One Year or Zero Year?

In my previous post, I alluded to the fact that, in addition to my awesome Thomas Ian Nicholas-autographed baseball, I was lucky enough to receive a small handful of new additions to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, as well.  Apparently, my family knows me and knows what I want pretty well!  I've been chasing these vintage oddball cards for a long time and the players' stories are unique enough that I feel as though it would be a disservice to cram them all into a singular blog entry; therefore, over the next few days, I'll give each individual card a moment in the spotlight, so that I might brag appropriately.

But seriously - my family rocks!

Anyway, today we will take a look at the "newest" card of the bunch, that being a single from Larry Fritsch's third series of "One Year Winners" (which was released in 1983) and features a little known pitcher by the name of John Flavin:

Larry Fritsch made his name by selling completed sets of Topps cards in the baseball publications of his day, a service which is still offered under his name today.  Additionally, Mr. Fritsch decided to fill some gaps that he'd noticed along the way with oddball card sets of his own creation.  Between 1977 to 1983, he released three series of "One Year Winner" cards, each with different designs and players on the checklist.  The concept behind the collation was fairly simple - men who had only appeared in one season of Major League Baseball.  John Flavin had a cuppacoffee in the Majors back in 1964 and thus qualified for inclusion.

However, upon examining this simply-designed card, eagle-eyed readers of this blog might have a question.  After all, I mentioned that this card was long-needed addition to my CATRC binder - in fact, I recently named it as my fifth most wanted item on my whole want list.  Furthermore, Flavin appeared in only five MLB games in '64 during his only season of action.  Lastly, on his "OYW" card - his only known baseball card - he is quite clearly sporting the uniform of one of the Cubs' National League rivals - the Cincinnati Reds.  Thus, the question becomes, "How does Flavin fit into this tome?"

As it turns out, this "One Year" card is actually a "Zero Year" card; by that, I mean that John Flavin spent exactly zero years with the Major League Reds, in an official capacity.  While he had been a prospect in the Reds' system going back to 1961, as the back of this card (obviously paying homage to 1953 Bowman) notates, piling up strikeouts and a PCL All-Star selection in '62 along the way.  John Boy was then traded to the Cubbies early in the 1964 season and it was there, in Chicago, that Flavin would make the ultimate ascent for the first, last, and only time.

The Cubs thought they were getting a live-armed prospect with a bright future as part of their rebuild - instead, they got 4.2 innings of 13.50 ERA ball, spread across a scant five innings. 

It's quite possible that John's performance suffered due to an injury of sorts, as after his embarrassing late-summer audition, he did not take the mound at any level in 1965.  Back on the hill in '66 for the Cubs' AAA affiliate in Tacoma, Flavin appeared in 13 games (4 starts) and was perfectly mediocre (2-3, 4.82 ERA) in what would be his final professional season.  His career was over at the tender young age of 24.

A photog was quick enough to get a shot of Flavin in a Cubs uni!

I cannot find confirmation anywhere, but I'm willing to bet that the old "sore arm" did Johnny in, as it did many a bright pitching prospect in the days before Tommy John surgery.  Bummer.  Nevertheless, at least he did get a taste of the Bigs and his own baseball card, courtesy of Larry Fritsch.

As brief as his career was, he still managed to play in a role in baseball history.  During his days as a Reds' minor leaguer, Flavin played the role of stopper in an amazing streak by the Orioles' Johnny Orsino.  The catcher was brought in by the birds that spring to audition for the full-time role and promptly made an impression on the club.  All he did was hammer a home run in his first FIVE STRAIGHT spring at-bats... even in exhibition ball, that is eye-poppingly astounding.  John Flavin was not having any of it though - with Orsino looking for longball number six, Flavin induced a weak pop-up to the catcher, ending the show of power.

Not on Flavin's watch!

Curses!  Foiled by Flavin!

I feel as though I should also mention that, according to my research, this John Flavin doesn't appear to bear any relation to the John Flavin that founded the ubiquitous Score trading card company in 1988.  Nor does he appear to share any blood with the John Flavin in the athletic Hall of Fame for Georgetown or the John Flavin who starred in track & field for the University of Dayton.  Apparently, "John Flavin" is quite the sporty name!

Back to the card itself, Fritsch's One-Year Winners has been a goldmine for me, in terms of my CATRC.  After all, by it's very nature, it covers several obscure and short-term Cubbies, throughout it's three editions, who would otherwise not have any baseball card representation.  At this point, I do believe the only card from that checklist which I still need is Jim Ellis' #28, from 1979's Series Two.  So, if you have a lead on that bad boy, please feel free to let me know!

The previous editions of OYW.  Left, 1979.  Right, 1979.

With that, we've pretty much covered the story of John Flavin and his 1983 Larry Fritsch One-Year Winners single.  But, like I said, this is just the tip of the iceberg - there were still two more, much older Cubs All-Time Roster Collection additions sitting under my tree on Christmas morning.

Who will we talk about tomorrow?  Stay tuned!

Funky Butt-Loving!

Christmas time has come and go - the magic is over.  The Andy Williams and Burl Ives classics that were once blasting through your stereo speakers on repeat have been replaced by the normal pop radio station, the holiday gut is beginning to form after a week of eating nothing but ham and eggnog, the living room is still strewn about with ribbons and shimmering wrapping paper, and the office is expecting you to be back at your desk and working at full-steam right now.  So goes the Christmas hangover every year; but, oh, what a ride it was!

This was a particularly good yuletide season for the Wrigley Roster Jenga kin.  All of our family gatherings went off without incident or drama, on both sides of the family, and fun was had by all who made it to our snowy, mid-western havens.  Of course, this is the most important part of the holiday; but, it would be exceptionally remiss of me to ignore the capitalistic aspect of our holiday - the presents!

Lets not kid ourselves, we're all a teensy bit materialistic.  After all, this "show and tell" blog is built around that fact.  That being acknowledged, please allow me to show you the "piece de resistance" of my holiday gifts:

That right there is an official Major League Baseball, emblazoned with the logo of the best team is the history of professional sports (biased much?), and featuring a flowing, personalized autograph in Cubbie-blue ink.  I know you're just itching to know, whose penmanship graces this pristine piece of baseball ephemera?  Fergie Jenkins?  Anthony Rizzo?  Theo Epstein?

No, even better - one must pay attention to the inscription for a clue.  Any self-respecting child of the 90's should recognize what "Float it!" is an homage to:

Funky butt-loving!  That ball was personally signed by the star of 1994's kiddie blockbuster, Rookie of the Year - Thomas Ian Nicholas, aka Henry Rowengartner.  Surely you are all at least familiar with the flick that details the adventures of a 12 year old boy who's unfortunate arm injury heals to create an adolescent arm capable of triple-digit speed and signing a Major League contract.  "Float it!" hints towards the movie's climax, where (spoiler alert!) Henry is forced to resort to the eephus pitch, after another injury robs him of his magic.  This movie was a staple of any young baseball fan's entertainment diet who grew up during the decade of the Macarena, Pogs, and Smashmouth, especially when that young fan was also a die-hard Cubs rooter.

After all, we didn't have much else to tout, besides a declining Ryne Sandberg and a pre-Flintstone vitamins Sammy Sosa, back then.

As it turns out, way back in August, Mr. Nicholas made an appearance at the Chicago stop of the touring comic convention known as Wizard World.  My gracious brother, a devoted follower of super hero and science fiction culture, just so happened to be attending this event of his own volition.  Knowing just how important this movie was to both of us, he opted to put his day on pause and wait in line to get this baseball autographed by the best 12 year old to ever play the game.  Then, he somehow managed to sit on it for four months and turn it into an amazing Christmas gift.

Here's an interview with Mr. Nicholas from that summer event.

Additionally, I should mention that Thomas Ian Nicholas also went on to star in the American Pie film series and has had modest success touring and recording with the Thomas Ian Nicholas Band.  However, to this over-grown child, he'll always be that kid heckling Tim Stoddard on the base-paths of "Dodger Stadium"...

...that pre-teen with a difficult to pronounce name...

...or that kid who took pitching advice from Home Alone's Marv:

Needless to say, my brother done good.  This will make a fine addition to my burgeoning collection of autographed baseballs; in fact, it may very well be the new marquee exhibit.  Thanks, Mike!

Now, while this gift definitely stole the spotlight this Christmas, it definitely was not the only baseball-related gift nestled under my Christmas tree.  I was lucky enough to unwrap a small boon to my treasured Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder, as well, which will be split up and highlighted over the next few days.  It would be a disservice to cram all of these oddball goodies into one post!  So, keep your eyes open for those gems.

With that, before I go, I'm curious - did any of you readers out there receive any cool baseball or baseball card-related gifts during this festive season?  Were they even cooler than my TIN ball?  Please let me know in the comments section below.

Although, I'll have you know, my "Rowengartner" ball is going to be tough to beat!

Spoils of the Season

I hope that everyone reading this had themselves a Merry Christmas.  The weather in Chicago might have created a more spring-like atmosphere; however, personally, an entire day spent with family, board games and movies made for a jolly, festive holiday celebration.  That is what the season is all about, correct?

Of course, there are gifts too and those are alright in my book, as well.

Thanks to the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs (still not tired of hearing/saying/writing that), all of my future in-laws knew exactly what to get me this year - one of the many unexpected benefits of this World Series title run:

So, so much better than socks and dress shirts - although, my fiancee might feel quite differently about that statement.  In fact, in her opinion, the only things with more holes in them than that statement might be my socks.

At any rate, I was exceptionally enthused to see these items under the tree at the fiancee's folks' house.  In fact, I don't know if I've taken that comfy, blue fleece off for longer than five minutes, since the moment I unwrapped it.  I suppose that I should mention that I also got some nice, non-Cubs gifts as well, including a Fitbit, cordless earphones for when I run and some therapeutic bath salts (what? I like to be pampered), among other things.

When people think of me, either Cubs baseball or running pop into their mind.  I'm not complaining, though,

However, that wasn't the last of the baseball-themed gifts.  It wasn't until yesterday that we exchanged presents on my side of the family, thanks to our busy and thoroughly uncoordinated work schedules.  In the end, the wait was certainly worth it, as two gifts, in particular, stole the show. Much has been made about card-based gifts on the blogosphere in the time leading up to the 25th of December and whether or not they end up being worth the effort. With that in mind, I'd say my sister, who did choose to go down that route, not only put in the effort, but crushed it:

First up, here we have Herb Hutson's lone baseball card - a 1973 Venezuelan League sticker.  The super short-term Cub pitched in 20 games during the very next season, mostly out of the bullpen, with a 3.45 ERA.  Despite that decent performance, Huston found himself back at AAA Wichita in '75 and out of baseball by '76.  The only evidence we have of his brief career on the diamond is this
Lara Cardenales sticker from his time in the winter league.

The thing that struck my about these standard-sized "cards" is how thin they are, almost paper-like.  These were produced by Digallo C.A. and were intended to be pasted into an album, just like your average Panini sticker book.  They were then redeemable for various prizes, like bikes and such.  With that in mind, these cards don't show up very often and, when they do, tend to be in poor condition.

Thankfully, my sister was able to get a killer deal from a vendor in Venezuela, who miraculously got it here before Christmas.  Bonus points on his packaging too, which appears to include a facsimile of the original "Album de Barajitas de Beisbol," or "Album of Baseball Cards."  I shan't be pasting my Hutson into one of these albums; but, it will look quite nice in my CATRC binder.

This set and it's various, yearly editions is much sought after for it's inclusion of several Stateside stars (Luis Aparicio, Frank White, etc.), some even before their "official" rookie cards (Jim Rice). Only I would be more excited to find a "Moonlight Graham" like Herb Huston than a Hall of Famer.

Anyway, had this been the only baseball card my sister gifted to me, she'd already be named the "Card Gifting MVP of 2016," at least in my humble opinion.  However, in what I can only assume was a lobby to become my favorite sibling, she also included one more vintage oddball that fit snugly into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection:

This well-loved, antique is 88 years young and features another "barely there" Cubs player in Gale Staley.  Mr. Staley is depicted during his days with the Los Angeles Angels of the old Pacific Coast League.  We know this because the above artifact is a super vintage Zeenut card, a series that documented the original incarnation of the PCL for over 25 years.

This particular Zeenut hails from the 1928 edition of the long-running series.  The look of this series is evocative of the Chicago Supply Co. Exhibit cards; but, they are considerably smaller than those Exhibits.  In fact, they're a bit tinier than standard size:  1-3/4 x 3-3/8.  After years of only admiring these from afar, in Ebay auctions, I did not realize that fact.

Staley was a late-season call-up as the 1925 season drew to a close.  That September, the second baseman managed to get into seven games, with a whopping .423 batting average in 26 AB's.  Despite that admirable performance for the listless Cubs, Staley found himself playing for the old Angels in 1926 (who, while not officially an affiliate, were owned by the Wrigleys).  After three years there and a one-year excursion in Portland, Staley called it a career without ever climbing back up to the top of the ladder.

A clearer image of Staley with the LA Angels, circa 1926.

Image courtesy of Gordon Brett Echols

Like Hutson, there's very little public information available on the internet for Staley, so that's about all I can tell you about the "cuppacoffee" Cub.  Well, that and the fact that his name always makes me think more of the Bears than the Cubs.  "Why's that?" you might ask.  First of all, his first name is shared with all-time great, Hall of Fame running back, Gale Sayers.  Second of all, his surname was the original nickname of the Chicago NFL franchise  - the Bears as we know them today were first conceived in 1919 by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur, Illinois.  That company team was known as the Decatur Staleys (go figure) and launched the HOF careers of George Trafton and George "Papa Bear" Halas.

...and that's how my brain works.  As far as I can tell, Gale Staley has no connection to A.E. Staley or the early days of the Chicago Bears.

These guys have absolutely nothing to do with Gale Staley

To wrap things up, my little sister gifted me with two, obscure Cubs with very little cardboard presence.  Of the two, one was a rarely seen, foreign release from well-south of the border and the other was an 80+ year old, minor league oddball.  I'd say that she did fairly well here with here Christmas gift.  What say you?

Of course, I may have tipped her off on a few of the things I was hoping might land in my stocking this winter.  Nevertheless, she executed flawlessly.  I hope she enjoys the "Yellow Submarine" decorative lights we bought her as much as I love these cards.

Not gonna lie - I kinda wanted to keep those for myself.

In conclusion,when it comes to trading card Christmas gifts, it seems the returns on the blogosphere are somewhat mixed.  Did you receive any cards for Christmas?  Were these well-intentioned presents up to snuff or did you end up longing for a gift receipt?  Share your experience in the comments section below.

Personally, I couldn't be happier!

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

First of all, I hope everyone reading this had a Merry Christmas and that Santa Claus was nice to you. But, never again.

Never again am I waiting until the last minute to do ANY Christmas shopping. Between dealing with the crazy, blood-in-their-eyes shoppers, the demolition derby that was the main roads and the crummy weather, I wasn't feeling particularly cheery on the day before, the day before Christmas.

I'm usually pretty good about getting my seasonal shopping done.  This year, not so much and I have no excuse.

However, it wasn't all terrible.  I made a quick pit stop at the local Goodwill to browse, as I am want to do from time to time.  It was a fruitful endeavor, even though I didn't come across anything for anyone still on my list, as I walked away with a few gifts for myself:  a pair of playable LP's from their "well-loved" record bin - James Taylor's Sweet Baby James and John Denver's Greatest Hits.  Plus, I also scored a jersey from a former, nearby minor league team:

The Schaumburg Flyers were members of the Independent Northern League from 1999 through 2010, playing their games at Alexian Field, just a few miles away from O'Hare Airport (hence their name).  Fun fact - the land upon which this suburban team's home park was originally purchased with the intent of luring the Cubs, in the event that the franchise was unable to bring night baseball to Wrigley.
In the course of their history, the Flyers never won a title and were eventually folded after tax issues with the local government.  Later, they were replaced by a Frontier League club, the Schaumburg Boomers, in 2012.

Anyway, finding what I presume to be a game-used, minor league jersey of a familiar club for chump change at a thrift shop definitely brought a smile to my heretofore frustrated face.  That said, there was even more than what meets the eye:

As you can see, we have a name.  Not only do we have a name, we also have what appears to be an autograph.  Let's take a closer look at that, shall we?:

This made the purchase all the more intriguing.  I assumed that this was just some indy league, non-prospect who maybe got a brief taste of affiliated ball; but, otherwise, was not exceptionally notable.  After all, the Northern League is about even with Low A on the MiLB ladder; in other words, a long, long way away from Major League Baseball.

Researching exactly who this "Marshall" fellow was was made easy by the fact that this uniform top included a nifty patch on the right sleeve:

Presumably, this dude played for Schaumburg during the franchise's first year in the city's northwest suburbs.  Armed with that information, it was easy to look up the team's initial roster on Baseball Reference.  Making things even easier, was the fact that there was only one Marshall on that 1999 active roster... and that's where this purchase got even cooler.

Mike Marshall - as in 1988 World Series Champion Mike Marshall

Not to be confused with the pitcher of the same name (who also spent time with the Dodgers), Mike Marshall was drafted by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1978 draft out of close by Buffalo Grove HS in Libertyville, IL.  The local hero rose through the ranks, ascending to the Bigs in 1981 and staying there through the 1991 season.  Along the way, Mike became the (mostly) regular right fielder in LA and, as a key piece for the 1988 World Champs, paced the club with 82 RBI and was second with 20 home runs.

Unfortunately, Marshall also carried a reputation as a softy and missed a lot of time with general injuries throughout his career, leading to confrontation and consternation with his teammates and manager Tommy Lasorda.

Even still, finding the John Hancock of a World Series winner on the back of a game used uniform in Goodwill seemed too good to be true.  Let's examine that autograph, just to be sure:

On the left, we have an IP autograph of the Dodger semi-star (he has no certified autos, to my knowledge) and on the left we have my find.  They look pretty darn close to me and I don't know who has the time to forge signatures of Mike Marshall on the back of obscure, indy team jerseys.  I'm calling this one legit.

Now, you might be wondering, what brought this guy to the Schaumburg Flyers?  You see, his reputation for being unable to play through injuries eventually led to his ouster from affiliated baseball.  After a year spent in Japan (1992), Mike found himself on the outside looking in, estranged from the game he loved.

That is, until seven years later, when the Flyers made it known that they were looking for a player-coach to round out their roster.

Mike's profile in the 1999 Flyers' yearbook, swiped from Ebay

Marshall's status as a local product and a recognizable name likely played a role in his getting the position; gotta put butts in the seats, after all.  That said, as a 39-year old first baseman with a considerable layer of rust, Mike posted a respectable .307/.358/.423 slash line across 33 games in his last year as an active player.  From there, Marshall was able to parlay that success into coaching and management jobs all over the independent league map.

Unfortunately, to this day, Marshall still has not been able to break back into the organized ranks.  A call to the Dodgers lead to a request for his resume and an invitation to throw out the first pitch at a Dodger Stadium contest was rescinded due to a Latin-themed promotion.  Maybe someday.

Overall, I'd say this fascinating piece of baseball memorabilia was worth the six dollar price tag; easily one of my best thrift shop deals ever.  In contrast, I could have layed down ten bucks on a 660-count box full of junk wax.  I think I'm happy with my choice.  It'll look quite nice with my modest jersey collection, which includes a couple more indy league uni's:

My new, signed Schaumburg Flyers jersey will hang proudly with my game-used Cook County Cheetahs and Windy City Thunderbolts tops.  The Cheetahs and Thunderbolts represent both iterations of the hometown minor league team, which plays in the Frontier League.  The club originally went by the Cheetahs moniker, from 1997-03, before "modernizing" with the "edgy" Thunderbolts name, which is still in use today.

The Cheetahs jersey was actually another thrift shop find, while the T-Bolts top was a gift from a family friend.  Unfortunately, I have no idea what player sported either one, as neither has name on the back or a helpful, dated patch.

And so, with that find, I suddenly found myself in a much better mood, ready to plunge into the crazed-crowd at the local Target to get the last of my last minute, "white elephant" party gifts.  I'm happy to report that the person who ended up with the Bluetooth, disco-ball speaker and "A Country Christmas" CD is thrilled with their selection and i am just as giddy about this Mike Marshall jersey that's sticking with me.

Sometimes, you just have to treat yourself.

'Twas the Night Before (Cubbie) Christmas

'Twas the night before , when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that  Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds; 

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their s;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my ,

Had just settled our brains for a    winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, 

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. 

Away to the window I flew like a 

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear, 

But a miniature sleigh and  tiny rein-deer,

With a  old driver so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen! 

On, Comet! on, ! on, Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the ;

So up to the housetop the coursers they flew 

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I  in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his ,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; 

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, 

And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack. 

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a !

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the  on his chin was as as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his 

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, 

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he ;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy  to all, and to all a good night!”