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
Well, I'm back. Hope you all didn't miss me too much.
As the Cubs sputtered to finish line of the 2019 season, I checked out. Call me a bad fan or whatever, but baseball just wasn't fun anymore. I know that fans of the North Side baseball club would have basically sold their soul just to be in postseason contention less than a short decade ago (myself included), but the last few months of Cubs baseball were just... grating. Between the Addison Russell crap (launch him into the sun), the political dealings by ownership, the suspect new television conglomerate, the managerial drama, the general toxicity of the fan-base on social media, the seemingly lackadaisical play on field when it mattered most, and the second straight craptastic collapse, I simply wasn't enjoying America's pastime anymore. With that in mind, I turned to the only voice of reason I could find in this topsy-turvy world: the goddess of decluttering, Marie Kondo.
Simply put, baseball was not sparking joy in my life; so, I disposed of it. Unfortunately, part of dumping baseball was dumping baseball cards, as well. With that, the blog went on indefinite hiatus.
After a couple of months of focusing on greener pastures, like training for the Chicago Marathon, focusing my need to collect on vinyl records, and whiling away the hours with my wife - sans the burden of subconscious stress over the performance of two dozen random men participating in a child's game - I feel quite rejuvenated. Now that the World Series is halfway over, I feel comfortable jumping back in, once again. After all, the split was never meant to be permanent, I just needed a nice long break to regain perspective and to remind myself that there are infinitely more important things in life than sports.
Of course, the Bears are trying their damnedest to drive me right back to the brink.
Turns out they needed more than just a kicker, huh? The whole offense is screwy.
Thankfully, I'm not nearly as die-hard towards the Bears as I am the Cubs, so I can still enjoy the sport of football while keeping it at arm's length, without the intense emotional investment. In fact, before last weekend, I had never even attended a single Bears game. Heck, I had never even been to Soldier Field for so much as a carnival, let alone a professional football tilt. Notice also that I am speaking in past tense.
That's right, this lifelong outskirts of Chicago native had never seen the Monsters of the Midway perform outside of a TV broadcast. That is, until my Eagles fan of a mother-in-law accidentally won tickets to last Sunday's game in a raffle and (since she would rather burn them than entertain the thought of going) offered them up to my wife and I as a gift. That definitely sparked joy!
That being stated, the Philly native got the last laugh, as the Bears were absolutely pantsed by the injury ravaged Saints, despite coming off of a bye week. Even though they lost 36-25, it didn't even feel that close. During the Bears' very first offensive set, a blocked punt led to a safety, which really set the tone for the rest of the evening. By the end of the third quarter, Mitch Trubisky and crew had only four first-downs on the ledger. Four. Needless to say, it was a lopsided affair. Nevertheless, I had an absolute blast as absolutely everything was a new experience to me.
Some highlights:
We arrived at the complex super early (more on that in a bit), after a train ride and a mile and a half walk, partially along the fog-draped lakefront. Nevertheless, I still had enough energy to excitedly sprint back and forth along the original and still empty, column-lined concourse of Soldier Field. I am a runner, at heart, after all.
Seeing the gridiron, in person, for the first time as we emerged from bowl plopped on top of that historic concourse briefly took my breath away. In fact, it was much like my first time seeing the diamond at Wrigley Field way back in 2004. I was awestruck long enough to have the much more experienced folks blocked behind me contemplating knocking me over the railing so they could get to their seats.
And, of course, souvenirs. The reason why my wife and I arrived at the gates early - an hour before they opened and three before kickoff - was so that we'd each be guaranteed that day's giveaway: the above Walter Payton bobblehead. "Sweetness" is going to be making some new friends on my desk at work very soon. Additionally, I also made sure to keep my souvenir soda cup and a Miller Lite can celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NFL with a Bears logo on it because I adore my ephemera.
But, this is a card blog, is it not? And I am a card-carrying, card collector, right? With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that my souvenir scavenging was not limited to stadium giveaways and beverage containers:
That's right - I also picked up this bad boy from the first kiosk I came across.
Not only have I been shying away from my baseball cards during my self-imposed hobby exile, but my football cards have been ignored too. As such, there's definitely some new, fresh faces in this factory team set blister pack that are needed for my Bears All-Time Roster Collection. I pulled the trigger - even though it was more expensive there than in regular retailers - because I loved the idea of having Bears cards from my maiden Bears game hold such prominent places in my collection. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much emphasis I place on my roster-based binders.
While there were some repeats, including a highly unnecessary Brian Urlacher single (throwback players being included in what is serving as a flagship product is a rant for another day), I was able to nestle a few new names into my BATRC after the shellacking ended and the Metra train took me home. For example:
Roquan Smith was last year's first round draft choice and, as such, his cards came with a premium in Chicagoland card shops. Prices didn't go down either after the linebacker posted 122 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended, and one interception in his rookie campaign, arguably the best defensive debut since Brian Urlacher. Unfortunately, he's been struggling quite a bit this year; but, then again, so is pretty much the entire roster.
Anyway, it's always nice to cross a big name off of the list!
Next up, a pair of fresh-faced rookies.
David Montgomery has been an integral part of what is technically considered Matt Nagy's "offense." The running back was a third round draft choice last winter and now leads the team in rushing yardage with 231. In fact, it's not even close, with last year's breakout star, Tarik Cohen, lagging miles behind with 47. Once again, it's quite apparent that the offense is broken, but Montgomery is doing his best to carry the team on his back.
Meanwhile, Riley Ridley hasn't played so much as a single snap for the team so far, though he is on the 53-man roster. Thus, I don't have much to say about the fourth round draft choice. Maybe he deserves an opportunity to play? Heck, he even looks like he's stuck on the sidelines and annoyed in the picture chosen for this rookie card.
While not entirely new to my Bears roster collection, Khalil Mack certainly needed an update - he looks so much better in blue and orange!
Mr. Mack has been nothing but a beast since being pillaged from the Raiders prior to the start of last year. For frame of reference, in 2018, he registered 47 tackles, 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and
an interception returned for a touchdown. Significantly, the 12.5 sacks were the most
by a Bears player since Richard Dent back in 1993. So far in 2019, Mack already has 4.5 sacks and leads the league with 4 forced fumbles. Like I said, he's a nearly unstoppable beast.
Finally, though I was quite happy to properly update my card for the Bears' biggest star, my favorite card from the blister pack was actually the one that follows:
While my OCD tendencies are usually somewhat offended by cards which picture a player on a different than he is listed as being with, that quirk still does not diminish this pull for me. From now on, Cordarrelle Patterson will always hold a special place in my heart because he provided the lone Chicago highlight from my very first live gameday experience and, boy oh boy, it was a doozy:
I have always thought that
return a punt or kick-off for a touchdown was the most exciting single
play in sports and, after seeing one in person, that it nearly caused my
heart to lead straight through my rib cage. I haven't had a declared
favorite player since Devin Hester moved to Atlanta, but I think Mr.
Patterson might have stolen the crown! The Swiss army knife offensive
weapon was only brought over from New England last winter, but he'll now
always hold a special place in my heart.
With that, we've covered all of the relevant content from the factory team set which commemorates my first visit to Soldier Field.
All told, despite the result, the memories made and the souvenirs obtained definitely contributed to making the game an overall positive experience. I had a great time and hope to make it back again sometime sooner than in another 30 years. Is there anyone else out there like me that roots for a particular team but has never seen them play in person or took decades to finally do so? Was it a geographical location thing or was there some other reason that kept you from making the pilgrimage? Let me know in the comment section below!
Another benefit was that I felt inspired to return to the Chicago sporting world and to blogging, so that I might have some documentation of my first Bears game. Here's hoping that it sticks! On that note, here's hoping my newfound balance in life and sanity stick too. We shall see - there's nothing or nobody better than the Cubs at testing my limits though. Thankfully, they have far less opportunities in the off-season.
For the first time in this blog's history, the Chicago Bears are heading to the NFL playoffs!
With yesterday's thrilling 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers (of all teams), Matt Nagy's "Monsters of the Midway" officially punched their postseason tickets by clinching the NFC North Division. Notably, this is the first time Da Bears have achieved a division title or playoff spot since 2010. Granted, that's not all THAT long ago, but it sure feels like forever... especially with how embarrassingly bad the marquee franchise has been since that bright spot, under the listless leadership of Marc Trestman and John Fox.
I don't mean to put the buggy before the horse, but 1985 is getting smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror - maybe, just maybe, this team can go all the way and win their first Super Bowl of my lifetime? The defense is unforgiving, the offense is adequate, and the team seems to be firing on all cylinders as the regular season nears the finish line. I'm just saying, this lifelong Chicagoan has now seen the Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox, and the Cubs win championships in my time... c'mon Bears, you're slacking!
Anyway, there's still a lot of football left to be played before that becomes a real possibility. Let's live in the moment - to celebrate their divisional crown, how about I show off the two most recent cards to enter my Bears All-Time Roster Collection?
That was a rhetorical question, by the way. Sorry, not sorry - I'm super excited!
Trey Burton took home a coveted championship ring last season as a key member of the Philadelphia Eagles offense, even throwing a touchdown pass as part of an outstanding trick play during the contest. The tight end parlayed that performance into a big four year, $32 million contract with Chicago during the off-season; so far, knock on wood, he's earned that paycheck. All in all, Trey is having himself a career year, matching his career high in TD's (5) with two games yet to play. Additionally, he's far surpassed his career marks in receptions (40) and receiving yards (470) during his first year as a member of the Bears.
The way things are looking, maybe I'll get to upgrade this 2018 Donruss "The Champ is Here" single with a Bears equivalent in a few months. Fingers crossed!
Burton has been a popular target for Mitch Trubisky so far in 2018. Photo credit to Steve Lundy - Chicago Daily Herald
I should also note, that my wife and all of my in-laws are rabid Philadelphia Eagles fans, so our family was a largely happy one this past February... ecstatic even. While that might sound odd for mid-westerners, they have strong roots on the east coast. Meanwhile, my entire family and I have been planted in the Chicagoland area for generations and, thus, we are all faithful to "Da Bears." You might remember that a former Bears hero, Alshon Jeffery, loomed large in the birds SB win over the Patriots, catching 3 passes for 73 yards and scoring the first touchdown of the game. How appropriate would it be that, just one year later, that the Bears take the crown on the back of a strong performance from a former Eagle?
I'm just saying, that'd be some damn good symmetry. Plus, it'd make for a helluva two-year run for my family!
Anyway, while Trey Burton appears to be an integral piece of the Bears' 2018 resurgence and in the future to come, this next guy is, unfortunately, an easily forgotten part of the team's past.
The Nigerian-born Amobi Okoye was (and still is) one smart cookie - after all, he spurned Harvard (in favor of Louisville), was in college by the age of 16, and completed his psychology degree in just three and a half years. Not a one dimensional student, Amobi's smarts were matched by his brawn, eventually, leading to his being drafted by the Houston Texans tenth overall in the 2007 draft. At just 19 years old, he remains the youngest player to ever be taken in the first round.
Entering the league as the youngest man to take to the turf since 1967, Okoye instantly became a force on the Houston defensive line and had a productive four year tenure with the club. However, the magic wore off as the years passed and he eventually lost his starting spot. After taking his talents to the Windy City for the 2011 campaign, Okoye started only one contest for the Bears, though he did post five sacks in blue and orange over the next two seasons.
After 2012, Okoye's NFL career came to a premature close due to some serious medical issues, which necessitated his being placed in a medical induced coma for a while. He attempted a comeback with the Cowboys and in Canada, but never made it all the way onto an active roster.
Amobi bringing the hurt to Dallas' Tony Romo in 2012. Photo credit to Vernon Bryant - Sports Day
Okoye was not a bad player - that's not why he won't be remembered by Bears fans. It's just that he was a non-starting, defensive tackle who played on some hugely disappointing teams AND had his career cut short. With that in mind, it's not all that surprising that Okoye does not have an official Bears card listed in the Beckett price guides. As such, this 2007 Topps Draft Picks and Prospects base single will have to do.
At that, we've covered both of the most recent additions to my Bears All-Time Roster Collection, though there could be more to come. With the way the Bears are playing, how absolutely dismal the Blackhawks and Bulls have been, and how dull the Cubs' supposedly budget-stunted off-season has been, I may be shifting my main focus to this binder in the near future... we shall see.
In the meantime, I'm still basking in the glow of the Bears return to relevance. Although, Trey Burton and company still have two more games left to play in the 2018 regular season; so, hopefully everybody makes it through the schedule in one piece. Then, of course, they have the playoffs to wade through before the "big game" becomes a legitimate thought. Nevertheless, I'm going to milk this moment for all of the enjoyment that I can before reality sets in. It's all we Chicago sports fans have to hold onto this winter.
This recent uptick in work activity that has kept me from blogging has also, sadly, kept me from keeping up with my collection. I'm terribly far behind on recent releases from Topps and Panini and crew and I have yet to collect the first cards of names like David Bote (hot rookie premium prices aren't helping either), Steve Cishek, Tyler Chatwood, etc. in their Cubs uniform. However, as my first Wrigley Roster Jenga post in three weeks yesterday indicated, things are finally starting to slow down to a manageable pace and now managing my baseball card collection doesn't feel like another extra chore.
I love my cards, but when work gets crazy, I don't want to do anything but nap, snack, and binge watch Friends on Netflix during my fleeting free time. Super sedentary.
However, my energy has been on the up and up this week and with Heritage High Numbers having been out for more than a week now, I finally decided to stop by my LCS on the way home from work rather than beeline straight to my sofa. HHN includes all of those Cubs debuts that I mentioned and I still enjoy the minimalist design of 1969 Topps - thus, it was the perfect Burbs bait.
Lo and behold, apparently my LCS has been falling behind as well, as there was no trace of the latest Topps product on the proprietor's shelves. In fact, it wasn't even listed on his chalkboard of recent releases. *womp, womp*
Rather than immediately retreat back to my hidey-hole at home and dive head first into a bag of popcorn, I decided to mill about the shop and see what else I might be able to dig up. After all, I was already there, I might as well. I'm glad I did too because, while the shop's baseball stock was a little behind, there was a completely up to date selection of cards for another sport. While my Cubs binder has been ignored lately, this box of cards proved to be exceptionally fruitful for a far more neglected collection of mine:
Da Bears!
The Monsters of the Midway were well-represented in the shop's football section, with a healthy selection of 2018 releases to choose from. Seeing as how I had to brush the dust off of my Bears All-Time Roster Collection binder when I put these new finds into their proper slots, it'd been a minute since I last cracked open that tome. I mean, with as embarrassingly bad as they've been over the past few years, I can't say that I've been motivated to keep up with the tire fire.
However, things are looking up this year, thanks in no small part to young, high-ceiling quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. Although, the Bears have mauled the careers of many a young signal-caller, so maybe, subconsciously, that's why I've waited until now to finally pick up a card for the second-year player.
Allen Robinson offers a veteran target for the aforementioned Trubisky, a position which has mostly been a revolving door since the departure of Alshon Jeffrey. On Monday, the former Jaguar went out and caught 10 passes on 14 targets for 83 yards - that'll get the job done! His very first Bears card comes as part of the 2018 Donruss release and his bug-eyed facial expression makes this card a gem!
Meanwhile, the Bears managed to pull their biggest blockbuster trade since they traded for Jay Cutler when they managed to pry defensive beast, Khalil Mack, away from the Raiders. This trade had fans dancing in the streets and, so far, the Mack Attack has been a godsend for the team. Unfortunately, this transaction didn't go down until late in training camp, so Panini wasn't able to get him in the blue and orange for their newest stuff. So, this 2017 Donruss single, from his days in Oakland, will have to do for now.
Josh Bellamy has been with the Bears since 2014, yet it took me until now to finally track down one of his cards... and he'd been one of the few bright spots during the John Fox-era. I told you that I've been slacking on this project! Those he's been bumped down a few sports on the depth chart, here's hoping he continues to contribute during the Nagy-reign.
Javon Wims is a rookie, so I'm excused here. The seventh-round draft selection hasn't seen any game action yet, but he did make the 53-man roster out of camp. I hedged my bets and picked up a card for my BATRC... hopefully he doesn't get cut before making it onto the field!
Lastly, I picked up this pair of young stars, as well, thinking it was strange that I'd ignored them. Well, as it turns out, not only am I behind on acquiring cards, I'm lacking in tracking my cards too. While my Google Sheets document made no indication that I'd already hunted down Jackson and Cohen, my nine-pocket pages indicated otherwise. Oh well. As they say on the gridiron, I guess I now have "double coverage" on this Bears duo.
And so, even though the shop didn't have what I came for, the journey turned out to be well-worth skipping out on Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe in the end. That said, with only a 21.71% completion rate on my Bears All-Time Roster Collection, I still have a LOT of ground to make up. Good thing work has finally slowed down enough to let me enjoy cards again!
With that, I think (knock on wood) I might finally be out of my blogging and baseball card funk. Now if I could just find some of those Heritage High Numbers packs or blasters to keep this momentum rolling. Otherwise, even though work appears to have finally normalized, I might just end up disappearing back into the bottomless abyss that is Netflix.... a marathon of The Office is always tempting...
It's that time of year again - the "big game" is just around the corner and Minneapolis is now the focal point of the entire sports universe. As is per annual tradition, the Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will make their eighth appearance in the championship game, taking on the underdog Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday. In the meantime, we sports fans all have to sit through insufferable amounts of articles, news segments, and fluff pieces about the game, as we have been since the conclusion of the AFC and NFC title bouts.
Also an annual tradition is the fact that I have absolutely no rooting interest in the match-up. My Chicago Bears have been once in my lifetime (and that was a clunker) and it doesn't appear as though they'll be in the mix any time soon. Also, while everyone loves to hate the Pats and their evil empire, I can't say that I lose sleep over Bill Belichik filling up his jewelry box. However, I still like parties, copious amounts of junk food, halftime concerts, and commercials more akin to short, art films; thus, I will still be watching the tilt. And, since I normally feel like I should find something to latch on with one of the competing clubs, for the past few years, I've used this annual exercise to figure out who to cheer for.
Since starting Wrigley Roster Jenga, I've reviewed the rosters for both, dueling franchises and thrown my support behind the team with the most ex-Bears on the sidelines:
The ways things stand, technically, the Patriots only have one former Monster of the Midway on their payroll and, barring total disaster, on the sidelines he will stay. Brian Hoyer was signed, mid-season, to backup the juggernaut known as Tom Brady, after their much-ballyhooed trade of Jimmy Garrapolo to the 49'ers. Funny enough, it was San Fran that released Hoyer to the open market to make room for the former Brady understudy.
Of course, before all of that drama, Hoyer was one of countless QB's that were chewed up and spit out by the Bears. Brian appeared in six games (starting five) for the forgettable 2016 iteration of the team.
However, the Patriots do have two other former Bears among their ranks; that said, they will definitely not be appearing in the "big game," seeing as they are both parked with injuries.
Tight end, Marty Bennett, was brought in from the Packers, midseason, but only appeared in two games before a shoulder injury ended his season. Meanwhile, linebacker, Shea McClellin, has missed the entire 2017 campaign due to concussion problems. Both had tumultuous stints in the Windy City, Bennett from 2013-15 and McClellin from 2012-15; however, since both are inactive, they don't count towards this exercise.
That covers the New England roster; now, let's examine the lineup for Philadelphia:
There was one obvious connection - Alshon Jeffery. The wide-receiver spent several years in the Second City as one of the only stars in the lackluster Marc Trestman/John Fox era and ranks among the best ball-catchers in club history (his 4,549 receiving yards ranks third, all-time). However, the relationship eventually soured and after much hemming and hawing, Jeffery took his talents to the City of Brotherly Love this past off-season.
Betcha he doesn't regret that decision.
The Eagles also feature a second former Bear on their active roster; but, my Bears All-Time Roster Collection does not feature his man. As you can see above, I had to pilfer a scan of Corey Graham's only Bears card on COMC.
The NFL journeyman began his career with the Bears in 2007 and made the Pro Bowl with the team in 2011. More recently, the free safety stole the spotlight with his interception of Vikings quarterback, Case Keenum, in NFC championship game, last week. I'll have to make a note to track down some sort of cardboard representation for the guy in the near future.
And so, excluding the inactives, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots in the third annual obligatory Super Bowl post and, ordinarily, would thus earn my support for the big game on Sunday. That being acknowledged, this year is a little bit different than the rest.
The Eagles won the exercise; however, they would still have my support over the Pats, regardless. No, it's not because I hate Tom Brady (though his politics don't curry any favors with me), like most outside of the New England region. The reason I will be rooting for the Eagles this weekend is because of my wife and in-laws.
You see, my wife and her family originally hail from Wilmington, Delaware - a scant 32.5 miles away from our nation's first capitol. As such, everyone in her clan is a rabid Eagles fan, including my wife herself. Given that this is the first time that the team has made the Super Bowl since we've met, I'd have a damn hard time rooting against my own family (the holidays sure would be awkward) and the happiness of my better half (divorce is expensive). So, with that in mind, the underdogs will have my full support come Super Bowl Sunday.
I guess this whole post was sort of pointless then... oh well.
In conclusion, I ask you loyal readers, who will you be rooting for in the 52nd edition of the Super Bowl? Will you be cheering for continued greatness from the ageless wonder from Boston? Will you be joining me and and my family in pulling for the scrappy underdog from Pennsylvania? Will you be secretly hoping for a giant meteor to take out U.S. Bank Stadium? Also, in the likely event that your team didn't make the final two, do you have some sort of special method to figure out who you will root for, like my ex-Bear factor exercise? Or do you just sit back with a beer and a brat and take everything as it comes? Inquiring minds want to know.
No matter what, the bottom line is that we're now just three more weeks away from baseball and spring training camps. Personally, I think that's the best part about Super Bowl weekend!
After a few weeks of uninspired inactivity, I'm back here on the blogosphere and ready to ramble. With the mostly frigid temperatures, freezing rain, and black ice here in Chicago, perhaps SAD (seasonal affective disorder) has been the reason why I haven't felt motivated to do much of anything. Additionally, with the broken hot stove and nearly completely frozen free-agent market, I might also be suffering from a case of TAD (transactional affective disorder). Either way, surrounded by constant, toothless rumors and rumblings about Yu Darvish and god awful weather conditions, I really haven't wanted to do much of anything, especially writing about sports.
Until yesterday, that is. While the Brewers threw a few logs on into the fire (Yelich and Cain) and the temperatures in Chicago started to rise into the fifties, I - in turn - found a muse. All it took was a long, leisurely walk.
After losing my car keys on Thursday morning, I was forced to cop a ride to work. While the little buggers were eventually found, I still did not have access to my automobile when it came time to leave. When I noticed the mercury rising to darn near spring-like temperatures, my frustration dissipated and a nice, long stroll home actually began to sound quite nice. So, I set off on my two-mile trek, enjoying the weather and clearing my mind - free of distractions.
Then, about half a mile in to my trek, something shiny caught my eye:
Could that possibly be? Is that a lonely, discarded trading card, sitting abandoned by the curb? How sad!
Why, yes it is! That's a 2017 Donruss Optic football card, featuring Washington tight-end, Jordan Reed.
My mind began to wander, how did poor Mr. Reed end up in the proverbial
gutter? It's not like this is junk wax cardboard from thirty years ago
either - Optic is a higher end, collectible product that seems fairly
popular among football collectors. Yet, here it is, left forgotten on the dead leaves and dirty ground along Cicero Avenue. Even more surprising, despite being left to the elements, outside of some caked dirt, the card was in pretty good condition.
Of course, I put the disregarded pasteboard into my coat pocket and continued on my merry way with a smile on my face. I didn't make it far though. Not even ten feet down the sidewalk, another bit of glimmering refuse commanded my attention:
Could it be? ANOTHER poor card, cast aside?
Yes indeed - this one spotlighting the recently-retired Carson Palmer, longtime quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals. Again, minus some mud, the card was also in fairly decent condition. Wild.
Then - because I'm super good at pattern recognition - I paused and took in my surroundings. It was then that I noticed that there were several more of these orphaned, chrome goodies, strewn up and down the side of the rush hour congested thoroughfare:
There were some big names in this haphazardly discarded field of football cards!
Unfortunately, as you might be able to tell, as I went further and further down the roadway, the cards' conditions increasingly worsened...
By the time I got to the last couple, the cards appeared to have been
sheered in half, with only the photographic front resting in the grassy
area:
Was this caused by natural degradation in a wet and unprotected environment? After all, on the southside, we've had snow, fifty degree temps, rain, more freezing temperatures, and a subsequent warm-up in just the last week. Lord knows that's going to reek havoc on paper products left exposed to the schizo elements of a Chicago winter!
With nine cards total discovered during my impromptu scavenger hunt, I ended up with two full packs (plus an extra single) of 2017 Donruss Optic football. Well, that and a bunch of question:
Did someone open some packs or a blaster of this product and immediately cast aside their non-hits as unwanted litter? Base cards are an unwanted hinderence to the "sick hitz" crowd.
Was some poor kid robbed of his newly-purchases cards due to a strong gust of Windy City breeze and an opened car window?
Was some collector so uncontrollably excited by the announced return of the XFL (😒) that they immediately disposed of their NFL memorabilia on the side of the road?
Did anyone notice the weird gangly guy walking up and down Cicero Ave., stopping and stooping to pick up random bits of garbage and then taking pictures of the junk? What a weirdo!
Overall, what do you think was the impetus behind this hasty disposal?
In the end, I had quite a bit of fun, running around and discovering free trading cards scattered all over the block - I felt like a kid in the middle of a surprise Easter egg hunt. Even if most of the "eggs" were nearly completely thrashed and none of the discoveries were Bears players, it was still highly entertaining to this crazy card collector. I must admit, afterwards, I was no longer frustrated about having lost my keys and being forced to walk home (the rest of the way decidedly card-less, though).
As an aside, this is actually the second time that I've come across cast-off cards in the wild, since I began this humble blog. The first time occurred more than a year and a half ago and the circumstances surrounding that discovery were much scarier!
To conclude, I have to ask you loyal readers, what would you have done in this situation? Would you have stopped and gathered up the dis-carded cards in full view of a busy, major thoroughfare/ Would you have kept right on walking, either due to insecurity or the fact that the cards were, erm, less than pristine? Perhaps you would have picked them up just to assist mother earth out and clean up some litter? An inquiring mind wishes to know.
Also, an inquiring mind wants to know what Yu Darvish's plans are...
