For those who may have missed the initial announcement, my wife and I hosted a virtual 5K run in support of a local charity. St. Coletta's of Illinois provides services for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults and children so that they can unlock their greatest potential. When the COVID-19 outbreak peaked in March, they were forced to cancel all of their fundraisers - a disastrous development for a nonprofit that relies on donations to keep their doors open. As such, my wife and I came up with the idea of turning their planned in-person charity walk into a virtual 5K run in order to drum up awareness and donations in a world where social distancing was mandatory.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, participants had one week to run five kilometers and report their time to us. From there, we compiled the results and handed out awards to the top three men and women to cross the digital finish line. Furthermore, t-shirts and finisher's certificates were made available to anyone who registered for them, in order to commemorate the event. Basically, it's your normal charity road race, except you get to run at your own time and place.
All in all, the Digital Dash 5K exceeded all of our expectations and raised. As of this moment, we are still calculating the totals; however, I can safely say that the money brought in exceeded all expectations that were set. For that, I need to say thank you to three of you generous members of the blogosphere.
The Lost Collector, P-Town Tom, and Peter K Steinberg all took time out of their week to put their bodies through physical strain and help St. Coletta's out. In fact, a special shout out is deserved for Mr. Steinberg, as he very nearly won the whole darn thing. His time of 18:34 (5:59 per mile) lead for most of the week before another runner just squeaked by at the end. Thankfully, Peter maintained second place and still gets to stand on the digital podium. At any rate, overall, these three are a charitable bunch!
In order to generate a little extra buzz for my first event as a race director, I dangled a super vintage baseball card as a raffle prize, eligible to be won by any blogger who signed up for the Digital Dash. Our three heroes answered the call and now it's time to see who wins this bad boy:
That is a Type I 1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premium featuring star outfielder of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ethan Allen, giving batting tips to young baseball fan. Mr. Allen had some speed back in his day, topping out with 21 stolen bases in a single season (1929) and finishing his 13-year career with 84 swiped bags. I wonder how he would have done in a 5K road race back in his athletic prime?
In order to decide which of these three running bloggers gets the prize, I ran their names through the randomizer three times - three participants, three cycles seemed fair to me. Anyway, enough stalling, let's see who gets this antique trophy:
Congratulations to The Lost Collector! I'll try to have your prize in the mail tomorrow, definitely no longer than Friday. Keep your eyes peeled!
As for our other two competitors, I'm still going to work up a prize package for both of you. After all, you all made me look good in my first attempt at hosting and officiating a road race. I've run a bunch in my life; but this was the maiden voyage as a race director. It looks like I'm going to get the chance to do a few more thanks to charitable donors like you.
Thank you for taking time out of your lives to participate - it truly means more to me than you can possibly know. The clients of St. Coletta's of Illinois think you are rock stars and I have to agree.
With the state of the world being what it is, much of our lives have had to go on pause. COVID-19 has cancelled vacations, graduations, birthday parties, sporting events. Of course, it's impossible for society to completely halt. When possible, in order to prevent transmission, we've had to work from home, order groceries and supplies, and socialize through the internet. Zoom has facilitated conference calls and workplace collaboration, retailers have pivoted to online ordering and curbside pickup, and graduation commencements have been simulated through YouTube broadcasts. To the latter point, I've personally created two of them thanks to the Adobe Creative Suite. Hell, even most of the pro sports leagues have taken to the web to fill the vacuum. iRacing and an MLB The Show tournament were actively being discussed on ESPN and even broadcast on live television, though auto racing has since come back (with empty bleachers, of course).
In short, during the age of Corona, a lot of our everyday lives has gone digital since our reality is not an XBox game with a pause button. In this scenario, does that make the Corona virus the mom beckoning us to the dinner table? Anyway, I digress...
Like all sports, running has had to pivot, as well. Of course, the Olympics have been put on hold and all of the major track meets and road races across the world have been postponed. In fact, the Boston Athletic Association has truly embraced the upset apple cart by uploading the 124th annual Boston Marathon to the internet. Registered runners will complete their 26.2 miles on their own time (with GPS tracking) and submit their times to officials, which will later be compiled to generate the official race results. Will participants get the same thrill as they would staggering up Heartbreak Hill on a hazy, fall morning? No, but it's something - something to distract from the troubles of the world and create a semblance of normalcy.
With that in mind, the charity for which my wife works, St. Coletta's of Illinois, has had to make a similar adjustment. All of their in-person fundraisers have had to be cancelled since the outbreak hit pandemic status. As a non-profit, you can imagine what this has done to their funding and their work with adults who have developmental disabilities. One of the events that had to be struck from the calendar was a charity 1K walk, which was expected to be one of the pillars of their summer fundraising schedule.
However, not all hope was lost. Instead of outright cancelling the event, my wife had the ingenious idea of following the Boston Marathon's example and using the internet to our advantage. Now, St. Coletta's is hosting the Digital Dash 5K Run and 1K Walk, an entirely virtual road race.
Now, why am I telling you all about this? Like I said, this event is being hosted by St. Coletta's of Illinois and - more specifically - my wife. Of course, I want to see her succeed and I will do anything I can to lift her up as high as humanly possible. Furthermore, seeing as she married a crazy runner dude, she brought me onto the project as the official Race Director, so I have an even more vested interest in this event's success. The Digital Dash will be the first time I get to don the Race Director hat and, again, I'm going to promote this race as loudly as I can using every avenue available to me.
I know that I am not the only card collector who also dabbles in running and/or fitness. With that, if you are like me and have been looking for ways to replace the races you had planned this spring and summer, I humbly ask that you consider the Digital Dash. Race information and registration can be found right here. For your troubles, you can have a soft, cotton t-shirt (that I designed, btw) mailed your way to commemorate your participation. There's also a bib available for download to truly complete the simulation. Furthermore, there are medals up for grabs for the top finishing men and women, as well as participatory awards for all who submit a time. All in all, we've tried to make this as much like the real deal as possible.
The biggest difference here between the Digital Dash your more traditional charity 5k is that, instead of the race taking place at one place, date and time, participants can complete their chosen distance whenever and however they'd like. Do it on a treadmill, jog it on a trail, push a stroller or walk your dog - however you'd like to exercise. Just make sure that the result has been submitted by next Sunday evening, so that we can compile the official results in a timely manner.
Most importantly, I'm not just taking to the blogosphere for selfish reason. The money raised from this event will go completely towards St. Coletta's of Illinois and their work with adults with disabilities. If you are not familiar, you can read all about the nonprofit's goals and what they do for the community right here. I've seen first hand what great work they do and they need all the help they can thanks to the Corona Virus crisis.
If you do decide to jump on-board, please let me know in the comment section down below. Everyone that does so and who's registration I can confirm will be entered into a drawing for a special prize package, headlined by a super-vintage, Type I 1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premium, featuring Ethan Allen. Plus, many other goodies will be tossed in with it, in order to sweeten the pot. I will randomize and draw once the event concludes, a week from tomorrow.
If you've read this far, thank you for tolerating this non-card content. I hope you decide to take the plunge and join me for the Digital Dash! Run or walk a virtual race for charity and maybe get some physical, vintage baseball cards to go along with your t-shirt, souvenir bib, and award!
If you have any further questions about the event, please feel free to ask here and I will do my best to answer them.
And don't worry, you don't have to suffer through another Zoom call. Even though this is a virtual event, we know you've surely had enough of those, at this point.
The only thing uglier than Mike Paul's stat line in 1974 was his baseball card.
Coming in out of the bullpen twice in the early stages of that season, today's hero was tagged for four earned runs in just 1.1 combined innings of work, including a home run and a walk. The thirty year old, journeyman lefty was released before the month of April was completed and his Major League career came to a close after seven years as a swingman for the Indians, Rangers, and Cubbies. Although Mr. Paul posted a couple of decent seasons and had a career WAR in the green (4.2), I think we can all agree that the hurler did not go out on a high note.
Fittingly enough, the pasteboard that Topps pumped out for Mike that year was almost as atrocious as his eye-popping 27.00 ERA:
Wowza! I know airbrushing isn't an exact science, but, boy oh boy, is that egregious.
First of all, you can see that this picture hails from Mike Paul's days with the Texas Rangers, as evidenced by the collar left behind by the artist whiting out the Rangers script on Paul's chest. That's not all too horrendous - after all, the blue and red meshes well with a Cubs uniform, even if the North Siders never brandished such collars nor anything similar. However, when combined with that glowing, neon blue "Cubs" hat... egad, that is extremely distracting. Not to mention the fact that the "C" is so large that it's almost escaping from the poor man's head - clearly, it doesn't want to be associated with this monstrosity. Even the shading looks more like wannabe comic book art than a professional photograph.
What really makes this card a true affront to collectors is the fact that Mike Paul wasn't even new to the roster. In fact, the reliever had been in the Windy City since the previous summer! Paul had been acquired in a trade on August 31st, 1973, in a swap for Larry Gura. There was plenty of time to secure a proper photo of the player in his true, non-neon Cubs uniform. Instead, we're left with what looks like something a middle school student might create with Microsoft Paint and janky clip art.
Add everything up and you have what might be the ugliest card in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection and, despite it's aesthetic-offending appearance, it shan't be going anywhere. His overall time in Chicago was relatively brief, therefore, this uggo is Mike's only Cubs baseball card, hence it's permanent stay in my most holy of binders.
Well, it's better than nothing, right? Beggars can't be choosers and all that jazz.
Here's what the pitcher with two first names actually looked like in Cubs uniform. Much less jarring, right?
Anyway, why am I bringing this up right now? Why am I ranting and raving about a random 1974 baseball card in 2018 when there are infinitely bigger problems to worry about in the world today? The answer lies with everyone's favorite Darryl Strawberry super collector, Peter, the mind behind the always entertaining blog,Baseball Every Night. You see, the holiday season is now upon us and the eccentric collector has found himself in the giving spirit. Thus, a contest with a holiday theme was quickly born - in a month filled with hideous Christmas sweaters, each blogger has been challenged to show off their favorite ugly baseball card. After reading this, it didn't take me long to come up with my nomination.
You see, Christmas sweaters, while usually atrocious, still have some sort of inherent charm attached to them, as exemplified by the recent trend of ugly sweater themed Christmas parties. I guess this feeling falls under the "so bad that they're good" label. Meanwhile, although I've spent most of this post in a diatribe about how yucky Mike Paul's 1974 Topps single is, it has definitely grown on me over the years. It's certainly unique!
Oh and speaking of ugly Christmas sweaters....
I think that such clothing could only improve Paul's lone Cubs card, don't you? As long as it's a Cubs-themed sweater, of course, seeing as it covers up the obvious Rangers jersey found on the original. If only I had time to do something about that DayGlo hat...
Oh well, I enthusiastically encourage everyone reading this to take up Peter on his challenge and nominate your favorite ugly baseball card - it's a fun little exercise that will get you thinking about your collection in a different light. Perhaps you can find a worse (better/) example of bad airbrushing in your binders or boxes? Or, as Peter put it, "It can be the person depicted on the card, it can be the design or any
other aesthetic thing about the card itself, or even the condition if
it's fugly enough! There several different angles you can take with this writing prompt.
Thank you for coming up with such a unique contest, Peter. Do ya'll think you have an uglier card than this patchwork of garish grime? Let's see it!
Way back in October, The Lost Collector made contact with MLB agent Joshua Kusnick. No, TLC isn't thinking of making the jump to the Major Leagues (don't go chasin' that waterfall) - rather, the topic of conversation centered around the 1988 retrospective set of stars from yesteryear, known as Pacific Legends. You see, Joshua has completed the popular, junk wax-era set and gotten the cards signed by everyone who was alive when the set
was released.That's an incredibly impressive feat and I would bet my bottom dollar that having industry connections helps with such an endeavor.
Even still, that's not to say that this collecting milestone was easy - it did still take Mr. Kusnick 29 years to acquire all 171 signed cards, after all. That's literally as long as I've been alive! Anyway, TLC conducted an enlightening interview with the collecting agent for his blog (read it here) and shared it that November. In addition to the Q&A, Josh and TLC also graciously offered up one of the former's duplicate signature cards in a comment raffle. The specific card being dangled was a tantalizing mystery, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring for good measure. Then, radio silence. The Lost Collector ran into some logistical problems that kept him from being able to give the prize away until July. This is completely understandable, life happens and free baseball cards for strangers on the internet are hardly the first priority. In that time, I'd almost immediately forgotten about entering this contest because I have the memory of a goldfish with Alzheimer's. So, imagine my surprise when I saw my name announced last month as the winner of TLC's long-awaited drawing! Confusion mixed with giddiness makes for quite the strange cocktail.
Of course, this summer has been a particularly busy one for me, as well. Work has been chaotic and the impending start of the school year only makes that worse. As such, my blog post count has been way down and I have been sitting on my winnings since they arrived in the mail, wrapped in the nightmare-inducing, Sports Illustrated cover above, for several weeks now. But, I feel like things are finally starting to calm down a little bit and it's about time I get around to showcasing The Lost Collector's graciousness.
So, in summation, that's an interview conducted in October with a prize announced in November that wasn't given away until July or written about until the very end of August, nearly September... nearly a full calendar year. But, you know what they say, good things are worth the wait! Anyway, it's actually pretty appropriate that the scary mug of Slammin' Sammy should come with the Pacific Legends prize, as the picture used for that card is also a tad unsettling:
While Pacific would later garner a reputation for gaudy, drug-inspired card designs in the mid-to-late 90's, they were much more laid back and simplistic in their early days, as evidenced by the stately layout you see above. Additionally, they covered a wide swathe of baseball history in compiling the player checklist, stretching back beyond the days of color photography. With that in mind, Pacific opted to used colorized black and white photographs throughout, in order to liven up the cards, perhaps foreshadowing the explosions of color to be found on their products a decade later. Unfortunately, the colorization on many of these pieces make Topps' airbrushers look like Michelangelo. It looks like somebody used Microsoft Paint to turn poor Buddy Lewis into a comic book character who fell into a vat of acid.
On the other hand, standing in stark contrast to the unsettling, inhuman image, we have a beautiful flowing, and most importantly, legible signature. Penned in blue ink, it perfectly compliments the navy bunting which frames Buddy's unnaturally pasty complexion. This autograph truly saves the card.
I should note that I don't mean to disparage Josh, TLC, or their generosity in my critiquing of this card. It's a wonderful prize and I'm positively stoked to add it to my collection - however, I feel as though I have to address the oddly-colored elephant in the room. Sorry if I am coming across as ungrateful!
On that note, speaking of TLC's generosity:
The legendary Yankee blogger was so kind as to enclose an unexpected bonus card as well. What's better than bright, blue skies, a smiling Mr. Cub, an old school windbreaker, and a variation that I'd never otherwise get my hands on? Numbered as #384 in the most recent editions of Topps Series 2, this beauty parallels another Cubs shortstop's base card, Addison Russell. I'll take Ernie over Addy any day of the week, for a cornucopia of reasons!
Meanwhile, another pachyderm that I should probably address is the fact that I honestly had no idea who Buddy Lewis was before I won this card. As a student our national pastime's history, I feel rather ashamed. After spending only two seasons in the minor leagues, Lewis became the starting third baseman, at the age of 19, for the original incarnation of the Washington Senators in 1936. He would go on to make the All-Star team in 1938 and twice earned MVP votes before going off to War in 1941, losing three prime years of his career.
He returned from duty as as a transport pilot in the Air Force to place another four years with the Sens, making another All-Star game in 1947. Unfortunately a series of leg injuries hampered his effectiveness, cost him the entire 1948 season, and eventually caused him to walk away from the game at just 32 years of age. Buddy is cited by Bill James as a player who likely lost their shot at the Hall of Fame due to their wartime service.
Lewis gets hit by a Yankee pitch in 1949 (with a young Yogi Berra cameo). Image courtesy of Getty Images.
After retiring from the game, Buddy shifted his focus to business, pursuing such interests as a bowling alley
and a Ford dealership. Plus, the former AL All-Star became area commissioner for the American
Legion and spending his time as sponsor and coach of the Gastonia Post 23 team. He
was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame before his eventual passing in 2011, having lived a full and exciting life, at the age of 94. This left a 23 year window for Joshua Kusnick to acquire an IP Buddy Lewis John Hancock for his 1988 Pacific Legends autograph project. I have to wonder, was it acquired in-person? TTM? Via trade? The mind wanders...
What a fun (and laborious) project it would be to acquire a signature from every old-timey baseball player included in that set! The stories associated, the research required, the connections across history... I love everything about this idea. I truly am a tad envious of Mr. Kusnick and all of the hard work he put in to complete his daunting project. Thanks to Josh for offering up this extra for raffle, to The Lost Collector for selflessly giving it away and hosting the contest. It may have taken a while for all of us to wrap up this saga, but, in my eyes, this prize was truly worth the wait!...
...even if Buddy and Sammy's faces will now haunt my every dream.
I'm a pretty quiet guy and I don't like to stir the pot all that much. Furthermore, I am a polite people pleaser and generally go out of my way not to offend those around me. That being said, I do have one opinion that is, apparently, quite controversial. Whenever I mention this thought, I am generally met with wrinkled, contorted faces and visceral disgust... sometimes even outright anger. For the most part, no one seems to understand why I feel the way that I do and also consider immediately banning me from their social circle. But, I am who I am and I'm not going to hide it from the blogosphere any longer...
I absolutely LOVE black licorice!!
Of course, I am using a dose of hyperbole to get my point across; but, nevertheless, I am often met with disgust and confusion when I mention this particular candy preference to those I encounter. My family has always painted me a freak for hoarding black licorice jelly beans at Easter time, my friends give me the awkward side eye when I purchase bags of "that old lady candy" at the movie theater, and even shots of Jagermeister at the bar elicit nothing but groans from fellow patrons. What is it about the slate-colored confection that creates such hostility?
Though that may be, nothing will sway my tongue and I from how we feel. With that in mind, a couple of weeks ago, my mouth began to water as I scrolled through Twitter feed:
Andrew from Sports Card Info - one of our hobby's premier online voices - partnered with rookie candy-maker, Long Ball Licorice, to offer a free sample of their product to one lucky re-tweeter. With my great affection for the dried root of the licorice plant, I couldn't help but click those rotating arrows. Lo and behold, I just so happened to win the drawing - I was as giddy as a school girl!
Long Ball Licorice is a new product that was launched late last summer. Andre Chiavelli worked for many years at Yankee Stadium as an official vendor of memorabilia and baseball cards at the ballpark. As the years went by, he couldn't help but notice the ubiquity and importance of concessions at the stadium. Furthermore, as bans and local ordinances against chewing tobacco worked their way up from the local ballparks and into the MLB limelight, he saw an opportunity to pursue an idea which had been kicking around in the back of his head for a long time: plug-style licorice.
After two and a half years of development, the chaw substitute became a reality in 2017 and is now sitting on my kitchen table, courtesy of the generosity of Andrew and Andre:
As you can see from the business card that came along with my freebie, Chiavelli was able to secure the likeness of Babe Ruth as a sort of mascot for his new passion project. It was during his tenure at the second iteration of "the house that Ruth built" that Andre made the acquaintance of and formed a lasting friendship with Linda Ruth Tosetti, the granddaughter of "Sultan of Swat." Through this connection, he was able to secure the official license of the Babe Ruth Estate and the aptly named Long Ball Licorice had it's face - it was a perfect match.
Sidenote - this business card will likely be stashed in my oddball baseball card collection. It's simply too cool to be ignored.
Here's a look at the bag which contains my prize - it has a lovely, ornate design, evocative of the rough and tumble days of early twentieth century baseball, along with George Herman Ruth's mug. It's a good thing I was able to control myself long enough to take a picture of the package for posterity before I tore open the seal!
For the heck of it, you can take a gander at the back of the pouch, as well. Along with a motivational quote from the baby-faced "Colossus of Clout" himself, you have the corresponding web address for Longball Licorice. My favorite part of the whole package though is the fact that the government-mandated nutrition facts are labeled as "box score." I got a nice chuckle out of that detail-oriented joke - it's the little things that make great things!
Now, while I may have been able to harness my hunger long enough to snap a quick pic of the pack before I tore into it, I can't say the same about the actual product itself...
Here's what remains of the 3.5 oz licorice bar, or plug as it is technically called. Over the past handful of days, my lovely wife and I have been ripping hefty chunks out of the pliable brick and plopping them in our mouths. I have been taking a piece and parking it in my cheek, a la smokeless tobacco, allowing the flavor to smoothly melt into my mouth. Meanwhile, my wife has been attacking it head-on, taking a bite and chewing right into it for more immediate gratification. Either method works, as the licorice is both soft and hearty, with a strong and pleasant flavor that leaves you wanting more. Personally, I've had to fight myself from downing the whole thing in one sitting.
I know this sounds like some sort of sponsored endorsement, but I assure you that it is not; I just really, really, really enjoy black licorice! However, if you're like most people that I've encountered (except my better half, who's one in a million) and dark licorice repels you in the manner of like-sided magnetic poles, there is another option:
Andre's creation also features a red raspberry variant, called Round Tripper Red, and red licorice seems to be almost universally loved. I was offered my choice of either for my contest win, but there was little doubt that I was going to opt for the onyx-shaded stuff. So, if you're one of those who scoffs at the notion of black licorice, I'm sure the crimson-colored version is quite tasty, probably even better than Red Vines or Super Ropes. I know it's of high quality.
Right now, distribution of the candy appears to be limited to the Longball Licorice website and Amazon. That said, it appears as though the plan is to expand to ballparks across America, in the coming year, so keep your eyes peeled when you hit your local stadium this spring. Candy store distribution is also on the horizon.
If you're looking for a substitute for Red Man, or if you just simply enjoy candy, I cannot recommend this product enough. I'll put it this way - Alexander the Great was known for supplying his troops with rations of liquorice root and, thus, I'm sure he would have been all over Long Ball (it's resealable pouch travels well, after all). Here's hoping Mr. Chiavelli's variation takes over the world, Alex-style!
These licorice products are good, but Long Ball knocks them outta the park! (Good god, that was corny...)
As far as licorice goes, Long Ball is light years ahead of Good and Plenty, Black Jack chewing gum, Twizzlers, allsorts, Crows or any other incarnation of the stuff that you can think of - put that in your licorice pipe and smoke it!
To conclude, I have to ask, how do you feel about black licorice? Are you one of those who would turn up their nose should I offer to share my bag of Snaps? Or, does this review have you salivating, uncontrollably, all over your smart phone screen? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. And, most importantly, thank you to Andrew, Sports Card Info, Andre Chiavelli and Long Ball Licorice for coming together to offer such a generous giveaway - it made my day, several times over!
With all that out of the way, I think I've sad all I can say... so, it's time to cram another piece of Long Ball in my yap.
Does anyone else hate the "read receipt" feature on their respective smartphone? As a terrible texter, it's truly not in my best interest that people know when I originally see their text messages. I'm guilty as sin for quickly opening a received message - often times, simply to clear the notification - and then setting my phone back down while I contemplate a response. Then, because I'm as easily distracted as a toddler by the jangling of car keys, I'll start to do the dishes or clean the bathroom or vacuum the carpet or knit a sweater or any number of things and completely forget about the communication. It's not until several hours later that I suddenly have that panicked realization and hastily bang out a heavily auto-corrected response, all the while my erstwhile friend or family member thinks incessantly about how rude I am for giving them the runaround. At least, that's what this insecure blogger fears.
Therefore, I tend to leave that tattling feature toggled off - it's just better that everybody doesn't think I'm willfully ignoring them all the time. I'd rather that they think that I just don't have my device with me, or I'm unable to come to the phone, or that I've been devoured by wildebeests. It's for the best.
However, as much as I dislike "read receipts," I'm about to incriminate myself with one right now. Well, in this instance, it's actually a "Reed receipt:"
That's right, this was all an elaborate (yet truthful) set-up for a downright awful, eye-roll inducing pun. Soak it in - that's the kind of content that Wrigley Roster Jenga has come to be known for.
This post is being drafted to simultaneously thank Jason, of Hoarding Cardboard (one of the best new blogs of 2017, btw), and let him know that I received the autographed 1998 Topps Jeff Reed single that he recently sent my direction - hence, "Reed receipt." In a rare stroke of luck, I happened to win my choice from a group of John Hancock-graced pasteboards in one of the rookie writer's generous "A Season of Giving" giveaways, held throughout the month of December. It arrived in my mailbox on Tuesday, was documented in my collection on Wednesday, and I'm letting him know on Thursday. All in all, that's a pretty quick turnaround... by my standards.
Hang on, Tony - why would you, a noted Cubs fanatic, choose an signed copy of a unassuming Rockies card from one of the most-disliked Topps sets of all-time? Well, hypothetical reader, please allow me to explain.
Reed makes the play at the plate, tagging out San Diego's Adam Eaton (the OG one) on 8/6/00.
You see, Jeff Reed was one of your stereotypical, nomadic back-up catchers. During his lengthy 17-year career in the Bigs, only four times did he get on the turf for more than 100 games, suiting up for five teams along the way. Those teams whose jerseys Reed donned from 1984-00 were the Twins, Expos, Reds, Rockies, and... you guessed it... the Chicago Cubs, the latter of which he closed out his Major League tenure with. In 1999 and 2000, the gruff veteran served as defensively-minded support to starters Benito Santiago and Joe Girardi (who he also played second fiddle to in Denver).
That said, most of the glory in Jeff's playing days was had with the Cincy squad - catching Tom Browning's perfect game in 1988 and winning a World Series ring in 1990, for instance. Nevertheless, a Cub is a Cub and anytime I can add an autographed card of a Cub, even if they're sporting the colors of a National League rival rather than that perfect shade of blue, I'm going to jump at that chance. This time, I just so happened to land the jump!
The guys that Jeff Reed played behind in Chicago.
But, wait! There's more!
As an added bonus, Jeff Reed is a pretty big name in the Chicagoland area for another reason... in all actuality, probably more so than his relatively forgettable stint playing for the North Siders (.236/.329/.322 slash). Notably, the Joliet, IL native was a local product, one who eventually got to play for one of his hometown, MLB clubs. Born and raised in the prison town, Reed honed his skills on the diamond of Joliet West High School (on who's track I closed out my High School track & cross country career) before being selected as a first round draft pick of the Twins - 12th overall - in 1980.
As someone who lived in that South Side haven, off and on, for many years, as well as attending and graduating college from one of the local universities, I have a strong attachment to Joliet. It's a second hometown to me and, thus, any of the 20 bonafide Big Leaguers who hail from that locale are extra special, in my book. Plus, my actual hometown has never produced such a notable athlete.
Oh - and one more thing, I'm pretty sure that, having officially swapped this piece of penmanship into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection (replacing the 1992 Fleer Ultra you see above), it's the only card from the 1998 Topps Flagship checklist to make it into that exclusive binder. Variety is the spice of life - gotta change it up a little bit!
So, there you have the reasons why I elected to toss my hat in the ring for that particular slip of cardboard. In summation, Jeff Reed is a former Cub, a literal hometown hero, and appearing in a set which is severely under-repped in my most cherished collection. It all makes sense now, doesn't it?
Sure, Reed has a few Cubbie cards on the market which could potentially displace my trophy sometime down the road; as the old saying goes, that's a bridge that I'll cross when I arrive there.
Either his '00 MLB Showdown or '00 Team Issue could complicate matters. But, that would be a good problem.
Jason, it may have taken me three days to finally get around to acknowledging your kind correspondence (not too dissimilar from the snail's pace of an average Tony Burbs text exchange), but your envelope arrived safely and soundly and has been happily absorbed into my card collection. Thank you for holding these wonderful Yuletide giveaways, your abundant generosity, and your attention to detail which comes through in every post found on Hoarding Cardboard.
Speaking of attentiveness, come to think of it, I'm not sure I ever responded to that text that come through from my friend as I sat down to blog... I should probably log off and get to that before something shiny draws me away again. Good thing I have read receipts disabled or I'd certainly have one less amigo.
It happens though, right? I should really stop "Reed-ing" so much into it.
A couple of months ago, Peter, from the wonderfully written Baseball Every Night blog, challenged the blogosphere to a little contest. All one had to do was show off their favorite card of their absolute, all-time favorite player and share why that card and the person depicted are so special to you. In return, everyone who participated was entered in the Random.org generator and eligible to receive a special, but mysterious gift from everyone's favorite Darryl Strawberry fanatic. This prize was extremely "hush, hush," but we were assured that it would be something quite unique.
The turn out for Peter's challenge was impressive and, always looking for a good post topic, I decided to throw my hat in the ring, as well. As a Cubs fan who grew up listening to Pat and Ron on WGN throughout the summer and who studied radio broadcasting in college, it was almost a shoe-in that Ronnie should become my favorite baseball player to ever take the field. Combine those factors with his being one of my grandfather's favorites, my mother's favorites, his inspiring battle with diabetes, and his incredible generosity in giving back to the community and no one else stood a chance.
Therefore, with my player so easily selected, I too immediately knew which Santo card was my most favored. In fact, it was the baseball card which almost single-handedly brought me back into the hobby:
Appropriately enough, it came as part of the "All-Time Fan Favorites" checklist - funny how that works out, huh?
After several years away from baseball (due to the death of my grandfather), paying attention to NASCAR almost exclusively, my mother randomly stopped in my childhood LCS and bought me this card. It was this gift, this small bit of charity, which jump-started my interest in collecting baseball cards once again. Thus, you can see the importance that this Shea Stadium image holds in my mind.
Well, lo and behold, my name came out on top in Peter's randomization and I won myself that prize which was shrouded in so much mystery. I was darn near jumping up and down because I was so happy; I'm fairly certain that this is my first contest win since dipping my toes in the blogging waters. Exciting times, indeed!
That said, as Peter made apparent before beginning the contest, I was going to have to wait a little while before receiving my coveted winnings. You see, he had a little matter to attend to before he could put the package together and get it in the mail - celebrating his and his wife's ten-year wedding anniversary with a nice, long journey to New Zealand and Australia! As he put it in his e-mail to me, "Go BIG or
stay home, right?" I'd say that certainly qualifies as "big" and as an incredible experience and I was more than happy to be patient while he and his wife had the time of their lives.
Then, as the calendar rolled into June, Peter sent me another message to let me know that they had made it back stateside safely and that my highly anticipated prize would be dropped into the mail very soon. I began to watch the mailbox like a hawk, as my mind was racing trying to figure out what such a secretive prize could be - I did have a month to daydream on it, after all. Lo and behold, that unknown prize landed on my doorstep this past Saturday and, unashamedly, I ripped into it immediately as I could no longer corral my curiosity.
I know what you're thinking at this point, "c'mon, Tony - what the heck is it, already?!" I have been building this up quite a bit with such a long introduction, haven't I? Well, as it turns out, you've already seen a part of it - the picture of the card above. So, let's just zoom out a little bit so that you, the reader, can see what I saw when I tore into the USPS box:
That, right there, is a custom made, Ron Santo cheese tray! I must admit, this is by far and without a doubt the most unique item that I have ever received in the mail or won in any sort of contest. It's not even close. As you can see, Peter took a copy of my favorite card of my favorite player ever and molded it into a bottle-shaped, glass cheese tray for my entertaining purposes. This guy is a certified craftsman!
But, wait, that's not all! What could be better than a Ron Santo cheese tray?
How about TWO custom-made, Ron Santo "All-Time Fan Favorites" cheese trays? According to the pretty, pink "thank you" card which came with these artisinal beauties, Peter made one as a test run before completing the real thing. In his ever present generosity, he decided that since both turned out great, he would just send both of them my way. Now, I have one that I can use to slice up my favorite hors d'oeuvreAND one to proudly display on the wall of my new hobby room. That's "gouda" news!
*rimshot*
Seriously though, I inhale cheese. I will take my wife's deli slices of provolone and just start munching on them if she doesn't watch me carefully enough. I never thought I'd have an item which successfully melded my favorite snack with my favorite hobby, but here we are.
Also, you see, the wife and I are moving into a new, two-bedroom apartment this weekend and that second sleeping area will serve as my "man cave," when we are not hosting guests. I am over the moon to finally have my own space dedicated to my eclectic collecting habits and even more enthused to have an awesome and unique new piece of wall decor for said space.
As a further added bonus, our multi-talented blogging buddy also threw in an appropriate cheese knife to complete the cheesy package:
You might say, this baseball-handled cutting device is a "Swiss Cheesy Knife!"
My "dad jokes" are on point - I can almost hear your groans through my computer monitor. The blocks of cheddar that will be soon be sitting on Ronnie's face aren't going to be the only "cheesy" things in the room.
Thank you, Peter, for hosting such a fun contest which brought the blogging community together and for the most interesting, unique, timely, and tasteful item that I have ever gotten through the mail. I think we can all agree that you did not disappoint when you said that the winnings would include "a great, unique, one of a kind prize." I cannot wait to put these bad boys to use - they will make for excellent conversation starters when my wife and I host company!
First of all, stupid Blackhawks... what a pathetic showing... first round elimination at the hands of the Nashville Predators with nary any offense to speak of. That was just not a pretty series.
I need a good palate cleanser. Luckily, Peter from Baseball Every Night recently commemorated the first anniversary of his stellar blog (congratulations, Peter!) and the celebration of which includes a contest based around a fun and thought provoking writing prompt. I love a good writing prompt! The concept here is to show off your favorite card of your favorite baseball player of all-time - sounds simple enough, right? However, there's a small twist (not M. Night Shyamalan-level, but a twist nonetheless): the card selected must be book at less than fifteen bucks. We're not looking for "mega mojo hits" here, just your favorite baseball card of your favorite baseball player.
The guidelines here shouldn't be too hard for me to follow, seeing as I'm a decidedly low-end collector and it would be tough to find any cards worth more than a couple bucks in my possession. Therefore, I've decided to add a little extra challenge. Instead of simply showing off my favorite of favorites, I'm going to do a top five countdown. This allows me to rack my brain a little more, milk the post concept for all that it's worth, and show off a few more cards that haven't made it from my binders to the internet just yet.
First, allow me to officially declare my favorite baseballist of all-time, something I don't think I've ever clarified:
While I've waxed poetic about Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, and even Sammy Sosa - the stars of my childhood - the king of kings in my baseball almanac is, without a doubt, Ron Santo. While his playing career had been over for fifteen years before I was even born, this belated Hall of Famer was a favorite of my grandfathers and it was he who imbued his love of the Cubs into me. Furthermore, Ronnie's struggles with diabetes, his perseverance and undying positive spirit, and his giving back to the community through ADA walks were a constant inspiration of hope and good faith, which made him an excellent role model.
Of course, Ronnie is best known as the emotional color-commentator on the Cubs' WGN radio broadcasts. While he was not the best broadcaster, in the technical sense, and he was about as big of a Cubs homer as could be, one could not deny that the man was entertaining. His emotional outbursts, goofiness, and clumsiness in the booth paired perfectly with Pat Hughes' straight-man persona on play-by-play, making for a radio call that I'd often mute the television for. As an aspiring radio professional, this was another aspect of Ronnie that I glommed on to.
Thus, good ol' number 10 is certainly my favorite baseball player to ever take the diamond. With that established, let's jump right into my countdown, shall we? Before we go, I just want to note that the IP autograph that you saw above is not being included in the list (story on that card here). While, uncertified autos might not generally be worth the requisite fifteen bucks, the John Hancock of a Hall of Famer still feels like cheating.
Okay - now, let's begin:
#5
That picture look familiar?
The sight of Ron Santo in White Sox colors (even airbrushed) might seem bizarre and sacrilegious to many Cubs fans. However, I'm a big time fan of short-term stops - Ryne Sandberg in Phillies garb, Sammy Sosa in Orioles duds, Kerry Wood in Yankee pinstripes, Billy Williams in the bright yellow of the Oakland Athletics, etc. - I find such odd sights to be absolutely fascinating. I'd say that Ron Santo, a Cubs icon and nearly a franchise mascot, in the uniform of their South Side rivals certainly qualifies.
With this "Traded" card from 1974 Topps, we have Ronnie's only true, vintage White Sox card and it's attached fascination makes it an easy selection for this list. I hold no ill will towards our South Side brethren.
#4
As much as I love the oddity of seeing famous players in unfamiliar uniforms, I love the oddity of oddball trading cards. This five of diamonds hails from the 2004 Cubs edition of the recently-featured Hero Decks product, the caricatured checklist of which included Mr. Santo.
Many thought Ronnie made a cartoon out of himself in the broadcast booth, so I guess this is somehow appropriate. The only way this artist's rendering could have been more apropos is if it depicted "This Old Cub" in the midst of his iconic heel-click, the way he celebrated each Cubs victory in 1969.
#3
Speaking of oddballs, while the embossed All-Star cards of 1965 were produced by industry standard Topps, they certainly are "out of left field" when compared with other baseball cards of their era. These slightly slimmer than standard, shiny inserts have been often maligned for their susceptibility to chipping, odd size, and the profile portrait bearing only a passing resemblance to the corresponding player. Nevertheless, when I saw this card in the discount bin of my local card shop, many moons ago, there was no way I was going to pass it up.
It's different and I like different. Not to mention, it was a shiny, vintage, unfamiliar card of my favorite player, as well. I'll bite on that every time.
#2
Three oddball cards in a row - this one of the team-issued variety. In 2003, with the Cubs having just clinched the NL Central Division title and just about to embark on a memorable playoff run, the Cubs honored Ron Santo by retiring his number 10. As part of his unjustly long battle to get into the Hall of Fame, Ronnie had been denied Cooperstown induction by the Veteran's Committee earlier in the year and this was the franchise's way of saying, "hey - you matter to us!" As part of the festivities, the team passed out these standard-sized trading cards to commemorate the retirement ceremony.
Speaking of which, this is an event which was also retrospectively featured by Topps in a recent insert set:
Santo appeared in a Topps product (along with his wife Vicki) for the first time in a long time, as part of their 100 Years of Wrigley insert set from 2017 Flagship. This card just missed my top five, but I'm going to take this opportunity to show it off anyway.
Now, I was not so fortunate as to be able to attend this event and I
picked this card up several years later at an antique mall in Volo, IL.
That said, I remember attentively watching the event on television and
the unfiltered emotion that came from Santo ("this means more to me than
the Hall of Fame") left a lasting impact on me. Plus, it was the
first number retirement of my lifetime. As such, this card is an easy
selection for number two.
And now, the moment of truth - what Ron Santo card is the best Ron Santo card??? Drumroll please:
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Okay, okay... I was just trying to build up some dramatic suspense. Without any further ado, my favorite card of my favorite player is:
#1
A 2003 All-Time Fan Favorites single. This reworking of Topps Archives used the same basic concept, cards done in the style of classic Topps sets but with different photographs. Especially in today's retro-crazed card market, this technique is overdone and wholly uninteresting; however, this card will always and forever stick out to me.
You see, it was this very card that got me back into baseball card collecting. When I was a child I built my baseball card base; but, when my grandfather passed away, the cards were shoved into boxes and banished to the back of my closet. We all grieve in our own way I suppose. In the ensuing years, my focus shifted from our nation's pastime and onto NASCAR racing and my card-collecting habit transferred over to that sport. Until I was mid-way through my teens, all I collected was NASCAR cards and memorabilia; baseball stayed stashed behind my forgotten t-shirts and beat up running shoes.
For a long time, these were the only kinds of cards that I chased.
Then, one day, my mother decided to stop into my childhood LCS (RIP Double Play Sports Cards), for old-time's sake, and picked up the ATFF card you see above. Like I said, he has always been a familial favorite. When she brought it home, the blue sky, the clean photograph, the awesome Cubbie bear sleeve patch, and those glorious sideburns reminded me how much baseball once meant to me. Within a few days, those old boxes came out of their thick coat of dust and, just like that, back into baseball I did delve.
In short, this Ron Santo card is responsible for my rediscovery of baseball and baseball cards. While it's quite a nice card in it's own right, what it represents makes it impossible to pass up for the number one spot.
So, there you have it - my favorite card of my favorite player of all-time, along with a gaggle of other neat Ron Santo cards. I hope you enjoyed this wild ride. I also highly encourage you to participate in Peter's challenge along with me - the prize is promised to be exceptionally unique and picking out my favorite card turned out to be a notably fun diversion. Plus, I'm curious to see everybody elese's selections. Bang out your post and drop a link on Peter's original post and *BOOM* you're entered.
