Card Shop or PokeStop?

So - has anyone heard of Pokemon Go?

There's a heavy dose of sarcasm in that question; the new game revolving around the beloved, Japanese pocket monsters was launched a few days ago and it has taken the world by storm.  Using augmented reality to let players physically travel around and catch these little creatures in the wild, this application has become a cultural phenomenon and it seems as though everyone is playing it.  Hell, my mother made me run her through the rules so that she could go out and try to "catch 'em all."

The real benefit in this game is that it's players are forced to get up and walk about in order to play, forcing some much needed exercise and socialization on a society which has grown increasingly lazy.  For instance, in order to keep a full stock of supplies (like the Pokeballs used to capture the monsters), one has to actually visit checkpoints distributed at local landmarks.

Well, while on a boredom-infused drive, I was quite surprised to find out that my LCS is now doubling as one of these PokeStops:

In order to gather these supplies, all the player has to do is swipe across the circular image in the middle and objects will appear on the screen for your taking.

I wonder....

Aww sweet!  Just what I needed - some UltraPro nine-pocket pages and a pack of Topps Series 2 to save for a rainy day (still no Stadium Club in these parts).

Of course, things got even stranger from here:

Almost as soon as I shut the glass door behind me, this wild Corey Black card appeared in front of me.  Thinking quickly, I immediately whipped out one of my carefully rationed Pokeballs and took aim at the elusive card.

Just minutes later, while I was perusing the glass display cases, chock-filled with autographs, jersey swatches, rare oddballs and parallels, this bizarre creature popped up on my radar:

It appeared to be some sort of parallel of former Indians lefty Giovanni Soto's 2016 Topps card.  Again, I heeded this call to action and entered into battle... while being very careful not to scratch or crack the shopkeepers immaculate glass cases.

I'm happy to report that I was successful on both counts.  

We 90's kids really now the ins and outs of catching Pokemon... errr... baseball cards...Pokebaseball cards?

Anyway, as I finished perusing the store, it was clear to me that no more excitement was to be hard - I caught everything that captured my attention.  So, let's take a look at my Pokedex and get a better understanding of the feisty creatures that I walked away with:

First up Corey Black:

This is the Cubs farmhand's first appearance in a Bowman product.  Black is a relief prospect who was acquired from the Yankee's system as part of the Alfonso Soriano deal from a few years back.  He's climbed up the ladder slowly since and after a mid-season promotion, is having himself a pretty decent year with Iowa.

With the Cubs bullpen being almost total chaos over the past few weeks, it seems like Black may very well get his first Big League opportunity in the near future.  Thus, it felt like a good idea to grab his first actual Cubs card now, so that I can be prepared to add it to my CATRC.  I have a few of his MiLB cards; but, Cubbie blue is my preferred choice.

Moving on:

Giovanni Soto, not to be confused with the former Cubs catcher, has this rookie card in this year's Series 2 release.  However, as you can plainly see, this is not the standard base version of that particular card.  What we have here is his black and white negative parallel, which (as you can tell by the name) is meant to simulate the look of a film negative.

This is the first parallel of it's kind to make it's way into my grasp and, while entirely superfluous, it's pretty nifty looking in hand.

Now, in case you're wondering why this die-hard and laser-focused Cubs collector caught a seemingly random Indians hurler, I have a good reason.  You see, Soto was claimed off waivers by Chicago earlier this year and stashed in AAA Iowa.  Like Black, the lefty specialist has a chance to make his way to the Windy City before the year is out; the bullpen is really an open audition right now.  Besides, even if he doesn't get the call, I still have a neat card to add to my "Coulda Been a Cub" binder.

With that, I had to put my quest on pause and travel around the corner in order to pick up some cat litter.  This is a chore not nearly as fun as capturing baseball cards at a Pokestop; but, those little monsters aren't contained to my smart phone screen... they'll pee on my clothes if I don't change the litter quickly enough.

Anyway, I knew as soon as I noticed that the LCS was a Pokestop that I had to make a fusion post - inspiration is a fickle muse and I'm not going to question when it comes around willingly.  Besides, I think we card collectors can relate to this video game.  Granted, cards aren't attacking us, nor do they require special containment units to be caught; but, the tag line is "gotta catch 'em all!"  Despite all the parallels, super short-prints, 1/1's and such, we still try our best to do just that for our favorite team/player/set/etc.

Gotta catch 'em all, indeed.

Sacrificing a Card to the Spirits

*If all goes as planned, you should be reading this scheduled post while I'm taking in the spectacle of speed that is the Indy 500 time trials.  In the meantime, I thought you might find the ghostly story of my Saturday afternoon sorta interesting... it even has a cardboard tie-in!*

So, my fiancee and I rarely have weekends off together - such is the nature of one of us working a retail schedule and the other being a salaried employee.  Therefore, whenever we are blessed with this "nothing on the schedule" overlap, we feel obligated to do something fun and make the most of it.

While munching on our lunch, the lovely lady randomly exclaimed, "let's go to Bachelor's Grove!"  This was something quite unexpected and, frankly, it made my blood run cold for a second. 

You see, my hometown doesn't have much notable about it, it's pretty well blended into the blur of suburbia.  The only thing that might perk up a stranger's ear about the village is the fact that we play host to one of the most haunted cemeteries in North America:  Bachelor's Grove.

As you can see from the picture above, my initial fear did not prevent us from making our way to the quiet, secluded spot.  The little cemetery was first used in the 1840's, when the first settlers started moving through the area, gained heavy use during the building of the I&M Canal and saw active burials through the middle half of the previous century.  

In the year since, it's become a bustling hive of paranormal activity (and teenage mischief).  Some of it's most famous phenomena have included the disappearing caretaker's house, the moving headstone, the nearby lagoon being used by Al Capone as a body-dumping site, and the ghostly Model-T.  If you want more on the haunted history of the site, I highly recommend checking this link out.

Perhaps you've seen this famous ghostly image before?

The Model-T legend stems from the fact that the path that leads from the main road, into the woods and past the cemetery gate used to be the Midlothian Turnpike, but was bypassed at about the same time the cemetery ceased being active.

Seeing as we were walking down the former turnpike in the middle of the afternoon, I wasn't too scared to be paying a visit - I mean, it's a well-know fact that ghosts don't come out during the day time, right?  Although, once I remembered that last time I'd been there that my camera began behaving erratically, I did feel myself paying an awful lot of attention to my surroundings.

As a direct result of this, I noticed a rectangular, shiny object cast aside on the cracked blacktop being reclaimed by mother nature.  In the middle of a thatch of weeds, I found this little guy staring back at me:

Okay - this wasn't such a ghostly encounter.  I mean, it's not even a ghost-type Pokemon like Haunter or Ghastly.  In fact, this a Pokemon that I don't recognize at all - it clearly dates from after I stopped paying attention (which was shortly after the release of Gold and Silver for Gameboy Color).

Anyway, like I said, while it is a famous haunted location, it's notoriety makes it a breeding ground for teenage mischief.  Looks like one of those little hooligans left this game card behind... as they were running away from a ghastly ghoul or something, I'm sure.

Being the scavenger I am, I picked it up and carried it with me as a souvenir through the cemetery gates:

The fellow in the red shirt isn't a ghost... I don't think...

Much like the roadway, nature has reclaimed a lot of the grounds and what mother earth hasn't taken back, vandals have destroyed.  Beyond the legends and all that stuff, it's truly a shame that human beings' final resting places are being treated with such disrespect.

However, not all of the grove has been eroded away in this manner.  In fact, one headstone, in particular, has actually been treated with great reverence:

The unidentified infant daughter buried in this family plot has been largely left alone by the trouble-makers who frequent these parts.  As you can see from the picture above, the child has even been left a great many gifts from curious adventurers in search of thrills and chills.

Accordingly to local lore, anybody who leaves a gift for the infant daughter will be bestowed with good luck in the near future.  Therefore, baseballs, children's sunglasses, pens, beaded necklaces, etc. decorate this child's final resting place.  There was even a lucky penny key-chain that made it here all the way from Las Vegas, clearly placed there by someone trying to double-down on their good fortune.

I too felt compelled to leave something behind in honor of this forgotten child, not to mention the fact that I could always use some good luck.  After all, my future mother in law has described me as a real-life Charlie Brown.  Thinking I had nothing to offer besides pocket lint, I suddenly remembered my trading card discovery from minutes prior:

Kids dig Pokemon right?  Of course, this child passed long before they were in the target demographic and decades before the pocket monsters were dreamed up, but whatever.  It was all I had to offer up and I didn't want to be a jerk to a ghost; that's bad juju mcgumbo.

After wandering around the cemetery and the surrounding woods for another 45 minutes or so, I pleased (and slightly disappointed) to experience nothing out of the ordinary.  That is, except for the scraggy old man who had been leading a group through the grounds who, when finished approached me asking if I was looking for ghosts and then disappeared back through the now-empty location alone.  That was a tad weird.  Also, if you notice a mysterious figure or ghostly orbs in any of the above pictures, please point it out immediately.

Anyway, that's the story of how I sacrificed a Pokemon card to the spirit of an infant child in a haunted cemetery located in the backwoods of Midlothian.  How was your Saturday?

Gotta Catch 'em All - PokeCubs!

While killing time during a rare dead period at work the other day, I somehow stumbled upon my new favorite waste of time:  My Poke Card.

Now, as a child of the 90's and a bonafide card collector, it was inevitable that I'd build up a large stash of Pokemon cards during my pre-pubescent years.  Alongside my stash of Cubs, I had an impressive stack of Ancient Mews, holographic Hitmonchans, Pikachus, etc. in my possession, as well.  Meanwhile, this Poke-fanatic also played all the Gameboy games through Gold and Silver and saw every episode of the original cartoon at least three times.

Unfortunately, I lost that card collection to a scheming former friend who took them from me and sold them off to a local card dealer.  Bad memories.

Anyway, with an hour to while away, I couldn't help myself from merging two of my favorite pastimes.  So, without any further ado, I present you PokeCubs:

David Ross, pressed into more regular duty after the injury to Miguel Montero, had just launched one onto Waveland as I discovered the card generator.  Thus, he became the very first PokeCub - and a fire type at that, thanks to his fast start in 2016.  

Also, he's no John Baker, but when he takes the mound, things get interesting.

Another player on "fire" thus far has been Matt Szczur, an extra outfielder that just barely made the team out of camp.  He's certainly proved his worth, batting .308 in 29 PAs, culminating with spectacular grand salami in the bottom of the eighth yesterday against the Braves.  In one swing, the tight 2-1 contest instantly became a laugher.

Furthermore, his second attack is a reference to the fact that while still at Villanova, the two sport-star made a life saving bone marrow donation to a young girl from the Ukraine.  This was a selfless act that cost him a partial season in the process.

I figured Jake would be a grass type thanks to his moniker of "Jake the Snake" - seems like a natural fit to me.

That stare though.

Manager Joe Maddon on pinch-hitting extraordinaire Tommy La Stella:  "He can get up at three a.m.., get out of bed, and hit."  So far in 2016, he's lived up to that moniker.

Also, you can see why he'd be a "Darkness" type Pokemon.

If he doesn't kill you with the long ball, he'll use those baby blues to trick you into a false sense of security.

Ryno is one of the greatest second basemen to play the game, be it on the field or at the plate, and an all-time fan favorite (this fan included).  That said, I couldn't help but poke fun at the way he's now abandoned his club twice during his time in pro ball (his first retirement in 1994 and his abrupt resignation from managing the Phillies last season).

Theo Epstein has saved this franchise from the doldrums.  His strict adherence to the plan he and his cohorts drafted and his shrewd moves (of which, the sign and trade was quite effective) has "resurrected" the team, leading the franchise from past-their-prime bottom feeders to the best team in baseball.  

Praise the Theocracy!

...and I think the novelty has worn off - I'll call it a day here.   I hope you found these to be at least a little bit amusing.  In the meantime, I'm going to sit here and sulk in my newly re-discovered rage about Mike's stealing of my Pokemon cards... jerk.

I'll close this out with my favorite rap song of all-time (though the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song gives it a good run):