaign due to concussion problems.  Both had tumultuous stints in the Windy City, Bennett from 2013-15 and McClellin from 2012-15; however, since both are inactive, they don't count towards this exercise.

That covers the New England roster; now, let's examine the lineup for Philadelphia:

There was one obvious connection - Alshon Jeffery.  The wide-receiver spent several years in the Second City as one of the only stars in the lackluster Marc Trestman/John Fox era and ranks among the best ball-catchers in club history (his 4,549 receiving yards ranks third, all-time).  However, the relationship eventually soured and after much hemming and hawing, Jeffery took his talents to the City of Brotherly Love this past off-season.

Betcha he doesn't regret that decision.

The Eagles also feature a second former Bear on their active roster; but, my Bears All-Time Roster Collection does not feature his man.  As you can see above, I had to pilfer a scan of Corey Graham's only Bears card on COMC.

The NFL journeyman began his career with the Bears in 2007 and made the Pro Bowl with the team in 2011.  More recently, the free safety stole the spotlight with his interception of Vikings quarterback, Case Keenum, in NFC championship game, last week.  I'll have to make a note to track down some sort of cardboard representation for the guy in the near future.

And so, excluding the inactives, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots in the third annual obligatory Super Bowl post and, ordinarily, would thus earn my support for the big game on Sunday.  That being acknowledged, this year is a little bit different than the rest.

The Eagles won the exercise; however, they would still have my support over the Pats, regardless.  No, it's not because I hate Tom Brady (though his politics don't curry any favors with me), like most outside of the New England region.  The reason I will be rooting for the Eagles this weekend is because of my wife and in-laws.

You see, my wife and her family originally hail from Wilmington, Delaware -  a scant 32.5 miles away from our nation's first capitol.  As such, everyone in her clan is a rabid Eagles fan, including my wife herself.  Given that this is the first time that the team has made the Super Bowl since we've met, I'd have a damn hard time rooting against my own family (the holidays sure would be awkward) and the happiness of my better half (divorce is expensive).  So, with that in mind, the underdogs will have my full support come Super Bowl Sunday.

I guess this whole post was sort of pointless then... oh well.

via GIPHY

In conclusion, I ask you loyal readers, who will you be rooting for in the 52nd edition of the Super Bowl?  Will you be cheering for continued greatness from the ageless wonder from Boston?  Will you be joining me and and my family in pulling for the scrappy underdog from Pennsylvania?  Will you be secretly hoping for a giant meteor to take out U.S. Bank Stadium?  Also, in the likely event that your team didn't make the final two, do you have some sort of special method to figure out who you will root for, like my ex-Bear factor exercise?  Or do you just sit back with a beer and a brat and take everything as it comes?  Inquiring minds want to know.

No matter what, the bottom line is that we're now just three more weeks away from baseball and spring training camps.  Personally, I think that's the best part about Super Bowl weekend!