That Awkward Moment When...

...the card show that you're attending is outdone by the friend that you're attending it with.

Last Sunday, I made my way to Orland Park, IL for the Sports Cards and More Show, which takes place every month at the community's Civic Center.  It's a show that I've been circling on my calendar on a fairly regular basis for a couple of years now and it has rarely failed me in terms of intrigue.  As an added bonus, Nick from Dime Boxes also makes his way down from the North Side to attend this show every now and then, as well.  On this particular occasion, we were able to meet up and take in the local cardboard cuisine together.  All in all, that was enough to make the trip worth the effort.

Thank goodness it was, since the show itself was kind of a disappointment for me this time around.  While Nick was finding vintage Jackie Robinsons and Stan Musials for bargain basement deals, I was striking out at almost every vendor that we patronized.  I suppose that shouldn't complain too much though, as I achieved the main objective that I had set before walking out the door - securing the '17 Heritage High Number singles that I needed for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection:

At the very first table I visited upon walking through the Civic Center doors, I came across a dime box of common singles from the newly-released set addendum.  Mike Montgomery and Brett Anderson were honored with their first Cubs cards in this checklist and so they had been circled as my top targets as soon as the list was released to the public.  Brett was a short-lived and temperamental experiment who was already long gone by the time HHN hit shelves; so, I was pleasantly surprised he ended up with any card with the proper shade of blue.  Furthermore, while Mike has only been around for about a year and a half, the first North Side card for the guy who recorded the final out of their 2016 World Series title still felt long overdue.

 

So, I was extremely happy to knock those two needs right off of the bat, for a dime a pop, at that.  However, after that was a loooooooooooooooong stretch of nada.  Even after I finally tracked down Nick, his dime box mojo was, unfortunately, not rubbing off on me.  In the midst of our cardboard adventure, Nick mentioned that he had just put an envelope with my name on it in the mail.  This immediately piqued my interest, as a mailing from Nick is always a treasure trove of trading card gold.

I suppose that little nugget of information made it a little bit easier to call it a day on the card show without making anymore significant acquisitions.  Sometimes that's just how the cookie crumbles - at least I knew something cool was coming my way in the near future.

By Tuesday afternoon, Nick's yellow, padded mailer was already in my clutches and, boy oh boy, did it ever make up for the card show let down.  I mean, just look at the cardboard gems that he dug up for me:

According to the note that Nick included, a large chunk of the cards came from the mythical penny boxes and super cheap unopened packs/boxes that he had recently uncovered at his local flea market.  In that flea market haul, Nick obviously uncovered a ton of forgotten and off-kilter 90's releases, including Topps Laser, Pacific Online, and Pacific Omega.  Does it really get any more 90's than Laser or anything Pacific?
 
Turning back the clock a little further, there was also a stash of vintage cardstock to behold too:

That Dick Ellsworth, in particular, is a beauty - a sunny cloudless sky in spring training, where hope springs eternal, while Dick poses in pristine home pinstripes on the green outfield grass.  That card is definitely replacing whatever was sitting in Ellsworth's CATRC pocket before.

Also, it should be noted that the '75 George Mitterwald is a buyback, in case you didn't notice the silver foil stamp in the upper right corner.  Clearly George is also stunned by the beauty of the Ellsworth single, as he appears to be wiping a tear away from his eye.  I feel ya, Georgie.

The entirety of the mailing wasn't all retro though, as there was a smattering of current releases included, as well.  This past August, I made my way to two separate card shops (with my wife too) to pick up several packs of the special National Baseball Card Day cards.  Sadly, I did not end up with any of the Cubs from that set; thankfully, Nick stepped up and amended that disappointment, in much the same way he fixed my card show let-down.

Meanwhile, there were also a pair of Rob Zastryzny's to keep Jake the Snake company.  Rob Z seems to be Topps choice for designated Cubs rookie in 2017, as he has appeared in nearly every product to hit stores this season; last year, it was a then untested Carl Edwards.  I'm guessing that the lefty was Topps pick due to the fact that he was added to the NLCS roster last fall.  No matter the motivation, the Chrome rookie card and the 1987-style insert that you see above are still dueling over which will get the honor of repping Z in my CATRC binder.  As of now, the wood grains have the edge - what do you think?

 From there, the rest of the package was composed mostly of...

 

 ...off-the-wall oddballs...

....colorful parallels.... 

 ...forgotten brands (love the dichotomy of the Cubs uni on a Sox card, btw)...

...minor league cards (bonus points on the indy league Bullinger)... 

...and reprints.  However, those two Play Ball re-imaginings on the bottom aren't actually true reprints - they're really more of a fantasy issue.  You see, back in the early 80's TCMA produced a set of cards intended to fill in the gaps that the 1940 Play Balls didn't cover, including Lou "The Mad Russian" Novikoff and Phil Cavaretta.  The reason I know all of this is because I have encountered these cards before... actually... I've encountered these very same two cards before... hmmmm.  When I re-read Nick's note, I put two and two together.

Many of the cards tat didn't come from his penny box exploits came from his discount box digs at the National, an event that I too attended.  In fact, I saw these two singles in one of those discount boxes at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center and nearly pulled the trigger, but was forced to put them back due to severely limited funds.  Is it possible that these two cards are the very same ones?  What a happy and strange coincidence that would be!

And that about covers Nick's ever-so-generous mailing - as you can see, it was like card show in a bubble mailer.

All told, this mailer included a bunch of off-the-wall fun stuff, several cards which supplanted previously occupied spots in my CATRC,  a card which I chased through a pair of card shops on Nat'l Basbeall Card Day, and, to top it all off, quite possibly the very same two cards that I had to leave behind at the National.  On the other hand, the Sports Cards and More Show provided me a pair of Heritage High Number needs.  I don't think I need to explain which one turned out to be the better haul.

My thanks go out to Nick for the amazing trade package which more than made up for the card show disappointment.  I can only hope that the cards I sent your way add up to at least a fraction of as much awesome as the one you sent mine. 

 Simply put, the man's trade stocks are better than the aisles of a vendor show.  Awks.

Not Clenching Over the Clinching

Last night, the Cubs did something that, prior to 9/27/17, they had only managed to accomplish six times since the beginning of divisional play in 1969.  If you limit the time period to the years that I've been alive and roaming planet earth, they had only been able to reach this achievement five times.  Yet, despite this significance, I almost didn't feel any sense of urgency or anticipation.  In fact, instead of watching the first half of the ballgame, I hopped on Netflix and watched a documentary about the Foo Fighters.  What was it that the "My Heroes" accomplished last night, you ask?  Well, it was the same objective that they accomplished in....

...1984...

...1989...

...2003...

...2007...

...2008...

... and 2017.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, they officially clinched the 2017 National League Central Division title, their seventh division championship since 1984, with a 5-1 triumph over the Cardinals.  I don't want to speak for all Cubs fans, but in the wake of last year's magical World Series victory, winning a ticket to the dance no longer holds the same mystique that it once did.  I suppose we Northside rooters are becoming a tad spoiled.

After all, repeating as divisional champs coming off of a World Series triumph is no sure thing.  In fact, World Champion club has been able to accomplish that feat since the 2009 Phillies took home the NL East crown.  The World Series hangover is a very real and consuming pain - just ask the first half version of the 2017 Cubs, who were actually under .500 and rapidly losing ground to the surprising Brew Crew and the Red Birds going into the All Star break.  Plus, there was the added bonus of being able to clinch at our most storied rival's home turf.  With all of that in mind, I suppose I really should be more grateful that the "Lovable Winners" were able to turn things around and successfully defend that trophy.

Playoff berths are nothing to be sneezed at.  Even when you factor in the franchise's two Wild Card wins in...

...1998...

...and 2015...

...playoff spots are still a relative rarity in team history.  Although, the ways things are trending, these ain't your granddaddy's Cubs.  In all actuality, they're more like your great granddaddy's Cubs.  By that, I mean that with having qualified for October baseball in 2015, 2016, and 2017, the club will be making their first back-to-back-to-back postseason trip since the 1906-1907-1908 edition of the Cubbies.  With that noted, it sure looks like the current crop is morphing back into the National League juggernaut that was Frank Chance's squad, well over 100 years ago.  

About damn time, right?

I'm sure that once October is here and the big series with our former friend Dusty Baker and his Nationals is upon our doorstep, my Cubbie Blue blood will start pumping a little faster.  In the meantime, congratulations to the 2017 National League Central Division Champions.  Regardless of last year's unprecedented success, winning that title is still a major accomplishment that deserves celebration, despite my initial disinterest.  

Now, if everyone could just stay healthy for this last week, that'd be great!

Wrigley Roster Jenga's Most Wanted

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of taking in a card show with one of the blogosphere's premier personalities, Dimebox Nick.  The opportunity to meet up with a fellow blogger, dig through some boxes together, and talk cards is always a treat.  There will be a full wrap up of my experience at this monthly suburban show at some point in the next few days (in case you were worried); but, speaking of talking cards, there was something about the conversation that Nick and I had which has stuck with me over the last few days.

At some point in our pasteboard discussions, our topic of conversation turned to Nick's recent acquisition of his ultimate white whale card - Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm's rookie card, from Topps first Flagship release.  Spearing such a prodigious catch would make even Captain Ahab blush!  That's when Nick asked me, "If you could have any card in the world, what would it be?"  My answer was a blank stare and a slight stutter.  In other words - I had no freakin' clue.

This seems like something I should know - after all, there's no shortage of baseball cards that I desire.  But, as far as my ultimate chase, I could not put a pin in it.  Since that time, I've been mulling that question over in my head, almost non-stop.  If I could have any card in the world, what would it be?...  In the end,  I did what I always do when trying to work out a tricky prompt:  I made a list.

And now, since I could use some blogging fodder, I'm going to share "Wrigley Roster Jenga's Most Wanted" list with the blogging world.  Heck, maybe I'll get lucky and someone reading this exercise will have an extra of one or more of these bad boys laying around.  But, first, some parameters:

I limited the list to ten and tried to keep is focused on more "modern" product.  By that, what I really mean is cards from the "Topps-era" onward.  Otherwise, this list would be nothing but me daydreaming about tobacco cards and obscure regional issues from the first half of the 20th century and that would get to be quite dull.  With that in mind, I figured that 1952 through today made for a more reasonably attainable time period.

So, without any further ado, I present to you "Wrigley Roster Jenga's Most Wanted:"

#10 - 2003 Topps T205, #151 Dave Shean

Well, after all of that hullabaloo, I lead off the countdown with a reprint of a tobacco card anyway.  Ain't I a stinker?

In 2003, Topps re-imagined the iconic T205 set with modern players, in much the same way they continue to reuse old designs today (Archives, Heritage, etc.).  Also included in the product were a few, select reprints of original cards, one of which happened to be Dave Shean, who briefly appeared with the Cubs in 1911.  This card represents a relatively easy and affordable card of an obscure and antique player that I could use for my CATRC.

#9 TIE - Any Team-Issued Cards of Taylor Davis & Felix Pena

Felix Pena is a middle reliever who made his MLB debut last year and Taylor Davis is a fourth-string catcher who earned a September call-up last year.  Both appear to be little more than roster-filler, at this time, and do not have histories as big prospects.  As such, neither has any Bowman or other mainstream pre-rookie cards to their names - just team-issued oddballs.   Seeing as they don't figure to become big enough to break into the major sets, I'm guessing Iowa Cubs issues will be as close as it gets.

I'm not looking for a particular year for either, but any singles from the 2015-17 sets will do.  This duo represents the only players absent from my collection from the 1980's on; thus, they are a major black hole in my collection.

#8 - 1990 Target Dodgers, #714 Dick Scott

In all honesty, there's a great many cards that I am chasing from this (please feel free to help) set which encompasses the entire all-time roster of the Dodgers, through 1990.  There's been a lot of crossover between the Cubs and Dodgers rosters in their lengthy histories; therefore, this checklist makes for a great chance to fill in some obscure slots in my CATRC from the early days of baseball.  However, the card that stood out most from the pack, in my eyes, was Mr. Scott here.  Can you spot why?

Spoiler alert - it's because the photo that was chosen for this perforated beauty features Dick in a Cubs uniform and it's not hidden very well.  In fact, you can even see the corner of Wrigley's historic scoreboard in the background.  In my opinion, that actually makes this Dodgers card a Cubs card instead!

#7 - 1979 Diamond Greats, #112 Vern Olsen

In 1979, a collector by the name of Jack Wallin put together his own, retrospective set of baseball players from the past.  The cards appear to focus on men who played in the 1930-50's, without any further rules for inclusion.  While there many stars featured in this collector-issued set, the 400-count checklist left opportunities for plenty of obscure guys, like Vern Olsen above, to sneak in.

Olsen was a lefty hurler who who appeared in 112 Major League games for the Cubs (1939–1942; 1946).  Despite that fact, Vern never did appear on a baseball card, at least until Jack Wallin stepped in.  Thus, I have my target set on this oddball so that Mr. Olsen can take his rightful place in my CATRC binder.  Also, I'm not seeking out an autographed copy (like the image I pilfered), but I certainly wouldn't say no to one!

#6 - 1976 TCMA Chicago Cubs ('38), #12 Bob Garbark

TCMA were the among kings of oddball baseball cards in the 1970's, with ads for their specialized, mail-in sets populating the baseball card publications of the times.  Among the numerous special sets that they put out in their time was a collation which payed tribute the 1938 Chicago Cubs.  That team won the National League pennant, but was ultimately bested by the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.  But, seeing as pennant winners are so rare in Chi-Town, an honorary set still feels quite appropriate.

As with most sets of their sets which shine the spotlight on specific teams, TCMA really went the distance with their research.  All of the players who got into so much as a single game appear in the checklist, as well as a few coaches.  Thanks to that, I have an affordable card of backup backstop, Bob Garbark, to chase down.

#5 TIE - One Year Winners #28 Jim Ellis & #61 John Flavin

Speaking of oddball kings of the 70's, that conversation isn't complete without mentioning Larry Fritsch.   While he was selling his hand-collated sets of Topps cards in the periodicals, he was also putting together his own special trading card releases.  One of those products was a set which paid tribute to players who only saw one year of action in the Big Leagues - it was called One Year Winners and it was put out in three different, continuous series, with three different designs.

Seeing as this is a set built around shining the spotlight on the obscure, I've had to chase several of these down.  The only two remaining on my want list are Jim Ellis (1979 design) and John Flavin (1983).  Quick nitpick though - Ellis actually appeared in two different seasons, one each for the Cards ('69) and Cubs ('67).  Also, while Flavin's career was limited to only one year, that came with the Cubs in 1967 - this picture dates from at least four years prior, when he was a member of the Reds org.

#4 - 1981 TCMA Go-Go White Sox, #5 Jim McAnany

And were back to TCMA and they're going to take us through the next couple of bullet points on the list.  As you can see, they have been and will continue to be a boon to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

Like the 1938 Cubs, the company also put out a team-specific set for the Northsiders' crosstown rivals in 1981.  For the White Sox, TCMA chose to feature the 1959 pennant-winning "Go-Go White Sox" in a blue bordered, black & white photograph collation.  Jim McAnany was the club's de facto starting right fielder that year and stayed with the club through the 1961 season, after which he punctuated his MLB career with a Cubbie cameo in '62.  As far as I can tell, this is Jim's only baseball card and singles from this set don't turn up too often.  In fact, I've never even seen Jim's single in person and the only scan I could find on all of the internet was the signed copy above.  Anybody have any leads?

#3 - 1979 TCMA Syracuse Chiefs, #10 Mike Sember

While TCMA was paying tribute to Major League teams of the past, they were also showcasing minor league teams of the present - they were the first company to mass produce minor league sets.   Thank goodness they did because their Syracuse Chiefs team set includes one of only two baseball cards issued under Mike Sember's name.  This one, with it's full-color and standard dimensions, is much more desirable than the team-issued photocard that the team released that same year... at least in my opinion.

Mike's professional baseball career ended with the Toronto Blue Jays AAA affiliate that season, but not before he sipped a couple of cups of coffee with the Cubbies in 1977 and '78.  All told, his MLB stat line consists of just 12 games, two hits, and one walk; nevertheless, I want/need that glorious mustache in my binder!

#2 - 1978 SSPC, #251 Mike Gordon

The people behind SSPC were the same minds behind TCMA, Tom Collier and Mike Aronstein.  While their TCMA-branded products focused on the days of yore, SSPC challenged Topps by shifting to the present and providing a rare alternative to the leading gum company's industry standard product.  Their no frills design, quality photography, and backs written by Keith Olbermann prove popular to this day.  But, did you know that SSPC had a second wave, released in 1978?

Released in "All Star Gallery" booklets, which focused on particular teams, SSPC had a second wind with pretty much the same product, but with an updated checklist.   Each booklet contained "27 full color photo fact cards" for the respective franchise.  For example, here's what the Cubs booklet looked like:

Of those 27 "photo fact cards," one featured a little-known, back-up catcher by the name of Mike Gordon.  No - not the guy from Phish.  This Mike Gordon was a teammate of Mike Sember on the Cubs of 1977-78; like his fellow Mike, Gordon only saw brief snippets of game action (12 games total).  Despite that small amount of MLB time, he was still able to sneak in SSPC's swan song, gazing off into the distance during batting practice.  Like so many in this countdown, this is his only baseball card on the market.

Now we've reached the moment of truth.  I've finally determined the answer to that question which Nick asked me three days ago -  "if I could have any card in the world, what would it be?"

Drum roll, please:

via GIPHY

Well... that's not exactly what I meant... but, I guess we'll roll with it.

via GIPHY

Okay - terrible puns aside, the number one card on my to-get list, right now, is:

#1 - 1967 Topps, #576 Ramon Hernandez/Norm Gigon

Ahhhhh... the dreaded high numbers of 1967.... the scourge of many a vintage set collector.

The third and final series of 1967 Topps pushed the final checklist for Flagship up to a then-record number of 609 cards.  Unfortunately, that same third series was short-printed, quite drastically enough to the point that even common cards sell for a premium today.  For example, the cheapest copy rookie card above, which features a journeyman reliever and barely-there "whosit" currently on Ebay is a whopping $70 BIN.  To follow up, the cheapest (and only) copy on COMC right now is priced at $210.  Needless to say, collecting a full set of 67's could lead to a mortgage.

Why is it I want this scarce single so badly - again, while both men eventually ended up playing for the Cubbies, this marks Norm Gigon's one and only appearance on a baseball card, whatsoever... and it had to be on a '67 high number. ☹

via GIPHY

My reaction if and when I ever track down a copy.

Gigon appeared in 34 contests with that 1967 Windy City ball club, batting an absolutely anemic .171 in 70 at bats.  Yet, his only baseball card will likely run me near triple digits - that's just not fair!  I just have my fingers crossed that I'll eventually come across one with a fatal flaw - creases, paper loss, tears, tape holding it together, what have you - that will lower Norm into my modest price range.  Until then, card #576 will remain the main objective in my great baseball card hunt.

Now, when fellow bloggers ask me at future card shows, I'll be prepared with a proper answer to the question.  Thank you, Nick, for making my brain do a little bit of work and for providing me with the jumping off point for a new blog post.  Here's where I challenge  you, the reader, to answer the same question and post what you come up with - "if I could have any card in the world, what would it be?"  You don't have to limit yourself in the way that I did or even do a full list.  Perhaps we could make this into a sort of blog bat-around, eh?  Personally, I'm curious to see what white whales are out there, just waiting to be speared.

Oh and if anyone has a lead on any of the cards that you see above, I know a guy who's interested!

Now, Can You Believe This?

The 2017 Cubs season has had more than it's fair share of exciting games.  This weekend's epic, extra-inning, see-saw battles against the Brewers rank near the top of the heart palpitation-inducing list, as does Mike Montgomery's near no-hit, pitching duel against the Tampa Bay Rays in the previous series.  Furthermore, last weekend's three-game sweep over the perennial nemeses known as the Cardinals certainly spiked my blood pressure levels.  All in all, while the 2017 edition of the Chicago Cubs hasn't been quite as dominant as last year's edition, they've certainly been entertaining!

All things considered, out of all of thee must-watch contests of 2017, I think the most exciting game of the season came against the Toronto Blue Jays last month - a game which completed another three-game sweep over a team named after a species of bird.

In fact, the game was so intense, that I actually felt compelled to purchase the Topps NOW card released to commemorate the madness that took place at Wrigley Field on August 20th, 2017.

For frame of reference, this is only the second NOW card to enter into my collection and the very first one which I have purchase myself (granted, through a third party).  The first, a card celebrating Jake Arrieta's second no-hitter with the Cubbies, was acquired via trade with Addiction as Therapy.  Generally, I find the price point on these instant cards to be too much for my wallet to swallow - $10 for a single card and even $6 through most secondary markets is a bit steep for my penny-pinching ways.  That should tell you how much this game affected my senses.

My other NOW acquisition

Plus, it doesn't hurt that, courtesy of his walk-off single, this special release becomes Alex Avila's very first Cubs card.  What a way to earn it!

 The back provides a brief write-up on the trade-deadline acquisition's heroics on surprisingly shiny cardstock (why is this rainbow finish on the back and not the front?).  But, even still, this card barely scratches the surface on just how insane this ballgame turned out to be.  Please allow me to set the scene.

The Cubs held a 3-2 lead over the pesky Blue Jays going into the sixth inning, in the middle of a claustrophobically tight divisional race.  Of course, old friend and recently exiled catcher, Miguel Montero, thwarted his former club by driving a game-tying homer into the bleachers.  Having lead 3-0 at one point, that hurt.  The Cubs offense continued to remain silence into extra innings and, come the tenth, the Blue Jays broke through for two, big runs.  One of those runs, came as a result of Avila himself, when he botched a toss back to the pitcher's mound:

I mean, when's the last time you saw THAT on a Major League diamond?  No one knew at the time, but that was far from the last bit of weird baseball to rear it's head on that afternoon.  The rest of the damage was done with some shaky pitching from Koji Uehara and Al's fellow former Tiger, Justin Wilson.  Everything was shaping up to be a deflating loss for the hometown club.

Then, the bottom of the tenth happened.

With shutdown closer, Roberto Osuna on the mound, all hope seemed lost, especially so when Kyle Schwarber led off the inning with a K.  But, fortunately, former Cubs catcher Raffy Lopez couldn't handle the delivery and Schwarbs reached on the dropped third strike; then, a Ben Zobrist double and then a wild pitch would plate Kyle's run.  Thanks to a pair of mistakes, the Cubs were suddenly back in the game.  A groundout by Rizzo moved Zobs to third and brought free-swinging Javy Baez to the plate.  As fun as Baez is to watch at the plate, his strikeout seemed almost inevitable.  But, then, weird baseball reared it's head, once again:

Another dropped third strike!  And this time, Lopez checks the runner at third... and somehow completely forgets to throw the ball to first base!  What in the heck was Raffy thinking about??  I'm fairly certain that I've never seen that on a baseball diamond, at any level, whatsoever.

How could this game possibly get any crazier?

Just a few pitches later, Javy-Air stole second base on the Osuna/Lopez battery and Jason Heyward got hit by a pitch, affording the opportunity for Alex Avila to redeem himself and be the hero of the day:

Exactly as they drew it up, I'm sure.

So, in summation, that tenth inning featured one miffed throw by the catcher to the mound, two dropped third strikes, one major mental gaffe by the other catcher, a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and five total runs scored.  Talk about total insanity, right?  Needless to say, with all those dropped thirds, the forgetfulness, and the wild pitch, the Toronto backstop and 2014 Chicago Cub, Rafael Lopez, did not have a banner evening.

 

All told, since it eventually amounted to a immensely exciting Cubs victory, it instantly became one of, if not, my favorite game of the 2017 season.  There was just so much happening at the Friendly Confines in that tenth frame.

Inevitably, I knew this game would be deemed NOW worthy by Topps and, when it officially hit the virtual shelves, I tracked down a third-party vendor on Ebay hocking a copy for six bucks.  Still pricey, yes - but, seeing as it was such a kooky, unique game and also just so happened to be Avila's first Cubs card, I pulled the trigger.  The souvenir finally showed up in my mailbox yesterday and Alex's wild celebration looks wonderful as his representation in my CATRC - I regret nothing!  That said, I still won't be making NOW purchases a regular habit; but, they do make for a nice, once-in-a-while treat.

With this tight-playoff race coming to a head (and hopefully a deep October run on the horizon), here's hoping that the Cubbies aren't done making things interesting and exciting - let's create a few more Topps NOW-worthy moments, boys!  Also, here's hoping that my poor heart can take it!

The Sauer Patch Kids

You may have heard of Hank Sauer - aka, "the Mayor of Wrigley Field."  From 1949-55, Hank manned left field at the Friendly Confines and carried one of the biggest bats in the National League.  One of the era's premier power hitters, Mr. Mayor cranked 37 home runs and 121 RBI to lead the league in both categories in 1952, paving the way for his selection as the NL MVP.  The two-time All-Star was regularly showered with packets of his favorite chewing tobacco by bleacher bums, upon returning to his spot in left field after having gone yard.  All told, Hank Sauer was one of, if not the only, bright spot on those dismal Cubs teams in the post-WWII era.

However, this post isn't about Hank Sauer; but, it is about another Sauer who played for the "Lovable Losers."  Unlike Hank, this Sauer played for a Cubs team good enough to take the National League pennant, although he was not in the running for the prestigious "political office" his similarly-surnamed peer held for Chicago.  Without an official title, Hank's little brother Ed also called the Windy City home, from 1943-45.

A few days ago, I came across this ultra-vintage beauty on Ebay.  Ed, being a marginal player during the War Era, doesn't have much of a cardboard presence and, thus, adding him to my CATRC binder has proven to be a challenge.  When I saw this oddball pop up in my saved searches, for less than an Alexander Hamilton flash card, I immediately pounced.

Back in 1947, Signal Oil partnered with the original Pacific Coast League (which then nearly rivaled the MLB in popularity) to produce a large set of baseball cards featuring the League's stars. 
These unnumbered sets consists of five of the eight PCL Teams as part of the promotion. Thankfully for me, the Cubs-affiliated Los Angeles Angels were one of the five teams who participated.

As for the cards themselves, they are black and white and measure a bizarre 5-9/16" x 3-1/2" on thin, sepia-toned stock. The front shows drawings of the player and some personal and career highlights in cartoon form. meanwhile, on the back, we have player bios, an ad for Signal Oil and an ad for the corresponding radio station, which carried each clubs broadcasts.

In my experience, I rarely see these bad boys go for anything less than $25.  Oftentimes, the ultra-vintage oddities run up price tags up above $50, especially when they are in as good a shape as Mr. Sauer here.  Therefore, seeing that Ed was a needed Cub and doesn't provide many other alternatives, there was no way I was ignoring this deal.  Plus, it's just a unique and wonderful-looking card - it's like the comics on the back of 60's Topps sets, except all over the card!

Said comics and the brief biographical snippet on the back provided a few tidbits of trivia on Ed - apparently he was quite the superstitious fellow, a versatile athlete in his youth, and was a multi-talented musician.  But, perhaps it's time to learn a little more about little Sauer's baseball career.  To the internet!

'45 Cubs Sluggers: Lowery, Secory, Nicholson, Pafko & Sauer - photo: William Greene

Despite being the younger of the two, Ed's Cubs tenure came before that of the elder Hank; during Ed's three years with the team, Hank was busy being a star in Cincinnati.  Unfortunately, the two brothers never got to play with one another, as by the time Hank was traded to the Second City (for Harry Walker and Peanuts Lowrey), midway through the 1949 campaign, Ed had moved on to St. Louis.  Much like the Patterson brothers, the Hungarian brothers missed each other by a few years... they could have been the "Sauer Patch Kids!" Well, Sour Patch Kids weren't a thing 'til 1985, but still...

Ed and Hank - the "Sauer Patch Kids."

Signed in 1940, out of Elon College in North Carolina by the Yankees organization, the younger Sauer brother made his way to the Cubs chain during the 1941 season.  He rose through the ranks with a reputation as a slugger, and made his Big League debut in 1943.  For the next few seasons, Ed would serve as a substitute in the outfield and as a pinch-hitter off of the bench, never earning a regular role.  For his Cubbie career, he saw action in 86 games over the course of three seasons, plus two World Series contests.

Of course, significantly, the last season of his Cubs stint lined up with the last World Series appearance the Cubs made in the 20th century.  Ed ultimately snuck into two October tilts against the Tigers, as a pinch hitter (games 5 and 7), but struck out each time against Hall of Famer, Hal Newhouser.  Nevertheless, until recently, being a Cub who saw World Series action was a rare accomplishment!

Unfortunately for Ed, those two at-bats proved to be his last in a blue uniform.  After the Series, Ed was demoted back to the minors, where he spent three seasons as a regular with the Los Angeles Angels (as the card which starts this post indicates) in the OTHER Wrigley Field, before brief trials with the Cards and the Braves in 1949.  After the close of his MLB career, Ed played for a few more years in the PCL, through 1951, to wrap up his time in the game of baseball.

Ed's older brother Hank, 1954 Topps

There you have it - the 411 on the younger half of the "Sauer Patch Kids."  Ed may have never risen to the rank of Mayor of Wrigley Field, but at least he got to bring home a pennant with the Boys in Blue.  That's a promise that they Mayor was never able to deliver on.

Now, Ed gets to join his brother in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

All in all, I'm thrilled to be able to add this superb 1947 Signal Oil PCL single to my CATRC binder.  First of all, any time I'm able to add a new name to those pages is a happy feat.  Second of all, rarely am I able to find such obscure players for such a reasonable price.  Third of all, super-vintage cards like this one are always a joy to uncover, no matter what.  FOURTH of all, this is the second card in a row to enter into my CATRC that could be classified as "super vintage" - my Johnny Hudson 1940 Play Ball addition was chronicled yesterday.  Obviously, it's been a good week for the Cubs collection.

Ed and Hank - they may be Sauer, but then they're sweet additions to my CATRC.

Drunk History

One of the most popular web series to ever hit YouTube is Drunk History.  Started by the ever-popular Funny or Die group, in each episode, an inebriated narrator struggles to recount an event from history, while actors enact the narrator's anecdotes and also lip sync the dialogue.  The concept proved to be hilarious and generated enough clicks to convince Comedy Central to adapt it into a full-blown television show in 2014 with celebrity narrators and actors.  The leap from web series to TV series has proven to be successful, as Drunk History's fifth season will begin airing sometime later this year.

I know what you're thinking, "what does any of this have to do with baseball cards?"  All in due time, young grasshopper.

First, please allow me to introduce you to the latest addition for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder, Mr. Johnny Hudson:

As you can plainly see, this 1940 Play Ball single has seen some better days.  This 77-year old piece of pasteboard has creases criss-crossing it's surface like a road map of Indiana, heavily rounded and fuzzy corners, and some very mild paper loss.  On the other hand, there are no tears, the printing is still fairly vibrant and clear, and I was able to score this bad boy for just $1.73 on Ebay.  So, despite it's somewhat poor condition, it's kind of hard to turn down a needed card from the World War II era (and an iconic set, at that) when it costs you less than a single, standard pack of Stadium Club.

I'll make that deal every day and twice on Sunday.

All I really knew about Johnny Hudson before I made this purchase was that he was ever-so-briefly a Cub in the 1940's and that he had yet to be represented in my CATRC.  The backs of the 1940 Play Ball set are famous for their detailed write-ups; so, the flipside proved to be quite informative:

This proved to be a great jumping off point in my research on the man that was a "happy thought" for his manager, Leo Durocher.

Johnny Hudson was not a large man (5'10', 160 lbs); but, what he lacked in height, he made up for with his glove.  The diminutive utilityman was a spry, athletic player, who was well-respected across the league for his fielding.  Durocher once said that he never saw a second baseman “get as smart as fast as Johnny…Johnny is a born ball player…he has baseball sense."  That's high praise from an ornery man who rarely gave it out.

On the other side of the baseball, Johnny was never known for his bat (.242 career BA), but he did earn the moniker "Mr. Chips" due to his pinch-hitting ability in tight spots, when the proverbial chips were down.  With that in mind, Hudson was a coveted asset across MLB and was often the subject of trade rumors.  The Dodgers finally acquiesced and dealt Johnny in May of 1941, along with Charlie Gilbert, for baseball's best second baseman, Billy Herman.  All told, the Cubs traded a sure-fire Hall of Famer for a utility infielder and a Quad-A type outfielder.  No matter how you draw it up, it was a terrible trade for the Cubbies; how did this happen?

Alcohol.  That's how it happened.

You see, Herman always had his eyes set on the manager's chair and Herman was miffed that he wasn't being considered.  Brooklyn GM, Larry McPhail, pounced after catching wind of the growing rift between Herman and the Cubs.  McPhail then met with the Chicago brass in a Second City hotel and proceeded to get them liquored up.  Said Leo Durocher, "he had kept emptying his drinks into flowerpots, toilet bowls, and any other handy receptacle. 'And every time they were pouring for me (McPhail), I was pouring for them.'"  By the end of the night, the Cubs management team was so inebriated that they traded their Hall of Fame second baseman for a utility infielder and a third-string outfielder.

Let this be a reminder, baseball fans - drink responsibly.

The man who accompanied Johnny to Chi-Town

Otherwise, you end up doing things you might regret later.  I'm sure that no one reading this can relate, in any way, right?


After the booze-fueled trade to Chicago, Hudson lasted a scant 50 games on the Northside, playing out the string in '41 and posting a miserable .202/.225/.242 line as a reserve.  No amount of glove work can make up for that anemic bat.  That winter, his contract was sold to the Cubs' American Association affiliate, the old Milwaukee Brewers, and he wouldn't make it back out of the bushes for several more years.

Come 1945, the Giants brought Hudson up to serve as infield depth and he played the last 28 games of his Big League career that season.  After a few more years as a player/manager back in the minors, Johnny came back to the Giants and spent the rest of his life, until his death in 1970, as a scout for the organization.  Johnny Hudson was truly a baseball lifer.

Also, for the record, Billy Herman did eventually get his chance to manage with the Pirates and the Red Sox, but never won more than 64 games at the helm.
 

Hudson with the Cubs in 1942, image courtesy of Mears Monthly Auctions.

And so, that's the story on Johnny Hudson and how getting a bit tipsy led to his "Brock for Broglio-esque" trade to Chicago.  Without the proper lubrication, that deal might never go down, Johnny's baseball career continues uninterrupted, and the 1940 Play Ball single which kicked off this post is never needed for my binder.  Never underestimate the power of alcohol and the influence it has on human history.

Selfishly, I'm kind of glad that it all happened, so I had the excuse to track down this super-vintage gem for chump change.  Welcome to the CATRC, "Mr. Chips!"

All in all, this blog post sort of turned out like an episode of Drunk History in reverse:  a sober narrator telling the story of how a couple of drunk idiots affected history.  Perhaps the story behind the Herman for Hudson trade would make a good, traditional episode of the popular Comedy Central program?

At any rate, please take this opportunity to watch noted Cubs fan and beloved Chicago-native, Bob Odenkirk, drunkenly stumble through the tale of Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition.  Thanks for stopping by and make good choices!