Housewarming Hits

Earlier this summer, June 19th to be specific, the wife and I moved to a new apartment located in Alsip, IL - a suburb on Chicago's south side.  It took us several friends, a handful of automobiles, a few beers, and hours upon hours of sorting, packing, un-packing, and bickering about what goes where, but we appear to have finally finished setting up our new abode.  This is our first official place together as a married couple and we couldn't possibly be more excited about what the future has in store for us.  Plus, I get an office/card room!

Almost immediately after I mentioned our location change on the blog, Kin Kinsley (I Feel Like a Collector Again and Bean's Ballcard Blog) reached out to me, requesting my new address.  You know what that means, Mr. Kinsley was looking to sign me up on all the spam mailings and chain letter lists that he could possibly find.  Well, in all actuality, while he might have done both of those things as well, he also sent me a little housewarming gift.  A little bit of new cardboard smell is perfect way to christen a new apartment, after all.

Boy, oh boy - did Kin ever go all out on this one:

As you can plainly see, our generous gifter lead off with quite the doozy - a 1953 black and white Bowman single, featuring "Handsom Ransom" Jackson.  I can count the amount of times that I've gotten a '53 Bowman through a trade on one hand... in fact, both times it was this very same card (sadly, I cannot recall who else was so kind).  I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining though, this is a wonderful card and I'm not going to complain about getting a 64 year old piece of cardboard from an iconic set as an unannounced gift.  I just find it funny that, both times, it just so happened to be this very same card.  Strange how the world works sometimes, isn't it?

Next up, we have another player from days long gone by in Ralph Kiner, better known for his time with the Pirates.  The six-time All-Star and Hall of Famer made most of his resume in a Pittsburgh uniform, but it's important to remember, at least to me, that he also spent two years of his storied career in Chicago (1953-54).  Apparently, it was also important to Renata Galasso to remember his time spent in the Windy City, as illustrated by the no-frills oddball set co-produced by her and TCMA, from 1977-84.

Personally, I think Cubbie blue suits Mr. Kiner, even if the photo is black and white.

The Cubs portion of Kin's bubble mailer closes out with a pair of more modern releases - Kris Bryant on a 2017 Topps Award Winners insert, which honors his winning the NL MVP award last season (a retail exclusive set) and "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks via 2000 Upper Deck Legends.  These are a pair of awfully significant player in franchise history, both of which are new to my collection.

In regards to the latter card, this shiny beauty has a blurb on the bottom which reads, "one of the most-loved sports figures in Chicago history, "Mr. Cub" earned that honor with his demeanor and potent bat that accounted for over 500 homers."  First off, that write-up couldn't possibly more true.  Second of all, I love the picture that they chose, which shows off the road uniform (with the underline) in use throughout the 1950's.  Third, why is the legendary shortstop hoarding so many bats?!

Like I said, that did it for the Cubs portion of Kin's mailing; however, he was far from done:

Ooooooo - we're breaking out the big guns now.

Mr. Kinsley is on record as, how shall I say, strongly disliking the Cubs.  That said, some common ground that we have been able to bond over is the shine we've taken to the Chicago Blackhawks.  I'm assuming that this is a double for Kin, seeing as this /225, two-color jersey swatch of short-term Hawk Steve Sullivan is a dandy.  In fact, it's actually the very first hit to make it into my burgeoning Blackhawks All-Time Roster Collection.  If the mailer emptied here, I would have already considered it to be an overly generous housewarming gift; of course, Kin appears to have wanted my jaw to literally hit the ground.

If that was the case, then Kinsley certainly succeeded - here we have my first AND second certified autographs to be inserted into my BATRC.  Both of these bad boys hail from the 2001/2002 edition of the Be A Player Signature Series.  

Steve McCarthy clearly missed the point of the translucent white box at the bottom of the card, instead making use of pretty much the whole card to ink his John Hancock.  While Mr. McCarthy is not entirely new to my collection, this signed single easily boots his previous, plain entry into my Blackhawks binder.  On the other hand, Reto Van Arx was a name entirely new to said binder, making his inclusion a double-whammy of awesome, even if his entirely NHL career amounted to 19 games, with a +/- rating of -4 during the 2001-02 campaign.  With that in mind, let me just take a moment to give my appreciation to the current Blackhawks administration and the program that they've built.

Mr Kinsley positively kicked ass on this exceptionally generous gift, as he always does in our little exchanges - my apartment feels a little more welcoming already.  Kin, I'll make sure to put together an appropriate return package in the very near future.

I might have to move a few more times if this dude is always so doting with his housewarming gifts! 

A Tisket, a Tasket - There's Cards in This Basket

As I mentioned in my post about postage stamps, Hobby Lobby, and the Sex Pistols this past weekend, my wife and I may be in our mid-to-late 20's, but we still exchange Easter baskets with each other.  After all, we both enjoy putting together gifts and we're also both giant, overgrown children - so, it's only natural that we continue this childhood tradition.  What can I say?

So, come Easter Sunday, I whipped up a basket filled to the brim with rubber ducks, picture frames, Reese's products and Peeps (all of her favorite things), hid it under the sink, and made her search it out.  At the same time, she had also hidden a basket of goodies with my name on it; thus, we were both on the hunt for some holiday treasures.  Hopefully, she was satisfied with what I put together for her because she absolutely knocked it out of the park with what she assembled for me:

T-Shirts, Cosmic Brownies, Tootsie Rolls, new flip-flops to replace the same pair I've had since 2007, a spiffy polo for work wearing and other assorted goodies.  Needless to say, I was absolutely ecstatic with the bounty that turned up inside the dresser.  Of course, being the cardboard addict that I am, the first thing that I noticed in this basket full of awesome was a hanger box full of baseball cards.  I guess that's just how my eyes are wired:

Kris Bryant bid me a happy Easter before I ripped into this packaging.  He also wished me good luck with my pack rip - hopefully the hanger would be as bountiful as the Easter basket itself proved to be.

As my wife dug into her giant Reese's egg, I tore into this 72-card sampling of 2017 Topps Series One with Easter cheer:

Not a ton of Cubs or Cubs-related content, but there was a few cards to be had.  Unfortunately, all except the Geovany Soto "Cubs of a Different Color" exhibit were doubles in my collection and, boy oh boy, does Geo look proud of himself.  Although, admittedly, I don't recall offhand what cards I actually still need from this particular product.  Nevertheless, Cubs are always better than no Cubs, even if they're doubles.

As for the rest of the notable cards from the hanger:

Here are the inserts which came within, of which there were a few, including the Target exclusive "Fielding Awards" (Keuchel, Arenado, Kinsler) which the pack boasts of on the front.  I had to do double take on the Luis Coronel "First Pitch" single, as he's so well-dressed for the part, that I didn't realize that he wasn't an actual pitcher on an actual base card.  Apparently, Mr. Coronel is a popular singer of regional Mexican music and not an MLB hurler.

Also, in the bottom right, we have the obligatory buyback - this one featuring Brewer Bill Schroeder from 1987.  See, Tony L.?  There ARE Brewers in Topps 2017 products. *sarcasm alert*

Speaking of 1987 Topps, I also walked away with another tribute to the wood panel set (from the 30th Anniversary checklist) this one re-imagining Don Mattingly's card from the force-fed set.  As tired as I am of the tributes to this set, I cannot deny that this is a wonderful dugout shot of the mustachioed "Donnie Baseball."

This wrapped up the hanger box of 2017 Topps.  If you see anything you like, just let me know - it's all up for trade.

After we wrapped our personal Easter celebration and we cleaned up the Reese's and Cosmic Brownie wrappers which were already strewn about our floor, the wife and I made our way over to my parents to celebrate the holiday with that side of the family.  Apparently, I got my love of gifting from my mother, as she also prepped a pair of Easter baskets for the both of us.  This was quite a lovely surprise.

Nestled among even more snack foods like pistachios, Riesen's chocolate caramels, and a large package of Twix bars, were some treats for the eyes.  Apparently, my mother went so far as to actually visit my favorite LCS and pick up a few items for my collection, including this baggie full of miscellaneous former Cubs.  It certainly doesn't hurt that it starts off with Ryne Sandberg - that has to be a good portend of what's to come.  I guess my mothers knows me pretty well.

The baggie was full of mostly junk wax era singles, plus some cards from the mid-to-late 90's and the early aughts, my favorites of which are showcased above.  One of these is not like the others... can you figure out which one?

Here we have Derrek Lee showing off his Gold Glove-winning defense ('07 Fleer Ultra), Eddie Zambrano mid-throw ('95 Score), a Carlos Marmol All-Star commemoration ('08 Topps), a rookie card of the eccentric Turk Wendell ('95 Score) and Sammy Sosa beaming at the bat rack ('96 Donruss).

 
Then we have Willie Smith, via a minor league ProCards single, posing for the camera.  However, the AAA uniform he's sporting is not that of the Iowa Cubs, it's a Columbus Clippers get up.  This is a switcheroo that this LCS proprietor makes fairly often, as the "C" of the Clippers cap looks quite similar to the iconic Cubs "C" at a quick glance.  Oopsy daisy.  For the record, Smith briefly reached the Majors in 1994, with the Cardinals, for eight games.

That concluded the repack baggie of past Cubs; however, that was not the end of the Easter baseball card madness.  In fact, my mother went ahead and brought out the big guns for this basket case.  As a special holiday treat, she also selected a pair of vintage Hall of Famers from the glass display case in the front of the store (a selection of cards from which this cheapskate almost never picks from).  She choose well, going with a pair of familial favorites going back to my grandfather, to put an exclamation point on this Easter holiday:

 

Hot damn - a 1970 Kellogg's Ernie Banks and a 1968 Topps TSN All-Star Ron Santo!  My jaw was literally agape when I saw these, tucked away next to the Twix bars and stored safely in top-loaders.  In fact, the Kellogg's card of Mr. Cub is my very first vintage Banks, as playing day cards of the franchise icon hold an imposing premium in the Chicago market.  The same can be said for vintage Santos as well, even when they come in burlap.

It's a good thing I found these last, as there's no way that these could have been followed up.

In short, I had one heckuva Easter and ended up with a surprising amount of cardboard, in addition to my traditional junk food.  The only thing that could have made the holiday better was if I also got a bag of licorice jelly beans.  The rest of the world might hate them, but they are by far my favorite pieces of Easter candy.  That said, the oddball Banks and the All-Star Santo are pretty swell consolation prizes.  My wife and my mother are pretty awesome.

Did anyone else find any baseball cards in their Easter baskets on Sunday?

No - Not THAT Drake

Ain't no "Hotline Bling" in this post.

Cheap vintage will always bring a smile to my face.  Especially cheap Cubs vintage.  Especially, especially, cheap Cubs vintage in today's market and my geographical location, where anything Northside baseball-related is priced like fine art.  Anything with a red "C" on it has a tendency to be over-valued in these parts, especially if it's older than the "junk wax era."

But, sometimes gems slip through the cracks.

When I'm bored, I like to search "Cubs card" on Ebay and sort the listings by "lowest price + shipping," just to see what kind of deals are to be had.  Usually, it's a bunch of 1990 Donruss or '89 Topps singles for spare change; but, every now and again, something actually catches my eye.  In a slew of "overproduction era" kindling, a 1957 Topps single definitely stands out from the crowd:

However, with an opening bid of 69 cents (hehe), free shipping, and a couple of days left on the listing, I didn't truly expect this Solly Drake artifact to stay at such a bargain price.  Nevertheless, I threw in the opening bid because, hey, you never know.  That's the story of how I ended up with this lovely, 60-year old stadium shot for less than my LCS charges for 2017 base cards.  I'll take that everytime.

Even better, this card was needed for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, seeing as it's Solly's only card in Cubbie Blue and he had been previously represented in that binder in a different shade of blue:

Dodger Blue is fine and dandy, but Cubbie Blue always takes priority in my collection.  This miscut, off center, 1959 piece of vintage will shift nicely into my "Cubs of a Different Color" collection.  That binder is made up of eventual Windy City ballplayers shown during stints with other clubs.

Drake didn't spend a lot of time with the Trolley Dodgers - just nine games during the '59 campaign, before being purchased by the Phillies and spending the rest of the year in Philadelphia.  Getting an extended audition as an extra outfielder in the City of Brotherly Love, Drake batted an anemic .145 in 70 PA's, punching his ticket back to the minor leagues, where he toiled until 1961.

But, before all of that, he got his pro baseball career started with the Chicago Cubs organization.

Solly signing autographs during his brief stint playing in the LA Coliseum, image courtesy of History For Sale

Signed as an amateur free agent out of his native Little Rock, AR in March of 1951, Solly slowly rose through the ranks and, after two years of military service thrown in, reached the Bigs for the first time in 1957.  That same year, his hometown was all over the news, as the Little Rock Nine made history by bravely enrolling at and attending the all-white Little Rock Central High School.  It was a tumultuous time for Drake's hometown, and race relations in general; but, while he was away in Chicago, playing for a team that was notably slow to integrate, I have little doubt that the Cubs outfielder was paying attention.

As for his baseball acumen, after breaking camp with the Big League club, Solly saw action in 65 contests that season as the fifth outfielder, posting a decent .256 batting average in 215 AB's, with an additional 23 walks showing his keen eye at the dish.  Furthermore, he only made one error in the field, making for an "above replacement level" debut (0.4 WAR).  Not bad for his first trial.

The Cubs, however, were not all that impressed and Drake found himself sold to "Dem Bums" just in time for their first season in LA.  Having to prove himself in a new organization, all over again, he spent the entire year back in the bush leagues and we already know what happened from there.  Post-baseball, Drake attended Philander Smith College, back in Little Rock, graduating with a double major in psychology and physical education.  Eventually, Solly returned to LA to serve as the Senior Pastor of the Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, until his retirement last year.

Also, just one year after Solly completed his Major League career, his little brother Sammy debuted in the Bigs for the same club that gave the elder his first break.  Fun fact - the Drake brothers were the very first pair of African-American brothers to play in the Major Leagues.  It's just too bad that their careers just missed overlapping and they didn't get the chance to play each other.

Like Solly, Sammy's MLB time was brief - 28 games for the 1960-61 Cubs and 25 games for the infamous inaugural season of the Mets.  Nevertheless, he was able to find his way onto a Topps card - the '62 single that you see above - in a Cubs uniform, which also resides in my CATRC.  However, the expansion draft selection is listed as a Met.  So, does this count as a (well-loved) Cubs card??  This is quite the quandary.

Fixed it!

All in all, that's the story of how I ended up with a lovely 60 year old piece of cardboard for less than the price of a vending machine can of pop, which also served as a coveted "Cubgrade" for my main collection.  Also, as an added bonus, you got the story of the player depicted and were clued into my dilemma associated with his brother's only contemporary baseball card.  Consider this my St. Patrick's day gift to the cardsphere.

Cheap vintage is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

The Hands of Time

The year was 1969 - Richard Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States, the Beatles gave their last live performance, four days of music in Woodstock, NY changed popular culture, man crossed space and stepped foot on the moon, Sesame Street hit the airwaves for the very first time, and the Chicago Cubs looked like a cinch to end their World Series drought.  Ultimately, in a year of historic developments and change, the Lovable Losers remained the same, faltering in September.  "The Miracle Mets" broke the hearts of Cubs fans around the Windy City, despite the best efforts of one Bill Hands.

Bill Hands just so happened to have the best year of his career during that infamous 1969 season.  The young workhorse won 20 games for the seemingly unstoppable squad, to go along with a sterling 2.49 ERA, 41 starts and 300 innings of toil.  In terms of WAR (8.4), only three pitchers have had a single better season than the man they called "Froggy," since then.  The great Fergie Jenkins may have been the de facto ace, but Bill Hands truly led the staff that year.

Hands had been acquired from the San Francisco Giants prior to the 1966 season as part of a long-overdue rebuild.  The competitive Northside squads of the late 60's and early 70's were built much the same way as the current Cubs machine, shrewd trades and a youth movement.  In exchange for aging reliever Lindy McDaniel and veteran outfielder Don Landrum, the Chicago franchise was able to acquire two core pieces of the "69-era" Cubs, in one fell swoop - Hands, as well as catcher Randy Hundley. 

Two of the other key components in that deal of December, 1965.

Afforded the opportunity to develop on a team with openings to claim, Hands worked out of the bullpen and rotation as a swingman for the next two seasons, where he impressed manager Leo Durocher enough to get a full-time starting assignment by 1968.  That season, the man with a little extra "hop" on his fastball blossomed, recording 16 wins with a 2.89 ERA.  Little did the National League know, at the time, "Froggy" was just hinting at the masterpiece season to come.

After that fateful collapse in 1969 and an 18-win campaign in 1970, Bill continued to provide a steady influence on the Cubs starting four.  Although he was never quite as sterling, he was always good for at least 11 wins and an ERA in the mid-threes, through 1972.  That's a top-notch, middle of the rotation arm, right there.

Unfortunately, while those Cubs teams of the late 60's, early 70's were in contention, they were never able to get over the divisional hump.  As a result, Wrigley ownership became frustrated with their club and began to jettison their veterans, especially those associated with the chokers of '69.

In November of 1972, the Cubs decided that a retooling of their pitching staff was necessary, swapping the consistent Hands and swingman Joe Decker with the Minnesota Twins for a bullpen arm in Dave LaRoche.  That's the same LaRoche who's sons Adam and Andy both eventually played Major League Baseball and who's grandson became the most controversial 14 year old in Chicgao sports history.

Dave was a 24 year old coming off of a 62 appearance season with a 2.83 ERA, who appeared to be on the rise.  Well, during his first season in Chicago, his ERA inflated over three full points and 1974 wasn't much better.  Meanwhile, in "The North Star State," mercurial and famously cheap owner Calvin Griffith immediately cut Bill Hands' pay by $4,500 and by spring of '73, "Froggy" was already demanding a hop-along trade.  Unfortunately for him, his request was roundly ignored and Hands performance suffered, eventually being claimed off waivers by Texas late in 1974.  He was done with professional baseball after one more mediocre season with the Rangers.

After his playing days had come to a close, Bill decided to return to his roots, opening up a gas station in Orient, NY, where patrons and locals would congregate to discuss the National Pastime and town happenings.  Contemporaries describe that atmosphere as being very similar to Mayberry (of Andy Griffith show fame), where townsfolk would gather to discuss the local goings-on with Gomer Pyle at Wally's Filling Station.

Furthermore, the moundsman maintained a rooting interest in his former club, often wearing a faded, blue Cubs cap while at work.  When the 2016 Cubs broke the curse of the Billy Goat last season, a longtime friend noted that Bill was absolutely ecstatic.  I think we can all agree that it's quite fortunate that "Froggy" was around to see it finally happen, to see the ghosts of '69 finally excised.

Sadly,  Bill Hands died Thursday in an Orlando, Fla., hospital after a brief illness. He was 76.

1969 was a year of cultural and political change and so much more has drastically changed throughout the ensuing 48 years.  However, one thing remains constant - time marches on and waits for no man, including our heroes of baseball past. 

RIP, Bill.

A Difficult Man to Find

You know that feeling when you FINALLY land a card that you've been chasing forever?  I had felt like a greyhound perpetually in pursuit of a plastic, rabbit lure, going around in circles but never able to catch the bait.  Plus, I don't enjoy going around in circles either, as I have a tendency to get motion sickness and/or vertigo with the slightest provocation.

Alas, no longer must I give chase.  I've, at long last, captured my prey:  a 1967 Topps semi-high number (#489), featuring journeyman outfielder, Doug Clemens.

 

Landing this vintage need at a reasonable price was a bear of a task, one that I did not expect to take me over a year.  However, it is now mine and Clemens is resting comfortably in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.

As you can see from the above scan, there are some creases , rounded corners and some sort of black defect on the upper right; nevertheless, the price was right and my legs were tired from the chase.

I forgot to scan the back, but let's just swipe a picture from the internet:

 

As you can see, Doug was a Cub from 1964-65, blowing into the Windy City midway through the '64 campaign in a fairly significant transaction.  Upon his arrival, he was given the most playing time he'd ever see in his mostly-spare part career, earning the starting right fielder job in 1965.  Unfortunately for the respected pinch-hitter, his .221 batting average in 122 games did little to impress the Cubs brass.

Coincidentally, the Northsiders traded a pretty decent right fielder in order to secure the services of  Mr. Clemens.  More on that in a minute.

 

 Clemens, with the Cubs, circa 1965

Additionally, Doug wasn't particularly happy to pack his bags for Chicago, to begin with.  You see,  he was upset by the trade, mostly exacerbated by having to watch from the sidelines as several of his former mates in the Cardinals’ farm system, like Tim McCarver and Ray Sadecki) play in the 1964 World Series.  I suppose I'd be a touch bitter too - the Cubs of the mid-60's weren't too good.

Anyway, who was this player that the Cubs jettisoned to St. Louis for Clemens, Bobby Shantz and *hint* *hint*, Ernie Broglio...

Yup, that's right, Doug Clemens was intended to be the replacement in right for future Hall of Famer Lou Brock.  Also acquired in the infamous deal were the perpetually injured Ernie Broglio and reliever Bobby Shantz (who'd be traded again before '64 was out).  Just mentioning this trade triggers a subconscious gag reflex in Cubs fans everywhere.

Back to Clemens, after flubbing his opportunity to be an everyday player in Chicago, he was traded to his hometown Philadelphia Phillies (as seen in my coveted card) and hung around their bench as an extra, extra fly-chaser through the 1968 season.

So, Clemens might be a reminder of a not-so-great moment in Cubs lore; that said, a Cub is a Cub and must be included in my comprehensive CATRC binder.  This brings us back to the semi-high number I won on Ebay:

Somewhat surprisingly, after a career in the Big Leagues which lasted for nearly a decade, Doug only had one mainstream baseball card issued with his likeness - the card you see above.  As far as oddballs go, there is his 1967 Coke bottle cap appearance and a 1978 Reading Remembers issue; but, a bottle cap is not a card and the retrospective Reading MiLB set is almost a complete unknown.  Thus, I figured the 1967 Topps base card was the rational and simple target.

After sorting through stacks and stacks of '67s at every card show I've ever attended, this single just never reared it's head.  My LCS's were of no help either and the prices on COMC and Ebay were always way too inflated for my taste.  I never thought this would be such an issue.

These prices may be fair, but I'm not one to spend more than $10 on one card

As the old saying goes, patience is a virtue, and after a full year and some change of this card being a declared target, I was able to cross it off of my list for a pair of Washingtons and free shipping on Ebay.  Thank goodness!  I guess those semi-high numbers are harder to track down than I thought.

Another name off of the list.

Now, I'm left to wonder - was this experience unique?  Have you ever ended up searching for a seemingly common or non-descript card for a surprisingly long time?  Please feel free to tell me about your experience in the comments - I'd love to hear about it.

In the meantime, it's on to the next chase for me - Frank Secory, you and your '55 Bowman are mine!

Sticker Price

A little while ago, I posted on this here blog about one of those ubiquitous, quarter vending machines, found in the front of retail establishments across the United States.  This one, like countless others, was stuffed to the gills with stickers; however, unlike those others, these stickers weren't unicorns for your trapper keeper or smart-alecky sayings to affix to your locker door.  These stickers featured baseball team logos and were about postcard sized - perfect oddball card characteristics, right?

Anyway, I bring all of this up because Mr. Smith, of ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession fame, was intrigued by the Giants sticker that I received for my twenty-five cent pieces.  Seeing as I care not for the San Franciscans, I was more than happy to send the adhesive his way, as part of our very first trade.  Hooray for new trading partners!

In exchange for the vending goody and some bonus Gigantes cards that stocked my trade box, Mr. Smith was kind enough to send my a bounty of items, which (ironically) made me quite happy that I pulled that SanFran sticker instead of a Cubbie insignia:

First off, a pair of 80's oddballs featuring two of the franchise's most iconic faces - Hall of Famers Ryne "Ryno" Sandberg and "Sweet Swingin'" Billy Williams.  Retail oddballs are always a welcome sight, especially when they're brand new to me - that "Ryno" is the very first Quaker Oats card to make it's way into my clutches.  Plus, I LOVE those chewy granola bars.

Also, another pleasant sight to see in a trade package are Leafs (Leaves?).  The Canadian manufacturer always gives 80's, junk wax-era singles a little character.  In fact, this "Zonk" from 1987 will be sliding into my CATRC binder as Moreland's representation, seeing as a foreign card is always more  intriguing than your basic base card.

Meanwhile, as a kid who grew up in the 90's/00's, Sammy Sosa was THE MAN.  Therefore, "Slammin' Sammy" cards will never be rejected in this household.

On that note, neither will cards of, the one and only, Mark "Amazing" Grace; while Sammy and his tape measure blasts were always entertaining, it was Gracie and his consistent ability to get on base that was my true favorite baseball player, as a child.

The 1999 Upper Deck single and all of it's shiny foil might be a dupe for me (I can't quite recall); that said, it offers a decent view of the Harry Caray memorial patch worn by the club throughout the '98 season.  On the other hand, that Topps 3D is entirely new to me and features a nice shot of the perennial Gold Glover plying his trade.

All of this Cubs content was more than satisfying and the Northsiders are my #1 club; but, as it turns out, the stars of Smith's envelope were from a different sport all together:

  Holy...

 

  ...vintage football...

...Batman!!!

 My Bears All-Time Roster Collection is number three on my collecting priorities and is a fairly new endeavor, comparatively.  As such, vintage gridiron cards don't end up in my clutches very often, as that money is usually funneled into my Cubs collations.  

I cannot overstate just how ecstatic I am to see fifties football pop out of this PWE, especially short-termers, like Jeter and Watkins, and a franchise icon, like Casares.  In fact, I do believe that these three are now tied for the oldest cards in my Bears collection.  Boo-yah!

Also, let's be real, as a Bears fan, focusing on the past is a much more pleasant endeavor than the present.

My thanks go out to ARPSmith, for crafting such a satisfying trade package in exchange for my vending machine sticker and Giants odds n' ends.  The compensation was more than adquate, far exceeding the "sticker price."  Ba-dum-tiss.

 

Here's hoping that this is the start of a wonderful trade partnership!

Keep Your Willie Warm

To say the least, it's been awfully cold in the Chicagoland area for the past few days.  In fact, at one point yesterday morning, it was colder in the Windy City than it was on the surface of the red planet Mars... holy Chi-beria, Batman!  In contrast, later today, the mercury is due to rise all the way up to the low thirties; it's going to feel like a summer heat wave.  I think I'll run shirtless this afternoon.

This recent warmup did nothing to help the latest trade envelope to arrive in the Wrigley Roster Jenga mailbox, which was deposited in the nearly frozen over receptacle yesterday afternoon.  This chilled PWE came courtesy of the blogosphere's dime box king and fellow Chicago Eskimo, Nick, and was actually cold to the touch.

Let me just take this opportunity to remind all the guys reading this blog - it's essential that you keep your Willie warm:

I was talking about Willie Stargell, Forever stamps, obviously.  Get your mind out of the gutter, folks.

In what has become something of a trademark for Nick's mailings, a baseball-themed stamp was affixed to the outside of the envelope; so, I knew who was generous enough to gift me with some cards without even having to see the return address. 

Another detail that I could easily pick out was that poor Pops was chilled to the bone... and not just because I too was standing outside.  Rather, it was so frigid out there, that the first couple of cards to fall out of the envelope were quite clearly physically affected by the temperatures:

Just look at that, we have snowflakes on the surface of this Jason Hammel and Ian Happ has actually frozen over... the horror!!......

What's that?  They're SUPPOSED to be like that?  Oh *ahem* well, then...

The Hammel comes from Topps' recent gimmick of a parallel set - Topps Holiday.  I actually enjoy this gimmick, as the snowflakes look better than the smoke seen on the normal design. Meanwhile, we also have a "ice" parallel of Ian Happ's 2016 Bowman Platinum card, which were exclusive to value boxes.  It's super shiny and will look great in my CATRC binder when Happ makes the ultimate ascent.

Speaking of shimmery Bowmans, here's the Vogelmonster via the 2013 edition of Bowman Chrome. Vogelbach appeared on a "Risin' Thru the Ranks" insert then; but, now, he appears to have finished rising, as he's penciled in as a starter for Seattle next season.  Shame they couldn't find room for his potent bat in Chi-Town.

Along with the former Cubs prospect, we have another guy who never actually suited up with the Cubs in Warren G.  I've never been much a rap aficionado, but I was, at least, tangentially aware of the "Regulate" songster.  I think we can all agree that the First Pitch insert set has been a fun one.

Things must be warming up with this PWE, judging by the wispy smoke rising from the corners of Mr. G there...

In fact, it's starting to get hot - red hot, in fact.  "Red hot," as in, red parallels.

Neither one of these players amounted to much in the Second City, although Randy Wells did have a couple of decent seasons as a mid-rotation, innings-eater.  No matter, next to blue, red is the second best color for Cubs parallels, definitively.  After all, it is the franchise's secondary color.  In short, both of these Target exclusives will look quite sharp in my binders.

I'm all out of temperature-related puns and jokes.  However, although this envelope was shipped first-class, it appears as though Mark Prior is all about that express delivery; at least, that's what this 2003 Upper Deck MVP subset indicates.  Neat multi-exposure shot!

Ernie Banks certainly looks impressed by Mark's delivery, as we Chicagoans all were circa 2003 *sigh*.  At any rate, a new beaming Banks is always a welcome sight.  Seriously, that might be the most infectious smile in human history.

OOOOOOOOOO - turn of the millennia-era Pacific!  You know what that means, bright colors, busy designs and deep checklists.

Jose Nieves is shown floating in a big, Cubbie-blue purgatory on this 2000 Paramount single and you all know how I feel about blue Cubs cards.  Along with the former shortstop prospect, we have Tyler Houston, starting catcher for the 1998 NL Wild Card winners.  I opened a few packs of Online back in the day and I remember it seemed so high-tech and futuristic to have URLs on baseball cards... now it just looks dated and silly, especially when written out in full like that.  Where's our Twitter handle and hash tag cards?

What http://www.cubs.com looked like about the time this card was produced.

Of course, I like the dated nature of the card - it almost feels like a time capsule to my childhood.  The design is exceptionally eye-catching too.  Houston - we don't have a problem.

Speaking of dated and time capsules and such, here's a pair of cards that are far older than the late 1990's:

Vintage is always welcome in this house, especially when both cards present conditional upgrades.  My original Hobbie had some serious surface scuffing while my Tappe was more off-center than your average politician.  Score!

Also, I feel like the "C" on Tappe's helmet is way too big to be real - it looks airbrushed, to me.  However, the light-hitting, back-up catcher never played with the any other team in the Bigs.  Perhaps the picture dates from his time in Los Angeles or some other minor league stop?  Perhaps it was originally blank?  The world may never know for sure.

There was one more vintage card included in Nick's gift, one that presented another quirk:

Okay - I love everything about this card.  Vintage, oddball, mustachioed Bruce Sutter, powder blue pajama pinstripes, my favorite edition of Kellogg's cards (they're standard size), no bowing or cracking... this card is downright perfect.

Well, except for one, tiny detail - this isn't a Cubs card.  At least, not technically.

Don't believe me?  Flip it over:

Ah ha - this card came out right after the Hall of Famer's controversial trade to the Cardinals... cheapskate Wrigleys...

I didn't notice this little detail until I was sitting down to draft this post.  Obviously the good people at Kellogg's didn't have an image of the split-finger master in Cardinals duds yet and, since no team affiliation is listed on the front, there's no way to tell he's switched teams without turning it over.  While this card might technically be classified as a Cardinals card, it's still a Cubs piece in my mind - a picture is worth a thousand words.

Plus, it's still a super card, regardless.

Much like Ralston Purina, that trade was for the dogs...

And so, we've reached the end of this surprise PWE.  Like the frozen Chicago tundra, everything in the envelope was really cool, though in a much different way.

Thank you, Nick!  I'll make sure to properly return the favor, as soon as possible - I've had a nice bunch of cards starting to build up with your name on it.  Nothing as captivating as your Christmas Ichiro or vintage Sadarahu Oh and Mickey Mantle though - holy moly!  That kind of generosity will keep you warm, no matter how arctic circle-like it is outside.

That said, you should probably still wear a hot, gloves, scarf and parka, should you decide to venture outside - just in case.