The Best of the Best - Everything's Jake

Last night, was one of my best friend's birthday celebration and, because he's a rabid, crazy Cubs fan like I am, we and our significant others spent the night at Wrigley Field, in his honor.  Although the weather was unusually cool for a June evening (heck, there were hot chocolate vendors in the stands) and the Cubs were twisted into knots by opposing starter, Zac Eflin, it was a positively pleasant double date.  My wife was especially thrilled, as the native east-coaster grew up just outside of Philadelphia and she got to see her hometown Phillies lay a beat down upon Kyle Hendricks and crew.  At least one of us four was happy with the result of the contest!

Of course, with the Phillies being in town, that meant that former Chicago ace and "Cub for life," Jake Arrieta, was back for his first visit to the Friendly Confines since leaving town as a free agent this past off-season.  With that in mind, the park was abuzz with anticipation, as fans and players alike were excited to see an old friend again - I suppose two no-hitters, a Wild Card complete game shutout, a mindbogglingly great 2015 season, and a World Series title will build that sort of attachment!

As has become something of a tradition since the giant, new video board went up in left field a couple of years ago, the Cubs media crew paid tribute to a franchise favorite with a video montage on the big screen, in between halves of the first inning:

Here's the #Cubs video board tribute montage for Jake Arrieta @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/gP5IZk9rlJ

— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) June 6, 2018

The man of the hour himself stood just outside of the visiting dugout, taking in the scene and spectacle.  Once the minute-long montage came to a conclusion, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause as Jake stepped out into full view, tipping his weird, red cap to every corner of Wrigley Field in a show of gratitude.  It was really quite the scene.

This was a good time to be sitting in the best seats that I've ever had at a Cubs game, as our party was just about ten rows back of the visitors.  Thus, we got a perfectly centered view of the video board and were close enough to Arrieta that we could see his face holding back the flow of emotion:

Thankfully, my wife was able to snap some pictures to commemorate the touching moment - she's always quick and dependable with the lens.  Of course, the rest of the contest was nothing to remember, as the Phightin' Phils beat up on the home team by a score of 6-1, this quick little ceremony made the entire night worthy of recollection and a perfect birthday festivity.

In fact, as I was herded into a crowded Red Line car after the game had ended, I felt inspired to draft a tribute of my own to the 2016 World Series Champion.  It was there, wedged between the wall of the train car and my loving wife, that I began to mentally draft the list of my favorite Jake Arrieta baseball cards as one does when one is a pasteboard blogger wanting to commemorate a favorite player.

Jake has had some good ones over the years, so it was kind of tough to narrow the list down.  Case in point, I originally intended to bang out a quick five-card bulletin, but found it far too difficult to leave so many cards on the outside looking in.  Even still, the wonderful Diamond Kings mini which leads off this post just missed cracking the countdown.  In short, there's a lot of nice cards to cover - so, without any further ado, let's take a look at the ten best cards in my collection of one of the premier Cubs hurlers of all-time:

#10 - 2010 Topps Update #US251

We start with where it all began. with his very first Major League card - I have Jake's 2010 rookie single coming in at number ten. Look how bizarre baby-faced Jake looks in Orioles colors!

I may not chase particularly hard after big time cards, but it's hard not to have some sort of attachment to rookie card of a favorite player, even if he is sporting the wrong jersey.

#9 - 2014 Topps Cubs Factory Team Set #CHC-??

From his first Major League card to his first Cubs card - this factory team set single represents Jake Arrieta's very first, official card in Cubbie blue, beating his Series 2 single to the shelves by a few months in 2014.  It was this card that motivated me to buy the whole nine dollar set from, in a bizarre twist of fate, Citizens Banks Ballpark in Philadelphia.  My wife and I took in a Cubs v. Phillies tilt that summer as part of a larger vacation.   Funny how that worked out, huh?

Who knew what he would go on to accomplish as a Cub after this printing?  Who knew that he would eventually go on to play for the same city I bought this card in?

#8 - 2017 Topps Series 1 #270

The only parallel to make the cut, the gold version of Jake's League Leaders card from last year makes the cut at number eight.

While not as historically dominant as he was in 2015, Jake's 2016 season was nothing to sneeze at. His 18 wins tied him for third best in the National League, earning him a spot in the League Leaders subset.  I love cards that commemorate specific events or achievements (more on that later), making it a shoe-in for inclusion on this countdown.  I opted for the gold parallel over the base, as the shininess adds some flare to the overall lackluster design of 2017 Flagship.

#7 (tie) - 2016 Topps Bunt #200 and 2017 Topps Bunt #119

Much like I am lamenting the end of Jake Arrieta's stellar Chicago Cubs career, allow me to take a moment to mourn the loss of the physical Topps Bunt set.  

This low-end collectors' product had the potential to be the entry-level, no-frills set that we collectors have clamored for throughout the year.  As cheap as Opening Day, but with original and interesting designs, fun and creative inserts, and emphasizing collecting the base set over the chasing of hits, Bunt was a product filled with so much potential.  However, like Jake re-upping with the Cubs, the return of Bunt just wasn't in the cards for 2018.  That's a shame because just look at these bad boys - the 2016 set was especially easy on the eyes!

#6 - 2007 TRISTAR Prospects Plus #96

Here we have another early Jake Arrieta issue, this one a pre-rookie, minor league release which actually showcases him in his collegiate uniform.

Since I first began collecting cards in the mid-90's, I've always had a special affinity for minor league cards of Major League stars.  In fact, to this day, I still have an entire binder filled with such cards for future Cubs; collegiate and high school cards are even more fascinating to me.  Simply put, I'm drawn to cards which show Major Leaguers back when they were just another face in the crowd.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a pre-rook Arrieta should hop into this list, like a TCU Horned Frog.

#5 - 2017 Topps 1987 30th Anniversary #87-49

Okay, so let's just address the elephant in the room here - Topps has overdone the 1987 nostalgia over the last few years... so much so that we collectors have started to roll our eyes every time the familiar, wood grain borders are trotted out.  Nevertheless, as a collector who got his start with grab bags stuffed full of discounted junk wax singles, this set is a key part of my childhood.   With that being known, it's hard for me to pass up a card of one of my all-time favorite athletes on one of my favorite card designs.  I'm simple like that.

On the other hand, the curious decision to lop of Jake's powerful pitching arm above the elbow keeps this insert from ranking much closer to the top.  Zoom out!!

#4 - 2017 Topps National Baseball Card Day #CC-2

Pairing one of the top moundsmen in the game today with the best holiday on the calendar - that's a match made in heaven!  

I've not been so fortunate as to pull a Cub since the holiday was rebooted by Topps in 2016; however, thankfully I have great buddies like Nick, of Dime Boxes fame, ready to step in and play the hero.  Even cooler, this card wasn't even available in the free packs given away by stores last summer... one had to attend the home game on August to obtain Jake the Snake and a few other supplementary pieces.  SGA sets are the bee's knees.

 #3 - 2016 Topps World Series Champions Box Set #WS-4

Remember how I said I enjoy cards the commemorate specific moments?  I present to you exhibit #2, which checks in at number three on this list.

Sometimes I still wake up in the morning and think to myself, "gosh, I cannot believe the Cubs actually won the World Series!"  It may have been more than a year and half ago, but after generations of futility and gnashing of teeth, it's still hard to believe that the Lovable Losers finally got over the hump.  Thus, these special World Series cards (and any '16 WS associated cards) were a quick buy for me.  Now I have physical proof that it actually happened and that Jake Arrieta nearly tossed a third no-hitter in the process!

#2 - 2011-Now Sports Illustrated for Kids  #536

One of the first baseball card trades that I ever consummated was for an SI for Kids oddball and, ever since, I've made a point of tracking down all the Cubs who've appeared in this long-running series of perforated panels.  Although, there haven't been all that many over the years.

Of course, after the Cubs broke the 108-year streak, that changed quite quickly, with Kris Bryant and Jake Arrieta appearing in consecutive issues of the periodical.  I was just as excited when I opened the pages of that magazine and saw Jake staring back at me as I was when I traded my 1990 Score Bo Jackson for Gracie's 1995 SI for Kids entry.  Oddballs are always a draw for me.

And now it's all come down to this - we've covered spots ten through two, which Jake Arrieta card ranks as number one in my collection?  Drum roll please:

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Guess I overplayed that gag - sorry about that, Mr. Griswold!  Anyway, my favorite Jake Arrieta card is the following:

#1 - 2016 Topps Now #30

This particular card has popped up on Wrigley Roster Jenga several times now, so longtime readers of the blog might not be surprised to see it resting on top of the pile.  Clearly I wasn't kidding when I said that I adore cards that commemorate specific events or achievements.

The thrill of watching of a seemingly superhuman Jake twirl his second no-hitter in a span of just months was one of the greatest things I've experienced while watching television.  Though his historic run of dominance was nearly over when this occurred, I've come to look at this card as symbolic representation of peak Jake Arrieta.  For a while, he was truly the greatest pitcher to ever don the Cubs uniform, perhaps one of the best in our game's vast history and I feel privileged to have seen him at his peak.  All told, this was the very first Now card I felt compelled to acquire and there has only been one further Now addition to my collection - that should say something about important it is to me.

So, there you have it - a comprehensive list of the best Jake Arrieta cards in my collection and my tribute to one of the team's all-time greats.  Although he will never look right in red or maroon, here's hoping that he continues to have success in Philadelphia; so far, it looks like 2018 has been treating him rather well.  I'll be rooting for him and the rest of his team, seeing as the Phils are my better half's favorite team.  Happy wife = happy life and all that jazz.

That is, as long as they aren't playing the Cubs.  Thanks for the memories, Jake - we'll always have Chicago.

The Find of a Lifetime?

This baseball has been sitting on my dresser for more than a year now, with the rest of my miscellaneous diamond memorabilia.  Before that, it rested on my computer desk for several years, serving as something of a paper weight and decoration, something to bring a little bit of flare to my workspace.  Honestly, I've never really known what to do with my autographed baseballs.  I do not have a lot of them, but (as you can tell) figuring out a proper way to display them has eluded me for quite a long time.

This particular signed hardball came into my possession through my now sister-in-law, who generously bought it for me as a birthday gift a few years back.  As I recall, she came across this bit of ephemera while browsing through a local thrift store one day.  While she had no idea who had inked their name on the sweet spot, for a couple of bucks, she correctly surmised that it might make a fun birthday surprise for the biggest baseball fanatic in her social circle.  She's always taken good care of me when it comes to gifting.

The John Hancock was a mystery to me as well, perhaps a "Steve" or  "Stan" someone who once played minor league baseball or something.  With not much else to go on, I placed the ball on my desk, intending to come back and do some more in-depth research later.  Finally, after kicking the can way down the road, this past weekend, I got an answer as to who might have scribbled on it.  However, we'll come back to that in a little bit.

Before I reveal the ID of the mystery signer, I should note that this wasn't the first time that a graphed baseball had gone from a thrift store shelf to my apartment.  Actually, just months before that gift from my sister, the local Savers provided the piece that you see above.  While he wasn't a star player, Craig Grebeck was a utility man for the White Sox, Marlins, Angels, Blue Jays, and Red Sox  and had a lengthy 12 year career in the Bigs - not a bad autograph to find for the price of a meal off of the McDonald's Dollar Menu.  Plus, the guy played for one of my hometown teams, which is always a major plus in my book (even if it's the wrong team).

Of course, the thrift shop signature search doesn't stop there either:

A couple of Christmases ago (note the tree in the background of these pictures), I was doing some shopping at the nearest Goodwill... not for seasonal gifts, mind you, but as a mental respite from the chaos and mayhem that is department store shopping during the holidays.  Anyway, finding this game-used, minor league baseball uniform signed by long-time Major Leaguer, Mike Marshall, certainly qualified as a welcome respite.  The former Dodger All-Star came back seven seasons after his last pro action to play 33 games for his hometown Schaumburg Flyers of the old Northern League in 1999.

As an aside, my wife has also noted that - besides signed memorabilia - I also have a knack for coming across minor league dressings in the local thrift stores.  But, that's a story for another day....

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, I found these imprisoned in a Ziploc bag on a rack at Savers in Orland Park:

 

A couple of team-issued photo cards and a glossy 5"x7" featuring Blackhawk Sharpie marks!  Steve Dubinsky, Ethan Moreau and Chad Kilger were once chased down by someone named Dana and then unceremoniously jettisoned into the secondhand market.  Seeing as Kilger only played for one campaign in the Windy City, 1998-99, we can probably say with confidence that those cards were released by the team in 1998.  As for the origin of the photo print out, who the heck knows?

All in all, these aren't scrubs - between the three of them, that's 38 years of combined NHL experience and a couple of big names from the dark period of the Blackhawks franchise.  There was no way I wasn't going to rescue these from the store rack and proudly display them in my Blackhawks binder!

All in all, this is starting to sound braggadocios; that said, as you can see above, I've had some pretty good luck when it comes to acquiring signed memorabilia from the local Goodwill, Savers, Unique, etc.

With that in mind, let's get back to the autographed baseball which led off this post.  After serving as decoration for several years, I finally got back around to identifying the handwriting.  At first, I thought it might say "Steve Carlton" and my heart skipped a beat at the thought of finding a 300 game winner's endorsement at such an establishment.  Of course, rationality set in after I discovered that Carlton's signature looks nothing like the one above.  I mean, surely no one would so foolish as to dispose of something so significant so carelessly, right?

I was not having much luck myself - I'm not much of an autograph seeker and I don't have the knowledge nor am I aware of the proper outlets for such research.  Therefore, I took to Twitter to do a little bit of crowdsourcing - surely someone out there might be able to give me a lead, even if it was just a minor league scrub.

I legitimately laughed out loud when I read that initial response.  I honestly thought that everyone's favorite Durham Bulls fanatic was being a bit of a smart ass... okay, pal, I'm sure it is....

Then, just to be 100% sure, I took to Google... then my jaw nearly hit the damn floor:

These authenticated examples of Hammerin' Hanks Hancock sure do look the same to my untrained eyes.  Hold the phone - could it actually be possible that my sister-in-law and I had stumbled upon a baseball signed by Major League Baseball's all-time home run king on a dusty thrift shop shelf for pennies on the dollar??!! 

Craig Grebeck, Mike Marshall, Ethan Moreau, etc. were cool and all, but this sounds way too good to be true!

Some further elaboration by Snorting Bull informed me that although Hank's signature has gotten shakier as he has aged, the examples above and my baseball are consistent with how Mr. Aaron signed his name in the 1990's.  That explains why the signature in question bares little resemblance to the 2004 Topps Retired auto that I recently acquired in a mega trade with Gavin at Baseball Card Breakdown:

At this point, several other Twitter users were chiming in backing up Snorting Bulls' initial assessment.  Here is an actual short video of me, recorded as I was taking in all of this incredible information:

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Now, I'm going to rain on my own parade here - while it certainly looks like a signature from the hand one of the top five greatest players to ever take to the diamond, there could easily be more than meets the eye.  The cynic in me is more inclined to believe that this disposed of ball is more likely the product of someone practicing their forgery than the real McCoy.  As the old saying goes, "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is."  

In the end, I'm certainly going to have to get this thing authenticated - the potential is far too great to leave it open to question.  But, like I said, I don't deal with a whole lot of autographs or high end memorabilia - can anyone here on the blogosphere enlighten me as to the proper channels? 

Either way, this still ranks as one of the most exciting finds of my life.  My sister knew she was giving me a generous gift.... however, who knew just how exceptionally generous this gift could possibly be?!

A Hank Aaron autograph found buried on a thrift shop shelf... eat your heart out, Macklemore!

Preserving the Pen

So far, the Cubs bullpen has been a key contributor to their success in 2018.  Making up for a lack of durability from the starting pitching corps and a relatively inconsistent offense, the late-inning relief staff have been making a lot of slim leads hold up throughout the campaign.  All told, so far the bullpen has had to cover 212 innings along the way and have posted a 2.59 ERA/3.41 FIP in those frames  Obviously, they have stepped up when called upon.

However, the frequent calls to the pen are adding up to a lot more than an overage in minutes.  For instance, set up man, Steve Cishek, has already appeared in 28 games, putting him on an exhausting pace towards 80 appearances with Pedro Strop and Brian Duensing not far behind.  Meanwhile, Carl Edwards, Jr. and Eddie Butler have already been forced to the disabled list, thinning the herd and perhaps a warning sign of overuse.  As a result, the Cubs have been forced to cycle through a selection of AAA arms, in an effort to rest their end game arms and provide a variety of options for Joe Maddon to call upon.

While Luke Farrell, Justin Hancock, Cory Mazzoni, etc. have all performed admirably during their taxi squad appearances, so far, Randy Rosario may be the most impressive hurler in the cab:

Through 7.2 innings, the former Minnesota Twin has not allowed a single run (earned or otherwise), racking up six strikeouts, and touching 97 mph on the radar gun.  Furthermore, he's limited opponents to just two, measly hits and, for what it's worth, he's earned two wins against no losses during that time.  That said, one possible cause for alarm rests in his control, as Randy has also allowed four walks in those seven frames.  But, all in all, there's an awful lot to like about this 24-year old rookie.

Rosario was originally acquired by the Cubs via a waiver claim back in November, after a rough debut in the Bigs in 2017.  Hammered for 8 earned runs in just 2.2 innings, the Twins considered him expendable, but Theo and crew pounced on an arm with potential.  However, I did not follow suit - I did not have a card featuring Randy at the time of the roster move and I did not set out to remedy that situation.  After all, the waiver wire is a busy place in the off-season and there was no guarantee that the moundsman would stay in the organization.  Lo and behold, not only did Randy stick around, he was back in the Majors before May was out.  Oops.

Caught with my proverbial pants down, I belatedly got around to tracking down a proper card for Randy's newfound spot in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, after he was initially brought up as the 26th man in a May 19th doubleheader.  After searching out my LCS for 2018 Update singles, I was thrilled to find a copy of Rosario's rookie card as a placeholder.

As an aside, you should note that the write-up on the back of this Topps single indicates that "Randy lived the dream... when he induced a groundout from childhood hero, Albert Pujols, in his first inning as a Major Leaguer."  Are we already to the point where Prince Albert has been around long enough to be another Big Leaguer's CHILDHOOD hero?  Gosh... I feel old.

Anyway, out of all of Rosario's cardboard options, the 2018 Update Series single was certainly the most appealing.  Other than some team issued minor league sets, the prospect hasn't appeared on a lot of checklists.  Not being deemed worthy of Bowman, Pro Debut, or MiLB Heritage, Randy was relegated to the unlicensed pajamas of Panini Elite Extra Edition back in 2013 and that's it.  I think we can all agree that dilemma has an easy solution.

 
2013 Panini Elite Extra Edition - [Base] #83 - Randy Rosario

Here's hoping that Randy maintains his early success and establishes himself as a presence in the back end of the Cubs Major League bullpen, both because it would help if the Cubs had another reliable option to prevent overuse and because, selfishly, I would like for him to appear on a genuine Cubs card come Update time.  That may be a tall ask, seeing as relievers usually get the shaft in Flagship and it's offshoots, but a guy can dream, can't he?

At any rate, welcome to Chicago, Randy Rosario, and good luck!

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Baseball, Candy, and Stickers

There's been a lot of heaviness in the Burbs household over the past few weeks.  As I discussed yesterday, work has been insanely busy in the lead up to summer break and my iPhone also recently went for a nice, long swim.  Furthermore, as if that wasn't enough to put a damper on my mood, some family drama has been frothing for several days now and finally boiled over the edge of the pot.  I'm not going to discuss these private matters on the blog, but I will say that next month's big family vacation to Tennessee is now going to be extra "interesting."  

Thankfully, there are three things that will always make my day better - baseball cards/memorabilia, candy, and stickers.  What can I say?  I'm a perpetual child... although I'm willing to bet that most of you out there reading my ramblings would probably agree with me here.  Therefore, you wouldn't be surprised to find out that my dark mood was almost instantaneously lifted on Friday afternoon when I found an envelope that blended all three of those joyful things. 

Baseball ephemera, candy, and stickers all in one package... what could possibly accomplish such a fun-tastical blend?

As detailed in a earlier post on Wrigley Roster Jenga, Long Ball Licorice is a new player in the confectionery industry.  Andre Chiavelli worked for many years at Yankee Stadium and as bans and ordinances against chewing tobacco worked their way up from the local ballparks and into MLB stadiums across the country, he saw an opportunity to pursue an idea which had been kicking around in the back of his head for a long time: plug-style licorice.  Then, he went out and secured the likeness of the one and only Babe Ruth for his new passion project and Long Ball Licorice was officially born.

I don't know how you feel about licorice, but it's absolutely one of my favorite candies... especially black licorice.  Although, the black variation elicits some of the strongest reactions from people that I've ever seen when discussing candy - it seems as though it's one of those things you either love or you hate.  How do you feel about black licorice?  I should note that Long Ball also comes in a red raspberry flavor, if you fall into the latter portion of society.

Meanwhile, I fall squarely into the former category and, when I won a free sampling of Andre's product through a Twitter contest back in January, I was particularly giddy.  In fact, my wife and I actually fought over the soft licorice plug.  Thank goodness LBL's distribution continues to spread and it's now available in Cracker Barrels and ballparks across the country - no more coming to blows over sweets!

Look for these pouches at your local CB restaurant or baseball diamond!

At any rate, seeing as how much I enjoyed this high quality, tasty confection, I have since been monitoring their social media channels quite closely.  Thus, I jumped at the chance when their official Twitter account offered up free Long Ball Licorice stickers to anyone who tagged a friend in the thread.  Seeing as my wife was nearly willing to slug me in the stomach for an extra bit of the licorice, I thought she'd be okay if I let her in on the secret to get some free swag.

Baseball, candy, stickers... that checks all the boxes for a desperately needed pick-me-up.  Plus, free is my all-time favorite price!

Just a few days later, an envelope filled with not one, not two, but FIVE free stickers showed up in my mailbox:

Here's a closer look at the decals themselves.  They are about the size of your standard business card and condense the packaging art down to that 3.5"x 2" frame.  In fact, Andre appears to have taken the layout/design for his LBL business cards and had them printed as stickers.  That's not a complaint, as that's just good marketing and I absolutely love this graphic design work. Meanwhile, the backs - of course - are blank; they are stickers, after all.

I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up with five of these little decals.  Now, I have one to keep for my oddball card collection (fun fact, that's also where the original business card resides) and I don't have to feel guilty about sticking the rest of them in strange places!  Again, my inner child is showing.

Like I said, I kept one for my baseball card collection and I gave one to my wife, since she was party to my sticker quest and arguably loves Long Ball Licorice even more than I do.

Apparently, she loves it so much that she thought it was worthy of being framed on her desk.  That's some awfully high praise!  However, she assures me that this is just staging and she'll be sticking Babe somewhere fun in the near future.

After handing one over to my better half, my next stop was to my portable record player.  This relic from the local school district had been mothballed in storage for decades before I rescued it a few years back.  Now, after years of neglect, it plays double duty as both the source of music in my spare bedroom and as a holder of stickers:

As you can see, Babe represents the first baseball-related autocollant to make it into the club, although it's not the first bit of sports ephemera.  Apparently, motorsports and stickers go together like peanut butter and ladies (a reference any NASCAR fan should understand).

That's three of the five stickers accounted for... now, what should I do with the other two?  I'm going to have to find somewhere in the area to adhere them, somewhere that will get Andre, Babe Ruth, and Long Ball Licorice maximum exposure.  Hmmmmmm.....  suggestions are welcome!

Thank you to Andre, Long Ball Licorice, and their Twitter account operator for providing me with these awesome freebies - it was a generous offer and they truly helped to brighten a dark week for the Burbs household.  See - there's nothing in this world that baseball, candy, and stickers cannot fix!

Those stickers are effective too... my taste buds are totally craving some Long Ball Licorice right now.

Where Have You Gone, Gene Krug? The Epic Conclusion!

So, I've been away from the blog for a few days due to the fact that the end of the school year sucks up pretty much all of my time, energy, and will to live.  During the graduation season, I rarely have time to sit down and eat, let alone set aside time for hobbies like baseball card collecting and blogging.  Seriously, I've forgotten to eat my lunch at least twice during this time.

In an attempt to rest and relax, my wife and I took a trip down to our apartment complex's pool during it's opening day last Sunday.  Unfortunately, I neglected to check my pockets (seriously - pockets on swimming trunks are a disaster waiting to happen) and my cell phone got some "relaxation" in as well.  Luckily, I had a replacement already earmarked for the now water-logged iPhone, but that still took up even more time I didn't have.  In short, it's been a trying time in Wrigley Roster Jenga land.

Obviously, between the end of the school year chaos and smart phone swimming, I was in desperate need of a pick-me-up.  Oftentimes, checking my mailbox is just what the doctor ordered in this situation.  Of course, sometimes this metal container holds nothing but junk mail, bills, red light camera tickets, and other dredge - but, other times, it contains greeting cards, surprise packages, and *best of all* baseball cards.  Luckily, on Tuesday, the contents of my mailbox came from the latter scenario.

On the very afternoon of graduation - a ceremony for which this IT professional has a surprising amount of responsibilities - I was absolutely giddy to discover something that I had been anxiously waiting with bated breath for weeks stashed within:

That's no ordinary 1981 Topps single... that's my custom made, custom printed fantasy card of cameo Cub, Gene Krug.  Best of all, that's a bonafide autograph scribbled on the front!  Also, as an aside, my new Samsung LG K20 takes a pretty decent photograph!

I'm sure many of you fellow collectors will agree, there's nothing like a TTM return to brighten the spirits.  However, there's more to this story than meets the eye.  As longtime readers of Wrigley Roster Jenga might be aware, I've long had a sort of fascination with the career of Gene Krug.  Having received six PA's in 1981, Mr. Krug is the latest player to debut with the Cubs that has NEVER appeared on a trading card whatsoever, despite debuting near the dawn of the junk wax era.  I'm not exaggerating either - no regional oddballs, no minor league team issues, no local product premium... nothing, nada, zero, zilch!  Being that my ultimate goal is to collect at least one card of every single Cub possible, it's only natural that I should latch onto this surprisingly "modern" case.

One of my earliest posts on this blog detailed my discovery of Gene Krug's interesting circumstances and publicly pondering as to how to handle them.  Later on, I made an order of custom cards from the fabulous Rookies App to fill some gaps in my CATRC binder, including a mock-up of Krug using the only photo of him I could find on the internet, in his AAA Wichita Aeros uniform.  Having figured that the issue was, at least, temporarily solved, my collecting curiosities were directed to other tasks and the topic of Gene Krug went dark for a loooooooong time.

Krug wasn't the only Aero to make it onto my Rookies invoice!

Then, out of the Cubbie blue, two years later, I received a totally random Google chat that immediately brought this latent issue back to the forefront of my consciousness.

Brandon stumbled across my humble blog late on night and came across a name that he recognized... a name that he knew, personally.  As it turns out, Gene Krug continues to work in America's pastime, as a high school baseball coach in his adoptive home state, Colorado.  One of his junior varsity charges at Pine Creek HS happens to be my new amigo, Brandon - an aspiring ballplayer himself.  Out of the kindness of his heart, he reached out to me and offered to put me in touch with his high school baseball coach and play the middle man in a TTM request, if I were interested.  Ummmmm.... hell yeah!

Once a Cub, Krug is now an Eagle

However, there was one problem - I only had one copy of that Rookies App custom. I didn't want to risk my only copy getting lost in the mail and I wanted to provide a copy for both Brandon and Gene as a token of my appreciation. Luckily, in the years since my initial foray into blogging, I've gained access to quality photo-editing and design software and I've kept my college-educated graphic design skills sharp. Thus, I took it upon myself to whip up a card that never was, but should have been - the 1981 Topps custom that you saw at the top of the post (and, again, below).

If you want more details about the process of creating that fantasy card, you can check out that post here.  As you can see, it involved some detailed Photoshopping and colorization, among other challenges!

Back to the prize, if I may be permitted a bit of self-aggrandizing, I must admit, this card and it's powder blue-clothed ballplayer look especially sharp with a ballpoint pen John Hancock!  One further detail that adds a bit of character is that Krug opted to sign with his given first name - Gary.  Gary Eugene Krug went by the shortened version of his middle name during his playing days; but, apparently, these days he prefers the forename on his birth certificate.

Mr. Krug kept one copy for himself and was generous enough to sign the copy seen here for little old me.  Additionally, a third printing was created for Brendan as a gift for his troubles.  Seriously folks - this guy is one good egg.  Not only did he offer to hook me, a stranger, up with an autograph from his coach without any strings attached, he actually sent ME a thank you note with my latest CATRC addition!

No - seriously - Brandon, thank you a thousand times over for approaching me out of nothing but the kindness in your heart and helping complete a loooooooong neglected collecting goal.  It's people like you that keep me from completely losing faith in this wild and crazy world... and I'm not just saying that, either.  This might be my favorite thing to ever happen to me since I started Wrigley Roster Jenga back in the spring of 2014.

Speaking of favorites, it's fortunate that I chose to shop Krug into one of the Cubs' infamous pajama jerseys, as according to Brandon's note (it may be tough to read on a computer screen, those glorious monstrosities were Gene's favorite uniforms.  Simply put, absolutely everything about this entire interaction worked out in perfect fashion.

This whole process took a couple of months.  This relative delay is more than understandable, seeing as this secondary education student was also going through the end of the school year schedule crunch.  Granted, Brandon was experiencing this chaos from the other side of the teacher's desk, but I can still empathize with the plight.  I'm sure both of us are exuberant over summer break finally releasing us from education-related stresses.

Thank you once again, Brandon, for completely delivering on your generous and selfless promise - good luck in your studies and with your career on the diamond.

...also, let me know if you come under the wing of any other former Major League Baseball players!

Here's the Story

Graduation is near as the school year inches ever closer to an end.  Kids are restless, staring out windows instead wistfully and wishing they could be outside carousing in the increasingly summer like weather (or playing Fortnite, whatever kids do these days).  Teachers are just trying to keep it together, crawling across the finish line as they try to guide these students to summer break.  In just over a week, the 2017-18 calendar will officially conclude, as children and teachers alike celebrate surviving yet another school year.  The end is nigh!

Accordingly, many teachers in our building have begun to straighten up their classrooms in order to get ahead on the upcoming, yearly clean-out .  While summer break is a joyous occasion for student and teacher alike, the latter definitely does not enjoy having to pack up their entire workspace each and every June.  With that in mind, oftentimes, staff will attempt to cast off anything they don't absolutely need for the sake of sparing space and time; those items usually end up in the teacher's lounge, free to a good home.  This week, the tables of the staff sanctuary have been well-stocked with knick-knacks, books, and old teaching resources... a sort of educational yard sale.

Yesterday, while stuffing my lunch in the lounge refrigerator, I noticed what looked like an old card catalog on the microwave counter, next to a stack of worn workbooks.  As a noted cardboard fiend, anything even remotely resembling cards will always catch my attention and this box was no exception:

The "Story of America," eh?  In card form?  Color me intrigued, Uncle Sam.

The note that was tucked under the box stated that the previous owner had these cards tucked away for several years.  Having not taught history for nearly a decade, she decided to finally cut ties and dispose of her former historical teaching tools.  I suppose these bad boys wouldn't be of much use i Algebra, would they? 

So, with plenty of other important, graduation-centric tasks to be done, I - of course - dropped anchor and immediately flipped open the lid.  Well, after stashing my sandwich in the fridge, anyway.

Wow - that's a lot of colorful cards!  I suppose it takes a lot of paper to cover over 200 years of history.

A little cursory research tells me that these reference cards were produced by Grolier, Inc.  Before the days of instantly attainable information on the internet, these sorts of encyclopedic card catalogs were a popular learning tool.  People of a certain age might remember Sportscaster Cards, Safari Cards and Greenhouse Cards which were all pumped out via subscription service.  Groiler's Story of America cards were no different, produced from 1994-2001, updated in yearly fashion.  This particular box appears to date from 1997, as several specific events from that year are referenced throughout the set.

As a former aspiring history teacher, these 4x6 cards might have come in handy had I continued down that path.  However, as a current trading card collector, these intended educational tools turned out to be of use to me on my current path, as well.  As you can see, our massive history is broken down in to several, more easily digestible categories - America at War, Famous Places, Important Events, etc.  Seeing as we are a nation of sports fiends and athletics have often played a key role in the development of our country, it should come as no surprise that they show up fairly often in these cards of America, mostly as part of the "Life in America" subset:

I mean, how can you tell the story of America without discussing, America's national pastime... am I right?

As for the cards themselves, each subsection is color-coded, with "Life in America" being assigned green.  On the left, we have a timeline which dates the event or person spotlighted on the card.  In the middle we have a photograph or artist's depiction; in this particular case, we have a lovely 1887 Aquarelle print titled “Base Ball" - by L. Prang & Co. - representing the gestation of baseball.  Lastly, on the right ,we have the "who, what, when, where" and a visual indicating where in the country this event/person achieved notoriety.

On the backside, we have a detailed account of what's shown on the front, along with some bonus trivia.  As you might be able to read, Grolier opted for the origin story involving Alexander Cartwright (rather than the myth of Abner Doubleday), distilling the complicated and oft-argued story down to a basic paragraph, easy enough for a kid to get the basics.

All in all, I can see how these would make for a great source of quick information in the days before every man, woman, and child had a tiny computer in their pocket at all times.

Baseball shows up a few times in Grolier's box.  Not only is the game covered in the broad sense, but it's also showcased through some of the larger figures in the sport's history... names so notable that they crossed over from the world of sports into the larger cultural zeitgeist.  For instance, like the Hank Aaron which rests at the top of this post.

Or, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson - two names that even someone with the most minimal knowledge of baseball would most likely recognize.  The Jackie Robinson card, in particular, would have  come in handy back in February, as several classrooms in our building did group projects centered on the Hall of Famer in honor of  Black History Month.  Colloquially, Jackie appears to be one of the most popular subjects, year in and year out, at least as far as I've noticed.

As important as the game is to the USA, baseball wasn't the only sport covered by Grolier in this box:

Of course, hockey is a distinctly Canadian invention, but I suppose America has played a strong hand in it's modern development.  The team depicted is the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans, who became the first American team to win Lord Stanley's Cup.   Speaking of the Stanley Cup, how about those Golden Knights?  Will they pull off the historically improbable feat of winning a major sports championship as an expansion club?

Speaking of topical sports, the month of May is traditionally associated with a certain, specific one-day event:

And I was just blogging about how little cardboard representation the Indy 500 and open wheel racing gets too.  The 102nd running of the most famous event in auto racing will be taking place this Sunday and I cannot wait!

On that note...

NASCAR and Jeff Gordon are both repped by this card describing what occurred during the 1997 running of the Daytona 500, another one of motorsports' crown jewels.  That February, "Wonderboy" became the race's youngest victor, at the tender age of 25 (a record since eclipsed by 20-yr old Trevor Bayne in 2011).  This May, Gordon was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, at the age of 48.  Time flies, doesn't it?

Sidenote - Billy (from Cardboard History), would this count as a NASCAR card for the purposes of your collection?

So far, we've seen Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Jeff Gordon, etc., some of the most recognized names in the history of North American sports.  All in all, this box does a pretty good job of covering the "who's who" in our sporting lineage.  With that said, there's no way that Grolier was going to exclude what may be the BIGGEST name in our sporting history;

After all, in 1997, "Air Jordan" and his Bulls were coming off their fifth of six NBA Championships, with five NBA Finals MVP awards for MJ.  In short, the legend was in the prime of his notoriety when these cards were printed and distributed.  This oddball will make a fine addition to my small, but growing Chicago Bulls collection.

Now, there were many other cards with sporting connections to be found in the "Story of America," but I've chosen to only showcase the ones that appealed to me and my collecting interests.  You better believe, after flipping through the massive deck and finding these awesome oddballs, that I took them home to add to me collection.  After all, they were on the house and my official duty as the school IT person is to do anything I can to help our educating staff.  Sometimes, that goes beyond computers and includes getting rid of stuff for the teachers...well, at least it did yesterday.  Gotta clear that counter-space!

Before I go, I'm left wondering, does anyone else have a stash of these oddities in the collections?  Do you consider educational sets like these to be collectible trading cards?  Have ever used a set of these (or similar products) in your classroom, either as a professional or as a student?  Please feel free to weigh-in on these matters in the comment section below.

In the meantime, here's hoping that more cool stuff shows up in the teacher's lounge as summer break dawns!

The New Team in Town

As a lifelong lover of America's pastime, I'm pretty fortunate that I live where I do.  Not only do I have two Major League Baseball clubs stationed in the metro area, but there's a bevy of minor league options scattered throughout the near suburban area.  The Kane County Cougars, Schaumburg Boomers, Joliet Slammers, Gary Railcats etc. are all stationed in communities within easy driving distance of my home base in Alsip.  Heck, the Windy City Thunderbolts home stadium is directly next door to my place of employment.  Plus, if that wasn't enough, there are a handful of semi-pro and collegiate summer league teams that play their home games in nearby parks - i.e., the Windy City Stars, Crestwood Panthers, Northwest Indiana Oilmen, et al.  As you can see, there's no shortage of options for this Chicagoland baseball fan to take in a game.

If that's not lucky enough, this summer, the roster of local teams has expanded by one:  the Chicago Dogs have begun play in 2018 as a new entry in the independent American Association.  With a moniker that bears tribute to the Windy City's culinary heritage (not a sandwich), the Dogs will christen the newly constructed Impact Field, near O'Hare Airport and next door to the Rosemont outlet malls, in just three days.

Being an unofficial airport shuttle for my friends and family, I've driven past this state-of-the-art new complex many times during it's construction, which has built my anticipation for this new team.  I may already have a ridiculous amount of options for sports entertainment, but I'm greedy and will always want more!  When the new club officially announced their inaugural roster a couple of weeks ago, my interest was only further stoked:

First of all, the roster on their website is depicted exactly as you see above, complete with a full, digital baseball card (taking direct inspiration from 1987 Donruss) for each and every Chicago Dog player.  I don't know about you, but I think every professional baseball team should have to list their roster in this manner!

Furthermore, these two names immediately stuck out to me:  Shawon Dunston, Jr. and Kyle Gaedele.  Of course, Shawon Dunston, Sr. spent roughly a decade as the live-armed, starting shortstop for my beloved Chicago Cubs and his son was eventually drafted by the franchise.  The younger Dunston plied his trade in the North Siders' system from 2012-16, only climbing as high as A+ ball, before being traded to the Giants.  Now, the fan-favorite returns to the Chicagoland area, patrolling the outfield for the Dogs.

Meanwhile, Kyle Gaedele has no outright connection to my favorite baseball team.  The local product was a Windy City prep star, eventually being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2011.  Peaking in AA, Kyle stepped away from the game after the 2016 season before being coaxed out of retirement to return to his hometown.  Besides his local connection, you might be asking yourself, why did this former Padre farmhand immediately jump out to me?  Like Dunston, it has to due with familial lineage.

You see, Kyle Gaedele is related to someone who's picture hangs in Cooperstown... perhaps one of the most famous images in baseball history.  Though his family has an added an extra "e' to the spelling of their surname, Kyle's great uncle is someone any fan of America's pastime should be familiar with:

That's right, Eddie Gaedel, the shortest player to ever appear on a pro diamond, isn't the only one in the family with a baseball legacy.  Although, somewhat ironically, Eddie's grandnephew is slightly taller, measuring in at a lengthy 6'3".

With all of that in mind, it should probably come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that these two multi-generational ballplayers immediately became my favorite Chicago Dogs.  Also, knowing that I'd be going to at least a couple of games at Impact Field this summer and having access to fairly adept printing equipment, shortly after making this discovery, I did a thing:

Yea, in a rush of excitement, I took those digital cards on the team's official website and turned them into physical ones.  Along with the Bowman single of Dunston, Jr. seen a few paragraphs above, I'll be attempting to get both of these cards signed this season.  Fingers crossed!

Sidenote - how cool is the Chicago Dogs' hat?  I'll also be getting one of those while I'm at the ballpark this year.

Anyway, I made sure to print these "custom" cards on card stock and with a legitimate photo printer.  They may not be Topps quality, but they're better than the average bear.   That said, if the team were to decide that they'd like to professionally print out these cards and hawk them as souvenirs, I wouldn't be upset.  Furthermore, each card has a full and complete backside:

These backs also come from the official team website, something that I neglected to share with you earlier.  Oopsy Daisy.  Speaking of "oopsy daisies," c'mon Dunston... you should know better than to put ketchup on your hot dog!


At any rate, here's hoping that the Dunston, Gaedele, and the rest of the Chicago Dogs are able to carve their way into the Chicagoland baseball market.  They should benefit from being located so near to a major transportation hub and across the street from an always extremely crowded shopping center; but, as we've already established, the baseball market in the area is already a little bit crowded.  Out of curiosity, what is the baseball landscape like in your locale?  Do you have a healthy selection of options like we Chicagoans or are you lucky to even have a single club operating within driving distance?  Maybe we should share some of our Second City baseball saturation?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

In the meantime, I've got a few more diamond excursions to plan this summer!