Core Charge Cards

Last week I was running late for work.  I got up late and loafed about at a sloth's pace - it was just one of those mornings.  To compact matters, as I flew through the front door, trying to make up for lost time, I was met with a sneaky sheet of black ice and almost went down for the count.  Steadying myself, I realized that my face was already stinging from the chilly breeze in the air, as it was being pelted by snowflakes billowing down from a gray sky.  Needless to say, the weather matched my dreary mood.  All was not lost though - if I left then, I could make it to work on time...or at least close enough that no one could call me on it.

With that in mind, I shuffled through the parking lot and hopped in my car.  I gave the engine a crank and.... uh oh... nothing happened.  That's when I found out my battery was dead... and that I could craft a sentence of cuss words long and strong enough to make a pirate blush.

Long story short, the battery was so shot that I couldn't even jump the damn thing; so, after half an hour of fiddling with the portable jumper, I ended up having to burn some of my sick time which I had so stingily hoarded.  Needless to say, it was not the greatest of mornings for this blogger.

However, after securing a new battery for my ride, I was elated to find out that the receipt for the expired one had not yet been disposed of.  You know what that means -  I had thirteen bucks waiting for me at the local Walmart!  Sure, it's a pittance; but, after waiting in line at customer service for half an hour, I felt like a kid at Christmas time with that "free" money burning a hole in my pocket.

So, let's see if you can figure out what I did next - solve this equation:  Unsupervised card collector + holiday season + Walmart =

You shouldn't have to flip to the back of your text book for this answer.

When I saw that there were still a few of these bad boys sitting on the barren shelves of the recently pillaged card aisle, I could not fight the temptation.  Normally, this cheapskate would have a hard time plopping down a twenty dollar bill for a such a novelty, on the off chance that I might land a card or two that truly appeals to my collecting interests.  That said, with thirteen bucks worth of "house money," suddenly this becomes cheaper than a blaster of Opening Day with a guaranteed hit.

Thanks lousy car battery!

Sure, we can debate for hours whether or not a product as gimmicky as this parallel set is needed with the deluge of cash grab products Topps has flooded the market with lately; but, this is the third year that this blizzard has hit the card collecting community, so why bother?  I must admit, I much prefer my snow on cardboard than I do on the ground and these cards do put me in the holiday spirit.  Plus, I need a couple of cards from this flakey set - which shows what cards from S1, S2, and Update would look like in a snowstorm - for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection and I haven't ripped any new product in a long time, thanks to my recent hiatus.

As you can see, something good came out of my terrible, no good, very bad morning.  Or did it?  Let's see how I did with my "half price" holiday box, shall we?

The battery box flew right out of the gate with this Yu Darvish parallel falling out of the very first pack I opened.  You'll have to take my word that it's a parallel though, as the glitter effect (which really comes off looking and feeling like a third grade art project) found on the Metallic Snowflake Parallels doesn't show up too well on camera.  These special cards fall one in every two packs, so they aren't exactly rare - however, it's hard not to smile when you actually pull a parallel of a team you collect!

Yu was the only Cubs parallel that I ended up with, though I did uncover a healthy portion of the team's base checklist:

Three big pieces of the Cubs core were found in my "core charge" card purchase, as well as one now former North Sider.  This winter wonderland themed single represents Daniel Murphy's first pack-issued Cubs card, as the late-season acquisition was brought in by the Cubs too late to sneak into the Update checklist.  Of course, that means that this was a needed "Cubgrade" for my CATRC.  On the other hand, I've definitely not been secretive about my distaste for the second baseman, as detailed in the post I drafted about his initial arrival.  The Westboro-approved ballplayer is not one that I want representing my favorite team and I'm glad that he officially became a free agent after the World Series.

Simply put, my emotions about this pull are mixed - let's just say that I hope it's Daniel's ONLY pack-issued card as a Cubs player.

When it comes to the Cubs content, I ended up with one parallel, just under half of the team set, and one of the two cards I needed for my CATRC.  All told, that's not too bad for blaster box, I suppose.  It would have been a smashing success, in my eye, had I also come away with Cole Hamels' snowblind single (only his second pack-issued Chicago card)... but, I can't complain too much about this haul.  As for the rest of the box:

Here we have a couple of familiar faces in unfamiliar uniforms.  He's been gone for a few years now; however, I do believe that this is my first card of Starlin in any colors other than Cubbie Blue.  Additionally, "Jake the Snake" just looks wrong in a Phillies jersey - the dichotomy simply does not compute!

Even still, both of these previous Wrigley residents will fit nicely in my Cubs of Different Color Collection - a binder made up entirely of former/future Cubs featured in non-blue laundry.

With ten total packs included within the Holiday Box, I ended up with the appropriate number of metallic parallels.  Unfortunately, unlike the previously showcased Darvish, none of the other four really move the needle for me... much like the dead battery which funded their purchase.  Although, finding the AL Cy Young winner among the shimmery stack was kind of cool, even if I'll never be able to trade a Rays card.  And speaking of trades, the recently swapped out to Seattle, J.P. Crawford, gets to show of his slick glove in Phillies duds in one last set.  That's not a bad looking card to go out on.

Crawford wasn't the only player traded this winter to show up in the box either.  On that note, it's time to reveal what "one relic, autograph, or autographed relic card" I dug up out of this particular snow drift:

Ah, look, it's fate getting one last cheap shot in on me.  Not only does Paul Goldschmidt not fit into any of my collections, he happens to be a storied Cubs-killer who, just last night, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Cards lineup just got a helluva lot scarier with "Goldy" in the middle of it.  Ugh.  Why'd it have to be the Red Birds?

The race for the 2018 National League Central crown is going to be a heated one.

Anyway, let's close out this box review with the best of the rest - a pair of cards that just make me smile:

Starling is looking sterling with that sweet, 80's Pirates uniform kit; who doesn't love a good throwback shot?  And check out those flowing locks coming from under Jon Gray's cap - he must use conditioner!

While I probably still didn't get my true money's worth on this purchase, even after the core charge discount, it sure was fun to rip through and I did end up with some nice additions to my Cubs collections.  After that stupid morning, it was just the medicine I needed to fix my mood - well, that and getting a working battery for my automobile.

Before I got, I do have to ask, what are your thoughts about the 2018 Topps Holiday boxes?  Is this set just another disposable, gimmicky, carbon copy parallel set that serves no purpose.  Or, does it inject a little bit of fun and holiday spirit into this hobby that is often taken far too seriously?  I straddle that line, but definitely lean a little more towards the latter.  Also, I never expected to be able to trade a car battery for baseball cards; but, essentially, that's what just happened.  With that in mind, what's the strangest thing you've ever traded for baseball cards?  Am I only the only one who has parlayed a care charge into a blaster box?  Please feel free to leave your thoughts and stories in the comment section below.

In the meantime, here's hoping that my new battery lives a long and healthy life!

Getting High Off the Sweep

The Cubs may have wet the bed in the key series against the Brewers two weekends ago; but, since that dud of a three-game set, the Northsiders have absolutely been on fire.  They have come home victorious in the last six straight, including a total beat-down of the Mets and a sweep of the Cardinals that may very well have finally slayed the beast.  The Redbirds have been taken to the mat several times this year; however, like Rocky Balboa, they just kept getting back up.  That said, after this weekend's sweep, the Cards sit six games back with only 13 games left to play.  One step closer to bringing home another NL Central crown!

In the midst of my excitement over the sweep, I decided to celebrate by opening some of the latest baseball product to hit the shelves - Heritage High Numbers, which is to Heritage as Update is to Flagship.  I mean, I was already in Target anyway, as the Cubbies were wrapping up their victory on Sunday, and there are a small handful of cards in the set which I need; so, why not?

Plus, I'm not going to lie, the hanger box packaging kind of drew me in, as well:

I don't normally spring for anything more than a loose pack or two (maybe a jumbo pack if I'm feeling feisty), but how could I turn down that majestic home run cut by Kris Bryant?  You got me here, Topps.

Plus, like I said, there are several cards from this set that I would like to add to my collection - a rarity, these days, when it comes to modern product and my ultra-niche collecting habit.  High Numbers features the first and only card of the failed experiment known as Brett Anderson in a Cubs uniform.  Of course, this is just a week after I blogged about how he'd never get such a card - thanks for making me look silly on the internet, Topps!  Furthermore, the checklist also includes Mike Montgomery's first mainstream Cubs card (he has a Topps Now entry, I believe), Pierce Johnson's first, true Major League card and a couple of other interesting singles.  Thus, I figured that a 35-card hanger box would likely contain AT LEAST one card I needed.  Trigger = pulled.

So, I know you're wondering how I did with my little celebratory gift to myself - was the box befitting of such a glorious situation?

Well, maybe not quite; but, I'd say I walked away as a satisfied customer.

As you can see above, I pulled the recently DFA'ed Johnson's rookie card from the 35-card cello-pack contained within.  As of today, Mr. Johnson stands as a one-game wonder for the Cubbies, making his lone appearance on May 19th.  Will this be his only Major League card with the Cubs (maybe at all)?  I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Anyway, when it comes to my CATRC binder, I definitely prefer Major League products over Bowman, when applicable; thus, this HHN single will slide in to represent "Flow Bro" and his glorious mane.

Accompanying Pierce was my first un-Photoshopped card of Koji Uehara in a Cubs uniform.  Previously, Koji has appeared in the Topps Factory Team Set sporting Northside duds, as you can see above, indicative that he will likely show up in the Update checklist, as well.  Regardless, this High Numbers single marks his first non-digitally altered appearance in the best looking uniform in MaJor League Baseball and I also prefer my cards as authentic to reality as possible.  Thus, like the Johnson card before, this too will be sliding into my CATRC, replacing this Factory Set single that previously resided in his pocket.

That wasn't all for the Cubs quotient in this pack either.

I don't think a Cubs card which is emblazoned with "World Series MVP" will ever get old to me; not for Ben either, look at that grin!  Plus, I almost never pull a Cubbie insert from pack purchases, so this was a welcome sight in my stack.  The Award Winners are a pretty basic insert set, design-wise, which is appropriate for a product which is attempting to mimic 1968.  I bet this insert template would look even better with a Royals card though; doesn't that crown/shield thing in the middle look an awful lot like the KC logo?

That did it for "traditional" Cubs cards in the hanger box - three Cubs out of 35 actually isn't too terrible and one of them was one of my stated targets.  I'll take that.  Meanwhile, the fun wasn't complete over yet; as for non-traditional Cubs cards:

Here we have a pair of Cubs of a Different Color - Andrew Cashner and Dan Straily.  As I've mentioned on the blog before, I collect all cards of guys who've played for the Cubs, even if it depicts them with a different team.  I collect a bunch of these in a binder I call "Cubs of Different Color" (Wizard of Oz nod).  Into that binder Cashner, aka the man who was traded for the great and powerful Anthony Rizzo, and his Texas Rangers getup will go.

However, the man who colorman, Jim DeSaheis, refers to as "Straily Dan," (♫...are you reeling in the years?..♫) shall not be joining Cash in that three-ring binder.  Instead, he'll be inserted into my main Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Why, you ask?  Well, this is the first post-Cubs card of Dan that I've acquired and since the back makes note of his Cubs tenure (as inglorious as that might have been) it gets first dibs at that slot.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), Straily's time at Wrigley was quite brief and he never did receive a properly blue card.

Bonus Cubs tie-in: former Cub Juan Pierre appears in the trivia question

With that, there are no more Cubs connections to be had in my euphoric box of Heritage High Numbers; that being acknowledged, there were still a few interesting cards, worthy of being shown off on the ol' blog;

As far as gimmicks go, I didn't end up pulling any of the error, color-swap, gum-stains, action, or whatever other variations are part of the goofiness; but, I did end up with one of the short prints (which are saddled with 1:3 pack odds) in the form of Dallas Kuechel.  All I can say is that I'm ecstatic that none of the SP's are Cubs!

Additionally, the only other "special card" that I drew was the Rookie Performers insert of Christian Arroyo, on the right.  Ironically, the Giants top prospect hasn't really performed all that well for the cellar-dwellers, posting an anemic .192/.244/.304 slash in 135 PA's.  Still, I'm digging the groovy, sixties background on this set.  Far out, man.

I also pulled this bad boy - can I retire now?  I'm honestly amazed that Cody wasn't one of the short prints, this year.

Here's another rookie that caught my attention and who's story I've been following this year.  For those who haven't heard, when Gift Ngoepe was called up for the first time, earlier this season, the South African native became the first African-born player in MLB history.  Signed by the Pirates in 2008, Gift's arrival was certainly anything but what his name might indicate - he had to slowly claw his way up the chain.  I don't know about you, but I can't help but find myself rooting for such a trailblazer... even if he plays for a divisional rival!

Here's a couple of images which caught my eye.  On the left is a gigantic Seth Lugo, among the clouds, which is where the Cubs launched a few of a his pitches in their most recent series against the Metropolitans.  On the right, we have a clearly constipated Jered Weaver, who just recently announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.  Seriously though, get that man some Ex-Lax, stat!

And there we have it - the contents of my impulse and jubilation-fueled Heritage High Numbers hanger box purchase.  All in all, I ended up with three Cubs cards (two of which were binder worthy and the other of which was a cool insert) two Cubs of a Different Color, and a handful of other interesting cards which will make for great trade fodder.  It's not the best box that I've ever busted, but it sure did make for a great way to wrap up a great weekend.  That said, if anyone has pulled extras of the Brett Anderson or Mike Montgomery card, I know an interested trading partner!

Meanwhile, the Cubs head to Tampa Bay for a three-game set with the Rays before a four-game tilt with their other divisional foe, the Brewers.  Here's hoping the Boys of Maddon can wallop on their manager's former club and then bash Brew Crew's playoff hopes.

Fingers crossed that, come the end of next weekend, I'll want to celebrate with some new cards again!

Getting High in Target

Finally.  

Heritage High Numbers may have only been out a little less than two weeks, but it feels like months; after seeing it all over the blogosphere and not being able to get my hands on any packs, it was starting to drive me up a wall.  Lately, it feels like my LCS refuses to stock anything that's not Flagship, last weekend's card show stock had already been picked through, and none of the big-box retailers in the area were placing any new product on their shelves.  Look, I'm just trying to get my cardboard fix, okay?

At long last, Target finally came through for me yesterday evening.  Any longer and I would have been asking if I could just stock their shelves for them.  They could pay me in cards.

Thank goodness it didn't come to that, huh?  Anyway, the reason I've been so keen on HHN this year is because of one player - Munenori Kawasaki.  The little-used, utility infielder/team mascot defied the odds and made the checklist this fall (despite only playing in two games when the list was finalized)... an obvious testament to his popularity.  After all, he's a pretty amusing dude.

I truly did not expect Mune to receive any cardboard commemoration of his time with the Cubs, since bench players rarely get love; so, when I saw his name, I got a touch carried away.  After all, his slot in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder would look much better filled by a Cubs card than a Blue Jays one.

So, after much debate in the red bulls-eye card aisle, I decided to try my luck with a 35-card value box.  Would one of those 35 be my coveted Kawasaki??  I did pull two Cubs cards in the first ten out of the box:

Alas, neither were the Cubs' latest Japanese import.  On the bright side though, I was able to land Albert Almora JR's very first Major League card (excluding Bowman product, of course). Apparently, Topps didn't get the memo that Almora has started to specifically include the Jr. as a tribute to his father.  That's okay - they'll catch on by next year, when Albert takes over in center for the inevitably departing Dexter Fowler.

Furthermore, it's also nice to see fourth outfielder Matt Szczur get some recognition; he's been a surprisingly potent bat in the pinch this year.  However, my biggest takeaway from this card is what is that red, white and blue thing on the handle of his bat?  Also, I love the light tower in the background; that just screams classic baseball scene.

That was all when it came to uniformed Cubs; that said, there were a couple more Cubs of a Different Color cards contained within.

Apparently, the trade deadline comes after the deadline for this set, as otherwise the side-arming Joe Smith would be in Cubbie blue.  As such, it appears as though Update is the last hope for a properly-uniformed Smith card.  On a related note, we also have a former Cub in Austin Jackson who was brought in to bolster the playoff roster in August of last year, too late to be added to any products. In the offseason, he decided to cross over to the other side of the Windy City, a fact which the back of this card notates:

After not doing much for the North Siders, he decided to be fair and do nothing for the South Siders either; his season ended in the first week of June, thanks to a torn meniscus.  Here's hoping the former Tigers star heals up and gets his career back on track in 2017.

There was one more card in this value box that fit into a collection of mine, this one slotting into my Coulda Been a Cub binder:

This single also covers this ground with the write up on the back.

Hunter was acquired by the Cubs in the Marlon Byrd trade in 2012 and, despite flashes of greatness, he was never able to put it all together for the organization.  After spending most of 2015 in the independent ranks, he beat the odds and made it up with the rebuilding Braves out of spring training.  Like Smith, his contract switched hands at the Deadline, as he pitched well enough that the contending Marlins wanted his services.

That did it for the Cubs-connections; but, what about the rest of the contents?

A couple of high-profile rookies - not bad pulls at all, especially since that Nomar is a dreaded SP.

Unfortunately, the immediate future of Keon is in doubt; he broke his arm after colliding into the brick wall at Wrigley Field a couple of weeks ago.  That ivy is a disarming danger when tracking fly balls in Chicago - get well soon Keon!

Another notable newbie and my first card of the biggest teen sensation since Britney Spears, Julio Urias.  As beautiful as this card is with the bright, blue sky accentuating the Dodger Blue of the pitcher's jersey and glove, this will be going to one of the blogosphere's plentiful Dodger collectors.  

On the opposite end of the pitching life spectrum, here's a truly odd sight;  "The Freak" in an Angels uniform.  Some day, Tim's short, career reboot-attempting stint with the Angels will be a short term stop Hall of Famer.

Remember when Bartolo's record-breakingfirst career home run at the age of 43 and it's corresponding Topps NOW card broke the internet?  With a little restraint, I didn't end up having to pay $9.99 plus shipping just to get a single card commemorating the feat.  Patience is a virtue, ain't it?

The Now portion of this insert was obviously Bartolo's blast; the Then portion pays note to Jim McGlothlin throwing the first of four shutouts in a six start span in 1967.  Both events occurred on May 7th.  I'd say Bart definitely wins the battle of notoriety here.

Finally, we wrap up the box with a card featuring a local yokel, Tony Cingrani, who hails from New Lenox.  That Chicago suburb is just a 15 minute drive away from where I sit, banging out this post. Seeing as we're about the same ago, I may very well have played against him in my one year of high school baseball.

With guys like Cingrani, Tanner Roark and Mike Foltynewicz in the Majors, the Chicagoland-area must be a good place to grow pitchers.

So, I didn't get my Mune, but it wasn't a total loss.  I ended up with 2 Cubs, 2 Cubs of a Different Color and a Coulda Been a Cub, plus some nice trade-bait; so, that's pretty cool.  What more can you ask of a value box?

If anything you saw above interests you, drop me a line and it's yours.

In the meantime, my obsessive search for Munenori Kawasaki continues.  This wasn't the first time I got High in a Target and, with that goal in mind, it probably won't be the last either!

Just One More At-Bat

I'm sure most people are familiar with the story of Adam Greenberg, one of the many "Moonlight Grahams" in the extensive history of Major League Baseball.  Greenie, of course, was called up with his Double-A teammate Matt Murton on July 9th, 2005 (just shy of 11 years ago - wow); he promptly made his debut, pinch-hitting in the sixth inning against fireballer Valerio De Los Santos.

Then came the pitch heard round the world - literally.  One could hear the sound of De Los Santos' fastball cracking Adam's head reverberate throughout Pro Player Stadium.  As he immediately crumbled to the ground, my stomach immediately began turning like a revolving door.

I recall watching this game live and, to this day, it's the scariest thing I've seen occur on a baseball diamond (I wasn't around to see Dave Dravecky).

From there, post-concussion syndrome basically ruined his career in affiliated ball.  He found himself suffering from uncontrollable bouts of vertigo any time he so much as looked down, forcing him to sleep sitting up, and inability to control the focus of his vision.  Needless to say, this made baseball just a touch difficult.

He was eventually able to make a full recovery, but it took several years.  After bouncing through the Cubs, Dodgers, Royals and Angels organizations at several levels, it appeared as though his time to shine had already passed.  In stepped Cubs fan and documentary filmmaker Matt Liston (Chasing October, Catching Hell).

Taking inspiration from the Moonlight Graham depiction in Field of Dreams, Liston took it upon himself to save Greenberg from a life of being Graham'ed.  He launched an extensive online media campaign, even appearing on the Today Show, to garner notice for his Change.org petition to get Adam (who'd been playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League since 2007) one more at-bat in the Bigs.

The year was 2012, the Cubs were a team in transition and well on their way to a dismal 61-101 record.  Liston was hoping that the Northsiders would take on Greenberg to provide a small bright-spot in an otherwise bleak year.  I was one of 27,152 people who sympathized with Liston's cause:

This was the kind of thing I paid attention to at work in 2012... sorry for the time theft!

Anyway, while the Cubs disappointingly did not take Liston's bait.  Luckily, the newly-branded Miami Marlins, the very team which Adam Greenberg was batting against back in 2005, were desperately in need of some good publicity.  They were also in the doldrums of an awful season, right after having gone on a massive spending spree and opening a new stadium.  Not to mention, the actions of team owner Jeffrey Loria were painting the organization in terrible light.

Therefore, the Marlins agreed to sign Greenie to a one-day contract to suit up with the Miami Marlins, finally getting another chance to make an MLB appearance, 7 years after the pitch that not only destroyed his baseball career, but nearly ruined his life.  On October 2, 2012, that opportunity came against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey:

Talk about making it count; Dickey was on his way to the NL Cy Young Award, after all!

Though Adam swiftly struck out on three pitches, I think Adam and everybody in that stadium was quite happy with the experience.  Also, nice touch by the Marlins PA staff in blaring Aerosmith's Dream On as the walk up music for this historic at-bat.

After this touching moment, Adam returned to play for the Bluefish for another season.  However, that didn't stop Topps from creating a card to honor that special moment for their 2013 Flagship release:

Which is why I'm randomly blogging about this topic nearly 4 years after it occurred.  Today, while killing some free time at my LCS, I came across this card in a box of cards featuring former Cubs and I had to make it mine.  

First off, this card slots in nicely with my "Cubs of a Different Color" collection (which is made up of future/former Cubs players in other uniforms).  Second of all, this card is a nice little reminder of great feel good story.  With the state of the world being what it's been during the last few days, "good feels" are greatly needed.

Additionally, there was a note on the back of the card that made me audibly chuckle.  Remember those stupid "career chase" notes from 2013 Topps?"

Thank you for that urgent update there. Topps!

Anyway, thanks for checking in with Wrigley Roster Jenga tonight.  Time for me to turn my focus to the Cubs current match up against the Washington Nationals, a team which was only in it's first year of existence when Adam Greenberg suffered his notable beaning.

Dream on, folks.