Today, another top prospect is graduating to the major leagues - Gleyber Torres is set to make his debut today and take over the second base position. Accordingly, Yankee fans everywhere are rejoicing. However, out in some alternative universe, it is Cubs fans that are celebrating this long anticipated roster move. After all, the twenty-one year old middle infielder initially signed with the Cubs as an international free agent in 2013, for a $1.7 million signing bonus out of Venezuela and spent the next two and half years as the club's top prospect.
Then, in the lead up to their historic World Series run in 2016, it became apparent that the curse-busting club was one closer short of a complete roster. A deal with the Evil Empire and the devil himself was consummated, swapping the long-term piece for a short-term, in Aroldis Chapman. You know the rest of the story - the Cubs rode Chapman's arm hard throughout the playoffs and (despite his hiccup with Rajai Davis in Game 7) if not for his presence, we might be talking about a 111-year drought for the Lovable Losers.
Setting all of those extenuating factors aside, would I rather have Torres than Chapman? Absolutely, 100x yes! Setting aside the fact that Torres has never repeatedly fired a gun into his garage and scarred his loved one for life, Gleyber will be an all-around talent for years to come, while Aroldis was a Cub for a scant three months. However, life does not occur in a vacuum (for that, my cats are quite thankful). I have to keep reminding myself that the 2016 World Series Championship was absolutely worth it and I wouldn't dare to meddle with anything that might affect it's happening.
Coincidentally, another Yankee prospect with Cubs ties recently made his Major League debut, as well. In fact, he was another prospect that was sacrificed at the altar of Brian Cashman in the name of winning October baseball games - Billy McKinney also swapped unis in the Torres/Chapman trade that summer. At least Billy got to play at Wrigley Field as part of the Under Armor All-American Game before he was sent off to the Big Apple.
Shortly after the season began, the outfielder was called up to replace the injured Aaron Hicks, then promptly hurt himself while crashing into a wall just two games into his MLB career. Currently, he resides on the disabled list.
Anyway, the reason that I bring all of this up is that I'm just a tad bit jealous that these former Cubs prospects are making the ultimate ascent for a different club. I truly wish I could be adding these cards to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, as we Cubs fans dreamed on their future for years. Instead, they'll be sliding into my Coulda Been a Cub binder, which is made up of players whose rights were owned by Chicago, by never played in an MLB game for the team.
Also, also joining this Yankee pair is Christian Villanueva, whose turning the city of San Diego upside down in the early going of 2018.
Acquired as the second half of the Kyle Hendricks/Ryan Dempster trade, Villanueva eventually came to be blocked by a guy named Kris Bryant. A broken leg suffered in the spring of 2016 further hindered his chances and Christian was allowed to walk as a free agent at the end of the year. Signed by the Padres, he found a much clearer path to the Bigs and has not looked back since debuting at the tail end of last year. In just 30 games, the 27-year old has posted an eye-popping .344/.410/.733 slash line with 10 home runs for the Friars. Wowzer!
Again, I'm a little bummed that Christian is doing this for the Cubs and doesn't qualify for my CATRC; however, this is a first world problem if I've ever seen one. Good for Christian for seizing his long awaited opportunity.
The moral of this story, which is illustrated by these three recent ascensions, is that I just wish that every Cubs prospect could make the majors in a Cubs uniform and then be considered a Cub forever. I am self-aware enough to realize that this is a completely irrational and impossible wish, but nevertheless, that latent desire is there. I am far too attached to prospects for my own good.
With that being acknowledged, I wish nothing but the best for Torres, McKinney, Villanueva, etc. I truly do hope that they play for twenty years and make a case for Cooperstown. And, hey, if they want to return to Chicago at some point during their long careers, that would be okay with me too...
This scene, from the cinematic classic known as Airplane!, is one of my favorites in cinematic history - it's "Who's on First?" style wordplay is both clever and always worthy of a chuckle. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this entire movie is the absolute pinnacle of the parody movie genre, producing more quotable quips in one installment ("I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue," "Stewardess- I speak jive," "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley" etc.) than most movie trilogies. It's a film that, though it's now approaching 40 years old, remains as fresh and funny as it did in 1980 and, when it's on, I will never, ever pass it up.
Similarly, I will never, ever miss out on a trip to local, monthly card show when I'm otherwise free.
I've been going to this relatively small show, in neighboring Orland Park, IL, for a couple of years now and I always manage to walk away with something fun. With that in mind and the price of admission costing only a crinkly Washington, I can think of a lot worse ways to spend a Sunday morning. Clearly, I wasn't the only person who felt this way either, as the rented out space in the OP Civic Center was as packed as I've ever seen it. I should have snapped a picture, but I was far too busy jostling for space in the crowded hall to even think about it.
Nevertheless, I was able to make my around to (most of) the tables and, though it was certainly not a high volume day for me, I made a couple of supremely welcome finds:
First up, from a vendor who clearly considers himself a prospector, I was able to grab a pair of recent Bowmans featuring some Cubs pre-rookies - these are to be filed away for future consideration, in case they should eventually crack the Bigs. Dylan Cease is the franchise's top pitching prospect and is definitely on an MLB trajectory; but, he's still in A-ball and you know how volatile young pitching can be. Meanwhile, Stephen Bruno is nowhere near as highly regarded as Cease; however, the middle infielder is currently rostered with AAA-Iowa, meaning he's only a call away from the Majors.
I may have only been a Boy Scout for a few months, but I've always hung on to their motto: "be prepared." Just like every airplane is equipped with automatic pilot, just in case:
I'm pretty sure that's just exactly how it works too.
From that same table, I was also able to grab a "Cubgrade" for my trouble. Though he was still just a prospect when this 2015 Bowman Chrome single was printed, Victor Caratini is now a certified Major Leaguer, having stepped into the backup catcher's role that was vacated by "Mouthy Miguel" Montero.
I had been prepared for the May and June Cubs Minor League Player of the Month's arrival in on the Big League scene; although, it was with an unlicensed Panini Elite Extra Edition card from 2013, back before he'd been traded from the Braves' system to the Cubs'. Now, he can be properly represented with the correct team in my massive CATRC binder, with his first (and, to date, only) card in a Cubs uniform.
The right uniform makes all the difference!
Those finds were nice and all, but nothing earth shattering and nothing that a trip to one of my LCS locations couldn't procure. For while, I thought that was all I would be walking away with too, as every table seemed to be completely devoid of what I was after - affordable vintage and oddballs. New additions to my CATRC almost exclusively come through those two avenues, at this point in my progress. Thankfully, it was one of the first tables set up in the hall, yet one of last tables that I checked in at (darned crowds), that saved the day with their clearance sale.
There was a big, ol' 3200-ct box filled with vintage markdowns - I don't mean just 70's stuff either, this box contained stuff that dated back to the immediate post-war years.
We have clearance, Clarence!
What we have here is a 1949 Bowman beauty featuring Cubs outfielder, Clarence Maddern. Outside of a little wear in the bottom right and slightly rounded corners, this card is in pretty darn good shape for approaching 70 years of age. This has been a card sitting on my want-list for a loooooong time, as it's the only mainstream baseball card featuring the spare-part, short-term fly-chaser from the late 1940's; thus, it was a hard need for my CATRC binder.
Clarence Maddern quit the University of Arizona (and abandoned his scholarship) to join the nearby, Cubs affiliated Bisbee Bees of the Arizona-Texas League (Class C) in 1940. As he quickly advanced up the minor league chain, getting so far as the old PCL by the age of 20, Clarence put his baseball career on hold to answer the call of Uncle Sam. From 1943-45, Maddern served in France with the US Army and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.
Once the war was over, the still-young athlete returned the PCL with the Los Angeles Angels and promptly lead the league in batting through September, earning his first call-up. For the next several seasons, Clarence would bounce up and down between the MLB and PCL, never firmly establishing himself at the game's highest level, but solidifying himself as a PCL favorite. In 1951, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he saw 11 further games of MLB service before finishing out his pro career, which extended to 1957, in the PCL.
In case you're curious, the year in which this card was printed was Clarence's last in a Cubs uniform and he made it into just 10 games, batting .333 with one walk and a homer in 11 PA's.
Why this awesome card was marked down to a price below a blaster was beyond me. I had so many questions:
Finding a card that I need for such a long time at an abbreviated price was enough to make me content with the day's haul. That said, I wasn't about to walk away from this unique opportunity to add super vintage cardboard to my collection at a fraction of the normal price until I searched through the whole box. I'm glad I was so stubborn too because soon after digging up the Maddern, I came across a mark down that I thought had to be an error.
It also just so happened to be another 1949 Bowman too:
Of course, this card is in nowhere near as nice a condition as it's set-mate - that's a hefty water stain and the surface has seen some better days. Nevertheless, cards of this caliber rarely approach my price range, even in this state. That's why, despite it's imperfections, I was so stupefied to read that it would cost me one, measly buck...
One dollar for a 68 year old, super vintage card, from an iconic set which features the hometown team? This is a trick, right? Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger cards from 2017 are selling in the double digits and THIS Emil Verban card can be mine for the same price as a pack of Opening Day?
For once it was a deal that was not too good to be true. The best part was that it was also a card that I needed for my CATRC, as well. Verban (who possesses one of the best baseball nicknames ever ("The Antelope"), was already represented in said binder, but it was with a Cardinals card:
At least I think it' a Cards card - this Exhibit card dates from sometime in the mid-to-late 40's and definitely shows "The Antelope" in a uniform other than the Cubbies. Again, it's "Cubgrade" time!
Verban was mostly a utility infielder and his career was quickly forgotten after he retired after the 1950. However, he remains a significant name in Cubs lore. In 1975, a group of Washington big-wigs, whose hearts belonged to Chicago, were plotting something. They started a "secret" society of Cubs fans in our nation's capital as an outlet for their shared misery. It was decided that the name for their society must symbolize the typical Cubs player; an obscure name who's passion exceeded his talents, but came to the ballpark ready to give 110% day in and day out. Thus. the Emil Verban Society was born and continues to exist today.
Random as that connection might seem, this surely this isn't the first time a pro athlete has turned up somewhere unexpected:
That dollar Verban made for the perfect exclamation point on already satisfactory day. Two prospect cards for future considerations, two "Cubgrades," two super vintage finds on super clearance that fit needs in my CATRC... can't ask for much more from a singular card show! It was definitely worth braving the crowd.
Plus, I got to bang out a post using a bunch of clips from what might be my favorite comedic film of all-time as the framework... all this because of a clearance Clarence!
Okay - I gotta wrap this up and get out of here, I simply have to go watch Airplane!, right now, as I file away my card show findings.
With last night's thrilling and completely unexpected go-ahead grandslam by Miggy Montero, I'm sure the title of this post is a phrase that was uttered in exuberance in bars all across Wrigleyville. I mean, after having blown their game-long lead on a series of poor relief appearances and very nearly squandering a lead-off double by Ben Zobrist in the very next inning, euphoria was felt all across the Chicagoland area.
That is - if people even still use that bit of advertising copy from the 80's anymore. I suppose that reference is kind of dated, huh?
At any rate, the title is not an homage to the celebratory mood felt by Cubs fans after that win; rather, it relates to my nerves and restlessness-fueled trip to the LCS leading up to said contest. Being that it was a Saturday and I work for a school, I wasn't on the clock. Furthermore, since my fiancee wasn't so lucky and we had already completed our laundry list of errands, I had nothing to do but sit around and anticipate game one of the NLCS. Instead of sitting around and wallowing in my Cubs fan nerves, I decided to pay visit to the card shop. Seems like a proper way to kill time on gameday, right?
After distractedly digging through the shop's quarter boxes for roughly an hour, it truly was "Miller time."
Ah-ha! Lame puns - the creative base around which this entire blog is built around!
Wade Miller was a scrap-heap flier picked up by the Cubs back in 2006. The former Astros' rotation standout was coming off of an arm injury and the Cubs saw a "low risk/high reward" opportunity. Notably he made the rotation over Mark Prior going into 2007; however, he was immediately smacked around, posting an ERA over ten in 3 starts - the last appearances of his MLB career.
His time with the club was brief; thus, there are only two cards that feature Wade in a Cubs uniform that I am aware of. It wasn't until yesterday that I was finally able to track this 2007 UD single (with a "gripping" photo choice) down and add this "Cubgrade" to my CATRC binder. Score!
However, this discount box was a generous one, as the Millers just kept on flowing:
Another Miller card that I needed, yay!
Zach Miller was another low cost/high reward signing, this time by the Chicago Bears rather than the Cubs. Unlike Wade, Zach's story has a happier ending. After all, he is currently the tight end and one of the few players worth watching on this lackluster squad. Furthermore, he's succeeded against some extremely long odds, emerging as a star in 2015 after having been out of action since 2011.
Like Wade Miller, I'd already had a card of Zach in another team's uniform (the Jaguars). Thankfully, he made his first appearance on cardboard in the orange and blue in this year's edition of Donruss - a set which I find strangely appealing, despite it's roots in one of the junk wax era's worst offenders. Anywho, yay for upgrades!
The previous Miller representation.
However, it wasn't just upgrades that I was able to uncover in this particular trip to the card shop. Additionally, I was lucky enough to find a couple of completely new additions to my Bears All-Time Roster Collection (none of them named Miller, by the way):
Both of these men are exemplary of a couple longstanding traditions in Chicago football - high profile draft busts and quarterbacks who just can't cut the mustard.
For Marcus, the tackle was drafted in the second round of the 1994 draft, but never started a single game in a Bears uniform. In fact, he only ever appeared in 9 games for the franchise and those came two years after his selection. Meanwhile, Virgil Carter is one of many potential-filled arms who tried to fill the QB black hole in between Sid Luckman and Jay Cutler. He had much more success with team he's pictured on here - the Cincinatti Bengals.
That did it for cards that currently slot into binders in my collection; but, I did pick up one more card with an eye towards the future:
Ryan Williams is a finesse-pitching prospect on the cusp of a Major League call-up. The tenth round draft choice in 2014 has glided through the Cubs system, being named the organization's Pitcher of the Year in '15, spending this spring in Major League camp and reaching AAA before all was said and done. Injuries limited his time, but one has to figure that his name will be bandied about as one of the first arms up next year. So, I figured I should have one of his cards in my queue, ready to be inserted in to the CATRC if and when Ryan should get the call.
The one thing that really struck me about this 2016 Bowman single (his first mass-produced card) is that Ryan's "ugly pitching face" strongly resembles a cartoon character from our collective youth...
The resemblance is uncanny, no? If he ever gets in a tough spot on the mound, the pitching coach better run him out a can of spinach!
Speaking of spinach, it was at about this time that my own stomach started to speak up and it became clear to me that it was time to move onto a new distraction - dinner. Foolhardy me - one should always make sure that they have a full stomach before taking in a bunch of Millers! Nevertheless, all in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful trip. Finding these needs sure did put me in a good mood.
That mood was only further improved by (most of) that night's game and Javy Baez, Dexter Fowler and Montero's heroics. If the Cubs can steal game two away from a likely fatigued Clayton Kershaw, it will go through the roof.
I might have to celebrate with a few real Millers should that occur.
Someone check on P-Town Tom and make sure he's okay - the Chicago Cubs have just traded the Dan "the Vogelmonster" Vogelbach to the Seattle Mariners for lefty reliever Mike Montgomery.
The Cubs bullpen has had some pretty some rough spots over the last month or so and has been in need of reinforcement. Additionally, the struggling Clayton Richard has been unable to hold down the lefty-specialist spot; plus, Joel Peralta and Gerardo Concepcion have already come and gone, having failed their auditions. In short, the Cubs going out and getting a southpaw with upside is hardly a surprise.
As far as LOOGYs go, Montgomery is a pretty good get. The former first-round selection by the Royals in 2008 has posted a .164 batting average against lefties in 67 at bats.
What is mildly-jarring is the inclusion of the man, the myth, the Vogelbach. The young masher has long been blocked in the Cubs system, being defensively limited to first base (Anthony Rizzo ain't goin' anywhere) and is in the midst of a breakout season at AAA. 'Bach has cracked 16 homers and posted a .318/.425/.548 slash at Iowa, proving definitively that he's ready for a go at the Bigs.
It's long been accepted that he'd be dealt, likely to an American League team who could stick him at DH and let him focus on crushing baseballs. However, it was also hoped that he might be part of a package for a larger addition, owing to his top prospect status.
On the flip-side of the coin, everyone who matters knows that Vogelbach was blocked with Chicago and, thus, their leverage was severely limited. Not to mention the fact that, despite all of his promise, Dan is still defensively-limited and unproven - we baseball fans have a tendency to overvalue our prospects.
We're always glomming onto the latest shiny, new prospect.
(Symbolism with Bowman, brought to you by WRJ)
Nevertheless, it's kind of hard for us Cubs fans like P-Town and I not to feel mildly disappointed. After all, we all secretly hoped he find a way to sneak onto the Major League roster and show off his stuff in the Windy City, maybe as a September call-up or as a temporary DH for an AL road trip, a la Kyle Schwarber last year. I know that I'm a bit bummed that Vogelbach will not earn a spot in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.
Anyway, welcome to Chicago Mr. Montgomery, here's hoping you provide some stability to a shaky, at times, bullpen. A left-hander who gets outs has been a rare bird on this side of town for a while now. Also, as you might have noticed, I had to borrow a scan of a Montgomery card from COMC; does anyone have an extra card of the guy they'd be willing to send my way for my CATRC binder? I'll definitely make it worth your while!
First Rock Shoulders is released and now Dan Vogelbach is traded... seriously, is anyone close to Peoria?
Hey - supposedly these guys are getting back together!
Some more information trickling in now - turns out there are a few more pieces changing hands in the deal. That said, the names are rather minor and don't change the complexion of the deal in any meaningful way.
The Cubs will be be sending farmhand Paul Blackburn to the Emerald City, along with Vogelbach. The talented starter is chock full o'potential and, like Montogmery, was also a first round draft pick in 2012. Unfortunately, he just can't stay healthy and has missed time in nearly all of his minor league campaigns. Also, Paul is set to become Rule V eligible once the season ends, so they needed to do something with him.
Coming to Chicago is another AAA pitcher, this one by the name of Jordan Pries. Jordan has been making a slow and steady climb up the minor league ladder since being taken in the 30th round in that same 2012 draft. He doesn't appear to be seen as much of a prospect and will likely serve as minor league depth.
Two more cards that I don't have - in fact, Pries has never been included in a mainstream set.
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.
It's Independence Day - happy birthday, America! Also, I've got a barbecue to get to and a workout to sneak in before that, so I don't have a whole heckuva lot of time for blogging on our nation's day of birth. Thus, here are some Cubs-related Team USA baseball cards... because what's more American than cards of America's team in America's pastime? The answer: nothing.
First, some Cubs of yesterday:
Courtesy of Upper Deck's 2004 nod to the 25th anniversary of Team USA baseball, here's some patriotic cardboard rectangles featuring guys who eventually traded the red, white and blue for plain ol' Cubbie blue. Mark Prior is obviously the biggest name here, as far as the Northsiders are concerned; that said, these are some pretty big names in baseball around the turn of the millennium.
This is truly a beautiful set. Dear Panini, current holder of the Team USA license, please feel free to do a full-on retrospective set of our nation's nine anytime.
One more Cub from yesterday in Phil Nevin. The 1991 edition of Stadium Club featured a subset made up of big, prospective names to watch out for in the near future who wear currently sporting the stars and stripes. Nevin went on to have a long and respectable career as a middle of the order bat (mostly) for the Tigers and Padres; however, by the time he reached Chicago, he was pretty much out of gas.
Moving on, let's take a look at some Cubs of today:
These two trade acquisitions from P-Town Tom make their second appearance on the blog this week, courtesy of this star spangled holiday.
I have to take a second here to acknowledge that Panini is doing a pretty good job with their Team USA license and I quite like the products they've put out over the past few years. Maybe it's just because everything looks better with full logos, but whatever. Anyway, again, feel free to throw out a retrospective set out there too, guys and gals; take advantage of what you've got!
Meanwhile, let's move on further and examine some Cubs of the future that are sporting our nation's colors:
Dillon Maples and Carson Sands look pretty good in front of Old Glory; nevertheless, I think they'd look much better in front of a capacity crowd at Wrigley Field as the first successful, homegrown pitching prospects in many moons. Though they are quite young here (18 and under squad & 16 and under squad), they are still far from being over the hill (24 and 21 respectively). In other words, they still have plenty of time to make that fever dream happen.
As it stands in 2016, Maples find himself in high-A Myrtle Beach, being absolutely lit up (7.71 ERA in 9 bullpen appearances); on the other hand, Sands is 6-1 for the A-ball South Bend Cubs with a nice 3.25 ERA in 11 starts.
We'll conclude this patriotic post with a bonus round - we've had Cubs of the past, present and future, how about a Cub that never was?
Ah, a double dose of Ty Griffin - one in a nice, long line of prospective busts prior to our current generation of young talent. Anyway, before all of that, he was just a college kid kicking ass and taking names on the national level, which led to his first round draft selection by the Cubbies in 1988.
Before the days of Bowman Draft, Leaf Perfect Game Showcase, Panini Elite Xtra Edition and the like, the only way to get your hands on cards of baseball's biggest prospects was the Broder market, aka, homemade, unlicensed cards. These were basically blogger customs before blogs were a thing and they sold fairly well at the time.
I like things that are different and/or off the beaten path, which Broders certainly are; so I must admit, they are one of my guilty pleasures in this hobby.
So, there you have it, a full round up of my stars and stripes-y baseball cards. I hope you enjoyed the read as much as I did putting it together - if you didn't, well then you're just plain un-American! Regardless, I've got some fitness stairs to climb, some food to pig out on and stuff to blow up (if snap'n'pops count), so I'd best be on my way.
It's not been a good week or so for the Cubs - after an epic sweep of the Pirates last weekend, the Cubs got their proverbial butts handed to them by the Cardinals and the Marlins. Suddenly they've lost six of their last seven and the team looks human. Now, of course even the best of teams go through their cold spells throughout the season, so panic should not yet be setting in; however, that doesn't mean a little re-tooling can't be done.
The offense has been streaky and had issues with RISP which should even out as part of the eb and flow of a 162 schedule and the starting pitching has still been mostly adequate. However, the bullpen has been pretty rocky and so Theo and Co. decided to make a change:
40 year old Joel Peralta will be the latest man to suit up in Cubbie Blue. As a reliever who blossomed under Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay, the Cubs manager convinced him to give it one more go on a minor league deal with Chicago after an awful beginning to the 2016 campaign with Seattle. He hasn't been in the organization for very long and has only made a few appearances out of the AAA pen; that said, historically, Joel has had strong reverse platoon splits - by that, I mean the righty is much more effective against lefties.
This season alone, while righties teed off on Peralta to the tune of a .306 BA, lefties hit at a much more modest .209 clip. All of this makes sense when you take into consideration that the man sent back to the minors to make room for the veteran was auditioning LOOGY Gerardo Concepcion, who was hit hard in his brief trial.
All in all, while I'm happy with the move itself, I'm also kind of happy to be adding this sweet Tampa Bay faux-back image to my CATRC binder. Also, it seems fairly appropriate that Peralta's card would feature such a psych-out, seeing as there was a bit of trickery involved with his call-up.
You see, late last night, Iowa reliever Corey Black posted this cryptic tweet:
Obviously that could mean absolutely anything; but, when it was discovered that the Cubs had optioned fellow reliever Concepcion to the minors his morning without announcing a corresponding move, many a Cubs fan (including this one) jumped to the conclusion that Black, who was acquired from the Yankees in the 2013 Alfonso Soriano trade, was coming up. I even went so far as to pull out my Black cards for CATRC consideration:
By the way, the reason why I have time for all of this on a Monday morning is because I work for a school district and I'm currently on summer hours - suddenly, I have lots of free time.
Anyway, news on the follow up roster jenga'ing was slow moving, so I decided to go for a six mile run in the interim (because I'm a glutton for pain - it was way too hot for that nonsense). By the time that I hobbled back through my front door, word had dropped from multiple sources that it would in fact be Joel Peralta, not Corey Black, who would be added to the 25-man roster.
Looks like I jumped the gun, didn't I? But, what the heck was Corey so excited about then?
😳😳😳whoa peeps I was talking about thrones last night
Okay - I'm not a fan of the show myself; that said, from what I've heard about it, I can't blame anyone for getting super excited about it. At least, the real life twist in our story today wasn't a "red wedding" level one - though, I'm sure some more irrational, ledge-jumping portions of the Cubs fan-base wouldn't mind that happening today.
Anyway, here's hoping that Peralta has something left in the tank and the Cubs can finally get someone to lock down that LOOGY spot - both Concepcion and the injured Clayton Richard have been less than stellar so far in 2016. If not, perhaps a guy like Corey Black will indeed end up getting his chance to play in the Show.
