Today is my son's sixth month "birthday." I honestly cannot believe that little Rowan is already half of a year old. Even more incredible than that fact is that I've managed to keep him alive for that long! I think anyone out there on the blogosphere who also has children will understand that surprising sentiment, as the chaos, stress, and unpredictable challenges that come with raising a newborn. The false alarm health scares, the bottomless pit appetite, the inconsolable colic-caused temper tantrums, random night terrors, etc. - it's hard not to feel like you're doing it wrong! Yet, here we are, half of a calendar year later with a happy and healthy little cherub.
To celebrate this milestone, here's the only card in my collection with a baby on it.
The 2002 MultiAd Sports single that you see above - featuring journeyman catcher, Mike Mahoney - has long been one of my favorite cards due to it's unique photograph. Originally issued as part of a factory sealed SGA set, I have no doubt that it stuck out from it's cello-wrapped brethren - talk about a rookie card!
However, since Rowan has come into my life, it has taken on a new significance. Now, rather than just appreciating an off-kilter picture, I too understand and feel that beaming pride that Mike exuded while showing off his newborn daughter 19 years ago. Thus, when my wife scheduled Row's newborn photo-shoot a couple of weeks after his official introduction to this world, an idea crept into my mind.
First of all, let me just say that the photographer was a miracle worker. When your talent is a cranky newborn and a pair of neurotic, first time parents, I can't imagine it's easy to get anything done. That said, she produced a whole reel's worth of timeless snapshots that feel like they belong in a coffee table book more so than a simple photo album. If you ever need to book a photog in the Chicagoland area, I strongly recommend that you check out Photography By Angel for any occasion - she does far more than just newborn pictures. Exhibit worthy work, positively pleasant to work with, excellent customer service... she is, in fact, an Angel!
Anyway, after we got all of the posed shots that she wanted during our booked slot, we had a little bit of extra time. Luckily, I just so happened to have brought my Cubs jersey, hat, my high school baseball glove, and the perfect idea with which to close out our session:
And it turned out even better than I had hoped! Although, thankfully we shot on a blank background because it still seemed like it was missing something:
Rowan definitely needed a baseball backdrop to complete the look. To keep things close to home, I opted to use a picture that I took from the dugout of Howie Minas Field, a local ballpark that's been a cornerstone of the community since it was plowed into a cornfield 70 years ago. This field has played host to the National Baseball Congress champion Midlothian White Sox, the Cook County Cheetahs of the Frontier League, the Crestwood Panthers of the Midwest Collegiate League, and Rowan and I when we we noticed the gate was left open during a summer walk around the surrounding park. So, of course, we stopped to take some pictures in the dugout. As it turned out, they provided the perfect canvas for my latest Photoshop project.
Shhhh... don't tell anyone! But, here are a few more pictures from our little visit:
Howie Minas Field, as viewed from the parking lot.
The view from home plate at Howie Minas Field
Tossing a quick bullpen session
My god, I cannot wait to take him to a real game.
If you want to learn more about the history of our little ol' community ballpark, I get a little more in-depth in this previous post.
Anywho, circling back to the reason for this post, happy half a year birthday, Rowan! Six months simultaneously seemed to breezily fly by like a jet and yet also drag like a low rider with flat tires. It's funny what having a child - and the ensuing lack of sleep - will do to your sense of time. I'm sure that Mike Mahoney and his now college-aged daughter will agree.
Here's to a lifetime's worth of further baseball adventures, Row!
I don't have much skin in this game. First of all, I am a Bears fan, first and foremost; so, I haven't truly cared about the outcome of a Super Bowl tilt since I was in high school and, the way things are trending for that franchise, I probably still have quite a while before I'll be invested again. Furthermore, I am only a casual fan of the gridiron games. I don't typically sit down and watch contests featuring teams for which I am not actively rooting during the regular season or playoff run up. Football for football's sake just doesn't hold my attention the way it seems to for so much of the rest of the country. All told, I'm a baseball fanatic who doesn't mind watching the Bears play when the Cubs are hibernating.
With all that being stated, I'll still be watching the big game. My wife and I will continue our long-running tradition of ordering massive amounts of Chinese food, snuggling up on the couch, and taking in the spectacle, which is something we've enjoyed for the better part of a decade now. After all, even without my Bears or her Eagles, there's still the halftime show and a bevy of big budget commercials to hold our interests if the game does not. Although, to try in keep myself engaged in the main event as I shove egg rolls down my gullet, I do attempt to pick a team to cheer for.
Some years are easier than others. Just a couple years ago, my Philly-native wife's Eagles made the Super Bowl a pretty big deal in our household. Meanwhile, in other Big Games of the past, there's been local heroes catching touchdowns or teams with high concentrations of former Bears favorites that have made choosing a side a no-brainer. However, this year I am going a different route in choosing my rooting interest and this time I am going a route that involves a direct connection with my absolute favorite sports franchise:
Behold! My custom card of Patrick Mahomes and his father Pat by way of the Father & Son subset found in 1985 Topps baseball packs. Many people might remember that the young firebrand starting at quarterback for the Chiefs comes from a family with powerful right arms; but, I doubt a lot of people remember that the elder Mahomes pitched for the Cubs!
Pat Mahomes was a top prospect who came up the Minnesota Twins chain in the early-90's but never quite put it all together. Despite having an 11-year career, the results on the mound weren't the greatest, with a career ERA over five coming mostly out of the bullpen. In addition to his five-year stint with the Twins, Mahomes Sr. also took the bump for the Red Sox, Mets, Rangers, Pirates, and - most importantly (to me, anyway) - the Cubs. Nearing the end of his rope, Pat appeared in 16 games for the 2002 edition of the Lovable Losers, posting a 3.86 ERA in 32.2 innings which was, honestly, not bad for that team. After becoming a free agent, he'd wrap up his career by sunsetting with the Buccos.
The only card which documents the patriarch of the Mahomes clan brief stay in the Windy City is his 2002 Topps Total single, which I used in the creation of this custom. If you don't mind me tooting my own horn here, I'm pretty proud of this one! What do you think?
Sidenote, if anyone has an extra one of those Totals lying around, I would love to talk trade. Currently, I have the above 1992 Upper Deck pasteboard sitting in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection as his representation and I pulled the Rated Rookie of junior out of a pack of Donruss a few years back, but I do not have the one Mahomes card that I crave. Can anyone help me out?
In the end, I think it's pretty neat to draw such a direct line between this years Super Bowl and my favorite baseball team. Not since the Cubs 43rd round draft pick in 2009, Colin Kaepernick, brought the 49'ers to sports biggest stage have I been able to do that. I'd much rather root for the progeny of a former Cub than for Tom Brady to win yet ANOTHER Super Bowl. Let's change things up, eh?
With that, I feel compelled to ask. who are you rooting for tonight and how did you arrive at that decision? Are you a dyed in the wool fan of either team who made it all the way to Florida? Or, perhaps you're like me and had to get creative to find choose a team - I'd love to hear about your method of selection!
In the meantime, as their now most diehard fanatic in the world, I say go Chiefs!!!
Pat and Patrick playing catch during 2001 Spring training. Image courtesy of Paul Moseley of the Star-Telegram
While it might look, feel, smell, and taste like a true, blue (and pink) 1976 Topps single, it is nothing but a construct. This pasteboard is nothing but a digital image, a .jpeg file that is posing as an authentic, means of bubblegum conveyance. Wayne Tyrone, briefly a Cubs outfielder, does not appear on the checklist and, in fact, never shows up on a baseball card whatsoever. I created this impostor to fill a gap in hobby history that Topps so irresponsibly created 40+ years ago.
Until recently, that is.
Although, while not an MLB-approved bit of memorabilia, this trading card has come to exist in the same physical realm that we currently occupy. By that, I mean that I printed it out on cheap cardstock and printed with my workplace's HP Laserjet photo printer. Shhhhhh.... that's our little secret. Even better still, this Wayne Tyrone card can now be considered a true collectible, rather than a cheaply made ACEO wannabe. You might be asking yourself, "how can this be, Mr. Burbs?" You see, after this card was spat out onto the tray, I stuffed it in an envelope, mailed it to the far-off land of Texas, and waited patiently for it to boomerang back to me with a signature.
Yesterday, was the day that "Lassie" came home.
And, as you can see, I delivered my card was delivered back to me with love.
The whole TTM process is common here on the blogosphere, so I feel safe in assuming I needn't explain the procedure. Suffice it to say, if you are new to the process, one obtains the address at which a celebrity can be reached, sends an object that the sender wishes to have signed through the mail (along with a return envelope and paid postage), and then eagerly anticipates said celebrities return. Some famous folks charge for this privilege, others don't, and still others have more hoops inquiring minds must jump through before a signature will be provided. All in all, it's a fairly common hobby, especially among our lot.
This isn't my first rodeo either and I'm not just saying that because this return comes from Texas. While I'm not a chronic TTM chaser, I have sent a dozen or so over the years with varying degrees of success. Seeing as my collecting goal is to obtain at least one card of every man to have suited up for the Chicago Cubs and, like Wayne Tyrone, not every such athlete has had the privilege of appearing on a wallet-sized rectangle.
With this in mind, I've had to try any means necessary to plug these otherwise un-fillable gaps in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection. For more recent ballplayers, I've used the TTM process to create cards and obtain such players' John Hancock. For some reason, a "stamp of approval" makes the customs feel like true collectibles rather than some fantasy piece. Over the years, I've had luck with reaching and hearing back from several obscure Cubs, including Tony Balsamo, Footer Johnson, John Pyecha, Gene Krug and now, Mr. Tyrone.
Of course, for each of these four (now five) successes there's been dozens of failures. In fact, I was just discussing one of these missteps on Wrigley Roster Jenga last week, when I went ranting about how someone had pilfered one of my custom creations. Not only did my TTM request to Bob Raudman not make it back to me, but a dastardly devil had taken the .jpeg that I'd shared on this blog and used it to hawk cheap prints on Ebay.
In that same post, I indirectly alluded to yet another TTM failure. As a matter of fact, in another post just days earlier, I maligned the fact that this request went to a player that I was surprised had never appeared on so much as a regional or minor league oddball, considering his active career brushed up against a baseball card explosion. One that I had sent out long ago and never heard back from. One that I had given up hope on many moons ago, causing me to stop entertaining the dream of filling the player's slot in my CATRC tome.
That player? Why, it was Wayne Tyrone!
I waited patiently for this one to come back to me alright, so long that I don't even really remember when I sent it out. A quick scan of my blog archive seems to indicated that this custom hit the post office some time in late 2017. So, all in all, it's taken nearly three years for this bird to come home to roost!
Did Wayne see my belly-aching online and get tired of the whining. I suppose it's possible, I did include a link to my blog in my letter. Awkward...
Anyway, way back when, I was searching various databases for former Cubs who were still living and didn't feature much of a cardboard footprint. I found a listing for Tyrone on a website called ContactAnyCelebrity.com and figured it was worth a shot. Lo and behold, I sank that shot; however, the ball bounced around the rim for a few years. Better late than never though, right?
Perhaps we should take a moment to actually examine the career of the man that I so rudely bothered by mail.
Wayne Tyrone played professionally for nine years, from 1972-81, up and down the ladder from Quebec to Monterrey. Before signing his first contract, Tyrone also starred for the University of Texas Pan American, which got him drafted by the Cubs in the 20th round of the 1972 draft. Similarly, his older brother Jim also spent him amateur days at UTPA and was selected by the Northsiders just a year prior, though the elder brother went to Chicago in the fifth round.
All told, Wayne Tyrone manage to climb from the 20th round to the Majors in about four years, getting that call in the summer of 1976. Tyrone then spent the rest of the season on the Cubs bench, filling in both the outfield, third base, and first base. From July through September, Wayne batted .228/.262/.298 across 62 PA's in 30 games - obviously, not the strongest slash line. Accordingly, the Cubs let him go after the National League's centennial campaign, where he would then go from the North Side to north of the border, inking a minor league contract with Montreal. After a few more years in the Expos and then the Orioles chain, the now-journeyman wrapped up his pro career with a pair of seasons in the Mexican League, hanging up his spikes after the 1981 campaign.
In the end, Tyrone's 30 game cuppacoffee in 1976 ended up being the only Major League action on his ledger.
Wayne's older brother, Jim, was also Cub, spending three years with the team in the 70's
Interestingly, despite the fact that their time in the Cubs organization overlapped and both ultimately spent time on the Big League roster, neither player was on the 25-man at the same time. Jim was a Cub intermittently from 1972-75; however, the year that his kid brother made the club just so happened to be a year which he spent the entire schedule in AAA. While the brothers worked together in Wichita with the Aeros, Jim was left behind after Wayne made his debut. Also, both Tyrone brothers were out of the Cubs org by the middle of 1977.
Fun factoid, the Tyrone's are one of 11 sets of brothers who both suited up in Cubbie Blue pinstripes. You might remember the Patterson's, the Reuschel's, or even the Hairston brothers, but don't forget the Tyrone's!
Further fun fact - my custom card has also been sourced for Wayne Tyrone's Google search.
Since calling it quits as an active player, Wayne Tyrone has returned to his Texas roots. It appears as though he's spent a lot of time coaching youth baseball. It's always nice to see an old pro give back to the game - heck, lord knows MLB isn't actually vested in growing the sport, so it's critically important to see yesterday's stars do the heavy lifting.
Furthermore, in doing research for this post, I think I came across the reason why my card took so long to get signed, at least partially. Unfortunately, it looks like Mr. Tyrone was suffering from some serious health problems, as of the early portion of 2020. While trying to dig up some info on his post-playing career, I came across a Go Fund Me that had been set up to pay his medical bills. Thankfully, the crowd-sourcing was immensely successful and collected more than double it's stated goal. Hopefully, Wayne is doing better a few months later. I don't mean to get up on my soapbox, but isn't it disgusting that in this "first world nation" we have to turn to the kindness of strangers on the internet to raise money for medical care?
I hope your on the up-and-up, Mr. Tyrone!
Wayne (standing, right) with his 9U champion Dallas Tigers ballclub. Image courtesy of Dallas Tigers Baseball.
Has anyone else reading this had any experience with TTM requests? Am I the only one who whips up their own customs to fulfill such inquiries? If so, what's the longest that you've waited on a return envelope? Can anyone beat me nearly three-year holding period? Please feel free to share your stories in the comment section below; I'd love to hear from you!
Before I go, I should also remind all you readers that my Digital Dash contest is still open. A couple of bloggers have taken me up on my offer, but I'd love to see a few more. My wife and I are hosting a charity 5k run/1k walk to raise money for St. Coletta's of Illinois, a nonprofit that does a lot of critical work with adults who have special needs. It's only ten dollars to enter the run or walk and everyone who signs up will be entered into a drawing for a prize package which will include an authentic 1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premium. The race is open until Sunday, so all you have to is complete your distance by then and submit your time. I know there are some runners out there on the blogosphere - let this virtual event fill the Covid-shaped gap on your fitness calendar.
Finally, just in case you are reading this, Wayne Tyrone, thank you for generously answering my letter and signing my fantasy card without asking anything in return. I appreciate it more than you will ever know - I never thought I'd be able to fill this nagging gap in my collection. I hope you're doing better and feeling stronger every day!
In the meantime, I'm left to wonder, do I have any other TTM requests floating around in limbo? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Short post today because the world is burning and I live too close to an epicenter to relax. I need to do something to shift my focus and save my mental health, so why not blog about a problem so minor that Major League Baseball is looking to contract it?
They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. With that old adage in mind, I guess I should be blushing right now:
That right there is a listing for an "ACEO Art Card," listings which often pop up in my saved Ebay searches for obscure Cubs players of the past. For those who may not know, ACEO is shorthand for "Art Cards Editions and Originals" - basically, a blanket term for custom cards. Much like "Broder" and it's relationship with counterfeit and unlicensed cards, ACEO has become a part of hobby lingo.
Now, I have absolutely no problem with people whipping up their own custom trading cards; after all, I create my own and share them online for the whole world to see. In fact, I'd say that seeing other hobbyists creativity on the blogosphere and wherever else on the internet is the most fascinating part about collecting in the 21st century. Also, while technically frowned upon due to copyright infringement and intellectual property when it comes to source photographs, mimicked designs, and intellectual property, I don't take issue with people selling their own creations either. All in all, as long as your not marketing your custom creations as the genuine article or purposely aping Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, etc. with deceptive intent, I'd probably be more than happy to lay down a few bucks for a well-made ACEO custom.
Thus, on it's face, I shouldn't have a problem with this listing - the seller has made it abundantly clear that this card is not from the Topps printing presses. However, the sticking point here is that I know this particular vendor didn't create this card. And how I can be so sure that they didn't whip this up in Photoshop or InDesign? Well.... uh...
...that's because I'm the wannabe artist.
I created this fantasy 1966 Topps pasteboard to fill in a gap in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection. You see Bob Raudman appeared in 16 games for the North Siders from 1966-67. With this cuppacoffee being his only MLB action, "Shorty" never appeared on a bubblegum card, be it in a Cubs uniform or any other colored laundry. However, I was able to dig up a potential TTM address for the former player, so I whipped up a custom to mail off in hopes of creating a piece of memorabilia worthy of my CATRC tome, to fill an otherwise un-fillable slot.
As you can tell by the image above, my mailing attempt was unsuccessful; however, it appears as though someone saw my work, even if it wasn't my intended target. Unless I have a split personality who happens to only sell baseball cards on Ebay (and how boring that would be), I don't think this guy is selling his own work.
I'm not going to name the seller, but I will say that he has a prodigious presence on the ol' auction site. I'll also add that he has the same, unusually combative description for every item that he lists:
"####FREE COMBINED SHIPPING BUY 1 OR 100 FOR THE SAME PRICE, INCLUDES CANADA TOO ##### THIS IS A NOVELTY CARD THAT IS CUSTOM MADE. IT HAS NO VALUE, IT IS FOR COLLECTING ONLY. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A CUSTOM CARD IS, PLEASE BUY FROM SOMEONE ELSE. THESE CARDS ARE THE SAME SIZE AS A NORMAL CARD BUT NOT AS THICK. IF YOU WANT A THICK CARD THEN BUY FROM SOMEONE ELSE. IF YOUR GOING TO DISPLAY YOUR CARD IN A TOPLOADER, WHY DOES IT MATTER HOW THICK IT IS. IT WILL LOOK GREAT. CARDS ARE MADE ON 140LB CARD STOCK"
It's always in all caps too - that's not me editorializing. Seems level-headed and rational.
Once again, I have no personal problems or vendetta against people selling their creations, even if it is technically against some rules. However, this person is apparently taking images that he or she finds online, printing them out on photo paper, and selling them as their own. THAT does rub me the wrong way.
I have to wonder just how many of these ACEO cards that they are selling are also pilfered from other corners of the internet. Any of the above selections look familiar to anyone?
I should also note that there is a little bit of egg on this vendor's face. As I detailed in my original post on the TTM failure, I made some critical errors on this card. For one, Raudman's 16 games in a Cubs uniform came in the outfield, not on the mound. In fact, I can find no record of Raudman having ever taken the mound in a professional setting. Furthermore, the photo that I culled from the internet is actually of former Cubs catcher, Randy Bobb, not Bob Raudman. I got the wrong Bob. I have no idea what I was thinking when I created this comedy of errors.
It's quite doubtful that this person actually cares about the accuracy of the ACEO's that he's hawking, but it does make me feel a touch better that this particular piece is such a screw-up.
Anyway, I realize that I have no legal claim to my Raudman "card' and that it was created from an image and design that I hold no intellectual property over. Not to mention the fact that I openly shared it on the internet without so much as a watermark to stop such practices. This situation just rubs me the wrong way and I felt compelled to rant about it just a little bit. What better place to rant than on my baseball card blog, after all? With everything that's going on right now, it feels good to complain about such an insignificant "problem" for a little bit.
Also, if you're in the market for true ACEO's, I recommend you stay away from listings that look like this and steer towards guys like Gary Cieradkowski and Gypsy Oak, among others. There are plenty of talented artists out there, with a passion for baseball, who create some truly binder - nay - frame-worthy custom baseball cards that are much more worthy of your attention.
In fact, I'll have another post coming up that's dedicated to another creator whose work I recently discovered. As a bit of a preview, I'll say that this card-tist's work covers an era of baseball that is all to often ignored by card companies and fans alike. Keep an eye out for that Wrigley Roster Jenga post in the next few days.
In the meantime, stay safe out there. Remember what is being protested and to mentally separate the protesters from the opportunistic agitators. The system is rigged, brutal, and needs to be shocked - people live in daily fear, based on the color of their skin, fear that they might be killed while jogging, while entering their own home, for wearing "suspicious" clothing" and a further infuriatingly long list of other reasons.
Hopefully, we emerge on the other side of this turmoil in a better place as a society.
This .gif sure does get a lot of play on Wrigley Roster Jenga...
Anyway, the former All-Star was called up by the Chicago National League Ball Club yesterday morning and then immediately installed in the starting lineup for the afternoon make-up game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Sidenote - is that what they still call themselves? As an NL rooter, I rarely encounter the team of Trout, Ohtani, and Co., so I'm truly unaware. Anyway, it was a quick turnaround for the Cubs front office, having only jut signed Gonzalez to a minor league deal the previous Wednesday. I expected his stay in AAA to be brief, but I surely thought it would amount to more than two games in an Iowa Cubs uniform.
Expectations were cautiously optimistic upon Carlos' signing and, going into Monday's ballgame, were reaching crisis levels of anticipation. After all, going 2-7, losing three consecutive series, falling out of first place, and suffering a long 0'fer with runners in scoring position had created a sense of alarm in the Windy City. The stuttering offense needed a jolt and hopes were placed - perhaps unfairly - on the shoulders of the Cubs' latest call-up.
Thankfully, he did not disappoint.
The Cubs offense exploded for the first time in a long time and posted eight runs to back Jon Lester, who himself came back from a string of poor starts, to trounce the Halos by a score of 8 to 1. CarGo contributed the assault by swatting a single in three trips to the plate, to go along with a walk. While that made for a solid, if unspectacular debut in Cubbie Blue, that was not what the fans and press were talking about as they streamed out of Wrigley Field that afternoon:
This phenomenal catch came at a time when the tide was threatening to turn against our heroes. With Lester having tired out to the point of loading the bases with only one out, this long drive looked prime to clear them and get the Angels right back into this previously lopsided contest. Instead, Cargo donned a cape, grabbed one of his three Gold Gloves, and declared, "not today, Lucroy!"
Sprinting towards a brick wall with reckless abandon and making a miraculous grab that no one in Wrigley Field thought he had a prayer of catching... it may very well have been one of the best Web Gems during this millennium at Wrigley Field. What a way to introduce yourself to your new club, huh?
With that impactful debut, I felt inspired to strike while the iron was hot and whip up a card to commemorate Gonzo's grab:
I was mildly surprised to see that Carlos' grab went ignored by the Topps Now team. With a star-player making his debut in one of the sports strongest markets, I surmised that the old bubblegum company would sense a quick moneymaker. Instead, we Cubs fans will just have to settle for my take on another one of their "instant card" products, Total. I may be biased, but I think it gets the job done admirably.
Throughout the season, I've been whipping up my own interpretations of Topps' rebooted, roster-comprehensive set due to the real thing's pricey nature. Should CarGo eventually end up in the checklist, I bet you mine will look better thanks to this acrobatic catch, captured by Getty Images.
Speaking of cards (be they custom or the real McCoy), with Cargo's surprisingly rapid ascension to the Cubbies' Big League roster, a physical card needed to be inserted into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.
In my post detailing Carlos' initial signing last week, I opened up a poll asking which of my assortment of Gonzalez cards should have the honor of representing the defensive wizard in my CATRC - the most hallowed of my collections. The most love went to his 2012 Topps Flagship All-Star single, despite being a write-in candidate; however, I still find that card to be fairly unattractive and I will instead be pivoting to the second leading vote-getter: his 2016 Bunt card.
I appreciate the feedback, but I'm still going to make an audible every now and then.
Welcome to Chicago, CarGo - here's hoping that you can continue the production and defensive flare that you showed in your Cubs debut!
Just a few days ago, the third wave of Topps' reviled reboot of Total hit the web. Without getting too deep into the weeds, the problem most of us collectors had with the return of the mid-00's, comprehensive beast had to do with the egregious price point ($10 a pack 😙) and it's online-only availability. With all the clamoring certain segments of the blogosphere did for the return of Total, turning our beloved, bottom-shelf brand into a premium privilege felt like a crisp slap to the face. Then, after the release, things managed to get even worse.
For as much as we are asked to spend on Total ($1 per card), it seems reasonable to expect a certain quality from the product. The only thing is, when the cards started to show up in mailboxes, they've come with the QC one might expect from children's flash cards. In verious openings, it became apparent the cards weren't very durable, with the gloss easily separating from the rest of the card. cards dinged up worse than a Vladdy Jr. autograph, and scuff marks dotting the surface of many pieces. All in all, the whole thing quickly became a "Total" letdown.
As you may have seen elsewhere, there seems to be a widespread issue with the parallels. The front corners are peeling. I thought I had avoided that but upon closer inspection, I had a couple peeling on the back! pic.twitter.com/rscHck6mAc
However, I'm not going to lie and say I'm not a hypocrite - I'll certainly be tracking down soome singles on the secondhand market. After all, within the first two waves, both Daniel Descalso and Allen Webster made it onto their very first Cubs cards thanks to this product. I just wish I didn't have to depend on Ebay listings to come across them at reasonable prices and in a decent condition. But, that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
Anyway, the third wave of Total was recently announced and the Cubs quotient included three players who have already seen representation in other products - Jose Quintana, Mark Zagunis and Tyler Chatwood. Sure, they're not overly common names to see in Topps products, but they are already covered in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection. That being said, coincidentally, the latest wave of my own version of Topps Total has just hit the market too and it's checklist digs a bit deeper.
As a reminder, I make these Total customs for each player who debuts in a Cubs uniform AND doesn't already have a Cubs card on the market - Bowman included.
First, we have a pair of LOOGY's who have made their Cubs debuts since I released my first wave of Wrigley Roster Jenga-edition Total. So far, Collins has been good in very limited duty while riding the Iowa-to-Chicago shuttle (one run allowed in 3.1 innings of work). In fact, his phone just rang again, as he comes up from AAA to provide a little more reinforcement to a beleaguered and ineffective bullpen. Meanwhile, Xavier Cedeno, one of the few MLB signings made over the off-season to fix the crummy pen has been hurt, bad, and now hurt again. Did I mention the relief corps is terrible?
Rowan Wick is yet another fungible reliever who has bounced between Des Moines and the Windy City. Of course, his Big League action had been limited to a single game's worth of mop-up duty. The catching convert has a live arm and minor league options remaining; so, it's almost certain that we'll be seeing him again in Wrigley Field this season.
Closing out this round is a retooling of a card released in my previous wave. Brad Brach has been leaned on heavily so far in 2019, with his addition representing the only high-profile signing to the MLB pitching staff. He's been fine... useful but unspectacular (1.734 WHIP). However, I wasn't happy with the image that I used on his first card; thus, since I'm the grand poobah of this project, I decided to call for a mulligan.
The original is lined up on the left, while the updated copy sits on the right. Which do you think is more appealing to the eye?
And with that, the Total project has been officially been brought up to date. However, I sure wouldn't mind it if another roster move occurred at some point in the near future... maybe sign Craig Kimbrel to fix this dumpster fire of a bullpen? Can we finally fire Addison Russell into the sun and call up Dixon Machado, who has been absolutely tearing up the Pacific Coast League? I'd be more than happy to re-fire Photoshop and get going on Wave Four of WRJ Total.
Has anyone out there in the blogging world purchased any of the real stuff since it debuted earlier this spring? Has the quality of your ripping experience been as poor as it's been made out to be on social media? Have you bought total straight from Topps or did you do what I plan on doing and go through a third party? Do you regret your purchase or are you pleased with your experience? Please feel free to weigh-in on the topic in the comment section below.
In the meantime, at least Total is back, in some capacity. That is certainly a positive, no matter what mitigating circumstances surround the return.
Yesterday, I posted a little bit of a rant about the revamp of Topps Total. To recap - I loved the original run of the product but this new version of Total is an overpriced, on-line exclusive, bastardization that besmirches Total's good name. In other words, I am not a fan.
Even with my disappointment, with first 100-card wave (of nine) having been made available through Topps' website yesterday, I couldn't help but flip through and see what Cubs made the checklist. Daniel Descalso, the off-season free agent signing made to replace Tommy LaStella, was the only non-marquee North Sider to earn a bullet point, so far. No images have been released of Daniel's card, so far, as the checklist only just went live and orders haven't been shipped yet. So, I took it into my own hands to whip up an example for my "rave review" post from yesterday.
The template wasn't too hard to make and I was rather happy with the finished product. At first, that made me even more mad that I wasn't going to be able to afford 2019 Total (unless I can find good deals on the secondary market). However, upon further reflection, I decided that since I had a template all ready to go, I should just take matters into my own hands and create my own version. It's all the fun of Total and it costs me exactly nothing. What a deal!
So far, I've whipped up the following cards for all of those Cubs players who are currently on the 25-man roster who have not yet received a proper Cubs card in any product, as of today:
Honestly, the Randy Rosario card might be my favorite of the whole bunch - I love the image that I was able to find for the lefty. These guys have both been in Chicago since last summer and were ignored by Update and all other pertinent releases. No love for middle relievers.
The first two call-ups of 2019 were both covered by my mock Total. Ryan made his Cubs debut last week and Webster only had a brief cameo at the very end of last season, so it's no surprise that they have no Cubs cards in their cardboard ledger yet. Hopefully they pitch well enough to earn a real one some day.
Lastly, we have another off-season, free-agent signing in Brad Brach. There are surprisingly few images of Brach in Cubbie Blue on the internet, so I had to go a little off-kilter with this photograph of him being removed from the mound. Hopefully, I can find a happier snapshot in the future and update this bad boy.
Speaking of the future, fellow off-season, free-agent reliever signings, Tony Barnette and Xavier Cedeno, will both eventually be included in this virtual checklist. However, both are currently residing on the injured list and have been out of action for most of spring training, as well. Thus, they have ever fewer usable images to choose from; so, I will be holding off on those two until they make a few appearances off of the IL and on the mound at Wrigley Field. I mean, the current iteration of Total is being released in waves; thus, it's only appropriate that so too will my copy cat version.
Of course, my edition is free and not ten dollars a pack, so I still win.
Look for future editions of Wrigley Roster Jenga Total at this web address. I will be making updates throughout the season as players come and go and/or when I feel like it. Also, please feel free to critique my work in the comment section below. In the meantime, I'm going to go sit and stew in my disappointment with Topps' treatment of Total for a little while longer.
Yesterday morning, the Cubs added yet another, low cost/high reward contract onto the ledger to bolster their relief corps. Xavier Cedeno, a lefty who has been in the league since 2011, was brought in on a non-guaranteed, Major League deal worth $900K. Initial reports indicated that the bullpen piece would be on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training; however, today we learned that X will be occupying a 40-man roster spot but can be cut for only a portion of his salary this spring. He represents another acquisition in Theo's plan to throw as many cheap arms at the bullpen problem as possible and see who's left standing at the end of the Cactus League schedule.
In 2018, Cedeno spent time with two rivals to the North Siders - the White Sox and the Brewers. All told, he was pretty much lights out when on the mound, posting a sterling 2.43 ERA in 33.1 IP and averaging 9.2 K's per nine innings. As a reliever, he was worth 0.9 WAR for the season. Not to mention, throughout his career, he's been murder on same-handed opponents, limiting southpaws to a egregious .218/.285/.298 batting line. If the Cubs can get that kind of production out of Cedeno, his contract will be an absolute steal.
Considering the team's need for an experienced lefty after the departure
of Justin Wilson and this MLB deal, it can be reasonably expected that Cedeno will likely head north with the Big League club... provided he can prove his health. After all, the 32-year old lost nearly all of the 2017 campaign to dreaded forearm issues. Rather than undergoing the knife and losing a season-plus to Tommy John Surgery, the newest Cub treated his foreboding injury with rest and platelet-rich plasma injections. Thus, a clean bill of health, like his contract, is not a guarantee.
Anyway, all things considered, the odds are pretty good that a healthy X would head to Chicago with the Cubs come April. Thus, it would be reasonable for me to look into a acquiring an Xavier Cedeno card for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection - like a good Boy Scout, I try to always be prepared. Let's see what's on the market for the team's new reliever:
Hmm... that's peculiar...
According to baseball reference, Xavier Cedeno has seen action in every single Major League season since 2011 and made more than 40 appearances in four of those campaigns. Despite that fairly long and experienced resume, Cedeno has not shown up in a single checklist from Topps, whatsoever. There's no Bowman appearances either, seeing as he was a 31st round draft selection in 2004 and never was a blue chip name. Hell, Xavier doesn't even cameo in the packs of Panini or Leaf or In The Game or Razor or whatever other second and third tier challenger to Topps you can think of.
Should Xavier Cedeno eventually make an official appearance in Cubbie Blue, the only options I will have for enshrining him in my CATRC will be his MiLB team-issued singles, which - like many such products - are fairly scarce and often over-priced.
Heck, I could only find one minor league card for X on the Trading Card Database and there aren't any singles up for grabs on Ebay at the moment. In fact, this was the only card that even turned up in a Google Images search. Obviously, this is not an ideal cardboard situation.
Despite the fact that Cedeno is on the cusp of his ninth season in the
Majors, he has exactly zero MLB trading cards. Nada, zlich, none. How
unfortunate is that and how does that happen? I guess that's what happens when you're
living in a monopoly and all of the focus in the industry is on the latest shiny new prospects. I guess we're lucky that almost of the starters on Big League clubs get cards today, let alone bench players and relievers. That said, you'd think that after nearly a decade, Cedeno would have snuck through at some point.
Have any of my fellow collectors run into this issue during their cardboard quests? Have you ever encountered a surprising amount of difficulty finding cards of Major League veterans? Is this even an uncommon issue? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below!
In the meantime, I suppose I'll just wait and see what happens with Xavier Cedeno before I make the commitment to hunt down one of his pasteboards. After all, patience is a virtue, right?
So, I've been away from the blog for a few days due to the fact that the end of the school year sucks up pretty much all of my time, energy, and will to live. During the graduation season, I rarely have time to sit down and eat, let alone set aside time for hobbies like baseball card collecting and blogging. Seriously, I've forgotten to eat my lunch at least twice during this time.
In an attempt to rest and relax, my wife and I took a trip down to our apartment complex's pool during it's opening day last Sunday. Unfortunately, I neglected to check my pockets (seriously - pockets on swimming trunks are a disaster waiting to happen) and my cell phone got some "relaxation" in as well. Luckily, I had a replacement already earmarked for the now water-logged iPhone, but that still took up even more time I didn't have. In short, it's been a trying time in Wrigley Roster Jenga land.
Obviously, between the end of the school year chaos and smart phone swimming, I was in desperate need of a pick-me-up. Oftentimes, checking my mailbox is just what the doctor ordered in this situation. Of course, sometimes this metal container holds nothing but junk mail, bills, red light camera tickets, and other dredge - but, other times, it contains greeting cards, surprise packages, and *best of all* baseball cards. Luckily, on Tuesday, the contents of my mailbox came from the latter scenario.
On the very afternoon of graduation - a ceremony for which this IT professional has a surprising amount of responsibilities - I was absolutely giddy to discover something that I had been anxiously waiting with bated breath for weeks stashed within:
That's no ordinary 1981 Topps single... that's my custom made, custom printed fantasy card of cameo Cub, Gene Krug. Best of all, that's a bonafide autograph scribbled on the front! Also, as an aside, my new Samsung LG K20 takes a pretty decent photograph!
I'm sure many of you fellow collectors will agree, there's nothing like a TTM return to brighten the spirits. However, there's more to this story than meets the eye. As longtime readers of Wrigley Roster Jenga might be aware, I've long had a sort of fascination with the career of Gene Krug. Having received six PA's in 1981, Mr. Krug is the latest player to debut with the Cubs that has NEVER appeared on a trading card whatsoever, despite debuting near the dawn of the junk wax era. I'm not exaggerating either - no regional oddballs, no minor league team issues, no local product premium... nothing, nada, zero, zilch! Being that my ultimate goal is to collect at least one card of every single Cub possible, it's only natural that I should latch onto this surprisingly "modern" case.
One of my earliest posts on this blog detailed my discovery of Gene Krug's interesting circumstances and publicly pondering as to how to handle them. Later on, I made an order of custom cards from the fabulous Rookies App to fill some gaps in my CATRC binder, including a mock-up of Krug using the only photo of him I could find on the internet, in his AAA Wichita Aeros uniform. Having figured that the issue was, at least, temporarily solved, my collecting curiosities were directed to other tasks and the topic of Gene Krug went dark for a loooooooong time.
Krug wasn't the only Aero to make it onto my Rookies invoice!
Then, out of the Cubbie blue, two years later, I received a totally random Google chat that immediately brought this latent issue back to the forefront of my consciousness.
Brandon stumbled across my humble blog late on night and came across a name that he recognized... a name that he knew, personally. As it turns out, Gene Krug continues to work in America's pastime, as a high school baseball coach in his adoptive home state, Colorado. One of his junior varsity charges at Pine Creek HS happens to be my new amigo, Brandon - an aspiring ballplayer himself. Out of the kindness of his heart, he reached out to me and offered to put me in touch with his high school baseball coach and play the middle man in a TTM request, if I were interested. Ummmmm.... hell yeah!
Once a Cub, Krug is now an Eagle
However, there was one problem - I only had one copy of that Rookies App custom. I didn't want to risk my only copy getting lost in the mail and I wanted to provide a copy for both Brandon and Gene as a token of my appreciation. Luckily, in the years since my initial foray into blogging, I've gained access to quality photo-editing and design software and I've kept my college-educated graphic design skills sharp. Thus, I took it upon myself to whip up a card that never was, but should have been - the 1981 Topps custom that you saw at the top of the post (and, again, below).
If you want more details about the process of creating that fantasy card, you can check out that post here. As you can see, it involved some detailed Photoshopping and colorization, among other challenges!
Back to the prize, if I may be permitted a bit of self-aggrandizing, I must admit, this card and it's powder blue-clothed ballplayer look especially sharp with a ballpoint pen John Hancock! One further detail that adds a bit of character is that Krug opted to sign with his given first name - Gary. Gary Eugene Krug went by the shortened version of his middle name during his playing days; but, apparently, these days he prefers the forename on his birth certificate.
Mr. Krug kept one copy for himself and was generous enough to sign the copy seen here for little old me. Additionally, a third printing was created for Brendan as a gift for his troubles. Seriously folks - this guy is one good egg. Not only did he offer to hook me, a stranger, up with an autograph from his coach without any strings attached, he actually sent ME a thank you note with my latest CATRC addition!
No - seriously - Brandon, thank you a thousand times over for approaching me out of nothing but the kindness in your heart and helping complete a loooooooong neglected collecting goal. It's people like you that keep me from completely losing faith in this wild and crazy world... and I'm not just saying that, either. This might be my favorite thing to ever happen to me since I started Wrigley Roster Jenga back in the spring of 2014.
Speaking of favorites, it's fortunate that I chose to shop Krug into one of the Cubs' infamous pajama jerseys, as according to Brandon's note (it may be tough to read on a computer screen, those glorious monstrosities were Gene's favorite uniforms. Simply put, absolutely everything about this entire interaction worked out in perfect fashion.
This whole process took a couple of months. This relative delay is more than understandable, seeing as this secondary education student was also going through the end of the school year schedule crunch. Granted, Brandon was experiencing this chaos from the other side of the teacher's desk, but I can still empathize with the plight. I'm sure both of us are exuberant over summer break finally releasing us from education-related stresses.
Thank you once again, Brandon, for completely delivering on your generous and selfless promise - good luck in your studies and with your career on the diamond.
...also, let me know if you come under the wing of any other former Major League Baseball players!
