Nacional de Feria

It wasn't that long ago that we card bloggers were basking in the glow of the National Sports Collectors Convention.  I wasn't able to make it, even though it was pretty much in my backyard; however, I was able to live vicariously through several blogs as they showed off their exceptional hauls.

What, with the overwhelming amount of memorabilia, deals to be had and exclusive releases, it was almost impossible not to be jealous.  Unfortunately, adult life has a tendency to get in the way.

But, that doesn't mean that I wasn't able to secure some new cards recently from a national convention - just not THAT national convention.

In fact, not even that nation:

OK - Puerto Rico may be a U.S. territory; but they are a commonwealth and still not a state.

Anyway, I was able to dig up some cards that were issued to promote Nacional de Feria - Toleteros y Juntacosas - which translates, roughly, to National Fair of Sluggers & Things Together (hooray high school spanish!) -  Puerto Rico's own trading card convention.

This is a big deal and has been held annually for 21 years now.  I was able to secure an assortment of promotional cards from both the 2007 and 2009 editions of the Nacional on the cheap for my own amusement.  Apparently, a set of cards is released each year and they are used as admission passes for the event.  How cool is that?

On the back of these standard-size cards, which you see above, is an advertisement for the convention - here's the back of the 2009 edition:

Very little changes year-to-year, it seems.  Meanwhile, the front of these promotional pieces features famous toleteros of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, the top-rung, pro baseball league on the island since 1938.  It's also quite commonly used for U.S. players as a winter league for continued development during the off-season.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why would I, a strict Cubs collector, be interested in a set that would obviously not include any Cub uniforms?  Well, one of the players to found in the lot actually managed to break into the U.S. Major Leagues, with none other than the Northsiders:

Hiram "Hi" Bithorn is a legend in Puerto Rico.  After pitching for the Leones de Ponce in PR from 1936-41, Bithorn became the first player born in Puerto Rico to play in Major League Baseball when he debuted for the Cubs in 1942.

He hit the ground running; after a solid rookie year, Hiram quickly became the ace of the Cubs in 1943, going 18-12 with a 2.60 ERA.  At age 27, he appeared to be part of the franchise's future.

But, Uncle Sam came a-calling and Hiram went off to serve in the Navy during WWII.  When he returned to baseball in 1946 - he had gained weight and was no longer in playing shape.  he stuck around for one last mediocre season in Wrigley before bouncing through Pittsburgh and then to the White Sox through waivers.

Hi's promising career ended with 2 innings pitched for the White Sox in 1947.  After the rigors of war, Hiram was no longer physically capable to continue playing at an elite level.

Hiram beams for the camera.

Image courtesy of Ron Moody

Bithorn wasn't going to go down without a fight though; he attempted a comeback in the Mexican winter league a few years later.  However, tragically, it was here that his life was cut short when he was shot and killed by a police officer who claimed Bithorn had admitted to being part of a communist cell and was being violent; both accusations were easily debunked and the officer recieved 8 years in an actual cell.

Now, if you're like me, you recognize Bithorn's name; but, it's not because of his exploits on the diamond.  Rather, it's because of an actual diamond in Puerto Rico, Hi Bithorn Stadium, which has served as host of WBC games and a temporary home field for the Montreal Expos in 2003.

I had never realized that the namesake of that stadium had been a Cubs ace, until a few years ago.  How about that?

Hi Bithorn Stadium during it's time as the Expos temporary home in 2003

Image courtesy of Paul's Ballparks

I felt compelled to grab this set when I saw it because, to my knowledge, this is the only baseball card to have been produced for Bithorn.  This is a fact that I find strange, seeing as he does in fact hold some significance for the sport in being the first Puerto Rican to play and due to his tragic end.  Can anyone prove me wrong?

Meanwhile, while the Bithorn card was really the only reason I made this purchase, it also came with several others of which I am not familiar with their subjects:

           

These are available for trade, if anyone would like them.  Like I said, I don;t know much about these guys.  Some played in Puerto Rico their whole careers, some spent some time in the Negro Leagues and a couple even had cameos in MLB - however, I don't remember who did what.

Anyway, turns out that not going to the National wasn't such a bad thing.  Instead, I was able to stay home, sleep in, not work and locate some cheap, exotic cards on the internet - one of which was even a player that I'd been seeking.

I'll take that deal every day.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered... But, Who's That?

In yesterday's post, I left you all hanging by saying that I had saved the most interesting pick up from my Savers trip for another day.  Well, my friends, that day is today - I'm not going to leave you waiting with bated breath for long.

What's that?  No one was really waiting?  No matter, I enjoy talking to myself anyway.

Anyway, nestled in amongst the random Cherished Teddies figurines and Precious Moments statuettes in the random housewares section, I came across this little mystery:

Why yes, that is an autographed baseball and it was just sticking out like a sore thumb among the candle holders and porcelain crosses.  Chances are that it's some minor league nobody, some little-leaguer working stroking his own ego, or someone trying to forge and make a quick buck, right?  But, for $3, I was willing to take that risk and research a tiny bit.

After all, the stand itself is at least worth that price.

Thankfully, the mystery  (potential) baseball player had pretty good penmanship and the first name seems like a pretty clear "Craig."  Additionally, it also seems pretty easy to tell that their last name begins with a "G," no?

Here's a closer look, just in case:

Yea, I feel pretty confident in my deductions.  What say you?

So, from here I did what any 21st century investigator would do - I turned to Google.  Using the search engine, I typed in "Craig G baseball" just to see what might pop up.  Here is what my computer screen spat back out at me:

Well, I have a few baseball players to chose from here.  I would be ecstatic to unearth a Craig Kimbrel auto at a thrift shop; but that last name is nowhere close.  In fact, it looks like the last letter in the last name could very easily be a "k."

That being the case, would narrow it down to only one name on that list:

Image courtesy of Chicago Fantasy Baseball Camp

Chicago's own, the "Little Hurt" himself - Craig Grabek.  The 12-year veteran came up with the Southsiders in 1990 and stuck around through 1995 as a backup middle infielder.  The most notable thing about his playing career that he hit his first major league home run off of Nolan Ryan, who then proceeded to plunk Grebeck in his ribs in his very next at-bat, breaking a rib.

Welcome to the Big Leagues kid!

But, seeing as he spent a good chunk of time in Chicago and his career wasn't particularly notable (wrong White Sox #14, dangit), it would make sense that a ball with his autograph on it might end up in a local thrift shop.

So, let's compare a known example of Craig's signature with my mystery ball then, shall we?

                                                              Thanks COMC!

On the right, we have the only certified auto I can find of Grebeck, courtesy of 1996 Leaf Signature Series.  The two autographs sure do look similar to me.  However, the COMC watermark on the card sure does make it difficult to see clearly and the flourish on the "k" appears different.

Let's try another one.  One sample is never enough to go on anyway.

                                                                  Image courtesy of ioffer.com

Here's an in-person auto that, granted, could also be faked; but, I doubt that there is a master Craig Grebeck impersonator running around loose on the internet.  I could be wrong though, I suppose.

Anyway, this signature appears to be almost identical - the only difference being the angle at which each item was signed; even the flourish on the "k" is there too.  I don't know about you guy; but, I think we have a winner!

*Please tell me if I'm wrong here!*

The mystery baseball that I picked up at Savers for less than the cost of the stand it was in is actually that of a bonafide Major Leaguer!  Granted, not a big name or star or whatever; however, a guy with a 12-year career is nothing to sneeze at either.  How about them apples?

Of course, I immediately shuffled through my trade/dupe/junk box to see if I had a card of the guy.  I was not disappointed:

It might be 1992 Donruss (blech), but it sure would look nice alongside that baseball.  I think I might try and locate one of those stands that holds both a baseball and card so that when I show this find off to all of my friends, they can put a face along with the (semi-legible) name.

I'm pretty happy with my $3 purchase.

It really just goes to show you, you never know what you might find at a thrift store!  Has anyone else found a similarly surprising item at a second-hand store?  Perhaps something even better?

Savers in Motion

There are three kinds of places that I love going to more than anything in life: garage sales, flea markets and thrift stores.  I'm probably the most exciting 20-something on the face of this here planet!

However, I've come to terms with my inherent boring nature and learned to embrace it.  So, I have no problems telling all of the internet that the highlight of my weekend was a trip to Savers - which is a national chain of thrift shops.

Now, normally, I can find a couple of cool LPs or 45's, some miscellaneous knick-knacks or a gag gift or two; however, baseball cards are usually nowhere to be found.  This, I figure, is a result of people thinking their junk wax is an untapped goldmine and trying to pawn them off on the LCS. This is a scene that I've seen plenty often enough.

While I did find a couple nice albums (Donnie Iris and Scandal), some clothes and an amusing book that might offend more religious folks, I was very surprised to also happen upon this:

A plastic baggie of baseball cards??  This is my second favorite thing to find in a plastic baggie!!  (The first is a sandwich, what the heck did ya think I meant?)

Not just yellow-bordered Donruss crapola either; I don't have any 1996 Sportflics (I mean Sportflix... because X is cooler to 90's kids) in my collection and rarely do I see it pop up.  This Savers repack contained a nice stack of said set, plus this card was visible on the back:

A fun set of which I have no cards from and a guaranteed Cub too?  I'll take that deal every time.  Mark Parent was only a Cub for two seasons (1994-95) and served as a backup catcher; so, a card in Cubbie blue is a rare sight, indeed!

Unfortunately, that was the only card in the whole pack that had the right uniform on it; that said, that doesn't mean I wasn't able to find a few former/future Cubs to stock my player collections with:

As you can see, you get the player's last name when you tilt it one way and a notable stat from their previous season when you tilt in the opposite way.This was cool technology back then kiddies!

He might have earned his fame in Toronto, but let's not forget that this World Series hero got his start on the North Side of Chicago and landed the Cubs Rick "the Red Baron" Sutcliffe!

Ugh, a Cardinal.  But, at least this guy was able to get out of his deal with the devil and spend the 2006 season in Chicago.

On second though, that wasn't so pleasant.  Brought in to be a pinch-hitter, that .307 avg turned into a whopping .205 and his lasting impression here was getting pummeled by Brian Anderson in the benches-clearing brawl that ensued after the Michael Barrett/A.J. Pierzynski bout.

Michael Tucker didn't really have a notable career at Wrigley Field either.  He served as an extra outfielder for a team that choked down the stretch in 2001 and the Cubs then traded him back to the Royals in the off season.

Still, something new for my collection.

The rookie cards from this set are probably my favorite part about it.  First off all, the transition between the bat to the ball background seems smoother than the normal cards backgrounds.  Plus, they just look cooler to me.

I don't always have to have a rational reason, right?

Shawn Estes might have been a young hurler with a ton of promise back in 1996; but, as a Cubs in 2003 he was the obvious weak link in the rotation.  As the fifth man, he posted an ERA 5.73 and somehow lasted for 28 starts.

The club succeed in spite of his turns and, thus, I'll always remember him fondly for his association with that "almost did it" Cub team.

Here's the rest of the '96 Flix that fell out of the baggie.  Does anyone want to call dibs on them?  I'm not really wed to the ones with Cubs connections either; so, don't be afraid to lay claim to those too, if you're so inclined.

Yes, I know.  Organization is a skill I really need to work on.  My girlfriend reminds me every day.

That was it for Sportflix, but there was a healthy assortment of some more recent product as well.  For instance, this mix of 2008 Upper Deck.  No one that I collect though - anyone need help building the set?

Also nestled in there was a small trove of...

...recent editions of Allen & Ginter.  Now, none of these are guys that I collect and I don't particularly care for these sets.  But, I know that some go ga-ga over Ginter; so, does anyone need some full-size...

...or minis?  Let me know if any of these interest you!

We close things out with a couple of future Cub relievers who had spotty (at best) records with the Chicago National League ball club.

All in all, there wasn't that much "oompf" in this particular repack, but it was worth it for the novelty factor alone.

Plus, that wasn't the only baseball-related trinket that I uncovered during this particular expedition to Savers.  In fact, the other purchase that I made was much more interesting.  However, that one will require a little bit lengthier of a write-up; so, I'll save that one for tomorrow. See ya then!

I know - this is the most intense cliffhanger since "who shot JR?" Right???

Bo Knows Wrigley Roster Jenga

White Whales don't always have to be some mega mojo hit, super duper short-printed photo variation monster or a vintage Hall of Famer.  In fact, sometimes, they can simply be a normal, nondescript base card from the junk wax era:

Fleer Tradition is a set that doesn't seem to pop up secondhand very often anymore, for whatever reason.  This 1999 base card from the set seems to be the only card that commemorates Richard Barker's brief MLB career (5 games in '99).  Thus, I had to have it for my CATRC.

Problem is, I've only once found a stack of '99 Fleer Tradition in my years of card-hunting and this card was the only one missing.  Figures, right?  Well, thankfully Bo of the insightful blog known as Baseball Cards Come to Life  came to my rescue.

*Side note*  Bo, your adventures with your wallet card to all the nooks and crannies of New York are fascinating!

Finally landing that card alone would have been enough for me to let out an audible gasp; but, he didn't stop there.  Bo also included a healthy stack of other miscellaneous Cubs singles.

While I already had the boring, paper version of this card, shiny chrome-ness will always trump.  So, two new cards for the CATRC in this trade package!

And potentially three... it's a long-shot, but it's still possible!  Mr. Mota on the right there has been in the Cubs org since way back in 2005, filling in wherever and at whatever level the club needs him at. Obviously his prospect status had long since expired, but he's the kind of guy that deserves a reward for being a good org guy.

Kyle Reynolds also came to the Cubs farm system in 2005 and stuck around through 2009, getting as high as AAA.  But, like most Wrigley prospects of the time, he stalled out.  Names like his make me appreciate the TheoJed era so much more!

A couple more Bowman guys who never made the ultimate ascent to the majors.  Again, thank God for TheoJed!

Hmmmmm.... I'm sensing a theme here.  No matter, I've been working on a stockpile of Cubs' failed prospects as another mini-collection, so these cards have all proven to be quite useful.

So far, Bo is absolutely killing it here!

Here are a couple of Bowman guys who actually made it all the way to the Major League Cubs.  Rich Hill seemed destined to a long career in the rotation; but, he went all Steve Blass after a promising 2007 campaign.  He still seems to pop up for a few games every year as a lefty-specialist though - Boston last time I checked,

Betcha didn't know the Cubs had one of the Molina brothers.  In fact, the Cubs produced Jose; however, they didn't think he had the tools to stick in the MLB and cut him after the '99 season.... Well, he only just retired this past offseason as one of the most respected defensive catchers of the era.

Mulligan please?

Ah Rosie Brown.  Also known as Corey Patterson, Mach 1.  So much was made about him, circa 2001-02 for his 5-tool potential.  Unfortunately, while he did have 5 tools, none of them were really good enough to stick in the Bigs.

Ah, speak of the devil!  Chad Meyers never really amounted to anything either; but, he wasn't filled with as much potential as K-orey... *sigh*

There we go!  A new card of this guy will always lift my spirits - even if it is unlicensed.  This guy deserves some MVP attention, just sayin'.

A couple singles from a couple years of UD Collector's Choice.  A lot of collectors did (and probably still do) choose to collect Sammy Sosa.  I don't think the same can be said of Terry Adams.

Can we please bring sets like this back into existence though?

A couple of fantastic shots from the 1998 edition of Fleer Tradition.  Oh Henry laying out for what I assume to be a fantastic diving catch.  Had he made that grab at Wrigley, they would have showered him with Oh Henry candy bars as a reward.

Shooter looks like a man on an island here, contemplating how he's going to come in and give every Cubs fan a heart attack before coming through in the end.  For such a short-term guy, he's still beloved here in Chicago.  RIP Rod.

A couple new cards of playoff Cubs are always welcome here at Wrigley Roster Jenga!...

...especially so if they are on oddball cards, at that!  Although, it figures that I just bought myself that Dawson card on the left.  No matter, the black borders are prone to chipping (as we all know) and the one Bo sent seems to have less of that issue.  Another binder card!

On the right we have one of those Fleer box set singles from the mid to late 80's.  All hail the Red Baron!

More mainstream oddballs of all-time great Northsiders!

I'm usually not one for mini cards, my OCD tendencies dictate that, but how can I say no to new Rynos or Hawks?

From too small to too big!  Never before has Shawon's toothy grin loomed so largely on cardboard.  These particular cards just scream 80's in their layout and design; I absolutely love it!

On the left, we have Opening Day when Topps actually put a little bit of effort into the set by changing up the color of the border.  On the right, we have the exact same card as Flagship, except without foil and a bunting stamp.

I think I'd care a little bit more about Opening Day if they actually looked like a different set, a la that Derrek Lee.

Still, I didn't have either of these cards either. Score!

We close things out with a couple of Flagship cards.  Can we please bring back manager cards??  I really really really want a Joe Maddon card where he's wearing the proper uniform!

That wraps up an excellent package from Bo.  In total, he provided one white whale of a new player for my CATRC, two upgrades for the CATRC and a whole host of singles that I didn't have previously for my Cubs player collections.  Thank you kindly for the extremely generous package!

Bo knows Wrigley Roster Jenga.