While You Were Away...

During the nearly three months that I stepped away from baseball, baseball cards, and baseball card blogging, the Cubs tried desperately to stay in the deceivingly tight National League Central chase.  I say "deceivingly" because although the North Siders were well within striking distance of the crown until nearly the bitter end, it never truly felt as though they stood a chance in coming out on top.  The team simply felt flat and flawed while the Cardinals worked their devil magic and the Brewers went on yet another unstoppable September bender.  Of course, that doesn't mean that the club simply mailed it in and gave up the fight; au contraire, they made some roster moves down the stretch that screamed "go home, fat lady!"

Since most of my collecting and writing interests are based around my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, I will now take this opportunity to show off the cards that were added to my marquee binder as a result of these desperation moves, even if it took me until the last few days to finally get around to physically doing so.  Again, I was on a baseball vacation when all of this went down and the shit hit the proverbial fan at Wrigley this September.

Let's begin with the biggy.  When both of the Cubs starting middle infielders (Javy Baez and *blech* Addison Russell) went down with separate (eventual) season-ending injuries on back to back days in the early days of September, Theo Epstein and Co. were forced to get creative with their roster construction.  Especially seeing as AAA shortstop, Dixon Machado, was already on the MiLB disabled list.  With few realistic options, a "go big or go home" type move was necessary:

Thus, the Cubs' number one prospect, Nico Hoerner became the first member of the 2018 draft class to reach the Major Leagues, barely a year after he was selected in the first round the previous June.  For a franchise that even made Kris Bryant go year-to-year and rung-to-rung on the minor league ladder, this was an exceptionally rapid turnaround.  Of course, for the Cubs, it was either go against their normal development schedule or officially wave the white flag; I must say, it was a pleasantly surprising commitment to competing.

Nico did his part to try and save 2019 - slashing .282/.305/.436 in 82 PA's as the sudden starting shortstop - alas, it was not to be.  However, the move gave us Cubs fans a glimmer of hope and me, specifically, the chance to add this eye-catching blue 2019 Bowman parallel (#'ed /499) to my CATRC.

Welcome to the binder, Mr. Hoerner - the 2020 season will be an interesting one to monitor for you.  Will you force the issue through Spring Training and stick on the MLB roster or will you be placed back on your previous developmental training?  We shall see.

Next up, we have another story of a guy making the best of a bad situation.  

Much has been made about the bevy of talent which came from the 2011 draft - after all, names like Baez, Francisco Lindor, Gerrit Cole, George Springer, Trevor Story, Blake Snell and many others make up the class of '11.  However, that year's second overall selection was one that several pundits thought might be better than them all; a highly-polished college starter with a ace-caliber repertoire.  That man's name was Danny Hultzen:

Unfortunately, years of injuries, arm troubles, and several surgeries kept him from making the Majors.  In fact, by 2017, Danny was completely out of professional baseball and seemed like just another blue chip bust.

However, the Cubs coaxed Hultzen out of semi-retirement in 2018 and, after a full year of rest and recovery, the Chicago front office saw enough in his stuff to promote him straight to AAA-Iowa after just 8 appearances for the Mesa rookie league team.  Then, the lefty made mince meat out of his competition in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League in 2019 (1.26 ERA in 14.1 IP with 0 HR's), which was impressive enough to finally earn him that long awaited call-up to the Show for September.  

During a Cubs season dominated by negatives, Danny's comeback was a welcome bit of wholesome fresh air.  Also, for the record, Hultzen didn't give up a single run in his 3.1 innings of work and looks to have a tangible shot at grabbing a lefty pen role for 2020.  Welcome to the Windy City Danny and, more importantly (to me, anyway) welcome to my CATRC!

Luckily for me, I just so happened to find one of Danny's first mass-produced baseball cards - the 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects single that you see above - in a discount box at my LCS.  I don't think the owner had realized that Hultzen had become Cubs property and, thus, no home team upcharge!

Lastly, the Cubs did make one further addition to the roster during my blackout period; however, tragically I do not currently have a card with which to represent him in my most treasured binder.  In fact, the young hurler doesn't have a single mainstream baseball card to his name.  Poor me, right? 

Showing just how desperate the team was for a jolt, this pitcher wasn't first called upon at the Big League level (in Chi-Town, that is) until September 1st, he still managed to make 14 appearances before the end of the season.  After showing some early success with his gravity-defying hook, Joe Maddon through this rookie right into the blazing (dumpster) fire.  I mean, he didn't have many reliable options to call upon at this point.

At any rate, the Cubs got a good look at the hulking, six foot nine (tallest Cubs pitcher ever?) lefty that they got from the Padres in the Carl Edwards, Jr. trade.  Even if he was thrust into the thick of things rather quickly, it may have given him an inside track in next year's crowded bullpen picture.  

Speaking of inside tracks, if anyone has such an inroad to acquiring one of Brad's few minor league, team issued cards, I sure would be appreciative if you'd let me know.  Like I said, Wieck has no mass-produced cards on his ledger yet, so these SGA's are my only option, at this juncture.  The 2014 seventh rounder has simply never caught the eyes of the folks at Bowman, Leaf, Onyx, Panini Prizm, etc.  With the lack of love relievers get, in general, who knows if he'll even get an MLB card, in the long run?

With that, I have now covered all the roster moves that I missed out on during my time away from baseball and blogging.  It feels quite nice to be caught up, in that regard, especially with transaction season being just days away... potentially, I could have been buried in an avalanche of tardy CATRC moves.

On that note, here's hoping that there is tidal wave of Cubs roster moves coming up in the next couple of winter months.  After two painful September collapses in a row, I think this team needs something of an overhaul if they want to reasonably compete in 2020.  At least, a new center fielder, second baseman, a starting pitcher or two, and perhaps more still should be on the "to-get" list.

Nevertheless, at this moment, I'm all caught up.  Thanks for digesting my overly tardy ranting and rambling!

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High Numbers - Doing Update's Job

One of the last purchases that I made before my blogging blackout was a team set; to be more specific, I pulled the trigger on a Cubs team set from Topps Heritage High Numbers.  Usually, this particular set - which essentially serves the same purpose for the Heritage line as Update does for Flagship -  is one of the releases which most perks my interest.  I can say, unequivocally, that the 2019 edition is not an exception; in fact, it may be the highlight of the year for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

Unfortunately, this year's aforementioned Update release was a massive dud to this Cubs fan.  It certainly did not do much to "update" the 2019 Cubs Flagship team set, which is it's only true purpose in existing.  For one, there were only four cards featuring the Chicagoans in the checklist, which doesn't leave much space for mid-season acquisitions and rookie call-ups.  In fact, only one - just one - of those cards featured a player who hadn't already been a Cub for at least a year (Craig Kimbrel).  Two are useless All-Star cards, which should be some sort of insert rather than taking up valuable space in the base checklist.  Some "Update," huh?

Luckily for me, the pendulum swung in the complete opposite direction when it come to HHN:

Of the five cards that you see above, four had never been graced with a proper Cubs card before Hi-#'s hit shelves in August and all four of those pasteboards were definite needs for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Thus, I was absolutely elated when I first saw the checklist on Beckett's website and made sure to not to dilly dally, purchasing a complete team set as soon as I found one in my price range instead of beating around the bush with pack purchases.

Vic Caratini, the Cubs' capable backup backstop, was the one player who had been featured on a handful of previous Windy City-centric cards.  Meanwhile, the following were Cubs firsts:

All I can say about our first example is that it's about time.  Brandon Kintzler was acquired at the trading deadline LAST year and has been a key component of the Chicago bullpen since that July 2018 transaction.  Of course, relievers get very little love from the old bubblegum company and so it took until now for Mr. Kintzler to get his due.  Just in time for him to leave the team in free agency, of course...

Nevertheless, I'm not going to complain about the opportunity to update his card, though the honor might have come later than it should have for Brandon.  He looks much better in Cubbie Blue than Brewer Blue, in my totally unbiased and on the level opinion.

Brad Brach was a slightly more timely selection for the HHN checklist, being an offseason acquisition.  Of course, you'd think the winter signings would be more prudent for Series Two fodder, but what do I know?  After all, by the time these cards hit the shelves, Brach had already hit the pavement, having been DFA'ed by the Cubbies after posting an ERA over six in 42 appearances.  Obviously, Brad's Cubs career isn't one that we Cubs faithful will remember fondly; but, now we can at least remember it properly with this single.

Our next subject was another one of the Cubs' winter free agent acquisitions and, like Brach (and pretty much all of the other players signed that offseason) was an utter flop:

I guess that's we get for inking an ex-Cardinal; that St. Louis pixie dust wears off quite quickly after they move on.

Descalso was brought in to be a swiss army knife infielder with an above average bat, but ended up well under the Mendoza line.  Along with Addison Russell (boo, hiss), this swing and miss was a major reason the Cubs had such a black hole at second base in 2019.  At least Daniel isn't a bag of excrement though, so he has that going for him; he seems like a pretty decent dude.  For that reason, I'm happy to see him pop up here, even if his Cubs career has been less than stellar so far.

Finally, we have the biggest name of the bunch:

Craig Kimbrel was a knee-jerk signing to try and save the flailing 2019 Chicago Cubs and their dumpster fire of a bullpen.  Obviously, he did not save the pen when he was signed mid-season and was, in fact, just gasoline poured on the blaze.  He allowed nine homers in just over 20 innings and had an ERA over 6.50 in that same time... which is, by far, the worst the potential Hall of Famer has ever looked on a Major League mound.  Appropriately, Kimbrel doesn't look particularly good on this card either, with his obviously Photoshopped hat and jersey; however, I'll take what I can get.  Honestly, it could be so much worse.

On the bright side, there's reason for hope when it comes to the final two seasons of Kimbrel's three-year contract.  The home runs can be slightly explained by the juiced ball that Major League Baseball employed last season and it looks like some changes are going to be made with Mr. Spalding.  Also, there's plenty of examples of pitchers signed mid-season failing to find a groove due to the lack of Spring Training and meaningful innings.  Here's hoping that the next two years produce better results and more natural looking Kimbrel Cubs cards!

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Actual footage from an examination of the 2019 baseballs.

With that, you can see why I was so happy with the 2019 Heritage High Number set, even if the players included weren't particularly great (for the most part).  Five cards, four suitable "Cubgrades" for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Rarely - if ever - is one singular release so fruitful for my marquee binder.  Obviously it was the far superior option when it came to "Update" sets in 2019, at least from a North Side baseball perspective.

Each year, it feels as though Topps' Flagship product is getting worse and worse at actually documenting the baseball season at hand.  I know there are print deadlines and other contractual speed bumps that slow down the process of creating up-to-date checklists, but there has to be a way to curb this troubling trend.  Update, in particular, is made up almost entirely of useless filler rather than trade acquisitions and mid-season signings.

Thank you HHN, for picking up the slack and doing Update's job!

Had One In The Can

Editor's note - this post is several months late, as I started laying it all out just a few days before my blogging blackout.  However, though timely it is not, it is all but ready to go.  So, I might as well just go ahead and fill in the gaps and click publish.  I'd hate to waste it...

Ever since he began to sniff the Big Leagues, the Cubs' Kris Bryant has had a corporate relationship with Red Bull.  Over the years, the star third baseman and the energy drink behemoths have come together for a series of truly fun promotional gags.  For instance, one year Kris punked an entire collegiate baseball team as a "foreign transfer student."  Another year, Bryant had the tables turned on him as Red Bull had Greg Maddux pose as a sound guy with a mean hook.  Whoever the creative minds behind these campaigns are, they are truly earning their presumably hefty paycheck.

Earlier this summer, RB and KB got together again to host a home run derby right smack in the middle of the Chicago Loop:

It's moments like these where I miss working downtown....

Anyway, there's another aspect of the Red Bull/Kris Bryant sponsorship pairing that is becoming something of a hallmark.  The energy drink with the largest market share in the world has taken to spicing up their iconic can design with the faces of prominent athletes and celebrities which endorse their product and other intellectual properties, i.e. pro video gamer, Ninja, Team Red Bull F1 driver, Daniel Ricciardo, the characters from Capcom's Street Fighter video game series, and Pac-Man, among others.  After all, collectors will buy just about anything related to their favorite people and things.

During the outset of the 2018 baseball season, Kris Bryant's face was also sharing space with the dueling crimson bulls on blue and silver cans across the Chicagoland area.  Being the rabid Cubs fan I am with a potentially problematic energy drink habit, you better believe I grabbed one of these bad boys for my knick knack shelf; heck, I even banged out a post about the canister here.  Red Bull must have done pretty well in the Windy City that April, as they trotted out KB cans once again at the Chicago River home run derby, only this time with a slightly different design.  I mean, it's no secret that we collectors have to have every little variation, right?  

Although I was unable to make it to the event in the Loop, these special edition cans soon found their way into grocery stores and filling stations throughout the suburbs and you damn well better believe that I grabbed one... I'm no exception to that "every little variation" quirk, you know.

This is what the Kris Bryant Red Bull can - 2019 edition - looks like.  I included a promotional image from a since lost article, seeing as the photography in this post leaves plenty to be desired.  Of course, I'm not sure how much the admittedly small and pixelated .jpeg is helping.  Nevertheless...

To sum it all up, the design of Red Bull's iconic product doesn't change very much, except that you get to see Kris Byrant's face as he steps up to the plate in a RB cap in one blue parallelogram and his powerful cut in the other.  Also included are an advertisement for a contest to hit the batting cages with the 2016 NL MVP and a faux signature, both of which occupy the silver negative space.  All in all, it's very simple and barely messes with the famous color scheme and design.  Sadly, there's no Snapchat filter/game via Snapcode included on this year's can.  😦

For comparison's sake, here's a side by side look at the 2019 and 2018 RB/KB cans:

Again, poor photography, but you get the gist.  For a full look and review at least year's drink container, you can check out my thoughts right here.  Essentially, it all boils down to this:  same idea, different pictures.

It was after washing out this can of Cubs-themed Red Bull that I realized I had unknowingly dived head first into yet another collection, something which my wife will verify that I already have far too many of in my limited living space.  Now with two Cubbie energy drinks to go along with a pair of Northside baseball themed beer cans, I have a blossoming beer/pop can collection building up on my shelving unit:

In case your curious, you can read about Joe Maddon's  "Try Not to Suck" German-style ale (which doesn't suck, but also doesn't leave a large impression) here or the fantastic sampling of "Ron Santo 10 Ale" - gifted to me by P-Town Tom, of Waiting 'til Next Year fame - over here.

At this point, all I need are some of those vintage RC Cola cans from the 70's and I'll have all the Cubbie beverage canisters that I can think of!  

These two would definitely fit in with the rest of my Cub-cans.

Is there anyone else out there that picks up and hangs onto these special edition cans of Red Bull?  Or, perhaps we have more Monster fans on the blogosphere?  Did anyone else out there accidentally stumble into a side collection in the same manner as I did my can stash?  Does anyone know of any other North Side baseball themed beverages that I should be keeping my eyes open for?  Please feel free to weigh-in in the comment section below; I'd love to hear from you!

In the meantime, after banging out this post, I might need to wander down to the gas station next door and pick up another can and "ride the bull" again just to find the energy to make it through the day.  Grant me sustenance, Kris Bryant!

Does it Spark Joy?

Well, I'm back.  Hope you all didn't miss me too much.

As the Cubs sputtered to finish line of the 2019 season, I checked out.  Call me a bad fan or whatever, but baseball just wasn't fun anymore.  I know that fans of the North Side baseball club would have basically sold their soul just to be in postseason contention less than a short decade ago (myself included), but the last few months of Cubs baseball were just... grating.  Between the Addison Russell crap (launch him into the sun), the political dealings by ownership, the suspect new television conglomerate, the managerial drama, the general toxicity of the fan-base on social media, the seemingly lackadaisical play on field when it mattered most, and the second straight craptastic collapse, I simply wasn't enjoying America's pastime anymore.  With that in mind, I turned to the only voice of reason I could find in this topsy-turvy world: the goddess of decluttering, Marie Kondo.

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Simply put, baseball was not sparking joy in my life; so, I disposed of it.  Unfortunately, part of dumping baseball was dumping baseball cards, as well.  With that, the blog went on indefinite hiatus.

After a couple of months of focusing on greener pastures, like training for the Chicago Marathon, focusing my need to collect on vinyl records, and whiling away the hours with my wife - sans the burden of subconscious stress over the performance of two dozen random men participating in a child's game - I feel quite rejuvenated.  Now that the World Series is halfway over, I feel comfortable jumping back in, once again.  After all, the split was never meant to be permanent, I just needed a nice long break to regain perspective and to remind myself that there are infinitely more important things in life than sports.

Of course, the Bears are trying their damnedest to drive me right back to the brink.

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Turns out they needed more than just a kicker, huh?  The whole offense is screwy.

Thankfully, I'm not nearly as die-hard towards the Bears as I am the Cubs, so I can still enjoy the sport of football while keeping it at arm's length, without the intense emotional investment.  In fact, before last weekend, I had never even attended a single Bears game.  Heck, I had never even been to Soldier Field for so much as a carnival, let alone a professional football tilt.  Notice also that I am speaking in past tense.

That's right, this lifelong outskirts of Chicago native had never seen the Monsters of the Midway perform outside of a TV broadcast.  That is, until my Eagles fan of a mother-in-law accidentally won tickets to last Sunday's game in a raffle and (since she would rather burn them than entertain the thought of going) offered them up to my wife and I as a gift.  That definitely sparked joy!

That being stated, the Philly native got the last laugh, as the Bears were absolutely pantsed by the injury ravaged Saints, despite coming off of a bye week.  Even though they lost 36-25, it didn't even feel that close.  During the Bears' very first offensive set, a blocked punt led to a safety, which really set the tone for the rest of the evening.  By the end of the third quarter, Mitch Trubisky and crew had only four first-downs on the ledger.  Four.  Needless to say, it was a lopsided affair.  Nevertheless, I had an absolute blast as absolutely everything was a new experience to me.

Some highlights:

We arrived at the complex super early (more on that in a bit), after a train ride and a mile and a half walk, partially along the fog-draped lakefront.  Nevertheless, I still had enough energy to excitedly sprint back and forth along the original and still empty, column-lined concourse of Soldier Field.  I am a runner, at heart, after all.

Seeing the gridiron, in person, for the first time as we emerged from bowl plopped on top of that historic concourse briefly took my breath away.  In fact, it was much like my first time seeing the diamond at Wrigley Field way back in 2004.  I was awestruck long enough to have the much more experienced folks blocked behind me contemplating knocking me over the railing so they could get to their seats.

And, of course, souvenirs.  The reason why my wife and I arrived at the gates early - an hour before they opened and three before kickoff - was so that we'd each be guaranteed that day's giveaway:  the above Walter Payton bobblehead.  "Sweetness" is going to be making some new friends on my desk at work very soon.  Additionally, I also made sure to keep my souvenir soda cup and a Miller Lite can celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NFL with a Bears logo on it because I adore my ephemera.

But, this is a card blog, is it not? And I am a card-carrying, card collector, right?  With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that my souvenir scavenging was not limited to stadium giveaways and beverage containers:

That's right - I also picked up this bad boy from the first kiosk I came across.

Not only have I been shying  away from my baseball cards during my self-imposed hobby exile, but my football cards have been ignored too.  As such, there's definitely some new, fresh faces in this factory team set blister pack that are needed for my Bears All-Time Roster Collection.  I pulled the trigger - even though it was more expensive there than in regular retailers - because I loved the idea of having Bears cards from my maiden Bears game hold such prominent places in my collection.  If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much emphasis I place on my roster-based binders.

While there were some repeats, including a highly unnecessary Brian Urlacher single (throwback players being included in what is serving as a flagship product is a rant for another day), I was able to nestle a few new names into my BATRC after the shellacking ended and the Metra train took me home.  For example:

Roquan Smith was last year's first round draft choice and, as such, his cards came with a premium in Chicagoland card shops.  Prices didn't go down either after the linebacker posted 122 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended, and one interception in his rookie campaign, arguably the best defensive debut since Brian Urlacher.  Unfortunately, he's been struggling quite a bit this year; but, then again, so is pretty much the entire roster.

Anyway, it's always nice to cross a big name off of the list!

Next up, a pair of fresh-faced rookies.

David Montgomery has been an integral part of what is technically considered Matt Nagy's "offense."  The running back was a third round draft choice last winter and now leads the team in rushing yardage with 231.  In fact, it's not even close, with last year's breakout star, Tarik Cohen, lagging miles behind with 47.  Once again, it's quite apparent that the offense is broken, but Montgomery is doing his best to carry the team on his back.

Meanwhile, Riley Ridley hasn't played so much as a single snap for the team so far, though he is on the 53-man roster.  Thus, I don't have much to say about the fourth round draft choice.  Maybe he deserves an opportunity to play?  Heck, he even looks like he's stuck on the sidelines and annoyed in the picture chosen for this rookie card.

While not entirely new to my Bears roster collection, Khalil Mack certainly needed an update - he looks so much better in blue and orange!

Mr. Mack has been nothing but a beast since being pillaged from the Raiders prior to the start of last year.  For frame of reference, in 2018, he registered 47 tackles, 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception returned for a touchdown. Significantly, the 12.5 sacks were the most by a Bears player since Richard Dent back in 1993.  So far in 2019, Mack already has 4.5 sacks and leads the league with 4 forced fumbles.  Like I said, he's a nearly unstoppable beast.

Finally, though I was quite happy to properly update my card for the Bears' biggest star, my favorite card from the blister pack was actually the one that follows:

While my OCD tendencies are usually somewhat offended by cards which picture a player on a different than he is listed as being with, that quirk still does not diminish this pull for me.  From now on, Cordarrelle Patterson will always hold a special place in my heart because he provided the lone Chicago highlight from my very first live gameday experience and, boy oh boy, it was a doozy:

I have always thought that return a punt or kick-off for a touchdown was the most exciting single play in sports and, after seeing one in person, that it nearly caused my heart to lead straight through my rib cage.  I haven't had a declared favorite player since Devin Hester moved to Atlanta, but I think Mr. Patterson might have stolen the crown!  The Swiss army knife offensive weapon was only brought over from New England last winter, but he'll now always hold a special place in my heart.

With that, we've covered all of the relevant content from the factory team set which commemorates my first visit to Soldier Field. 

All told, despite the result, the memories made and the souvenirs obtained definitely contributed to making the game an overall positive experience.  I had a great time and hope to make it back again sometime sooner than in another 30 years.  Is there anyone else out there like me that roots for a particular team but has never seen them play in person or took decades to finally do so?  Was it a geographical location thing or was there some other reason that kept you from making the pilgrimage?  Let me know in the comment section below!

Another benefit was that I felt inspired to return to the Chicago sporting world and to blogging, so that I might have some documentation of my first Bears game.  Here's hoping that it sticks!  On that note, here's hoping my newfound balance in life and sanity stick too.  We shall see - there's nothing or nobody better than the Cubs at testing my limits though.  Thankfully, they have far less opportunities in the off-season.

Don't make me Marie Kondo you again, Cubs!

An Adequate Substitute

I don't know about you, but my wife and I have been trying to cut down on pop.  I'm training for the Chicago Marathon and, as such, my better half and I are both attempting to be more health conscious.  The sugar content in pop is heavy enough that one can lose 5-10 pounds alone from cutting out Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and crew and, lord knows, I don't need to be carrying any extra weight around when I'm traversing 26 miles around the streets of the Windy City.  However, eliminating the carbonated treats from our diets has been easier said than done.

Water, juice, and tea have been the beverages of choice in our household for a while now (in fact, we don't even keep soda in the home at all); however, sometimes, we just want a drink with both some flavor and a little bit of fizz.  As such, LaCroix sparkling water has been kept on hand, just in case we feel ourselves jonesing for a can of RC.

Of course, the thing about LeCroix is that it's not pop... it's just a stand-in.  While it does quench the thirst and urge for the sugary substance for a while, in the end, it doesn't completely eliminate the craving for a Coke.  LeCroix is just a temporary substitute that helps fill in when needed - it's not the final solution.  Speaking of which....

Jonathan LeCroix... ermmmm... I mean, Jonathan Lucroy is now a Cub and, boy oh boy, does this sentence feel strange to type.  The former two-time All-Star absolutely punished the North Siders as a member of the divisional rival Brewers for many years during the first half of this decade and now the catcher is one of them.  Weird... but, that's baseball.

Anyway, much like the beverage that sounds so similar to his surname, Lucroy is a temporary substitute, a fill-in for someone who we Cubs fans would much rather have behind the dish, right now.  Just days after the trading deadline, Willson Contreras came up lame while trying to beat out a grounder.  As it turned out, the All-Star had pulled his hamstring and quickly found himself on the IL, where he will reside for at least the next month.  Suddenly, although the market had officially closed, the Cubs found themselves in need of a capable replacement and they would been unable to pull a straight trade for help.  This was made all the more annoying by the fact that they had just traded Martin Maldonado, their briefly tenured third-stringer, on the day of the deadline.  All in all, it felt like a karmic gut punch.

Luckily for Theo and crew, the Angels had just happened to DFA Jonathan Lucroy and he quickly cleared waivers, meaning that a well-respected signal-caller just so happened to hit the free agent market at the very instance that they needed one.  Karmic balance had been restored!

Of course, Jonathan Lucroy had been DFA'ed for a reason - his halcyon days have long since passed him by.  Since being traded away from the Brew Crew as a free agent in the middle of the 2016 season, his bat has grown less and less potent.  In that time, he's bounced around from the Rangers, to the Rockies, to the A's, and to the Angels while his WAR has slowly decreased from his peak of 5.4 in 2014 to 0.4 in 2018 and 0.1 in 2019, thus far.  At the same time, his once elite pitch-framing skills have diminished to slightly below average.  All told, he's definitely been trending in the wrong direction for a couple of years now.

Furthermore, Jonathan may very well be damaged goods.  Only a month ago, Lucroy was forced out of action by a controversial play at the plate in which he was carted off of the field, concussed and with a broken nose:

ICYMI Play in the 8th when Jake Marisnick was initially called safe following a collision w/ Jonathan Lucroy at the plate. After the play was reviewed Jake was ruled out. @LAAngelsPR said Lucroy was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a possible concusion &nose fracture pic.twitter.com/I8fM0ZBANH

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) July 7, 2019

Yikes. Also, ouch.

All this being know, the risk is absolutely worth taking.  Seeing as he was DFA'ed and cleared waivers, the cash-strapped Cubs are only responsible for paying Lucroy a prorated cut of the league minimum, with the Angels on the hook for the rest of his contract.  Furthermore, a team in the thick of a tight pennant race needs all the catching depth it can have and, as good as Victor Caratini has been, they still need someone else to help shoulder the load.  Why not see if Jonathan has something left in the tank - maybe this move to a contender will spark something in the gut of the 33-year old?

Meanwhile, with Jonathan officially making his Cubs debut last night, that meant that my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection needed updating.  Luckily, since Lucroy was a multiple time All-Star - as illustrated by the 2014 Update single you see above - for a small market team, that meant he showed up in a lot of baseball card products throughout this decade.  With that being the case, I was able to pull several singles from my trade stacks for potential inclusion, besides the cards you've already seen in this post:

 

As you can see, I have a fair smattering of cards from his time with Milwaukee.  I think that my favorite of this bunch is the 2016 Bunt single; of course, in this I am a touch biased as that particular product features one of my most preferred card designs of all-time.  What can I say?  I am a sucker for incorporating team logos into the design layout.  However, one could also make a strong argument for including the Panini Donruss card in my CATRC due to it's lack of logos.  Due to that characteristic, one could cross their eyes and squint and it would look almost like a Cubs card!

After examining all of the options, I think I'm going to have to go with the Bunt, but I would also love to hear your opinions.  Do you think that the action shot found on his 2010 rookie is the best way to go?  Perhaps you're a fan of the "play at the plate" shot from the 2017 Rangers card seen earlier in this write-up?  Please feel free to weigh-in on the matter in the comment section below!

In the meantime, here's hoping that Jonathan Lucroy fills the role of substitute as well and as admirably as a can of LeCroix does for pop.  He's not meant to be a long-term fix, but he's quite capable of providing some enjoyment of his own in the absence of soda pop... I mean, Willson Contreras.  For good measure, he even had a pair of hits and RBI in his Cubbie debut last night (let's just pretend the catcher's interference leading to the tying run scoring didn't happen).

Welcome to Chicago and to the CATRC, Jonathan "LeCroix" Lucroy!

Lighting the Wick

The Cubs' bullpen has been... not so great for the majority of 2019.  As of this morning, the Chicago relief corps ranks fourth in the Major Leagues in blown saves, with 21 mishaps, and are just two away from the Padres in leading all of baseball.  It's been one of many weak spots on a flawed, but surprisingly competitive roster, besides the wildly inconsistent offense, off the field drama, and artificially strained budget.

Besides effectiveness on the diamond, health has been a bit of an issue, as well.  Just yesterday, Craig Kimbrel - the high-priced closer who was supposed to save the pen - was placed on the 10-Day injured list due to some knee problems, a place where the main setup man, Pedro Strop, already resides as he deal with neck pain.  To make things worse, Brandon Kintzler, who has probably been the most consistent and reliable fireman for the Cubs this season and de facto closer, was seen wincing in obvious discomfort after coming off of the mound last night, making it seem likely that yet another high-leverage arm will be unavailable, for at least a few days.  In short, there's going to be some shuffling in the bullpen over the next few days.

Enter Rowan Wick.

Acquired in a minor trade with San Diego over the winter (for minor leaguer, Jason Vosler), Rowan Wick was pressed into service on the Cubs' Major League roster in a previous rash of injuries.  So far, all he's done is produce, posting a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings with 15 K's against just 7 BB's, and throw gas (topping out at 98 mph).  In fact, rather than send him back to the minors during a roster jam, Theo decided to admit defeat and cut bait with high profile, off-season signing, Brad Brach.  Obviously, the front office thinks quite highly of Rowan's work thus far and, with this current rash of injuries, it seems likely that he'll now be needed for some high-leverage innings. 

But, you might be asking yourself, if Rowan Wick is this blossoming bullpen arm, why is he listed as a catcher on the card above?  Well, the former Cardinals farmhand spent the first four years of his professional career on the other side of the dish.

Drafted in the 9th round of the 2012 draft by the Cubs' arch rivals, as a catcher, Rowan Wick could not hit worth a lick.  In those first four seasons, Rowan never rose above High A ball and served as  little more than depth, mostly playing the backup backstop.  However, his arm drew rave reviews throughout the organization, as the back of this 2012 Bowman Draft Prospects Refractor indicates:

With that in mind, after a brief experiment towards the end of 2015, Rowan converted to mound duty full-time for 2016.  After some bumps and bruises in the high minors with the Red Bird chain, he was allowed to be claimed on waivers by the Padres in February of 2018 and he would make his debut with the Friars that summer and catch the eyes of the Cubs' front office.

Speaking of eye-catching, this refractor that I was able to snag for just 35 cents off of EBay is absolutely dazzling.  I don't have many such shiny cards in my collection, as I generally just grab the cheapest base cards available as guys are acquired by the Big League club; however, this deal was simply too good to pass up.  I mean, just look at how lovely this card looks under the light:

Man, a Cardinals card has never looked so good!

I also get a kick out of the fact that this now Cubs pitcher is shown at the plate and listed as a catcher.  This dichotomy makes for a quirky new addition to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Although, it might not be resting in that binder for all that long, seeing as the reliever appears to becoming a major part of the Cubs' bullpen.  I can see him earning his first bonafide Major League card (he only has Bowmans and MiLB team issues to his name, thus far) soon, either by showing up in Update (they love to jam rookies in there) or being included in the ever-growing Topps Total checklist.  As for the latter option, the stated goal is to showcase as much of the 2019 rosters as possible, so if Rowan's usage spikes in the last two months of the regular season, it would "totally" make sense.  In the meantime, this refractor will hold down the spot quite nicely.

While we wait and see, I've gone ahead and whipped up my own take on Total for Rowan:

At any rate, welcome to the CATRC, Rowan Wick, and to the inner circle of the bullpen.  Here's hoping that the results continue to impress and you help to solidify that leaky and creaky facet of the roster!..

Asgardian Cardboard

While most of the money in our hobby goes to the card companies, grading resources, supply manufacturers, and secondhand vendors, another large source of collective collecting budgets go towards shipping services.  The United States Postal Service, UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc. get a lot of the blogosphere's money in exchange for delivering our PWE's, RAK's, trade packages, Ebay winnings and sellings, redemptions, etc.  Sure, baseball cards are not the most lucrative part of their business model, but there's no doubt that our hobby and community would not be what it is today without these mailing services.

Now,one of these titans of shipping is getting directly involved in the hobby.

What you see above is a sheet of classic card reprints, produced and printed by Asgard Press and sold in limited FedEx Office centers across the United States.  These perforated cards come in panels - of which there are four - featuring eight cards each from the early tobacco card era.  According to Asgard, the cards chosen originally hail from the Benjamin K. Edwards Collection, which was donated to the Library of Congress by Carl Sandburg in 1954.

While I do not use the services of FedEx for my mailing needs - I stick to the good, old fashioned USPS -  I was made aware of this new oddball reprint set by Twitter, as the following was retweeted into my timeline:

NEW Product Release available at Select FEDEX Office stores nationwide! Vintage Baseball Card sets! A series of 4 card sets of 8 vintage players each from the dead ball era. Collect ‘em all! Each 8-Card set is $4.95. Huzzah! #VintageBaseballCards #FedEx pic.twitter.com/nzcxSYxZbz

— Asgard Press (@asgardpress) July 24, 2019

Right after I saw this tweet, you darn well better believe that I took to the official Asgard Press website to try and decipher which cards were selected for their tribute to vintage baseball.  I expected the checklist to be made up of the big names from the Deadball time period - Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Chief Bender, etc.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the cards chosen for reprint turned out to be much more obscure ballplayers.  In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that there might even be a card that I need in this collation.  More on that later in the post.

By Odin's beard, was I ever excited about this Asgardian discovery!

Without haste, I was soon Googling where the closest FedEx was stationed.  Turns out the nearest location was only a stone's throw away from my home, in the neighboring suburb of Oak Lawn:

As it happened, I had some time after work on Thursday to swing by and see if my store was one of the lucky locations to have these baseball cards bestowed upon their customers.  I wandered in that afternoon - the only customer without an armful of packages to ship or documents to copy - in hopes of buying baseball cards rather than mailing them.  Thankfully, I was elated to discover that my quest for "vintage" cardboard turned out to be quite successful:

There they were - all four available sheets - right near the front of the retail space, on a rotating rack with several other Asgard Press paper products.  I was so excited that I think I might have peed a little...  I hadn't actually expected Oak Lawn, IL to be one of the chosen few!

Admittedly, I was initially distracted by the lovely, retro comic book cover notecards, vintage travel poster prints, and college football stationary put out by Asgard.  Now, this isn't the same Asgard that brought us Thor, Loki, and Valkyrie.  That is, not unless Thor traded in his hammer, Mjölnir, for an enchanted printing press.  From what I can gather, based on their official website, Twitter account, and the products I saw in store, Asgard Press specializes in capturing nostalgia on paper goods.  The company started out with fancy calendars in 1999 and have since expanded with healthy selections of note cards, posters, journals, postcards, and other ephemera.  Their tagline is "vintage paper goods" and their slogan is "old school is now in session;" so, I guess it wasn't much of a mystery as to what they're all about.

In all honesty, introducing some baseball cards into their product portfolio is positively perfect for their desired aesthetic.

Only briefly abstracted, I was able to quickly refocus and locate the specific sheet for which I came looking:

Like I mentioned earlier, there was a specific card in this set that had caught my fancy and it came as part of "plate no. 2."  After quickly browsing through the rest of Asgard's displays - they must do a lot of business with FedEx - I plopped down my $4.95 and went about my merry way.

Any guesses as to which one of these singles I was chasing?  I'll give you a hint - it has something to do with my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

Once I got home and freed my sheet from it's plastic, cardboard-backed prison, I discovered that these cards are printed on little more than ink-jet printer compatible cardstock.  Thin, flexible, and fragile, they feel about as thick as your average index card.

Speaking of cards, the cards themselves are high-resolution and slightly enlarged scans of tobacco cards from the aforementioned Library of Congress donation.  Maintaining the original aspect ratio, the cards have been blown up to standard height (3.5 inches) but still remain short of standard width.   Also, seeing as they are simply scans of already existing, century old antiques, all of the flaws and damage from the originals carried over to the reprints, as best exemplified by the two instances below.

Personally, I like this "flawed" characteristic, as I feel as though it adds some charm to the Asgards and makes them feel a touch more "authentic" than your normal C.C.C. re-do.  How do you feel about the paper loss and stain carryover?  Would you find it distracting, perhaps?

Also, as you can tell from the above scans, all of the cards feature full backs, filled with copy and advertising, just as the originals did.  Furthermore, we have a varied selection of cards from the early 20th century.  Although Asgards erroneously lists the cards as all being from the famous T206 set, which was released through 16 different brands owned by the American Tobacco Company from 1909-11 and is the source of the iconic Honus Wagner card, none of the cards on sheet number two actually are from that seemingly infinite checklist.  In fact, all of the cards included are part of the 1911 T205 release.

The baseball diamond was turned into a picture frame for the American League portion of the T205 release and it truly is one of the most clever and beautiful layouts in baseball card history.

The National League portion of the T205 checklist is a tad more bare bones, featuring a bust shot portrait on a plain, colored background, and maintaining the unifying gold/brown borders which define the set.  Again, this Ed Barger Dodger card is a fine example of the damage and staining which were transferred from the original artifacts to the reprints.

While the American League cards are far more detailed, the National League examples are a fine study in the KISS principle.  This has nothing to do with costumed rock stars, platform boots, or fake blood though - KISS stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid.  The more you cram into a design, oftentimes, the more crowded and confusing a piece will get.  Although, the creators of these cards once again flipped back to the polar opposite for the sampling of minor leaguers included with the premiums:

There are 12 minor league cards in the original set which made use of an ornate, plaque-like frame.  Two of these bush leaguers were reproduced by Asgard - a Charles Hanford with "paper loss" was displayed previously and George Merritt you can see directly above.

While all three templates used in the T205 set, I find that they are all quite pleasing to the eyes.  Overall though, I think my favorite is the relatively bare bones design of the NL cards.  Of course, that might just be because my college graphic design professor personally chiseled the KISS principle into my skull; however, the bright, bold colors and wonderful drawn portraits get to speak for themselves during the Senior Circuit section, whereas they are more a secondary feature to the crowded designs of the other two.  That said, that is merely the opinion of one insignificant card blogger - what do you think about the three layouts, which is your preferred design?

Now, if you've been counting along at home, you might have noticed that I've showcased seven of the eight total cards included on the Asgardian panel.  With the overview of the company, cards, and quality out of the way, it's time to spotlight my "chase" card, the pasteboard which caused me to drop everything I was doing to run out and purchase this product.  Without any further ado, lease allow me to drop the curtain on the card of the hour:

That's right, I could care less about inner circle Hall of Famer Ty Cobb's inclusion; I'm here for that sweet, sweet Wilbur Goode (or Good, depending on the source) of the Boston Rustlers.  More like, Wilbur Great, am I right?

Okay, so here's the deal, I haven't abandoned my Cubs fandom to become a super collector of the Atlanta Braves and their previous franchise iterations.  The reason that this random, Deadball Era ballplayer who has long faded into obscurity has captured my attention is the fact that Wilbur was traded from Boston - just a year after this card originally hit the market - to the Cubbies, where he would spend the next five years patrolling the outfield of the West Side Grounds and, later, Wrigley Field.  Thus, I needed a card of Wilbur for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection as part of my quest to collect at least one card of every man to EVER suit up for my favorite franchise, no matter how brief or how long ago.

For his career, the journeyman fly-chaser post a career .258/.322/.342 batting line, mostly as a reserve piece for the Yankees, Naps, Rustlers, Cubs, Phillies, and White Sox for eleven total seasons in the Majors.  Far from being a star, the ballplayer appears on very few cards (two that I can identify) and all of them date from his ancient playing days - therefore, they are tough to track down and tougher on this cheapskate's wallet.  Therefore, I have no problem whatsoever with using a reprint card to fill an otherwise nigh-unfillable gap in my favorite binder.  To say it was a pleasant surprise that could cross another one of these tricky names off of my "needs" list with a trip to FedEx (of all paces) and an Abraham Lincoln flash card would be an immense understatement. 

Before I go, I have to ask, what do you think about these Asgard cards?  Do they seem like something you might be inclined to spend some money on, maybe as an impulse buy as you wait in line to ship a box of cards to a fellow blogger?  Do you see them as cheap and irrelevant in a see of endless sea of reprints and forgeries?  Perhaps you don't even see products such as these as "true" baseball cards at all and I am cheating by using such items to fill needs in my collection?  Please feel free to weigh-in in the comment section below.  Personally, I am of the opinion that any card that fills a need within my CATRC is good enough for me!

In the end, I am still reeling from filling such an obscure need in my niche collection with a trip to FedEx... and I didn't even ship or receive any mail.  That's one of the best parts about collecting this way - you just never know where the cards are going to come from.

Thank you very much, Asgard.  Sorry you got destroyed by Hela and Surtur at the end of Thor Ragnarok - tough luck there.  Your paper products are quite fascinating though!