Body and Mind

I probably should have heard about this sooner.

As a student athlete in both high school and college who is now the coach of a few dozen student athletes of a new generation, National Student Athlete Day is something I should have previously been familiar with.  On the other hand, it's just another one of those fake holidays that fill out the calendar and draw attention to otherwise niche causes, items, or events.  However, while I might be a touch biased, why shouldn't we celebrate the hard work that student athletes undergo in both the classroom and in the field.

That delicate balance between keeping up with your studies while simultaneously keeping on top of your athletic game is not something that should ever be taken lightly.  Heck, for "bigger" sports and programs, it's comparable to a full-time job.  For eight years, I did little more than study and run.  Of course, I was a touch socially awkward, but that's not important right now...

So, in honor of the student athlete and the great sacrifices they make for the betterment of their mind and body, here are a few cards of future Cubbies, back when they were still hazily shuffling between the classroom and the training room in college:

Jeff Samardzija

University of Notre Dame Fightin' Irish

 Michael Tucker

Longwood University Lancers

 Brooks Kieschnick

University of Texas at Austin Longhorns

 Brooks Raley

Texas A&M University Aggies

 Bob Howry

McNeese State University Cowboys

 Scott Maine

University of Miami Hurricanes

 Mike Olt

University of Connecticut Huskies

Kevin Orie

Indiana University Hoosiers

Matt Szczur

Villanova University Wildcats

Oh yea - if you didn't already know, spare outfielder Matt Szczur was a two-sport star during his days as a student athlete, making his balance all the more delicate.  In fact, when the Cubs drafted him in 2010, they had to offer the wide receiver a fairly significant signing bonus to keep him out of the NFL draft.  All in all, his tale is quite similar to the story of Jeff Samaradzija, at a somewhat lower profile.

Speaking of football, as a bonus, here are a handful of future Chicago Bears from their days as a collegians:

 Prince Amukamara

University of Nebraska Cornhuskers

 

 Rashaan Salaam

University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes

 Hroniss Grasu

University of Oregon Ducks

 

 Daniel Braverman

Western Michigan University Broncos

 Leonard Floyd

University of Georgia Bulldogs

Jordan Howard

Indiana University Hoosiers

Whether or not top-tier NCAA football players actually fulfill the "student" portion of the student athlete  moniker is up for some debate, but let's not get into that here.

Lastly, here's the only hockey card that I have the depicts the college days of a future Chicago Blackhawk.  I suppose it would be appropriate to tack this on to this particular post, as well:

Kip Miller

Michigan State University Spartans

Kip Miller might have been a journeyman in the pros, who only played in 10 games with the Blackhawks during the 1995-96 season, but he was a beast in college.  Mr. Miller won the Hobey Baker Award in 1990, which is given annually to the top NCAA men's ice hockey player.

If I had any scanned, this is where I would include some Animal House-era Chicago Bulls, for the sake of covering all of my main collections; however, I have none in the queue nor do I have access to that binder right now.  Oh well.

There you have it - a hefty sampling of student athletes who went on to be professional athletes that blew through the Windy City, all in honor of National Student Athlete Day.  It may be a "fake" holiday, but if you coach any, know any, or are related to any, today would be a good day to recognize the hard they put into keeping their grades high and their physical fitness up.  Like I mentioned earlier, it's a delicate balance that takes great responsibility, hard work, and mental fortitude to maintain.

Today, my student athletes will be celebrating by running practice before hustling off to the Science Fair immediately thereafter.  See what I mean?

Catch Me if You Kenseth

Whenever I feel the itch to rip packs, I like to make my way to the local Dollar Tree.  That way, I can satisfy my urge without doing too much damage to my poor, little wallet.  Plus, every once in a while, I end up with some cards that fit in somewhere within my collections or something pretty cool.  I think I'm the only one buying trading cards from this particular establishment, but I digress.

A couple of nights ago, this want struck and so I moseyed on over to the dollar store to see what the pickins were.  Usually, there's nothing but a hefty helping of various repacks products and out of date entertainment cards; however, this time, a nearly new gravity feeder, chock full o' 2014 Press Pass packs caught my eye:

I'll almost always pull the trigger on cheap NASCAR product, seeing as my racing collection is still relatively tiny.  When I picked up this particular pack, it felt unusually thick and heavy.  After examining a couple of others from the feeder for reference, my tactile instincts were confirmed.  Was it possible that there was a hit in there? Or was it just one of those psych-out, thick slabs of blank cardboard?  For a buck, I was ready and willing to take this gamble.

Also, I assure you that I'm no pack-searcher.  This pack very first one that I grabbed out of that gravity feeder.

Unfortunately, the base cards were not particularly intriguing and provided me with no new names for my All-Time Drivers Collection, so I won't bore you with those.  However, as it turns out, the very last card in the pack was definitely of interest:

My very first NASCAR hit!  And it comes from Dollar Tree of all places.  I'm not lucky enough to pull many hits from pack purchases; so anytime I do, it's a cause worth celebrating, much like Matt Kenseth is celebrating his victory in the 2013 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.  As an extra bonus, the tire rubber relic is numbered 11/50.  Neat!

Also, I think the universe is telling me to start a Kenseth PC.  In my NASCAR collection, I have two (IP) autos, one relic and all three are of the Wisconsin native.  Maybe universe, maybe...

I've been lucky enough to meet the guy a couple of times.

Furthermore, in addition to my lucky pack find, I purchased one of those aforementioned repack products, as well.  I threw this into my proverbial shopping cart to serve as a pallet cleanser, just in case my tactile instincts were horribly incorrect and I needed a little pick-me-up.  I could have opted for baseball, or football, or multi-sport; but, this time, I decided to try something a little different:

A re-pack of packs - I don't think I've seen one of these before. 

Plus, right on top of this set of two, unopened packs, was this sampling of Collegiate Collection, featuring the University of Arizona:

These cards always tempt me for a couple of reasons:  A) I have a noted affinity for cards which feature pro athletes in their minor league or collegiate apparel and B) the diverse subjects included in these products affords me the opportunity to pull some track athletes for my newly-declared runner collection.  After all, the sources for the latter reason are quite limited.

So, how'd I do here?

It wasn't a rip-roaring success, but I did come across one card that intrigued me.

Before leading the Arizona Wildcats to three College World Series titles and earning his way into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Kindall signed on with the Cubs as a bonus baby in 1956.  This flawed system damaged many a young career, forcing prospects into the Bigs well before they were ready.  No one since 1920 with at least 2000 at-bats has a lower career batting average than Kindall's .213, so it seems he was yet another victim of this policy. 

Despite this, Mr. Kindall was able to carve out a decently long, nine-year career in the Majors, with the Cubs, Indians and Twins.

But enough about Jerry Kindall, whose Arizona Wilcats card will slip comfortably into my Nothing Major binder, what about that second pack of cards that was promised within the cello wrapping of the re-pack?

Blah.  Soccer cards... this doesn't even come close to moving the needle for me.  Although, I can appreciate the inclusion of the Italian language on the foil packaging - you don't see that too often.

While I clearly have no use for these World Cup cards from 1994, perhaps I could find someone who does.  Recently, at the school I work at, I discovered that there must be a student who collects soccer cards, as I found this little number, lost on the computer lab floor:

It's been sitting on the corner of my desk ever since I came across it, last week.  Perhaps, if anyone ever actually claims it, I'll dump this pack of World Cup cards from 20+ years ago on them, as well.  I mean, what collector doesn't love free cards of their favorite sport?

With that, I've exhausted my supply of dollar store trading cards.  Not bad for a late night, dollar store purchase, I'd say.  Does anyone else regularly stop at the Dollar Tree for baseball cards?  If so, what's the best find you've scored from such an establishment?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

Dollar Tree - easy on the wallet, heavy on the fun.

Strong Arms Run in the Family

Labor Day has officially come and gone and, with that, comes the unofficial end of the summer season.  Although, we technically still have a few weeks left of the warmer weather, school has started up around most of the country, pumpkin spice-flavored everything has found it's way on to store shelves and baseball season is entering it's stretch run.  In other words, we've basically entered fall.

Another defining characteristic of this time of the year is the start of college football season, a sporting scene that I've never really gotten into.  This is probably because I went to a small, private university where the gridiron wasn't necessarily the main focus and NAIA football just doesn't have the same pomp and circumstance as it's Division I brethren.  After all, I don't think anyone is talking about the University of St. Francis Fighting Saints on ESPN.

Nevertheless, many of the people I surround myself with plunge neck deep into the varsity action and, as such, I can't help but stay tangentially aware of what's going on.  Over the weekend, I heard a name that sounded awfully familiar to me was apparently starting at quarterback for the University of Texas:

That's a Rookies app custom, to the right.

That name was Buechele - as in, Shane, the son of former Cubs third baseman Steve Buechele. Steve played in the Majors from 1985-95, mostly for the Texas Rangers (appropriate that Shane should also play in Texas).  However, he did spend three years in the Windy City, manning third base from 1992-95.

One has to have a strong arm to hurry a throw across the diamond, so I guess it's only natural that Shane should inherit that ability (he's just plying it in a different trade).  

He's not all arm though, Shane presents a dual threat as the field commander with a set of fresh legs as well as his plus throwing arm.  Additionally, he's the first true freshman to start at QB for the Longhorns in quite a while, meaning he's an excellent center piece for the program to build around. Things started off well for the kid over the weekend. Starting his first career game against Notre Dame, he led Texas to an impressive 50-47 double OT victory.

Of further interest is the fact that Shane was conceived after his father had already undergone a vasectomy - what a surprise that must have been!

So, that made for a pretty neat little Cubs connection.  However, after a little further research, I found out that Shane was not the only Cub progeny to be calling the signals for a Texas, collegiate football squad this weekend:

Again, that's a Rookies app custom, to the right.

He may be depicted as a Twin here, but journeyman reliever Pat Mahomes did spend some time in the Second City as well.   In 2002, he split the season between the Big club and AAA Iowa, eventually getting into 16 games and posting a mediocre 3.86 ERA in his second-to-last MLB campaign.  Mahomes must have loved the game though, as he stayed active in pro ball through 2009.

Also, if anyone has an extra copy of Pat's 2002 Topps Total #534 (his only Cubs card), I'd love to talk trade.

Meanwhile, Pat Jr. must have inherited his father's strong pitching arm just as Shane got his father's throwing arm, as the junior has been the starting quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders since 2014.  He has thrice been selected as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and was an honorable mention for All-Big 12 last season.  Like Shane, he got his season off on the right foot, leading his men to a dominant 69-17 win over SGA.  Mahomes had an eye-popping 407 yards passing in one half!

HUGE game from underrated Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes

540 Total yards & 6 Total TD's

Remember this name... pic.twitter.com/Iot3Fpn1hk

— College Town™ (@CollegeT0wn) September 4, 2016

The younger Mahomes looks to be a legitimate NFL prospect - a multi-generational professional sporting family could be in the "cards."  Ba dum tiss.

It should also be noted that both of these sons of Cubs baseball also participate on their school's baseball team as well.  In fact, Patrick was drafted by the Detroit Tigers as a pitcher in the 37th round of the 2014 draft, but chose not to sign.  They obviously have some pretty athletic genes.

Anyway,  I thought this would make for a nice, timely tie-in to spotlight on this Cub-centric blog - I certainly found this influx of Cubs-related, Texas QB's to be interesting, at least.  Perhaps this will even motivate me to pay attention to the rest of the collegiate football season... probably not, but you never know.  Nevertheless, I'm pulling for them to both have good seasons and boost their draft prospects (the Bears are going to need someone down the road, after all).

In the meantime, uhhhhhh, let's go Fighting Saints!

Nothing Major

I've decided to start up a new collection; please allow me to explain it in a rather long-winded fashion.

For many moons, I've been fascinated with baseball cards featuring Major League players during their minor league years; it's an interest that's probably bubbled just under the surface since I started collecting way back when.  I think it has something about seeing well-known players in unfamiliar uniforms, at least partially.  

For instance:

Casey McGehee, seen as not much more than minor league depth, may have broken out as a Brewer, but he started out in the Cubs system and even received a September call-up at the end of the 2008 season.  In contrast, Corey Patterson was about as highly-touted as a prospect possibly can be... and we all know how that turned out.  That said, how can anyone not love a team named the Lansing Lugnuts?

I just picked up this Chris Valaika, who made a brief stopover in Chicago in 2014, from my LCS from a quarter box.  Truthfully, it was mostly to round my purchase up to a full dollar; but, again, what's not to love about a team known as the Dayton Dragons?

Neal Cotts never could consistently hold down a spot in the Cubs bullpen, riding the shuttle between AAA and the Majors for a couple of seasons after winning a World Series ring with our neighbors to the south.  

In the ensuing years, along with minor league Cubs, I've also set aside cards that show these athletes during their days in college and high school, as well  For a while now, I've had a binder going where I stash these curiosities:

That Scott Maine is a slightly over-sized oddball single from a set made to honor the University of Miami nine in 2005; I'm fairly certain it was team-issued, but I can't find any manufacturing information on or about it.  If anyone knows anything more about that Hurricanes issue, please let me know!

Meanwhile, we all know about Jeff  "the Shark" Samardzija's much-ballyhooed girdiron career for the Fightin' Irish; it's easy to forget that he played baseball for them too.  Additionally, I picked up this Bob Howry autograph dating from his days with McNeese State for fifty cents - can you believe that?

As far as high school goes, there aren't a lot in my collection; but, a few have found their way into my clutches:

Classic Four Sport was always good for a few varsity baseball cards, seeing as the sets were based pretty much entirely around prospects in several of the major sports. Here you can see future Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee taking a hack on a chain-link circled diamond near El Camino Fundamental High School in California.

On the other hand, while you see Serra HS graduate Dan Serafini holding a bat on this "limited," serial numbered, shiny offering from Classic, he eventually made it to the Majors as a pitcher, including 42 games for the 1999 Cubs.

All these cards you see above have long been set aside in a special place; I've even referred to the stack on this blog as my "Baby Bear" collection.  However, I've always felt that I could do more with this accumulation - I just didn't know what.

At the same time, I've also made a habit of hanging onto cards that feature future/former Cubs players participating in leagues from outside of the traditional Major/Minor system:

I've got Senior Leagues (which come from my original collection, as a gift from my late grandfather)...

...Negro Leagues....

....international leagues...

...independent leagues...

...hell, I've even got Little Leagues.  Again, these all catch my attention because they depict familiar faces in unfamiliar settings and digs.

Although, after showing off all of these slightly-jarring keepsakes, my absolute favorites in this loosely-connected family are cards that feature stars on the diamond competing in sports that are NOT America's pastime.

Cards like these: 

Like I mentioned earlier, much has been made about "Shark's" football exploits; but, did you know that this similarly difficult to spell name played collegiate football?  In fact "Super Szczur" required a hefty signing bonus to keep the wide receiver from entering the NFL draft when he was drafted out of Villanova in 2010.

Coincidentally, Delino DeShields was another future Cub, multi-sport star; he almost attended Villanova too, to play point guard on the basketball squad.  No doubt, Foot Locker and the NBA were aware of this when they invited the hyped youngster to compete in their celebrity slam dunk tournament in 1991, which also included names like Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Bo Jackson. Thank goodness a card set was produced by the shoe hawkers to commemorate this cross-sport overlap.

These are the only two like this, but there are a bevy more out there - Kenny Lofton and Tim Stoddard on the hardwood, Ernie Banks on the back nine, etc.

See? I'm not (entirely) crazy

Anywho, if you've made it through all of this rambling, congratulations - I'm finally about to get to my point.  I've come to the conclusion that the best way to show off, store and continue to build these half-baked accumulations is to merge them all together under one banner:  my "Nothing Major" collection.  The idea being that the collection is made up of cards of Cubs playing in the minors, prep, international and even other sports, but "Nothing Major" League Baseball.

I love a good pun.

So, if you have any cards of this vein lying around in your dupe/trade stacks, please drop me a line; I'm more than willing to talk trade!

Lord knows I don't already have enough projects...