A Long Time Coming

The card you see is not real.

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.

Jack Wallin and His Diamond Greats

You know it's cold outside when the US Postal Service cancels mail deliveries.  Rain, sleet, and snow can't stop these unsung heroes of communication; but, temperatures and wind chills bottoming out in the negative fifties is enough to freeze anybody in their tracks. 

Speaking of mail, I don't too much TTM collecting.  All in all, it seems like an awful lot of work - deciding what subjects to pursue, acquiring appropriate and worthwhile material to sign, hunting down addresses and locations with a fervor approaching that of stalker... or at least, that of a crazy ex.  That's not even to mention the fact that success in these endeavors can be frustratingly fleeting at times and, with postage pricing only continuing to rise in 2019, I am simply far to frugal to open my wallet to such pursuits.

via GIPHY

Of course, I don't point this out to disparage the TTM collecting community -  far from it.  In fact, I greatly admire the work, passion, and dedication required to obtain autographs through the mail.  However, it's just generally not the way I prefer to collect... not my cup of tea, you might say.  That said, I have dabbled in the "signature by way of mailbox" hobby on a few separate occasions, seeking to add Sharpie marks to custom cards that I've created for forgotten baseball players from the days of yore who were never properly honored by one of the old bubblegum card companies.  For several past North Siders, this was the only way for me to add them to my Cubs All-Time Roster binder.

On that note, I am certainly not the only person to have gone that route to fill out their collection.  Far from it.  Since the dawn of the hobby, intrepid enthusiasts have whipped up their own creations in order to acquire the John Hancocks of their favorite diamond heroes   One such man was so passionate and successful in this cause, that he was able to parlay his hobby into a career most of us fans can ever approach in our wildest dreams.

Jack Wallin was fascinated by the history of America's pastime.  As a collector and dealer  in the 60's and 70's, he was seeking the signatures of baseballers from the previous generation.  However, seeing as Topps didn't even begin to dabble in the market until around 1948 and there was no industry standard during the 30's and 40's, there weren't a lot of cardboard options from that era for TTM pursuers like Wallin to stuff into envelopes.  Luckily for us, Wallin did not let this stop him from fulfilling his quests; he was made of stronger cardstock.. Instead of wallowing in his frustration, in 1979, Jack simply created his own, far-reaching set of baseball cards dedicated to the sports golden era.  That's ingenuity at it's finest!

Of course, being the late-70's, printing technologies were far more limited than what we have today, especially for amateurs.  It's not like Wallin could simply conjure up Adobe Creative Suite and work some Photoshop or Illustrator magic.  Thus, his creations, which he titled Diamond Greats, were far more basic than those being pumped out by Topps - however, they were at least on the same level as oddball purveyors such as TCMA.

Intended to be standard-sized, the cutting on these custom works was, as you might expect, imperfect.  This resulted in some under and over-sized dimensions.  Additionally, the slips of cardboard featured a no fills design with a simple black and white photograph on a white or cream cardstock.  The backs were entirely blank, so the player statistics included on the bottom of the front and, along with the player name and team designation, contained within a thin, black border box.

I imagine, the backs were left blank in order to provide a clean surface for players to jot their name.  If not, the basic and colorless design on the front made for an apt place to sign, as well.

While the design was simple and not particularly bold, Jack's ambition was just the opposite.  All told, his 1979 Diamond Greats release was made up of four series of 100 cards each, with each series focusing on historic players from a specific group of four teams, all of which were still alive at the time.  Remember, the driving purpose behind this whole set was filling in the Pre-War gap, so no expansion teams appear in Wallin's magnum opus.  After coming off of the presses, Wallin was left with 2,000 sets to distribute to TTM lovers across the United States.

I'm not sure how this cardboard visionary shared this set with other collectors, as I cannot find any primary sources which shed any light on this matter and I was negative eleven at the time.  Perhaps someone who was around and actively collecting at that time can fill me in?  Was it advertised in the hobby periodicals of the time, in the mold of TCMA?  Wallin was a dealer, after all.  All I know is that one did not find Diamond Greats packs on store shelves.

However Jack sold his pet project, it must have garnered a fair amount of attention.  After all, it appeared to have caught the attention of big-time trading card producer, Donruss, who hired Wallin as a photographer upon busting the Topps monopoly just a a year later.  From what I can tell, Jack was the man behind the lens of Donruss products throughout the 80's and 90's.  I have to believe his work with the Grand Slam set had to put Wallin on Donruss' radar - that has to look pretty good on the ol' resume to a baseball card challenger!

Anyway, Wallin's personal endeavor still stands as a popular oddball set, owing to it's varied player selection.  Personally, without his work, filling in the crevices of my CATRC would be even more impossible than it already is.  While I already had one of these bad boys in my favorite binder - the Voiselle you see above - this past Christmas, I was lucky enough to be gifted with a few more gap-fillers by my father.

Johnny Moore made his Big League debut with the Cubbies in 1928, sticking around long enough to see action in the 1932 World Series, although he went 0-for-7 while Ruth was busy calling his shot.  He was traded to the Reds that winter.  

Most interesting to me though, was his second stint with the Cubs, which came in 1945... a full eight years after his last MLB plate appearance.  The player shortage brought on by World War II was no joke.  the Cubs would again win the pennant that season (their last for a few years); however, Moore would not appear in that Fall Classic as his seven game stint that September began one day too late for postseason eligibility.  Would the 43-year old outfielder have turned the tide for the Cubs against the Tigers?  Doubtful, but you never know. 

Cliff is best remembered for no-hitting the Boston Braves in 1951 and some well-publicized labor issues in the early 50's while with the Pirates.  Before all of that, Chambers began his career as a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher with the Chicago National League Ballclub in 1948.  Auditioning as a swingman, the hurler appeared in 29 games (12 starts) and posted a record of 2-9 with a 4.43 ERA.  The Cubs of the late 40's were, simply put, absolutely embarrassing.

He was traded that December with Clyde McCullough to Pittsburgh for Frankie Gustine and Cal McLish and would hang around the National League through the 1953 season.

Clarence, aka "Footsie," Blair was an infielder who plied his trade exclusively with Chicago from 1929 through 1931.  He spent one year as a starter up the middle (1930), but mostly served as a utility infielder during his three-year Major League run.  Unfortunately, he didn't get much playing time as his competition for the second base job just so happened to be Hall of Famer, Rogers Hornsby.  To make matters even worse for Footsie, Rajah just so happened to be the manager, as well.  The only reason he ascended to the starter's role in 1930 was because Hornsby broke his ankle that May.

Thus, it wasn't long before poor Blair faded back into baseball obscurity.  While he earned the his moniker for his noted speed, that simply wasn't enough to lift him over the greatest right-handed batter of all-time.

After examining the three subjects of my Diamond Greats Christmas haul, it should come as no surprise to anyone that they did not leave much of a cardboard footprint.  After all, the scarce issues that were hitting the market during their playing days weren't going to bother with the bottoms of the rosters.  In fact, while he does appear in some team-issued photo packs, this product marks the only traditional baseball card appearance for Blair.  Without Jack Wallin, adding these guys to my CATRC would be a much taller task and he allowed be to do so in with Cubs uniforms no less.

Furthermore, this stream has not run completely dry with these additions - there are still a handful of Diamond Great Cubs left for me to chase down.  Vern Olsen highlights my wants, along with potential "Cubgrades" for forgotten favorites like "Dim Dom" Dallesandro, Hank Wyse, and Hy Vandenburg.  Thank goodness Jack Wallin took it upon himself to fill in some of the gaps left in the Pre-War era!

Now, I might not dabble much into the world of TTM'ing, but, as a custom card enthusiast, the career path of Jack Wallin is quite inspirational.  After researching this post, I know that tonight I will have dreams of using my Photoshop creations to launch a career in the trading card industry to keep me warm at night.  That's a good thing too, since apparently Chicago is officially the coldest location on the planet earth right now, even rivaling temperatures usually found on friggin' Mars.  I'll need all I can get to warm my cockles - a heated blanket only goes so far.

A tip of the cap to you, Mr. Wallin!

Where Have You Gone, Gene Krug? The Epic Conclusion!

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!

Where Have You Gone, Gene Krug? An Update!

In case you haven't been following Wrigley Roster Jenga since the early days, please allow me to explain what I am rambling on about.  A little more than a month into my blogging career, I explored the topic of a relatively obscure Major Leaguer, who had briefly suited up with the Cubs in 1981, by the name of Gene Krug.  Early that spring, the prospect saw action in seven contests, exclusively as a pinch-hitter, getting two hits and walk in six trips to the plate.   Despite that .500 OBP, Krug was soon demoted back to the minors, permanently icing his proverbial cuppacoffee.  It's a tale as old as the game itself.

What I found odd about this whole situation was the lack of information about this player and, more in step with this blog, the lack of a cardboard footprint.  You see, by 1981, baseball cards were becoming a big business.  There were three companies producing Major League Baseball trading cards, while TCMA and friends were spitting sets out for minor league clubs up and down the ladder.  In short, there were plenty of cards being pumped into the market

Despite this foreshadowing of the junk wax era to come, Mr. Krug never appeared on a baseball card during his five-year professional career.  Not a single one.  Not a regional issue, not an obscure oddball, not a competitor trying to get a leg up on Topps... nothing whatsoever.  Heck, even his Baseball Reference profile features this image:

As a collector who has set out to try and acquire one card of every, single man to suit up for a franchise who's history dates back to the Reconstruction Era, this situation is a common occurrence in my pursuit.  However, I would expect this of a guy who had played in the silent movie era or during the World War II resource shortage, or during the time where Topps was literally the only game in town... not a guy who took the field in the 1980's.  Granted his Major League career was tragically short, but he is the only former Cub to lack ANY such representation since the decade of Reagan, the Brat Pack, and hair metal began.  What gives?

As you may have seen with my dogged determination to learn more about the mysterious Tom Walsh, I have a certain fascination with the unknown.  In a desperate plea, I took to the blogosphere, shouting out into the void, "where have you gone, Gene Krug?"  My long-shot hope was that I would either be able to find someone to politely correct and inform me that Krug did in fact appear on a card, or that they could forward me some information so that I might get his John Hancock on a signature card via TTM. After all, while not as appealing, the latter option would still be better than nothing.

But, seeing the blog was still in it's infancy, the post didn't generate many clicks and nothing came of it. Later that fall, I discovered that the Rookies App was a thing and, utilizing the only baseball image to appear when searching "Gene Krug" on Google, I whipped up a custom card of our hero on one of the application's pre-made templates.  Unfortunately, that image was black and white and showed Krug in his AAA Wichita Aeros threads instead of blue pinstripes.

Again, though not ideal, it was better than nothing.  And here is where the story or ended... or at least I thought it did.

Fast forward to last week, that long-forgotten post finally did what I hoped it would.  I received an out of the blue message from a young man who had the answer to my four-year old question!  The answer is, like America in the mid-19th century, Gene Krug headed west - Colorado, to be specific.

As it turns out, the person who contacted me, Brandon, is a high school baseball player in the Rocky Mountain State and his JV coach just so happens to be - you guessed it - Gene Krug!  I guess Brandon just happened to come across my ramblings while Googling his coach's name and took it upon himself to enlighten me.  Better still, he offered to put me in touch with his skipper and even ask him to sign a card for me.  It's a damn good thing that the guy who eventually found my post happened to be so generous!

However, there was one problem - I never purchased those signature cards and I only had one copy of that Rookies App custom.  Luckily, in the years since my initial foray into blogging, I've gained access to quality photo-editing and design software and my studies in college included graphic design.  Thus, I took it upon myself to whip up a card that never was, but should have been.

What you see here is Gene Krug via 1981 Topps, the year that he made the Show.  First, I re-created the fairly basic design and borrowed the cartoon hat and baseball logo from a high-res scan of an original.  Then, I set about the much more difficult task of colorizing that original Aeros photograph and converting those duds to the proper uniform... I mean, nothing against Wichita (Jack White seems pretty excited by going there), but a Major League card deserves Major League threads.  I ended up choosing the gloriously odd "pajama" uniforms because they just scream early 80's and I came across a usable sample.  After several hours, I ended up with the above custom and I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome.  It at least looks just as passable as any of your average airbrushing jobs of that time period!

Of course, with such an important task at hand, I did not half-ass this work; if a Major Leaguer is going to see my work, he's going to see my best work.  I made sure to whip up a proper back for the cards I would be sending Mr. Krug, as well:

However, when it came time to print this out, I had to ditch the faux-cardboard background.  While it fits the aesthetic, it's going to make printing and trimming an absolute nightmare.  Ideally, I would use a paper of similar coloring and tone, but my budget is quite limited.  Still, I'd day it apes the original quite effectively!

This truly was a joy to put together - how do you think it turned out?  Please feel free to make your opinion known in the comment section below.

 

As of this morning, my hot off the "presses" custom cards are in the mail, on their way to the land of the Stanley Hotel and legal weed, along with a letter introducing myself and explaining my project.  Fingers crossed that they cross the Rocky Mountains quickly and safely on their way to to my new pen pal.  Also, here's hoping that Mr. Krug gets a kick out of them and is willing to scribble his name on one of them for me and my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

If this exchange proves to be successful, this will be the fourth successful TTM in my history of collecting.  In the past, I'd never felt motivated to do the leg work required for TTM's; however, as my CATRC journey gets to the nitty gritty, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to fill that gap.  Krug is not the first person whom I took up the mantle of creating their "rookie" baseball card.  Although, the others all played in the majors many years before Krug, but I digress. 

These cameo Cubs from decades previous also lacked any presence on collectible cardboard, but were noted for their willingness to sign through the mail.  So, like with Gene, I took up the mantle and filled the vacuum with my creations* and sent them off.  The way I look at it, a custom card is one thing, but a custom card with a genuine signature adds some authenticity to the item.  Will Gene Krug be the next successful chapter in this slowly burgeoning project?  Only time will tell, but I feel quite confident with having Brandon on my side.

Like I said, the cards are in the mail and the gears are turning.  Be sure to stay tuned to Wrigley Roster Jenga for updates; I'm sure that you readers are sitting on the edge of your seat.

Well, the anticipation is killing me, anyway!

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* In the case of Tony Balsamo, I took the lazy route and borrowed an already existing, card-like rendering off of the internet   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You're Undeliverable

Several months back, I came up with an idea to fill some slots in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection that would otherwise be impossible.   With a history that dates back to the days of President Grant, I always knew that completing my ultimate collecting goal of one card of EVERY Cub would be, to put it bluntly, impossible; so many short-term Cubs lack any sort of cardboard representation.  However, I don't completely suck with Photoshop and a large handful of these players from the 50's and 60's are still alive.  Therefore, why not whip up my own baseball cards featuring their likenesses and send them off TTM?  I feel as though a signature by the depicted athlete makes the piece a legit collectible and, thus, more desirable for my collection than a fantasy piece.  Certainly better than a vacant slot.

So far, I've had a pair of successes during the course of this mission - both Footer Johnson and John Pyecha kindly obliged.  However, after a few months of inactivity, I was disappointed to find my first failure sitting in my mailbox 😞:

Rationally, I knew that not everything was going to come back successfully; but, nevertheless I was kinda proud of how this particular custom turned out and I had high hopes for this return. C'est la vie.

For the heck of it, here's a closer look at my take on Thomas "Duke" Simpson:

I went to the trouble of colorizing the only photo of "Duke" that I could find on the internet, a black and white original.  Then, I attempted to mimic the "hand-painted" style of 1953 Topps - a template I chose because Simpson's only MLB action came during that season.  A painting of Fenway made the perfect background, even if Mr. Simpson never actually took the mound in Boston.  Overall, I was mildly happy with my colorization and thought my custom mimed the style of the original card set well enough to cross my fingers and hope for TTM success.

Heck, I even went to the trouble of creating a back side for my custom "Duke":

According to the write-up that I included on the back:

"Thomas attended the University of Notre Dame for just one semester before enlisting in the U.S. Army.  After his service, he enrolled at The Ohio State University, where he starred in both the classroom and on the pitcher’s mound.  After graduation, he signed with the Philadelphia Athletics organization, tossing a seven inning no-hitter for Savannah in the Sally League in 1950.  The Cubs took over his contract this winter in the Rule 5 Draft and hope that the young hurler can earn a regular spot in their rotation or bullpen for 1953 and beyond.  When “Duke” takes the mound at Wrigley Field for the first time, the tall, lanky moundsman will be making his Major League Baseball debut."

As you can tell, I wrote it up as it might read had he actually occupied a slot in the second offering of Topps' checklist.  After making the team out of spring training in '53, Simpson stuck with the Big club all season, making 30 appearances coming mostly out of the bullpen.  All told, his next theoretical baseball card would show a 1-2 record, with an 8.00 ERA in 40 innings for his only MLB season.

With such a dud of a season, it's no surprise that Mr. Simpson was ignored by Topps and Bowman and, best as I can tell, he never appeared on any sort of trading card.  Thus, when I came across a TTM address on the Sports Card Forum with a recent success, I whipped up the above custom in hopes of his authenticating it with his signature.  Obviously, that did not work out - apparently the 90 year old has moved in the last year.  Hopefully all is well for the former Cubs moundsman.

Previous to this disappointing "return to sender," the last sight of my initial round of TTM's came back on November 10th, courtesy of John Pyecha.  So, of course - after months of inactivity - the very next day after Simpson came back, I found another familiar envelope in my mailbox:

And wouldn't ya know it, it's another failure - I guess when it rains, it pours.  😞x2

Of course, this may be a case of the cosmic forces of the universe protecting me from myself.  Upon further examination of my work upon return, I noticed that I made some pretty glaring errors on this card, which was based on 1966 Topps (Bob's maiden campaign). So, perhaps it's better off that Mr. Raudman never actually saw it and it's rather embarrassing mix-ups.

For whatever reason, I decided that Bob was a pitcher when I put this card together; the reality is that he played 16 games in the Chicago outfield, from 1966-67.  In fact, I can find no record of Raudman having ever taken the mound in a professional setting; thus, I have no idea what I was thinking when I drafted his card.  Maybe his name just sounds "pitcherish?"

Furthermore, that wasn't even the worst error - I wasn't careful enough with my image search and the photo culled from the internet is actually of former Cubs catcher, Randy Bobb.  Therefore, I managed to both screw up his position and his photograph on the card I created to "properly" represent him in my collection.  It's a damn wonder that I spelled his name right... I did spell his name correctly, right?

As if that wasn't enough, I got lazy and didn't even bother with drafting a back, in an attempt to get the monstrosity into the mail more quickly.  Egad - yea, I'm definitely glad that the USPS was unable to deliver this monstrosity... I likely would have insulted the man!

Here's the real Bob Raudman, during his brief Cubs trial.

"Shorty" Raudman stood 5'9" and posted a .200/.228/.236 slash line in 57 plate appearances.  The purported slugger once popped 20 long balls (1966 with Tacoma) in the PCL, but never went yard with the Cubbies.  Maybe he should have tried pitching?  Anyway, although his Major League career was quite short, his time with the Cubs organization was quite long, as the minor league vet toiled in the minors with the franchise from 1961-67, plus one bonus year in the Cincy chain in 1968.  Also, fun fact, the thrill-seeker was a professional dirt bike racer during the off-season and one manager described him as a "Hell's Angel."


Being that his time in the show was so brief and relatively unsuccessful, it should come as no surprise that Topps never honored "Shorty" with a spot in their Flagship set.  Plus, to my knowledge, he never appeared in a retrospective or regional oddball checklist, necessitating my "hail mary" attempt at getting his signature on my custom creation.  That said, after doing some further research, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that, just like Tom Brady in Super Bowl LLI, I came up empty.

According to this article from the Duluth News Tribune from back in 2011, Mr. Raudman has fallen on hard times.  In the fall of that year, the local hero (then 69) was arrested for allegedly striking his wife at their Minnesota home.  It was then discovered that complications from dementia had left him incompetent to understand the charge against him and unable to assist with his own defense.  From there, the domestic assault charge was dismissed and Raudman was civilly committed to a secure mental health facility.  Yikes.

We can only hope that Raudman got the help he needed - dementia is a terrible and debilitating disease.  On the bright side, he again turned up in the public record in October of 2016, when he was interviewed by the local Fox affiliate about his former club's World Series run - “It’s great they finally made it to the World Series,” said Raudman.  It's also implied that he and his wife were able to reconcile.

Here's hoping that all is well in the Raudman clan and things have settled down.

"Shorty" giving an interview in 2008 with The Average Guys.

Thankfully, the streak of failures ended at two days.  As of now, I have had two successes, two failures, and I still have two more outstanding requests.  Here's hoping those other two that are still in the care of the United States Postal Service actually made it to their intended targets.

Now, after all of that, I'm left with a few questions.  Barring the possibility of tracking down new addresses to send out my customs to Simpson and Raudman (I don't think I'll be bothering Bob, though), what do I do with my custom cards?  Do I include them in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, sans autograph?  Should they count towards my ultimate total of Cubs players acquired?  Do I disregard them because custom cards aren't "real" cards?  What would you do in this situation, eh?

One thing is for certain though: those error-ridden Raudman cards are going straight into the recycling.

Another Custom TTM Success!

Nothing soothes a frustrating day at work like coming home to a mailbox full of cards... literally, jam-packed, stuffed to the gills with cardboard.  My poor, little apartment mailbox could barely contain the mass of paper therapy - I honestly struggled to get everything out of my my tiny mailbox - I am not exaggerating when I say "jam-packed."  Contained within the huddled mass was a generous flat-rate box from Paul (proprietor of the newly rechristened Scribbled Ink), a pair of packages addressed to my wife, a stack of junk mail, and a tri-folded envelope with my very own handwriting emblazoned on the front.  You know what that means - a TTM return successfully made the long journey back home!!

Needless to say, my grueling afternoon at the office was instantly forgotten.

Paul's flat-rate box was even more crammed with pasteboard perfection than the mailbox was, but that bit of generosity will get a dedicated post of it's own in the next few days... at least one, anyway.  As for the TTM envelope, I'm giddy to report that it came back as a success!

I'm now two-for-two in my custom card TTM project! At this rate, I'm going to get spoiled.

For Cubbies of yore who were never properly honored with a baseball card of their own, I've taken to whipping up creations of my own and mailing them off for signature in order to fill slots in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.  Of course, I also include a copy or two of my card for the ballplayer to keep as a memento, if they so choose, as well.  I just feel as though a signature solidifies my cards' status as collectibles, seeing as autographs are inherently collectible.

First, it was Footer Johnson who honored my humble request.  This time, one-game wonder, John Pyecha, was kind enough to take the time to scribble a John Hancock on my artwork.
 

For John, whose single game of action came during the 1954 season, I chose to fashion his custom card in the mold of the Topps set from the same year.  For comparison's sake, here's a side-by-side comparison, using a 1994 Topps Archives reprint of fellow CATRC resident, Bob Scheffing. 

On second thought, I'm seeing that Topps kind of shirked some details on their 40-year anniversary re-do.  For instance, the old school Cubbie Bear logo should have a white face, the borders are thicker, and the top border shouldn't be there at all on Bobby's entry.  Therefore, for a more accurate comparison let's take a look at my Pyecha next to the only original card I have from that colorful, vintage checklist:

I've used this Hank Sauer scan several times on this blog before (it's one of my personal favorites); so, please forgive me for the over-exposure.  As Hank makes apparent, my aping is still not perfect - the logo is a tad too big, my borders still aren't quite right, etc.  Plus, I've shrunk mine down to standard size because I wanted my creation to easily slip into a nine-pocket page.  That being stated, I'm still quite happy with how it turned out, overall.

Most of the pictures available on the internet of the Moonlight Graham were black and white, so I had to colorize the profile shot which takes up the most real estate.  I struggled with the skin tone, but that's always the most difficult part of such an undertaking.  Furthermore, the inset picture, his only "action" shot easily available, was a little dark and his face is pretty much blacked out.  However, all the flaws are made up for with that lovely, loopy signature which John himself inked across his chest.  He's an 85-year old man and he still has better, more legible penmanship that most professional athletes today.... heck, than most people, in general, today.

That looks like it should be on the Declaration of Independence!

But, enough about the card - let's talk about the man which it showcases.

John toiled for six seasons in the minors, but had only one shining day in the Major League sun.  On April 24, 1954, at Crosley Field, Pyecha entered the game for the seventh inning, in relief.  At the time, the visitors were trailing the Redlegs,  3–2.   Masterfully, Pyecha held the Reds scoreless across the next two frames as Chicago rallied to take a 5–3 lead going into the ninth.  Unfortunately, just one out away from victory, Pyecha allowed a walk-off, three-run bomb to Wally Post and the storybook closed abruptly.

Whoops... oh, what could have been.  Soon thereafter, he was sent back to the PCL's L.A. Angels, where he'd spend another year and change on the farm before arm troubles forced him into an early retirement, at the spry, young age of 23.

Long affiliated with the Cubs, the original Angels supplied Wrigley with many Major Leaguers.

That one game might be where his Major League bio and stat-line ended; that said, there's a lot more depth to Pyecha that makes him quite an interesting figure.  For instance, he was a versatile athlete, starring on the basketball cout during his collegiate days for Appalachian State, which was then a teacher's college in the NAIA.   He once scored 50 points in a single game and had a career scoring average of 22.3 ppg with a single-season high of 28.7.  Additionally, he averaged 14.6 rebounds per game and was named as an All American in 1955.  For his hardwood heroics, Pyecha is enshrined in the Mountaineers Hall of Fame.

Did you notice the year on that last bit of info?  1955.  His lone MLB appearance came in '54... he was playing collegiate level basketball during his baseball off-seasons!  At this time, the athletic conference in which App State competed permitted athletes to play a professional sport and still maintain amateur status in another sport.  You don't see that kind of versatility anymore.

Although his baseball career came to an abrupt and forced end and he never went pro in hoops, Pyecha did not slip out of the spotlight; in fact, he was such a gifted athlete that he went on to compete on the national level in handball and earned himself a black belt in judo.  The guy was an athletic renaissance man!

When he wasn't busy flexing his muscles in whatever sport he fancied that day, Pyecha was racking his brain, which was perhaps the strongest component of his body.  The teacher's college graduate put his degree to work, becoming a name in the field of academic research.  His name is attached to several research projects and studies, including many conducted on college campuses and about the field of special education - in fact, it appears as though he also served as the president of the North Carolina Association for Research in Education in 1979.  He certainly put his degree to good use.

So, while his Major League Baseball career might have fizzled before it could really get going, Pyecha did not let that stop him from making his mark on the world... and, luckily for me, he made his mark on my custom creation, too!

I must say, that's truly an honor to have a piece of my work graced with the signature of such an interesting and generous fellow.  On the off-chance that he or anyone in his circle should stumble upon this blog post, I'm truly thankful that Mr. Pyecha took the time to read my letter, autograph my card, and mail it back to me - the gesture means the world to me.

Also, welcome to my CATRC, Mr. Pyecha!

Here's hoping that the rest of my custom TTM requests are as successful as Footer and Pyecha - I have a few more pending, including Wayne Tyrone, Bob Raudman, Joe Campbell, etc., etc. 

I think I've found a new addiction!

via GIPHY