Cheetahs Never Prosper

One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is to go thrift shopping.  As a cheapskate who loves a sense of adventure, second hand shopping is the perfect intersection of these two characteristics.  You never know what you are going to find - in the past, I've been lucky enough to find an original pressing of Sgt. Pepper on vinyl, baseballs autographed by legit Major Leaguers, Taiwanese baseball cards, etc., all for chump change.  As such, I rarely miss an opportunity to stop in a Goodwill, Savers, Unique, or any other thrift shop location when the opportunity presents itself.

In the past, I've had a surprising amount of success finding minor league uniforms and ephemera on such shelves.  In fact, I've happened to come across and purchase several game-used jerseys of local teams, past and present, including the Gary SouthShore RailCats, the Schaumburg Flyers, and - most notably to me - the Cook County Cheetahs.

The Cheetahs were a previous incarnation of the nearby Windy City Thunderbolts, the closest thing I have to a hometown baseball team.  They play ball right next door to where I currently work and less than three miles from where I grew up.  The club had already transformed into their current T-Bolt moniker by the time I started truly paying attention, but as a history buff, I've long been fascinated by the previous era.

That's why I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered this item in my most recent trip to Goodwill:

A Cook County Cheetahs hat!  I'm fairly certain that it's game-used too because:

1. It was covered with a thick layer of light brown-colored dirt and dust that looked suspiciously like that used on the infield of a baseball diamond.
2. The Cheetahs were an independent team that was constantly on the move and, likely didn't have the capability to market much in the way of souvenirs. 
3. It's a fitted hat (in my size, which is a phenomenal coincidence) and even if they did have souvenirs to sell, I highly doubt they had it in the budget to push a multitude of different sized caps.   I imagine they'd be of the adjustable snapback or Velcro variety.
4. Heck, a quick glimpse of their 2003 website (their last year of existence) doesn't even indicate the existence of a team store. 

Thanks, Internet Wayback Machine!  That is a very early aughts lookin' website.  Was it hosted by Geocities??

All of these factors considered, I would find it exceptionally surprising to know that the Cheetahs were hawking such wears during this time.  In fact, I know for certain that the physical team store at their park wasn't even built until after the club was re-branded into the Windy City Thunderbolts.  Thus, I feel pretty safe in saying that this Cook County Cheetahs cap is most likely a game-used piece.

It will pair quite nicely with the game-used jersey I found at a local Savers location a few years previous:

Now, if they weren't selling hats, there's absolutely no way that the Cheetahs were selling replica jersey tops.  This certainly saw game action.

Ever since I gleefully came across this red uniform, I've been hoping to come across a hat to match.  I've already got a couple of GU T-Bolt jerseys and hats (again, I have ridiculously good luck with finding minor league stuff), so it brings me great joy to now have a complete Cheetah kit.  Well, except for the pants, I guess.

The hat, like the screen grab of their website, dates from 2003, as indicated by the Frontier League's nifty 10-year anniversary patch stitched onto the right hand side.  The independent league has been the steadiest such circuit over it's now 26-year history and is, in fact, the oldest indy still operating today.  My, my... how time flies...

The Cheetahs/Thunderbolts haven't been around for that entire time.  In fact, when this hat was still resting on the head of a hungry, young ballplayer, they hadn't even been around for most of it.  Perhaps I should take this opportunity to dive into the history of my hometown ballclub.

The franchise was originally formed as the Will County Claws in 1995, called Romeoville, IL home, and entered into doomed North Central League during it's maiden season.  The league was never very financially stable and folded before it could complete the 1996 season, a fate that is all too common when it comes to indy leagues.  In a move straight out of the David Bowie playbook, the former Claws changed their name, look, and pivoted to the Heartland League as the Will County Cheetahs.
 

 The Will County Cheetahs, logo courtesy of Logo Server.

Even after that, change was still in the air.  After one season of play in their new league, the club abandoned Romeoville for the greener pastures of Crestwood - a suburb on the south side of Chicago and next door to my hometown.  There were no literal pastures, but there was the lure of a brand new, publicly-funded stadium of their very own.  Crestwood's mayor had played bush league ball himself in the 1950's and wanted to bring in a team to revitalize his sleepy suburb.  For an independent team that had been borrowing Lewis University's collegiate baseball field, this offer was simply impossible to refuse.

Of course, this 20-mile relocation shuttled them from Will County to Cook County, necessitating another name change.  Thus, the iteration of the team that wore this cap was officially born into existence.


Crestwood and it's powers that be assured that the winter of 1997-98 would be more than enough time to finish construction on the state-of-the-art, partially double-decked Hawkinson Ford Field and the Cheetahs would be able to start their second season in the Heartland League within it's confines.  Of course, those that live in Illinois know that construction projects in this area almost never go as planned - especially when accounting for unpredictable Midwestern winter weather.  Delays not only kept them from opening at their new facility, it keep them from playing a single game at all there in 1998.

Time for yet another quick pivot.

My hometown of Midlothian (like I said, just down the road), just so happened to have a baseball diamond in it's northeast corner.  Howie Minas Field had been the longtime home of the semi-pro Midlothian White Sox (a topic for another day).  They had been around since the corn was plowed under to create the park in the 1950's and even won the National Baseball Congress title in 1992.  Unfortunately, the club soon folded thereafter and Howie Minas Field was relegated to the occasional Little League and high school ball duty.

Howie Minas Field, 2004. Image courtesy of Charlie's Big Baseball Parks.

A deal was hammered out to allow the Cheetahs to play the entirety of the 1998 season in this temporary home and temporary bleachers and stands were built to bring the facility up to professional caliber. Despite the fact that the season began with seeming disaster, the Cook County Cheetahs went on to have the best season they ever would under the Cheetah moniker, posting 37–29 record and winning the Heartland League pennant. With the ballpark nearly complete at this point, things were looking great in Cheetah land!

Then the Heartland League folded.

I tell ya, the Cook County Cheetahs simply could not catch a break.  This could have been a total disaster, with a publicly-funded stadium nearing completion, potentially without a tenant to take over.  Luckily, the largely Midwest-based Frontier League was looking to edge into the Chicagoland market and offered the defending champs a spot as an expansion franchise in time for the 1999 campaign.

At this point in the team's history, it seems as though the Cheetahs were constantly cheating certain doom.  Of course, you can only cheat the devil so many times before it catches up with you.

 via GIPHY

Despite finally settling into a semblance of stability, over the next five seasons, the Cheetahs never once finished above the .500 mark and did not once make the Frontier League playoffs.  Accordingly, attendance struggled, as it's tough enough getting people to come out and watch independent baseball, let alone BAD independent baseball.  Hell, they only produced one All-Star during that stretch.  One.  They consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance and bottomed out in 2003, placing 8th in attendance (60,481) in the 12-team league.  That's pretty abysmal for a team meant to edge into the Chicagoland market.

As such, the mayor essentially forced an ownership change (again, they're playing in an expensive stadium that was built on the backs' of the taxpayers, his butt was on the line) and death was knocking at the doorstep.

With new owners came an expansive re-brand; after all, Crestwood was trying to disassociate themselves from years of lackluster baseball.  Thus, the Windy City Thunderbolts were born out of a name the team contest (what even is a "thunderbolt?") and the Cheetahs were officially no more.  While the 'Bolts do claim their feline ancestor's history as their own, it certainly felt like a different team, with such widespread changes.

 Former 'Bolt manager, Haines, and hurler, Nance, have since spent time in the Cubs chain.

Back to the product on the field, the new ownership group apparently knew what they were doing, as the Thunderbolts would soon go on to win two consecutive Frontier League flags in 2007 and 2008, to go along with five playoff appearances.  Although, as I bang out this post, the 'Bolts haven't been to the postseason since 2011.  That seems ominously Cheetah-like.

Meanwhile, the club still plays in that same park, on the corner of Kenton Ave. and Midlothian Tpk.  Very little about the facility has changed, other than a switch to turf in 2015.  The main difference is in the name, which has gone through a few corporate sponsorship since the Cheetahs fizzled out.  Beginning this year, the place will be known as Ozinga Stadium through at least 2023, which really just flows right off the tongue...  Ozinga, in case you were curious is a building materials company based in upper Midwest.

As for the Cheetah's previous home, Howie Minas Field lost it's extra seating and reverted back to Park District duty after it's one glorious season of hosting professional baseball.  It's the only field on which I've played that has also hosted pro ball, as I got to play a few in Pony League games there back in my junior high days.  Although, HMF was eventually able to find another regular tenant and, since 2017, it has served as home to the Crestwood Panthers, of the Midwest Collegiate League, a summer, wooden bat circuit.  Funny, Midlothian is again hosting Crestwood baseball...

A Crestwood Panther pitcher warms up at Howie Minas Field during a game I attended in 2018.

As far as notable Cheetah alumni, Chris Oxspring was the only player to don the black, red and yellow and then eventually make it all the way up to the Majors, The Australia native made his first stateside pro appearance with the Cheetahs in 2000 before eventually making five appearances out the San Diego Padres bullpen in 2005.  He'd also have the honor of throwing the first official pitch in Australian Baseball League history (2010) and the even won a silver medal with his home country's nine in the 2004 Olympics.  His number has since been retired by the Windy City franchise.

Beyond Chris... ummmm... there was a guy named Paul Molitor who played for the team briefly in 2003.  He had nothing to do with the Brewers' Hall of Famer, but that was interesting enough to make me look him up.  They were also managed by former Cub Big Leaguers, Brian Dayett and Chico Walker, at various points.  So, there's that.

And so, there you have it - the history of the Cook County Cheetahs.  Their's is a story of constantly treading water in the choppy waters that are life outside of organized baseball.  However, they are a cherished part of the local identity and provided the base upon which the much more successful Thunderbolts were built.

The Cheetahs/Thunderbolts franchise will be celebrating their 20th year of Frontier League play throughout the upcoming season.  While I haven't seen anything yet, I'm desperately hoping that they will be doing a special promotion night where the club dons uniforms that throwback to the Cheetah days.  After all, throwback jerseys have become "bread and butter" staples of both major and minor league baseball and make for effective lures to attract nostalgic fans and their families.  In fact, the Bolts have done several special uniform promos in years past, although I don't remember any retro-themed events.

Should they choose to revisit the days of the Cheetah, you know that I'll be there.  Plus, courtesy of this thrift store find, I'll be completely ready to dress the part myself!

(Even that bat is a game-used piece from the Cheetahs/Bolts!)

Trying To Keep My Blogging License

Baseball is back, baby!

Well... exhibition baseball, anyway.  Spring Training is well under way and Cactus League games have begun for my beloved Cubs...  a welcome distraction from the decidedly un-spring like whether currently plaguing the Midwest.  As things stand now, the Cubbies are currently undefeated, sporting a record of 2-0, which obviously means they'll be winning the World Series in five this year.  While the franchise may have disappointed six ways to Sunday this winter, it's just nice to know that real baseball is just around the corner.

Luckily, these first two Cactus League contests have been covered by the terrestrial radio crew; so, I was able to "turn on, tune in, and drop out" out of the real world for a couple of hours this past Saturday.  As I was getting lost in Arizona baseball, by way of the soothing voice of Pat Hughes, I took the opportunity to open my very first pack of 2019 Topps cards. 

Wait a minute... the FIRST pack of 2019? 

  
Flagship has been out for weeks now and is even about to be lapped by Heritage.  What gives?  What kind of baseball card writer hasn't already opened boxes of the stuff by now?  Don't they take away your blogging license for that?

See, here's the thing - I collect in waves and, lately, it's been low tide.  The winter months are usually the doldrums of both card collecting and blogging, seeing as my favorite sport is in deep hibernation.  Additionally, the lax free agent market over the past couple off-seasons has only made this disinterest worse.  Furthermore, I wasn't particularly high on the design of Topps' 2019 Flagship product when it was unveiled last fall.  All of these factors combined have kept my enthusiasm in check for the release of new cards.

However, now that Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and the boys are back on the diamond - albeit at Sloan Park instead of Wrigley - my interest is beginning to rise.  Watch that shoreline... the tide is coming in!

 via GIPHY

Thus, when I made my way to the local card shops in the area for National Hockey Card Day this weekend, I decided to grab a pack of the newest edition of our hobby's flagship while I was out and about.  Then, I came home, turned on 670 the Score, and let baseball wash over me as I flipped through the cardboard.  The pairing of the Cactus League opener and new cards made for the perfect way to officially kick off the baseball calendar.

But enough exposition, how'd the pack ripping go?  As the Cubs were whipping the Brewers 8-4 (I know it means jack, but winning is never a bad thing), here's what fell out of my first foil-wrapped packet of 2019 Topps Flagship:

A whole lotta meh in there.  Although, I kind of like the photograph of Kyle Tucker rounding the bases - it's a touch more interesting than the standard, generic batting pose.  Also, I definitely got the wrong mustachioed Athletics hurler.

Next, here's the horizontal heroes portion of the pack:

Nice double play shot of Brandon Lowe there.  I guess it's a good thing I like this picture, seeing as it's a Rays card and I'll, therefore, probably have it forever.  Plus, it's funny that my ballpark card should be Minute Maid Park, seeing as my wife was actually in Texas as I was flipping through these cards.  Of course, she was in the Fort Worth area for a work event, so it's the wrong Lone Star State team; but, I'm grasping at straws for intrigue here.

As far as the best of the base, these two above cards were certainly the best of the bunch.  I'm not a staunch traditionalist in life, let alone in something as (relatively) trivial as baseball.  I say, bring on the Segura-like home run celebrations!  Why shouldn't Jean fly around the bases like an airplane when taking a pitcher deep into the bleachers?  Don't like it?  Pitch better.  Clearly these displays of passion and emotion bring smiles to the faces of fans, smiles as big and beaming as Mookie and Prince Albert here!  After all, isn't reinvigorating fan interest (especially with the youth) the stated number one goal of Major League Baseball?

Thank you for coming to my impromptu Ted Talk.

To close things out, I also found a parallel and an insert nestled in the middle of my 14-card hobby pack.  Former Cubs farmhand, Josh Donaldson, was the closest thing to a Cubs card found within.  
The third baseman is pictured on a Rainbow Foil parallel, which fall at a rate of 1:10 packs.  The most interesting aspect of this card is that, in a few years, we will have all forgotten entirely about the former All-Star's brief, month long tenure in Cleveland.  For what it's worth, Josh already looks confused himself.  #ShortTermStop

As for the retro-themed insert, thank god Topps decided to go with something other than the wood grain borders of 1987.  Quite the opposite actually, as (correct me if I'm wrong) I feel like the 1984 design doesn't get much love from the old bubblegum company.  I'll have to check and see if any Cubbies are available in this insert checklist, as I quite like this resurfacing.

And, with that, we've reached the end of my first pack of baseball cards in 2019.  No Cubs, no particularly eye-catching cards... overall, it was a bowl of "meh."  Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.  Oh, and before I go, here's what the backs look like, in case you're like me and hadn't seen any of these in person yet:

Yay for the return of full career stats and, unlike a lot of people, I also enjoy the fact that they've kept the social media handles around.  After all, we live in the 21st century and this part of the pop culture landscape now.  While social media services like Twitter and Instagram are often credited with downfall of modern society, they also help our heroes engage with their adoring audiences like never before.  Like I said during my unexpected rant about home run celebrations, aren't we trying to generate new interest in our favorite sport?  At the end of the day, this can only help attract the younger audience.

With that, I have to say that I don't hate the 2019 edition of Flagship.  I like the color-coding on the "borders" and the backside.  However, I don't particularly like the last name being above the first name, it jumbles my delicate brain. That said, I'm still mostly indifferent to it,; but, I'm a little bit more left of center than I had been before holding it in hand.  Plus, I decidedly did NOT like the "waterslide" set of 2018; thus, "meh" is a decided upgrade. 

Toothpaste > Waterslide.  That's what we're calling this year's set, right?  It's not only me that is reminded of big ol' tube of Colgate when they look at these cards, right?

via GIPHY

Again, I know that I'm really late on this and I'm sure you've made your opinions known at this point, but, I'm going to ask anyway.  How do you feel about the 2019 edition of Topps Flagship?  Do you find it clean and refreshing, like a freshly brushed set of teeth?  On the other hand, do you find it to be just another disappointing design in a decade full of almost nothing but disappointing designs (2015 💓)?  Or, are you like me and can't offer much more than a shrug, just grateful for something new to flip through while listening to the ballgame?  

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

In the meantime, the Cubs are undefeated in games during which I open packs of baseball cards.  Perhaps this is just the magic mojo they need to go all the way this year?!  Forget Bryce Harper or making any acquisitions of consequence to patch up the offense that died halfway through 2018, this major market franchise with a lucrative, new TV deal operating like a cash-strapped college student needs me to open baseball cards during every single game this year!

This could get expensive...

via GIPHY

National Hockey Card Day

Do you like hockey?  Do you collect hockey-related cardboard?  Do you enjoy getting stuff for free?  If you answered "yes" to any of these three questions, boy oh boy, yesterday was the day for you:  National Hockey Card Day.

For almost ten years now, Upper Deck has sponsored this annual holiday.  Since 2010, collector's have circled this day on their calendars because not only does it celebrate one of north america's most popular sports, many local card shops are giving away FREE packs of hockey cards!  Each year, UD creates a special, exclusive set of cards to commemorate the occasion, which are then made available, in pack form, and handed out in hobby shops throughout the United States in Canada.  When I say "free," I don't mean with a qualifying purchase or some other qualifier either - these promos are completely free with no strings attached.  Walk in the door and the vendor will hand you a pretty blue foil pack!

Or two.

The whole idea behind this promotion is to drive-up interest in Upper Deck's rink-related products, one of only two sports leagues for which the industry big-wig still has an official license.  Additionally, it's hard to increase sales without getting more people in the door; as such, increasing foot traffic for participating local card shops (y'know, the people that hawk their goods) is the other major goal.  And what gets people more motivated to go somewhere or do something besides giving them free swag?

In my opinion, nothing - the marketing campaign certainly worked on me... and has consistently done so since I started hoarding hockey cards in 2015.  Each year, I make the rounds and stop into both of the card vendors nearest to me, both because the holiday offers the perfect excuse to check out what's new in each store and because two free packs are better than one.  Is that kind of greedy?  Maybe, but I reaaaaallllllly want to end up with at least one Blackhawks card.  

Each gratis pack comes with a checklist outlining the parameters of the product, plus five player cards.  Of course, there is both a Canadian and US version of this special set and obviously I've ended up with samples of the latter.  The base set for the ol' stars and stripes is 16 cards deep and is made up of a trio of subsets - America's Rookies, Stars in Stripes, and American Icons.  Furthermore, not reflected on the checklist you see above, there are also a pair of special insert sets, Victory Black Rookies and NHL Global Series, plus a smattering of autograph subjects because every set in the world has to have hits to chase now.

Enough babbling, let's see the cards!  Remember, I collect my hometown Blackhawks and, honestly, those are the only cards I care about.  If I just pull one Indian head sweater, I'll consider this "endeavor" to be a massive success.

Here's pack one, which came from my first stop - the Baseball Card King in Oak Lawn, IL:

Not Blackhawks.  Although, I do like the appearance of the NHL All-Star sweater on Auston's entry - that's kind of unique.

Yay!  A Blackhawk, in the former of Tony Amonte, one of the most reliable scorers in franchise history!  The right winger posted at least 30 goals six times and at least 40 three times, during his time in the Windy City.  Plus, he did not miss a single game for five straight seasons.  Amonte is an American Icon, indeed.

This pack-ripping experience is already triumph.  For frame of reference, it took me until the last card of my fourth pack (yea, I really burned up some gasoline that year) in 2016 to uncover a Blackhawk.  Now, the nerves and anxiety are gone and anything past this point is simply gravy.

That's a good thing too, seeing as the last two cards in pack one were not Blackhawks either.  Although, my wife originally hails from the Philadelphia area, so maybe I'll slip her that Voracek.  Hockey is her favorite sport, after all.

While we're in between packs, let's take a minute to talk about the design.  It's a little busy, especially with that "lower third graphic" - it takes up way too much of the space as it goes obtuse and intrudes upon the photo.  On the positive side, I like the depth created by blurring the background of each photo and adding a drop shadow behind the player pictured.  Plus, it's pretty neat that the skaters "pop out" of the design and aren't completely constrained by the borders, as best illustrated by Buffalo's Mittelstadt.  Overall, despite it's flaws, I find the look of the 2019 UD National Hockey Card Day set to be quite pleasing to the eyes.

Meanwhile, back at the rink, let's take a look at the contents of pack #2, this one coming from Baseball Dreams & Memories in Crestwood, IL:

Not Blackhawks and my first double.  I'd be a lot more disappointed if I didn't already pull Amonte.

In the words of one Ariana Grande - "thank you, next:"

ZOMG!!!!!!1!!!!!!1!!!!!  We have a bonafide Blackhawks hot pack!

Falling two in a row, we have two of the greatest players to ever don a black and red sweater.  Chelios played in the NHL forever, 26 seasons to be exact, including spending the entirety of the 1990's with Chicago.  The Captain was a reliable scorer and led the Hawks to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1992 and was thrice first-team All-Star.  Although, as much as an offensive presence as Chelios was, he was nothing compared to Patrick Kane, who is simply one of the best to ever pick up a hockey stick and continues to work magic on the ice.  He is almost single-handedly keeping the 2018-19 edition of the Hawks in contention, perhaps the most hot and cold team in franchise history.

With these pulls and my earlier Amonte score, I've now pulled the entire Blackhawks master team set from 2019 Upper Deck National Hockey Card Day and it only took my two packs.  I could never have reasonably expected this pack-bust to go so incredibly well - what luck!

To be completely frank, I don't even care what the final card is anymore.  I've got what I came for... and then some!

But, I'll include it anyway, just to be complete.  Sorry Andrei, but your star as been far outshone.

As you can plainly see, National Hockey Card Day was a rousing success for me this year.  That said, I'm extremely curious about your experiences with the day of free hockey cardboard.  Did you partake in the day's festivities?  If so, what did you pull and were you satisfied with what you found?  What was your experience like?  Did you even know this was a thing?  Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

In the meantime, if you need me, I'll be giddily sorting my new promo cards into my Blackhawks All-Time Roster Collection; I'm fairly certain that all three of these oddballs will be usurping the players' previous representation.

Oh and how much longer until National Baseball Card Day?

Putting the Car in Cards

Most years, my wife and I celebrate Valentines Day by attending the Chicago Auto Show.  We've been making our way downtown for this event almost every February since 2014 and it's certainly become an annual tradition for us, at this point.  Sure, it's not the "stereotypical" romantic, sappy setup and we're not hardcore "gearheads," but a few hours of wandering around McCormick Place while surrounded by the latest in automobile technology, pipe dream cars, delicious snack foods, and tons of free swag makes for a fun way to spend an afternoon.  Plus, it's the only way I can ever feasibly hope to sit behind the wheel of a Challenger or a Corvette and not get arrested for grand theft auto.

Not to mention, this annual experience can be quite productive, in the long run - our reliable and versatile, blue KIA Soul (named Clark), was the direct result of this tradition, as the first time we ever examined one of these toasters was at this show.

But, getting back to the free swag... that honestly might be our favorite part of the whole convention.  I mean, our reusable grocery totes are reliably replenished by this yearly event, courtesy of Toyota, Ford, etc..  Plus, free pens from this event fill my cup at work and at my home office.  But, it goes beyond pragmatism with the gratis giveaways, as our free totes are often also stuffed with funny stress balls (which my wife collects), stickers, decks of playing cards, posters, and the like.  Sure, it all serves as free corporate advertising, but at least it's FUN, free corporate advertising.

 The Sauber Formula One team brought a show car to represent their constructor, Alfa Romeo

Now, in years past, there's been unexpected cardboard connections, as well, leading to surprise blogging material.  Commemorative personal trading cards, hero cards of professional race car drivers, athlete autographing appearances are common at the Chicago auto show; but, these are all sideshow items, extra perks/premiums meant to draw you over to a particular branded booth.  After all, the actual stars of the show are truly the automobiles themselves, right?


With that in mind, there's also the slightly less fun swag - you know, the pamphlets, booklets, fliers, etc. that lay out the details of each brand's new models and why they're so much better than the competition.  Honestly, this information is much more important than a KIA-branded stress ball in the shape of a basketball.  But, that being said, these items almost immediately move from kiosk to waste paper basket, as passers by give a glance and move on to the next shiny object.
 
This year, Chevrolet finally noticed this pattern and changed up their giveaways accordingly.  When it came to the question of amusing but irrelevant or informative but dull, the bowtie boys went off the beaten path and asked themselves a very important question, "¿Por que no los dos?"

via GIPHY

Now let's think for a minute - what is a good way to get people to hang onto to something?  Make it fun and collectible, right?    Taking that a step further, what is an effective method of conveying information in a physcial format that plainly displays the content, while simultaneously creating something the "average Joe" would find appealing to the eye and feel compelled to hang onto.

That line of thought, ladies and gentlemen, is how we ended up with Chevy trading cards:

Printed on legitimate cardstock and not flimsy, glossy flier paper, Chevrolet stocked the counter of their booth with the above trading cards, which paid tribute to their famous pickup trucks of the past and the latest edition of the Silverado.  They're oversized and, while I don't have a ruler nearby, I would estimate them to be about the size of you average baseball "police set" of the late 80's/early 90's.  Unlike those vintage oddballs, you can tell a lot of thought went into this clean and crisp design, which features artful touches like artificial aging and simulated texture.  In fact, I think it would look pretty decent as the model for a Panini-branded NASCAR set.  

Obviously, their marketing gimmick worked on me, as I "picked up" the full set of three pickups as soon as I saw them, even though I harbored no interest in Chevrolet or trucks before walking through the display.  They got me good.

Of course, they wouldn't be true trading cards without proper backs and, as you can see above, Chevy did not disappoint.   While trucks do not have batting averages, on-base percentages, or runs batted in, they do have plenty of associated statistics of their own.  Channeling their inner Topps, the bowtie marketing department made sure to whip up a stat-line and "player" bio to complete the effect and, y'know, brag about how great their automobile is.  That is the ultimate goal, after all.

Chevy goes the extra mile though; they don't just want you to know how sleek and strong their 2019 Silverado is, they want to remind you of how great their trucks have always been too.

 

This promotion features a pair of pickups from the brand's illustrious past - the 1988 K1500 Sportside (above) and the 1978 K10 Fleetside.  It does appear as though that Chevy named their set "Truck Legends," so it stands to reason that they would need to throw in a few retro players.  After all, it's a move straight out of the baseball card market - Topps has a hard time releasing any products without at least some vintage player representation these days.  Nostalgia is a powerful drug.

Like I said, I am far from a gearhead and definitely not a truck nut.  Furthermore, I grew up in a Ford household and I currently drive a PT Cruiser, which is indicative of my taste in cars.  Thus, in the end, these cards hold no long term interest for me, though I must applaud Chevy for their efforts.  These bad boys would make for fine oddball additions to the collections of anyone who enjoys automobile-themed cardboard.  Perhaps these are angled straight down the lane of Cardboard History's, Billy Kingsley?

Do car cards really rev your engine? Do you have a special affinity for Chevy trucks?  Have you ever been to the Chicago auto show? Would you too have felt compelled to pick up these oddball trading cards were you to encounter them like I did?  Please feel free to weigh-in through the comment section below!

In the meantime, it's time for me to log off.  I've got some branded tote bags to sort through before grocery shopping day!

What's In a Name?

Throughout the years, I've been bestowed with many a nickname that failed to stick.  For a while, I was referred to as "Road Rage" as I was aggressively difficult to pass up during a track or cross country meet.  That tag lasted for maybe a year of high school though before people forgot.  Then, I became "T-Burby" thanks to a quickly cobbled together Halloween costume that slightly resembled a pimp.  Then, for a short time at work, I was christened "BLT" for reasons that are entirely too convoluted and silly to get into here... and, no, it had nothing to do with sandwiches.

Eventually, "Burbs" - a shortened version of my last name - took hold and has stuck with me for about a decade now.  As such, I even use it in my Blogger profile, much like a certain baseball card I recently acquired.  In 1974, TCMA released a set of baseball cards with a unifying theme.  Like most of their products, this set was black & white, lacked frills, and featured nostalgic players of the previous generation.  Of course, what made this set unique was the fact that the checklist was fille exclusively with the most colorfully nicknamed ballplayers of the 1930's & 1940's.  

Now, we aren't talking about boring monikers like "A-Rod" or "D-Lee" - those lack character and are way overdone.  We're talking about, back in the day, when nicknames were colorful and truly painted a picture, like Sad Sam, Mule, Dizzy, Hot Potato, Heave-O, and Rapid Robert, among the 27 total included in the product.  Although players today are rarely graced with such interesting aliases, this is an idea that might make a nice subset or insert in Flagship... *cough, Topps, cough*

For Christmas (yes, I'm still working on quite a backlog of acquisitions thanks to the blogging blah's), my father generously me with a stash of oddball baseball cards which filled some long empty gaps in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  One of those oddities just so happened to be a single from this set of sobriquets:

Forrest Pressnell was a knuckleball hurler who plied his trade for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs for five seasons in the Major Leagues.  Operating as a swing-man for both clubs from 1938 through 1942, "Tot's" minor league career was much longer, as he was forced to bide his time for eight years in the bushes before finally getting a shot in the limelight.  He was 31 years of age when he first debuted for "Dem Bums" - far from being a "tot" in the world of professional athletics.  However, his nickname was not an ironic moniker like one might infer; Pressnell was deemed "Tot" by the local of his hometown of Findlay, OH because the "tot" would always pal around town with his older brothers.

Of course, there was more to Pressnell than his nickname.

After that tot grew up, he would journey through the minor leagues, making stops in the Browns', Tigers', and Indians' chains before finally inking his first Major League contract with the Dodgers in 1938.  Most of his time as a prospect was spent on the roster of the American Association's Milwaukee Brewers, 1933-38, a team which would (coincidentally) later become a Cubs affiliate.  More interestingly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that Tot's time with the other St. Louis franchise came with the provokingly named Longview Cannibals. 

Now THAT is a colorful nickname!

Pressnell proved himself a useful asset for the Dodgers - he posted a 26-26 record with a 3.76 ERA in 417 innings spent bouncing back and forth between the starting rotation and the bullpen.  Essentially, he was the Mike Montgomery of his day -  an extremely valuable, yet criminally under-appreciated member of the pitching staff.

On that note, "Tot's" time spent in the borough is overshadowed by went on around him at the time.  For instance, during his rookie season, Tot pitched four innings in relief opposite of Cincinatti's Johnny Vander Meer... who just so happened to be in the process of twirling his yet-unmatched second consecutive no-hitter.  Pressnell wasn't around for that historic conclusion though, as he left the mound on a stretcher after a liner off the bat of future Cub, Ival Goodman, took out his knee.  For the record, despite this scary scene, Tot did not even miss his next start. 

 The super-vintage custom that reps Ival in my CATRC

Additionally, Pressnell was around for the circus surrounding Babe Ruth's tenure as a coach with the Dodgers in 1938.  At the end of the doomed experiment, the Babe presented some of his equipment to his favorite teammates as a thank you.  As part of this show, Ruth's fielding mitt went to "Tot," who kept the glove as one of his most treasured possessions for the duration of his life and gleefully jumped on any opportunity to show it off to fans.  I mean, wouldn't you?

In the midst of a youthful rebuild in Brooklyn, Pressnell was sold to the Cardinals in November of 1940.  Suddenly, a game of hot potato ensued, as the Cards then sent him to the Reds before a month had passed.  The Reds, in turn, swapped him to the Cubs for an undisclosed amount of money.  From November to February, the poor man had literally no idea where he would be come spring time.  Thankfully, the merry-go-round finally halted in Chicago.

"Tot's" promotional headshot from either 1941 or '42.

As a Cub, Pressnell pitched well during his first season in the Windy City, 1941, with a 5-3 record and a 3.09 earned run average in 29 games - 28 of those appearances coming out of the bullpen. In fact, John Thorn and Pete Palmer, editors of Total Baseball, later came to the conclusion that Tot was the most effective reliever in the National League that year.  However, that performance was wasted on a club that finished in sixth place.  Then the wheels fell off in 1942 and his ERA ballooned into the fives, leading to his permanent benching by September.  After being told he'd be sent to the PCL for 1943, Tot chose to retire rather than return to the bushes again.

After his professional career came to a close, Pressnell returned to his native Findlay with his wife, raised his family, and worked for what would become Marathon Oil.  He still loved the game though, as he occasionally dusted off his knuckler for a semi-pro game here and there.  "Tot" Pressnell passed away in 2001, at the age of 94.  At the time, he was one of the ten oldest former major league players.

And that is the story of  Forrest "Tot" Pressnell - an underrated, knuckleball pioneer for Dem Bums and the Lovable Losers who had a knack for showing up in the periphery of history and who's nickname had nothing to do with potatoes.

via GIPHY

It sure would be nice if Topps were to explore this topic for a future insert set, even if there aren't nearly as many endearing nicknames as there were in the early days of baseball.  I guess they were pretty close with their commemorative Player's Weekend Now sets of the past two seasons, but those print-to-demand specials are certainly out of this penny-pincher's price range.  

What do you think about this idea?  Would it make a good theme for a set today?  Was it silly even back then?  What cool or unfortunate nicknames have you been saddled with over the years?  Feel free to share in the comments section below!

In the meantime, it's time for "Burbs" to log off.  Welcome to the CATRC, "Tot!"

Error 404 - Player Not Found

Yesterday morning, the Cubs added yet another, low cost/high reward contract onto the ledger to bolster their relief corps.  Xavier Cedeno, a lefty who has been in the league since 2011, was brought in on a non-guaranteed, Major League deal worth $900K.  Initial reports indicated that the bullpen piece would be on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training; however, today we learned that X will be occupying a 40-man roster spot but can be cut for only a portion of his salary this spring.  He represents another acquisition in Theo's plan to throw as many cheap arms at the bullpen problem as possible and see who's left standing at the end of the Cactus League schedule.

via GIPHY

In 2018, Cedeno spent time with two rivals to the North Siders - the White Sox and the Brewers.  All told, he was pretty much lights out when on the mound, posting a sterling 2.43 ERA in 33.1 IP and averaging 9.2 K's per nine innings.  As a reliever, he was worth 0.9 WAR for the season.  Not to mention, throughout his career, he's been murder on same-handed opponents, limiting southpaws to a egregious .218/.285/.298 batting line.  If the Cubs can get that kind of production out of Cedeno, his contract will be an absolute steal.

Considering the team's need for an experienced lefty after the departure of Justin Wilson and this MLB deal, it can be reasonably expected that Cedeno will likely head north with the Big League club... provided he can prove his health.  After all, the 32-year old lost nearly all of the 2017 campaign to dreaded forearm issues.  Rather than undergoing the knife and losing a season-plus to Tommy John Surgery, the newest Cub treated his foreboding injury with rest and platelet-rich plasma injections.  Thus, a clean bill of health, like his contract, is not a guarantee.

Anyway, all things considered, the odds are pretty good that a healthy X would head to Chicago with the Cubs come April.  Thus, it would be reasonable for me to look into a acquiring an Xavier Cedeno card for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection - like a good Boy Scout, I try to always be prepared.  Let's see what's on the market for the team's new reliever:

Hmm... that's peculiar...

According to baseball reference, Xavier Cedeno has seen action in every single Major League season since 2011 and made more than 40 appearances in four of those campaigns.  Despite that fairly long and experienced resume, Cedeno has not shown up in a single checklist from Topps, whatsoever.  There's no Bowman appearances either, seeing as he was a 31st round draft selection in 2004 and never was a blue chip name.  Hell, Xavier doesn't even cameo in the packs of Panini or Leaf or In The Game or Razor or whatever other second and third tier challenger to Topps you can think of. 

Should Xavier Cedeno eventually make an official appearance in Cubbie Blue, the only options I will have for enshrining him in my CATRC will be his MiLB team-issued singles, which - like many such products - are fairly scarce and often over-priced.

Heck, I could only find one minor league card for X on the Trading Card Database and there aren't any singles up for grabs on Ebay at the moment.  In fact, this was the only card that even turned up in a Google Images search.  Obviously, this is not an ideal cardboard situation.

Despite the fact that Cedeno is on the cusp of his ninth season in the Majors, he has exactly zero MLB trading cards.  Nada, zlich, none.  How unfortunate is that and how does that happen?   I guess that's what happens when you're living in a monopoly and all of the focus in the industry is on the latest shiny new prospects.  I guess we're lucky that almost of the starters on Big League clubs get cards today, let alone bench players and relievers.  That said, you'd think that after nearly a decade, Cedeno would have snuck through at some point.

Have any of my fellow collectors run into this issue during their cardboard quests?  Have you ever encountered a surprising amount of difficulty finding cards of Major League veterans?  Is this even an uncommon issue?  Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below!

In the meantime, I suppose I'll just wait and see what happens with Xavier Cedeno before I make the commitment to hunt down one of his pasteboards.  After all, patience is a virtue, right?

via GIPHY

Big In Japan

Just like so many one-hit wonders who disappeared after one chart-topper in the United States, the latest Cubs signing made it big in Japan.  Tony Barnette - like Scatman John, Mr. Big, The Ventures, and Anvil before him - didn't have much success in his professional career stateside, so he turned to "Land of the Rising Sun" to stay in the game.  However, the pitcher turned out to be more like a Cheap Trick, as he was able to parlay that unexpected success in Japan into a lucrative career upon returning to his homeland.

Barnette was selected in the tenth round of the 2006 draft by the Diamondbacks and was able to reach as high as AAA before stalling out.  After posting an egregious 5.79 ERA in 29 Pacific Coast League starts that season, he was released by the Snakes and - like so many a tweener before him - the Nippon Professional Baseball League made him an offer he couldn't refuse (in that, they offered him enough money to live comfortably on, unlike MiLB).  Thus, Tony spent the next six years patrolling the mound at Meiji Jengu Stadium for the Yakult Swallows and doing quite well for himself.

After one further stinker of a season in the starting rotation, Yakult switched Barnette to the bullpen, a role in which he absolutely flourished.  Becoming one of the premier closers in the league, he saved 97 games there after ascending to that role and pitched to a 1.29 ERA in his final season. Suddenly, American scouts were paying attention to the righty once again.  Ultimately, the Texas Rangers decided to import Tony back into the USA and onto their Major League roster.

 Here's a couple of Barnette BBM's from his time in Japan, courtesy of Japanese Baseball Cards (love this blog!)

Since his return, across three seasons in the Lone Star State bullpen, Barnette has been mostly effective as a non-closing, middle reliever:  11-4 with a 3.50 ERA, 3.56 FIP in 144 IP.  He throws strikes too - 132 to 43 K/BB ratio during his MLB career - something that the Cubs bullpen has struggled with in years previous.  Thus, seeing as the club has been in need of rebuilding bullpen depth due to the losses of Jesse Chavez and Justin Wilson in free agency and Brandon Morrow to injury, one can see why the Cubs pounced on this Japanese import.

However, injuries issues have hindered his time on the mound.  For instance, Tony's 2018 season came to an abrupt halt in June after his shoulder began to bark and finger problems limited his effectiveness in a dismal 2017 campaign.  Combine those concerns with the fact that the pitcher is already 35 years old and it comes as no surprise as to why the budget-conscious Cubs were able to secure his services for a bargain - $750K salary for the 2019 season and, should things go well, a club option valued at $3MM for 2020.

So, Barnette represents a great "low risk, high reward" gamble.  If he performs poorly, he could easily be jettisoned with minimal financial blow.  If he looks like he did in 2016 and 2018 (pre-injury) his contract could represent an absolute steal.

This has largely been the big market, large budgeted franchise's strategy for building bullpens since Theo Epstein came to town, aside from the Morrow signing and Aroldis Chapman trade.  Relievers are fickle, oftentimes having wild swings from lights-out to doormat on a year to year basis.  With that in mind, it's not particularly surprising that Theo and Co. have stayed out of the Craig Kimbrel  and David Robertson markets and instead restocked their bullpen with a bevy of lower-tier candidates.  Brad Brach and Barnette represent the MLB signings, while George Kontos, Rowan Wick, Junichi Tazawa, Rob Schaill, Mike Zagurski, and others with Big League experience have been invited to Spring Training.  It's pretty much the current front office's MO when it comes to building a pen.

However, the Cubs budget has been (seemingly artificially) strained this offseason, with Daniel Descalso, Brach, and Barnette serving as the only notable additions.  After a monnumental collapse of the offense in 2018 and years of a rumored run at Bryce Harper in free agency that have been walked back by money concerns, the Chicago faithful have been up in arms this winter.  It seems as though Tony is aware of this situation, and even took to Twitter to apologize for not being Bryce:

The weather is ripe for spring here in AZ and my family and I are thrilled to get this year started with the @Cubs.

(Reads first comment) also....I’d like apologize my name doesn’t rhym with....tarper https://t.co/yBlByA5vPM

— Tony Barnette (@HeyBarn) February 1, 2019

Looks like this guy has a healthy sense of humor; I like him already!  He's also got a really cool first name too.

I'm happy to add Tony Barnette to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection and, lucky for me, I just so happen to have a copy of his 2016 Topps Rookie Card.  I found this bad boy stashed in the Texas section of my trade box; guess I don't do too much dealing with Rangers fans.  

If the Cardinals can have Mile Mikolas, maybe we too can catch lightning in a bottle with our own Japanese success story.  Welcome to Chicago and to the CATRC, Tony Barnette.  Here's hoping your career continues on a trajectory similar to Cheap Trick and your time in the Windy City doesn't end up more like Spinal Tap!