The Great Smokies

As I alluded to in yesterday's post, last week I was on a desperately needed vacation.  The wife and I joined the rest of her side of the family and rented a large, rustic cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where we spent the whole of the weekend hiking, hanging out, grilling, sampling moonshine and whiskey, riding chair lifts, and drinking beer while doing our best to avoid bears.  Seriously though, a black bear did walk almost right up to our deck - you don't get that sort of nature in Chicago!

Speaking of which, that wasn't the only bear that we found on our trip - also encountered were some Cubs in the form of the Tennessee Smokies.

Being as big of a Cubs homer as I am, when I discovered that the team's AA affiliate was located just a half an hour from where we were staying, I knew there was no way that I'd miss making a quick visit.  Unfortunately, the club was not in town during the weekend we were in-town - of course, we were probably too busy to fit in a ballgame too - their souvenir shop was still open for business.  So, just like on our trip to Myrtle Beach, on our way back home, my amazingly patient wife and I swung by the stadium to pick me up a souvenir or two.

This actually isn't the first time that I've made a pilgrimage to Smokies Stadium:  back in 2010, some college friends and I also rented a cabin and stayed nearby for a few days.  That time, we were able to finagle a game into our itinerary.  However, I don't recall too much about the contest, and being the poor college kid that I was, I didn't have the scratch for gas home AND souvenirs, so I have nothing to commemorate that visit.  This time was going to be different.  In fact, I had a specific target or two in mind.

Spoiler alert:  they were all baseball cards.

Minor league team sets are notoriously marked-up on the secondhand market and I was hoping to add a few names for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection straight from the source.  Sadly, the stadium shop didn't have any sets left on the shelves from before 2016 (so no Felix Pena) and, since the 2018 edition has not yet come out, last year's set has yet to be marked down; thus, my options were fairly limited, especially since I didn't feel like plopping down $15 just to get a David Bote single.

I was a tad bit frustrated, although I knew I wouldn't walk away completely empty-handed, thanks to the complimentary pocket schedule I grabbed on my way in.  I don't usually collect these card-like objects and I highly doubt I'll be back around for a game this year; but, I wanted to ensure that I had something to remember the Smokies by.

Luckily for me, the Smokies did something unique last summer.  Instead of offering up just a single, yearly team set in 2017, the Smokies also put out a secondary, update checklist later in the season.  Granted, I don't have a lot of experience with such things, but this seems like a pretty rare occurrence in MiLB baseball - teams usually seem to be content with their one, block issue, player movement be damned.  Being that this update set was smaller, so was it's price tag.  Even better, it included at least one player that I needed for my precious CATRC.

The recently recalled Dillon Maples was the cover card for the cello-wrapped, 2009 Topps-inspired set and I made sure to grab him and his friends for my official Tennessee trip souvenir.  There was not going to be a repeat of 2010!

Mr. Maples was not the only Major Leaguer to be found within these confines either.  In fact, this minor league issue had a surprising amount of star power in it's checklist:

A World Series MVP and the 2016 NL ERA leader?  You don't see that too often in such an issue!

In a move that I'm surprised that more minor league clubs don't pull, the Smokies decided to include rehabbing Major Leaguers in their amendment.  Both Ben Zobrist and Kyle Hendricks briefly blew through town while recovering from injuries last season and, therefore, ended up in the set.  These oddballs will look awesome in my "Nothing Major" binder, made up of minor league cards featuring Major League Cubs.

Oh... and so will Brett Anderson, but his appearance is far less exciting.  No offense Brett, but your stint in Chicago didn't go particularly well.

The final Major Leaguer found in the cellophane wrapper was actually the main target in this acquisition.  Unlike Zorilla, the Professor, or Brett, this guy was not an established Big League veteran visiting the Great Smokey Mountains.  In this case, at the time of this card's printing, he was a newly acquired, flier of a prospect, who had yet to put it all together as a professional.  Now, he's on the Cubs roster and looks to be a factor in the future of the MLB bullpen:

While it's nifty that Justin Hancock is sporting a Star Wars Night uniform, I wish a better picture was used for this reliever... maybe a little brighter and an actual view of his face.  That said, bush league teams can't exactly go to Getty for their photographs.


Hancock might be on the disabled list, but his fastball has him on track to be part of the pen for years to come.  Ever since the Cubs moved him to the bullpen, after they acquired him from San Diego in the Matt Szczur trade, Justin has done nothing but impress.  An uptick in velocity upon that switch (up to 97mph) is a major factor.

While Hancock was an intriguing lottery ticket, he was never seen as a blue chipper.  Thus, unfortunately, he never made it into a prospect-driven set like Bowman, Pro Debut, Contenders, etc.  This has made finding a card for my CATRC quite frustrating, with my only option being those aforementioned, marked-up team-issues.  While I did have to pay ten bucks for the privilege of tracking down Justin, I also got this whole update set with him.  Online, it probably would have been a ten spot just for the single card!

I suppose we might as well take this opportunity to examine the reverse - it's pretty standard with a vitals, a couple years of stats, and a quick blurb about the player spotlighted.    We also get the guy's jersey number, a head-shot, and a team logo too.  Grandstand and their rival company, Brandt, handle the vast majority of minor league card sets, so there's a fairly consistent look and format.

The rest of the set was made up of, big surprise, minor leaguers.  Hopefully, within the next few years, some of these prospects will be making the leap into my CATRC binder and, if they do so, I will be prepared for their arrival.  Jose Rosario and Craig Brooks are a pair of intriguing relievers and, owing to his 40-man roster spot, the former could appear in Chicago as soon as September.

Oh Adbert.... if it weren't for his season-ending lat injury he recently suffered, he'd likely have already taken a turn or two in the Cubs' starting rotation.  *Sigh* here's hoping the club's top prospect comes back completely healthy and raring to go for 2019.

Kevin Cornelius and Daniel Spingola represent the last of the player-portion of the update set.  Like I said, it's a small supplement.

It doesn't appear particularly likely that either of these men will be making the Major League roster anytime soon.  Spignola, a 31st round draft pick in 2015, was demoted back to A-ball for 2018 after a weak showing in the foothills.  Meanwhile, Cornelius, a Rule 5 selection from the Yankees chain, is no longer a member of the Cubs' farm system - for 2018, Kevin has been plying his talents north of the border for the Trois-Rivieres Aigles of the independent Canadian-American Association.

Anyway, like I said, that's it when it comes to players.  But, what's a minor league set without....

..coaches...

...broadcasters (with a nice Zobs cameo)...

...trainers and mascots?  I don't think it would even count as a "real" minor league set without these wide-reaching inclusions!

All in all, I was rather happy with my souvenir find - knocking off a major need for my CATRC, adding some marquee names to my "Nothing Major" binder, and stashing some big prospects for the future is nothing to sneeze at!  However, I'm not entirely materialistic and my visit wasn't solely about buying things to remember our vacation by.  Additionally, I wanted to see the ballpark itself and take in my surroundings - I mean, who knows, it might be another eight years before I get back again!

The park itself is oddly nestled among a shopping center, tucked just behind an expressway.  In fact, I thought it was a Bass Pro Shops or a strip mall before I realized we were approaching the Stadium.  That's not to say that I don't like the facade, it's just that it was a bit easy to miss.  Although, I love the fact that the official address of the ballpark is on Line Drive, *ba dum tiss*.

.

Like I said, the Smokies were actually out of town during the time of our visit.  However, baseball was still going on via a high school-level baseball tournament.  On the plus side, this meant that I got to see what the park looked like in action.  On the negative end, the paid admission meant that I did not get to walk around and explore the facility like I did in Myrtle Beach.  Although, the gift shop staff generously allowed me to step outside their door to get a glimpse and snap some photographs. 

From what I saw from that perch, it sure looked like an excellent place to play and spectate.

As much as I wanted to, we just did not have time to stick around and take in a game - we were already staring down an almost 10-hour drive back home to Illinois.  Just thinking about this 568 mile trek made us preemptively tired and sore.

So, after getting a few good pictures, my wife and I paid for our wares (she also grabbed a t-shirt for her troubles) and bid adieu to the Volunteer State.  I can't thank the Smokies staff enough for being so informative, helpful, and kind; even if our visit lasted only about a half an hour or so, their warm and welcoming attitude made it feel like we could have stayed for hours.  Maybe there is still such a thing as southern hospitality?

All in all, the entirety of our sojourn to the Great Smokey Mountains region was a massive success and I cannot wait to make a return trip.  I truly believe that we will be making that trek again in the not-so-distant future - we may have been there for four days, but I feel like we only got through a quarter of the things we wanted to do.  Next time, I want to do some hillbilly golf, go for a long trail run, and take in the tranquil waterfalls among other things on our lengthy laundry list.

And, heck, maybe I can swing an actual Smokies game this time!

Look At The Pelicans

This past weekend, my wife and I flew down to to the Carolinas to attend the wedding of her best friend.  It was a fun and chaotic weekend, filled with beach houses, last minute chores, plenty of spirits, and excellent company, capped off with an absolutely beautiful ceremony and reception.  But, as busy as our schedules were with these festivities, the wife and I were still able to sneak away and do some of the touristy stuff that we so desired.  We traveled to Wilmington, NC to tour the decommissioned U.S.S. North Carolina battleship, sampled several delightful eateries in the nearby area, and took a long, nighttime stroll on the Atlantic coastline.  All in all, it was a extremely busy, but super fun weekend.  While I may have missed the first three games of the Cubs/Nats playoff series, it was more than worth our while.

However, seeing as we flew Spirit, things were a little haywire when we arrived in Myrtle Beach, SC to catch our flight back to the Windy City.  Due to some staffing issues, our flight was delayed a couple of hours and we suddenly had some extra time on our hands to spend in the Wisconsin Dells of the south.  What to do?

Look at the Pelicans, of course!

Tony Montana might looking at actual pelicans; but, that's okay because we weren't aiming to see real pelicans either (nor flamingos, for that matter).  Rather, we hopped in a Lyft and drove down the road a piece to visit the home stadium of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans - aka the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.  In fact, this sign was hanging in the baggage claim area:

Furthermore, all of the columns in the area were mocked up to look like the ivy-covered Wrigley wall.   This tourist trap is obviously very proud of their cash cow connection to the 2016 World Series Champs.  As they should be!

Anyway, even though minor league baseball season concluded over a month ago, I was thrilled to discover that the Pelicans team store remains open year-round and I was still in need of some souvenirs - looks liek I'd be getting my Cubs fix on the weekend after all!  As Jose Quintana and crew were prepping for their Game 3 showdown with Max Scherzer, we took a quick, ten minute ride down the road to stand at the threshold of the clunkily-named TicketReturn.Com Field,

That might actually be worse than Guaranteed Rate Field - although, at least they save it with the "Pelicans Ballpark" subtitle.

At any rate, set back a few miles from the main strips and surrounded by some lovely palm trees and shrubbery, Pelicans Ballpark is a relatively new stadium, having opened in 2011, which was purposely designed to resemble the ballparks of old. 

Before making any  purchases at the pro shop, I was quickly informed by an employee that the entire complex was still open to the public, excluding the playing surface, of course.  According to my wife, at that moment, the smile on my face stretched to about the length of the airstrips we had just left.    Outside of the skeleton crew on staff to maintain the place during the off-season, my wife and I were the only souls at the park and so, we immediately set off on a private, unguided tour of the stadium.

In the midst of our exploration, I managed to snap a few pictures before the rains came; here's the view from just under the broadcasters' booth:

Then, there was my favorite characteristic of the whole complex - a wall emblazoned with all the names of every Pelican player to make the ultimate ascent to the Big Leagues:

The wall is littered with the names of current and former Cubbies - here's a sampling of some of the bigger names who once called Myrtle Beach and Chicago home:

Ironically,  two of these men played for the Pelicans before they became affiliated with the Second City franchise.  In the past, Myrtle Beach has had a working agreement with the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers, the organizations with which both Heyward and Hendricks were originally drafted and developed by.  Funny how that works out, isn't it?

Moving on, here's a panorama from the left field-corner open area, set up to resemble a beach:

I tell you, it took me every ounce of self control and every strand of moral fiber in my body not to hop that tiny fence.  However, since our recently married friend lives in the nearby and we'll likely being coming back to the area at some point, I'd like to be able to attend an actual game next time.  It'd be hard to do that if I got banned from the premises!

In the above snapshot, you might notice that there is a batting cage just beyond the sandy, open area along the left field fence, so that minor league prospects can work on their batting stroke.   It was here that I was able to snag a surprise treasure:

It's a little worse for wear, but that's a bonafide, game-used or BP-used Carolina League baseball that I found nestled just outside of the netting.  It must have been left behind at the last batting practice session; so, I took the liberty of rescuing it from abandonment and taking it to a loving home.  It makes for a nifty, piece-of-the-park-type souvenir.

Speaking of souvenirs, it was at this point that the skies began to open up and decided to loop back to the team store.  I wish I snapped a picture of the retail area, but trust me when I say that the place immaculate and jam-packed with just about any bit of Pelicans or Cubs merchandise that you could dream up.  Heck, there was even Pelican-branded wine, courtesy of the locally-based Duplin Winery, which I totally would have took home with me if I weren't about to board a plane.  In the end, seeing as I already had my bonus baseball, I didn't feel compelled to open my wallet for much else.  Of course, I this is a baseball card blog and I am a trading card nut; so, I suppose that you might be able to guess what the one, minor purchase I made ended up being:

Yeaaaaaaa, I just couldn't help but pick up a cello pack of the 2017 Myrtle Beach Pelicans team set, printed by minor league mavens, Choice.  Who knows, maybe in a few years, some of these cards of baby Cubs will be of great use to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection?  

Shall we take a look and see who the Pelicans employed in 2017?  Yes, we shall:

Here's the only player in the set who's reached the Majors - not such a surprise, seeing as not many men shoot all the way up from A-ball to the Bigs in just one season.  Dillon Maples is a late bloomer who finally clicked in '17 and, on the strength of his breaking ball, earned a September call-up.  He likely has a strong shot at securing a regular bullpen spot in '18, as well.

As for the cards themselves, they were clearly designed with autographs in mind - I obviously missed the boat on that.  As such, the signature box can be a bit distracting and detrimental to the design without a John Hancock; but it still looks nice overall.  All in all, with glossy, thin card-stock and a large checklist, it's your standard minor league, team issued set.

The backs offer a brief write-up and a couple of years of stats for each player - nothing exciting here, just the basic facts, ma'am.

Meanwhile, here are some exciting names to look out for - top prospects who may very well join Happ, Hendricks, Heyward, and Maples on that alumni wall:

Much has been made of the Cubs' inability to develop pitchers; but, at Myrtle Beach, the potential is there.  Thomas Hatch was their first selection in the 2016 draft, had a successful debut in pro baseball this season and could move quickly.  Adbert Alzolay broke out with an arsenal fit for the middle of the starting rotation.  Oscar De La Cruz continues to battle health issues, but has long dazzled prospectors with his ability to miss bats.  All three were ranked as top 10 Cubs prospects by Baseball America during their most recent, mid-season roundup.

Maybe these guys will prove that Theo and Co. CAN develop arms.

And on the other side of the ball...

The pickins are a lot more slim.  Eddy Julio Martinez was a marquee international free agent signing  in 2015; however, his quick and compact power stroke has yet to translate to the States.  At age 22, there's still time for him; however, that window is getting a little smaller.  Carlos Sepulveda is a middle infielder with a plus glove and a minus bat.  He could eventually develop into a Big League utility man; but, that appears to be his ceiling.

Like I said, Myrtle is not teeming with positional prospects.

Here's three-fifths of the package given up by the Cubs in the Jose Quintana trade (who just so happened to be on the bump for the Big League team that afternoon).  Eloy Jimenez looks like he's going to be a good player in the near future for the Southsiders; however, with the way that Q has been dealing lately and his super team-friendly contract, this deal has the potential to be mutually beneficial for a while.

Another pair of intriguing arms.  Pedro Arajuo is currently pitching for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League and Ryan Kellogg was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 amateur draft.  Although, if I'm being honest, I mostly wanted to show off the ladder because of the lovely palm tree background found in his picture.  You don't get that in Chicago!

To wrap things up, one of the things we card bloggers love about minor league sets is that everyone gets involved.  While Topps barely acknowledges all nine starters on any given team, Choice has given cards to almost all players, plus...

...coaches...

...trainers...

...mascots...

...and ball-return dogs... yup, you read that right.  That's a thing!

Deuce the Yellow Lab delivers new baseballs to the umpires, collects stray bats, and does a victory lap each time the Pelicans come out on top - America's pastime can be so adorable.  Also, I'd be curious to see how this card would look "signed."  Just another reason to love minor league baseball.

Another thing to love about minor league baseball, besides the cute dog mascots and expansive card sets?  The fact that you can spontaneously decide to visit a local, MiLB stadium on Columbus Day, a month after the season's end, and get nearly access to nearly the entire complex and pro shop with help from who my wife described as "literally the nicest guy ever"... try that at Wrigley or Fenway or Camden or what have you one of these days and see what happens.  All in all, the experience was the perfect capstone on an already stellar weekend trip.

We've established that Tony Montana is not able to recognize pelicans, but I can recognize a first-class organization when I see one... and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans are just that.

Head East, Young Man

So, in the time that I was absent from blogging, some of that was due to a long-overdue vacation in late June - my first one since 2010.

Where did I go? Well, I'd never been further east than Ohio, so the girlfriend and I loaded up the car and hit the east coast. She's from Delaware and most of her family is still in the area.

Thus, we didn't have to pay for any lodging - *fist pump*

However, the major draw was Firefly Music Festival in Dover. We spent four days camped out in a tent doing nothing but listening to good music and hanging out. I can't think of a better way to spend a vacation. Foo Fighters, Third Eye Blind, Weezer, Beck, Cage the Elephant, Imagine Dragons, OutKast... and much, much more!

However, if that wasn't enough - we also made it a point to head slightly over the border to Philadelphia to take in a Phillies game too.

Guess who the opponent was. I'll give you a hint - they wear blue and have a baby bear (who doesn't wear pants) as a mascot.

On a day meant to honor Jim Bunning and his perfecto in '64, I saw Travis Wood take a no-hitter into the 6th inning and Anthony Rizzo homer as the Cubs cruised to a 3-0 victory. That quieted the Phillies fans heckling me real quickly.

But, Tony, this is a baseball card blog - what does any of this have to do with cards? Well, at Citizens Bank Ballpark, I found a souveneir item that I had been looking for all over Chicagoland before I left but could not find:

Ironically, I had to go all the way to Philly to find the 2014 Topps Cubs factory team set. While, I already had all of the players in said set in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection in some form or another, I was able to upgrade two men with their first Cubs cards in my binder:

Jake Arrieta, who, like Wood on that day, has taken several no-hitters into the late innings this year during his breakout campaign...

...and the cringe-worthy Jose Veras, who had been released just 4 days earlier. That'll happen to a closer with an 8.10 ERA and no saves. Also, Once a Cub already covered the major blasphemy with this card here on his wonderful blog.  Can you spot it?

Despite all the negative connotations, Mr. Veras still needs to be properly represented in my collection. Since this'll be the only Cubs issue that he receives, it'll have to do.  Meanwhile, the rest of the cards from the set have filtered nicely into my Cubs player collections.

Plus, my girlfriend found this sweet Phillies duck for her rubber ducky collection (she named it "Ryne" - I approve). See,that's how she tolerates my habit - we're both collectors!

But, that wasn't all the card hunting I did over there. One of the small, costal towns we stayed in had a a thriving antique market community, with 3 shops in it's downtown area. Who doesn't love adventuring through such shops? You just never know what you're going to find.

While there weren't any forgotten boxes of tobacco cards lying around (drat), there was one small shoebox filled with junk wax era cards in the third location. I gave it a cursory look and was able to pull a pretty neat card for my CATRC:

Scott May was a failed propect out of the Rangers system that the Cubs pulled off the scrap-heap in 1991. He received one last shot of MLB glory with the Cubbies, but gave up 4 runs in 2 innings that August and punched his ticket out of town.

Like Arrieta and Veras, he was already represented in my collection with his '88 Donruss card on the left, which shows off his Rangers duds.  However, this Iowa Cubs card is the closest thing he got to an actual Cubs card. Thus, it provides a solid upgrade.

Plus, I've made it no secret that I love minor-league cards and these 90's Line Drive sets are among the best-of-the-best in my opinion. Simple design, big sets, deeply-varied player selection... I can't say enough.

And yet, there were still more adventures in baseball card-hunting to be had for me on this vacation! While my girlfriend was in the bathroom at a local shopping mall, I was lucky enough to find a baseball card shop.

I believe that was the universe's way of rewarding me for patiently tolerating a couple hours of outfit shopping.

Since most of the stuff in the shop obviously steered towards teams like the Phillies, Orioles and Nationals, I decided to take my chances with a randomly-selected $5 mystery box of 100 cards.

Hey, I've spent $5 bucks on worse things - like that gas station hamburger...

But, this bet turned out pretty good for me, as this card was sitting right on top:

Well, that was unexpected! I don't have many relics in my collection, as I don't generally seek them out. But pulling one of my favorite players in Kid K out of a random box in Delaware was pretty darn cool!

While, that Wood relic marked the end of the cardboard portion of my adventure, I was way too busy rockin' out at the aforementioned Firefly music festival to do anymore searching anyway.

What a trip!

I'll leave you with a couple of great tunes from bands on the rise I caught at Firefly. Give these a listen - you won't regret it!

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You might have heard their radio-smash "Come With Me Now," but these South Africans rock with authority all throughout their new self-titled album.

While alternative, garage-rock and even reggae influences rear their heads, it's this 70's style rocker that steals the show.

"Hey, I Don't Know" proves that they, in fact, do know how to groove like Grand Funk Railroad.

Bleachers is the new project featuring Fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff.  While his main focus is currently inactive, Jack is keeping his creative muscles flexed.

Their debut album "Strange Desire" is a fascinating blend of indie rock, pop and even electronic and the variety of sounds is evident in each track.

However, the cut "Rollercoaster" might be the best of all.  If Bruce Springsteen was a young songwriter in today's indie scene, this is what "The Boss" just might sound like.