The Price is Right

In the final days leading up to the big day for my wife and I, lots of last minute, late night trips to various retail outlets were required.  For instance, we'd run to Hobby Lobby to find extra materials for the bridesmaid bouquets, cruise over to Target for some odds n' ends decorations, trek to Sam's Club to print out our program poster, and mosey down to Walmart for poster-board and spray glue.  In short, there was always something we needed that we hadn't considered.

I never complained because A) I value my life and B) this always afforded me an opportunity to stealing a browsing session in the card aisle.  It's the small things in life.

During our adventure to acquire spray glue and poster-board from the evil big box empire, known colloquially as Wally World, my then wife-to-bed abstained from going inside, as the tight quarters, bizarre people and demolition derby parking lots do nothing inflame rage inside of her chest.  So, I was left alone, to my own devices and I couldn't help but pick a little something up for myself while I was left unattended.

What you see here is a hanger-box version of the 2016 World Series Champion box set, for the appropriate price of $19.08.  If you don't understand why that pricing was enough to make me want to snap a picture, then you weren't paying a lick of attention during the playoffs.

This abbreviated version of the set was a few dollars cheap than the blaster version and, as a Cubs diehard, I felt compelled to own at least one version of the set commemorating the historic and long-awaited triumph of the "Lovable Losers."  With that in mind, I slipped the cards in with my foam board and Elmer's and went about my business.

@RosterJenga Any guys that didn't appear as a Cub in traded set—I remember the Sox set in 04 had a handful of guys like that. Only Sox card.

— Shane Katz (@ShaneKatz73) January 19, 2017

Back at home, after putting together the program poster and opening the pack of cards, I couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed.  First of all, I discovered that I misspelled the flower girl's name while designing the display piece.  Second of all, I was hoping this World Series-centric set would focus on the players on the curse-busting roster.

As Shane (from OFF THE WALL) points out, previous incarnations of this set did just that, leading to cards of Red Sox for short-termers who never had one otherwise.  Unfortunately, instead of a Mike Montgomery, Joe Smith or Rob Zastryzny first time Cubs card, the set was made up of World Series highlights cards (using the 2016 base set design):

For instance, Kyle Schwarber's improbable and entirely unanticipated comeback from knee surgery in time for Game One...

 

... or Anthony Rizzo's first-inning RBI in Game Two...

... or Schwarb's continuing Cinderella story....

... or Jake Arrieta's near no-hitter in Game Two.  All of the cards focused on specific moments from the World Series.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it just wasn't what I was hoping for from the collation.  C'est la vie.

No matter, a set built around the key moments of the greatest World Series of my lifetime is hardly a bad development.  In fact, there are some truly wonderful cards within the checklist:

 

This might be my favorite card of "the Friendly Confines"ever issued - you can almost feel the playoff buzz, just holding it.

 

How about Rizzo and Ross connecting for a highlight reel catch that was almost a nasty blooper in a "do or die" Game 5?  Such a roller-coaster of emotion!

The one other complaint that I have about this blister pack set is the focus on horizontal cards.  I know I'm in the minority on the blogosphere, but I have an unfair bias against horizontally-aligned trading cards.  I like my cards in standard size and vertical alignment - it must be some sort of OCD-like twitch.

However, I know certain photos wouldn't work right, or do the action depicted justice, in that format.  I just wish that almost all of the cards in this set weren't horizontal.

The format works for this shot of Aroldis Chapman, putting everything into his patented fastball, with this commemoration of his longest career outing.  It's much nicer than his base card, found in Update.

On the other hand, this card seems superfluous and like an excuse to add another Kris Bryant card into the product.

This one, documenting the most important grand salami in franchise history is definitely not superfluous.  Look at the unbridled joy!

Another card talking about a Chapman save; however, the fire-baller only registered one save during World Series play.  Hmmm...  That's more confusing than Joe Maddon's handling (abusing) of the lefty.

 Ah, we're in Game Seven turf now. When Dexter Fowler lead off the crucial contest with a home run, we just knew that we were in for a treat of a game.

One of the three vertical cards in the entire set and it documents one of the most storybook moments of a storybook tilt.  This memento of Ross swatting a homer in his final MLB appearance will slide into my CATRC binder as his representation - no contest.

Here's another horizontal piece of ephemera, showcasing the pure exuberance of Ben Zobrist as he drove in the winning run.  Although, it would have been much nicer if they'd caught him in the apex of his leap, at second base... and used a vertical layout.  Too much blank space.

Finally, we wrap it up with the best card of the bunch - one that would have won my "best cards of 2016" countdown, had I possessed it at the time.  What Cubs fan's collection could be complete without a card celebrating the club's first World Series win in several generations?  The answer is none.

In short, while I was disappointed with the amount of horizontal cards and the fact that it was less player-centric and focused more on specific moments, it was still quite enjoyable to flip through this special World Series set.  Although, this hanger-pack version is not complete - the blaster edition has several more cards contained within.  Mine is but a sampling.

Unfortunately, now that the wedding is over, I won't have nearly as many excuses to wander and peruse through the card aisle at the local big box stores... Oh, who am I kidding?  My wife loves Target almost as much as she hates Walmart; so, I'll probably be there tomorrow.  Adventures in marriage...

Hello, Mr. Anderson

As the old adage goes, you can never have enough pitching.  The 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs had a phenomenal rotation in 2016, of which 4/5ths are coming back for 2017.  Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks were elite last year, while John Lackey makes for an over-achieving fourth man.  However, with Jason Hammel gone and Mike Montgomery, his presumptive replacement, being a relatively unknown quality, there are still some questions.

Furthermore, the Cubs rotation was unprecedentedly healthy last season - all five arms started 29 games or more.  There's simply no way that Theo & Co, can bank on that stability again.  There are few certainties in life - death, taxes, and pitchers get hurt.  As such, they've been on the hunt for pitching all throughout the offseason.

 "As you can see, we've had our eye on you for some time now, Mr. Anderson" - Agent Smith, The Matrix

Brett Anderson missed most of last season, with the Dodgers, due to back surgery and blister problems.  Furthermore, a foot injury, an oblique injury, and 2011 Tommy John surgery limited him to just about 320 innings from 2010 through 2014.  In short, he's been on and off the DL frequently since he came up with the Athletics in 2009.


That said, the Stillwater, Oklahoma native is still only 28 years of age and has been a quality arm when he does actually take the mound

"Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?"

As recently as 2015, in Los Angeles, Brett posted a 3.69 ERA in 180.1 innings, so there is hope for the young man, yet.  After a bullpen session in Arizona impressed the Cubs' brass, Anderson earned himself a one-year, $3.5 million contract to prove himself in the Friendly Confines. This could be a shrewd, bargain signing (a patented Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer pitching acquisition) or a swing and a miss - I guess only time will tell.

The new man in town will compete with Mike Montgomery for the fifth starter's position, with the loser taking up residence in the bullpen.  With a lack of MLB-ready arms in the upper minors and after having lost out on the Tyson Ross sweepstakes, some outside competition was certainly desired.

"Yes. That's it, Mr. Anderson. Look past the flesh..."

Although, it should be noted, that deal is not yet COMPLETELY finalized.  While both sides have agreed to terms, Brett still has to pass a physical in order for the contract to be official.  With Mr. Anderson's lengthy injury history, that's not a slam dunk.  His health records are certainly "rocky," to say the least.

The examination will take place in Chicago today and, for what it's worth, the pitcher in question seems fairly optimistic about the process:

Speaking of Brett Anderson and Twitter, I should probably address the elephant in the room.  During last year's NLCS, where the Cubs sealed their first National League pennant since 1945, over Brett's Dodgers, the fans got a little rambunctious.  Apparently, after the big Game 6 triumph, a few bad apples really got under the skin of the Cubs' newest pitcher:

(Warning - NSFW language)

Real classy cubs fans throwing beer in the Dodgers family section. Stay classy fucking idiots.

— Brett Anderson (@BrettAnderson35) October 23, 2016

"Mr. Anderson... you disappoint me."

His anger is certainly justified - however, heat of the moment tweeting is pretty much never a good idea.  While I'm certain that there is no long-term tension and he hold no ill will towards Cubs fans, in general, everything lives on forever, once it's been shared on the internet.

Anyway, as it stands, it seems likely that Brett Anderson will become the 2,055th man to suit up in Cubbie Blue.  With that in mind, one of the above, three cards that I pulled out of my trade stacks will go on to represent him in my CATRC binder.  Now, I just have to decide which one it will be.  Decisions, decisions.

Of course, if he flunks his physical, this could all be moot; but, I'm going to bet that he won't.  I guess we shall see.  Welcome to the Windy City, Brett!

Groomsmen and Rivermen

I am officially a married man!  After 3 years of dating, two years of living together, one year of engagement and 11 months of careful, tedious. life-consuming planning, my wife (wow, that's weird to say) and I have tied the knot.  It was a beautiful affair at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL that, thankfully, went off without the slightest hiccough. 

In short, we got hitched without a hitch.

In the course of the festivities, we received tons of gifts from our friends and family who traveled from all over the continent to share in our special moment.  Along with those gifts, we were bestowed with countless cards:

All with thoughtful messages of support and words of kind encouragement.  That said, wedding cards aren't as fun for me as baseball cards.  They are quite lovely and touching; however, they just are not as fun to flip through, for me.

But, have no fear, the wedding festivities were not without a little bit of trading card action:

Here's a snap of me and my wallet card buddy, '89 Fleer Mark Grace, right after setting up the Starved Rock Lodge for our big day.  I was assured by Mr. Amazin' Grace that the decorations were absolutely perfect and the venue was top notch.  That Mark, always so reassuring.

After a night of vows, merriment, terrible dancing, open bar mischief, selfie-station snafus, self-serve ice cream bar snacks and even more "white dad at a bbq" dancing to ABBA, we decided to spend the rest of the weekend at the Starved Rock Lodge as a sort of mini-honey moon.  We've decided to postpone our full trip until the summer time, when I don't have to burn vacation time (a benefit of working for a school district).

Of course, that meant peaceful morning runs throughout the state park, hiking up and down the trails in unseasonably warm temperatures, exploring the local storefronts and museums, and, of course, minor league hockey cards:

*record scratch SFX*  Minor league hockey cards?  How did they factor into this weekend?

Well, Utica's downtown area, like any self-respecting small town or tourist attraction community, features a quaint, homey, antique shops as one of it's pillars of business.  Seeing as both the missus and I enjoy spending some free time resale shopping, we couldn't help but stop in for a while:

Clark's Run antiques has two-floors packed to the gills with all sorts of vintage goodies.  It took us an hour just to work through the ground floor of the establishment and both of us went home with a little souvenir to remember the day by.  The owners are generous folks, as well; after discovering we were newlyweds, they gifted us with two free wine tastings at the new winery they opened in town.

Obviously, this was a great experience.

But, back to the cards.  As you can see from the title card above, what I purchased was a complete, factory set of the downstate 1991-92 Peoria Rivermen, courtesy of minor league mavens, ProCards.  It was between this cello pack of hockey cards or a Dale Earnhardt knife, which came with a commemorative MAXX trading card.  Oh 90's...

The IHL Peoria Rivermen's roster that season included one former Blackhawk, one who had previously gone unrepresented in my Blackhawks All-Time Roster Collection.  That man, was the above-shown David Mackey, who's card will now both represent him in my Hawks binder and serve as a reminder of an amazing weekend.

In case you were wondering, Mackey played parts of six seasons for the Blackhawks, North Stars, and Blues. He had 8 goals, 12 assists, 20 points in 126 games, along the way.

As you can see from the backside of his card, the Rivermen were a Blues affiliate at this time and most of the left winger's time in the NHL was already over with.  This set, sponsored by Coke and the local Sully's Pub, would be one of his final cards.

Like I said, there was only one skater with connections to the Hawks in this set.  However, there was still one more card which specifically caught my attention:

Looks like this defenceman really earned his paycheck!  Coincidentally, I wonder if he was upset with the timing of photo day or if he proudly wore his bandage and bruise as a badge of honor?  Knowing hockey players, I'd be willing to bet that it was the latter option.

Jason Marshall would go on to play in the NHL for twelve seasons, with 1,004 penalty minutes as a testament to his apparent toughness.

The rest of the set was fairly blah; but, for the sake of completion, let's take a quick gander:

The design itself is attractive enough - bright colors and a fairly simple layout.  The pattern on the red-fill is a time capsule back to the early nineties.  Overall, the cards remind me a colorful plaque.

On the other hand, as most minor league cards produced at this time by ProCards were, the images are bland as bland can be (excepting the Marshall card see earlier).  Likely, the players and personnel were lined up and trotted in front of the camera, rapid-fire, in the vein of Little League photo day.

Also a tad bit disappointing is the super dark background - so dark, it's as if they forgot to turn the lights above the rink on.  These are hockey cards from the early 90's - I want to see some egregious mullet action!

As with any minor league set, you also get cards of the athletic trainers, as an added bonus.  How come Major League trainers and equipment managers never get a bone thrown their way?  I want a Yosh Kawano card!

Those 1991-92 Peoria Rivermen weren't a bad bunch - that season, they set the record for the longest winning streak in professional hockey history (18 games).  That mark has since been broken; but, nevertheless, that's definitely something to hang your hat (helmet?) one.

As a postscript, I feel compelled to mention that while there is a Rivermen squad skating in P-Town today, it is not this same franchise.  In fact, it's the fourth incarnation of the Rivermen to crop up since the original team relocated to San Jose in 1996.  The modern version has competed in the Southern Professional Hockey League since 2013 and lack any NHL affiliation.  Perhaps P-Town Time knows a little bit about the turbulent history behind the Rivermen banner?

With that, my cardboard explorations were done for the weekend.  While there were no more trading cards to be found on our adventures, the drive-ins, hot tubs, Casey's Pizzas, buffalo habitats, nature preserves and, of course, lifetime companionship more than made up for that fact.

All in all, it was a perfect wedding weekend and I truly couldn't have asked for a better one.  Here's hoping our marriage is a little less turbulent than the history of the Rivermen!

Why Not in Hall of Fame?

First off all, congratulations to Jeff Bagwell and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez on their selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, yesterday evening.  Special kudos to Tim "Rock" Raines on getting that coveted call after ten years of being ignored on the ballot, in his final chance.  The enshrinement of the second-greatest lead-off hitter of all-time was long overdue.  All in all, the Hall of Fame has itself one heckuva class of 2017.

Meanwhile, there were still several deserving names who did not get a plaque in Cooperstown.  Thanks to steroid accusations (Bonds, Clemens) and evolving positional valuations (Hoffman, Martinez), there has been a glut of worthy candidates who have congested the ballot in recent years.

As a result, a few Cubs who merit serious consideration were left outside, looking in:

Lee Smith was the All-Time saves leader for many years and, arguably, the second most feared closer of his era, behind HOF'er Bruce Sutter.  However, thanks to the eternal debate about whether pure relievers are deserving, Smith has been continuously ignored as his career marks continue to be surpassed.

"Slammin' Sammy" Sosa is, simply put, one of the greatest of great sluggers - his membership to the 600 homer club will attest to that.  Of course, as with his fellow participant in the great home run chase of '98, steroid suspicions have kept him from being a serious candidate.  Plus, he seriously pissed off a lot of sportswriters, with a HOF vote, in his time.

Lou Piniella managed the famous "Nasty Boys"-era Reds to a World Series title in 1990, guided the Cubs to their first back-to-back postseason appearances in a century and has the most managerial wins of anyone not in the HOF (with a winning record).  Unfortunately for him, having only one WS win is working against him.  If he climbed that summit with the Cubs, his ticket would have been punched, easily.

Fred McGriff was another great slugger, who, if he played in any other era, would have easily made the Hall.  The Steroid Era overshadowed his 493 long balls (despite playing clean) and his lack of a strong team identity (he hopped around a lot) have left him somewhat forgotten.  If only he cracked seven more long flies...

While they may not have been honored with a golden plaque, I figured that the least I could do was honor these stars with customs based on the "Why Not In Hall of Fame?" subset from the 1992 Conlon Collection checklist.  How did they turn out?

The real McCoy

Furthermore, there were a few others with Cubs connections who were eligible this year (Derek Lee, Matt Stairs, Davey Johnson, etc.), but the above four men were those with the strongest credentials.  Thankfully, due to their time spent with the Cubs, they should be quite used to waiting until next year.  That is, except for Lee Smith, who now falls off of the regular ballot.  Here's hoping he has better luck with the Eras Committee.

That's the thing about Hall of Fames though - debates will rage on forever and there's always going to be someone who is getting the short hand of the stick.

At any rate, again, congratulations are due to Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez.  On the other hand, good luck next time Lee Smith, Sammy Sosa, Lou Piniella, Fred McGriff and everyone else who didn't get a call this year.

A Difficult Man to Find

You know that feeling when you FINALLY land a card that you've been chasing forever?  I had felt like a greyhound perpetually in pursuit of a plastic, rabbit lure, going around in circles but never able to catch the bait.  Plus, I don't enjoy going around in circles either, as I have a tendency to get motion sickness and/or vertigo with the slightest provocation.

Alas, no longer must I give chase.  I've, at long last, captured my prey:  a 1967 Topps semi-high number (#489), featuring journeyman outfielder, Doug Clemens.

 

Landing this vintage need at a reasonable price was a bear of a task, one that I did not expect to take me over a year.  However, it is now mine and Clemens is resting comfortably in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.

As you can see from the above scan, there are some creases , rounded corners and some sort of black defect on the upper right; nevertheless, the price was right and my legs were tired from the chase.

I forgot to scan the back, but let's just swipe a picture from the internet:

 

As you can see, Doug was a Cub from 1964-65, blowing into the Windy City midway through the '64 campaign in a fairly significant transaction.  Upon his arrival, he was given the most playing time he'd ever see in his mostly-spare part career, earning the starting right fielder job in 1965.  Unfortunately for the respected pinch-hitter, his .221 batting average in 122 games did little to impress the Cubs brass.

Coincidentally, the Northsiders traded a pretty decent right fielder in order to secure the services of  Mr. Clemens.  More on that in a minute.

 

 Clemens, with the Cubs, circa 1965

Additionally, Doug wasn't particularly happy to pack his bags for Chicago, to begin with.  You see,  he was upset by the trade, mostly exacerbated by having to watch from the sidelines as several of his former mates in the Cardinals’ farm system, like Tim McCarver and Ray Sadecki) play in the 1964 World Series.  I suppose I'd be a touch bitter too - the Cubs of the mid-60's weren't too good.

Anyway, who was this player that the Cubs jettisoned to St. Louis for Clemens, Bobby Shantz and *hint* *hint*, Ernie Broglio...

Yup, that's right, Doug Clemens was intended to be the replacement in right for future Hall of Famer Lou Brock.  Also acquired in the infamous deal were the perpetually injured Ernie Broglio and reliever Bobby Shantz (who'd be traded again before '64 was out).  Just mentioning this trade triggers a subconscious gag reflex in Cubs fans everywhere.

Back to Clemens, after flubbing his opportunity to be an everyday player in Chicago, he was traded to his hometown Philadelphia Phillies (as seen in my coveted card) and hung around their bench as an extra, extra fly-chaser through the 1968 season.

So, Clemens might be a reminder of a not-so-great moment in Cubs lore; that said, a Cub is a Cub and must be included in my comprehensive CATRC binder.  This brings us back to the semi-high number I won on Ebay:

Somewhat surprisingly, after a career in the Big Leagues which lasted for nearly a decade, Doug only had one mainstream baseball card issued with his likeness - the card you see above.  As far as oddballs go, there is his 1967 Coke bottle cap appearance and a 1978 Reading Remembers issue; but, a bottle cap is not a card and the retrospective Reading MiLB set is almost a complete unknown.  Thus, I figured the 1967 Topps base card was the rational and simple target.

After sorting through stacks and stacks of '67s at every card show I've ever attended, this single just never reared it's head.  My LCS's were of no help either and the prices on COMC and Ebay were always way too inflated for my taste.  I never thought this would be such an issue.

These prices may be fair, but I'm not one to spend more than $10 on one card

As the old saying goes, patience is a virtue, and after a full year and some change of this card being a declared target, I was able to cross it off of my list for a pair of Washingtons and free shipping on Ebay.  Thank goodness!  I guess those semi-high numbers are harder to track down than I thought.

Another name off of the list.

Now, I'm left to wonder - was this experience unique?  Have you ever ended up searching for a seemingly common or non-descript card for a surprisingly long time?  Please feel free to tell me about your experience in the comments - I'd love to hear about it.

In the meantime, it's on to the next chase for me - Frank Secory, you and your '55 Bowman are mine!

Sorting Through the Shed

Yesterday on the blog, I showed off an autographed hero card featuring now-former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards; a hero card that I had signed IP more than ten years ago, when I was still in high school.  Until recently, it sat in my parent's backyard, storage shed, along with a good many of my 9th-12th grade and college possessions that I did not have room for when I moved out.  Currently, these items are sitting in a sort of stasis, until the future wife and I find a place with adequate storage space.

Also, another reason that these Rubbermaid totes sit, untouched, in this shed is because the task of getting to them is quite daunting:

Just look at that mess - bicycles, lawnmowers, pool floaties, random boxes and even wire-mesh aquarium tops are strewn across the floor.  It's like the shed has been to Oz and back, via tornado, and nobody noticed.

However, as intimidating as the task was, there were some items in said shed that I needed to locate.  So, a couple of days ago, I held my breath, watched my step and made sure to keep an eye out for stranded munchkins while I attempted to sort my way through the chaos.  I felt like the cliched thief in numerous action movies, acrobatically twisting my body in order to pass through a field of laser-beam motion sensors.

Thankfully, I was able to come across the object of my quest (a stack of photographs).  Plus, as an added bonus and reward for my effort, I also unearthed some bonus baseball collectibles that I'd almost forgot that I had.

For instance, this oddball, from 2003, featuring Slammin' Sammy Sosa, launching into his trademark home run skip.  This nearly square, just a touch shorter than standard width, SGA card was intended to be given away to Wrigley Field patrons who were lucky enough to be in attendance for a major event, as indicated by the red "I was there!" banner found at the top of the piece.

What event would be worthy of a special card to prove you were actually "there?"

The answer, of course, is Slammy's 500th home run, an event that would surely punch his ticket to Cooperstown, someday (about that...).  However, if anyone attempts to produce this card as proof that they were in the Wrigley bleachers for this milestone event, they most certainly are a liar.  In fact, they are a liar, liar pants on fire.

How do I know that, well, just examine the following video:

That's definitely not Wrigley Field - Sammy Sosa hit his 500th longball at Cincinatti's Great American Ballpark, on April 4th, 2003.  Obviously, these commemorative cards were proven to be superfluous after they had already been printed.  But hey, if my month in Boy Scouts taught me anything, it's that you have to be prepared anyway.

So, since these were never handed out, you might be wondering to yourself, how did I end up with one? Well, three years later, the Cubs decided to clear out their storage spaces (which hopefully were slightly more organized than my family's) in the same way that many American households choose to every spring:

Yup, the Cubs hosted a garage sale in 2006 and 18-year old me made a special trip to the Northside of town to see what goodies I could dig up.  Along with that Sosa, I also came across a similar piece made up for Greg Maddux's 300th win, another mile marker event that took place at a field other than Wrigley (SanFran).  I know I picked one of them up too, but, unfortunately, I think it may have been lost to the sands of time.

While the Maddux may be AWOL, the Sosa SGA wasn't the only oddly-sized trading card that I found hiding in that tangled mess:

As a Christmas gift many moons ago, I was gifted with this pair of Turkey Red reprints from the first decade of the 20th century.  Now, these cards were reprinted in the dimensions of the original issue - cabinet sized - and, being the peon collector I was at the time, I had nothing to properly store or display them in.  As such, they were thrown into a box and promptly forgotten about.  I was such a grateful child.

That said, times have long since changed and I am ecstatic to be able to reintroduce these big beauties to my collection.  That dusk scene on the Solly Hofman (right) looks like it should be framed!

For frame of reference, here is that same Hofman card, along with a standard-sized reprint done by Renata Galasso in 1982  - quite a difference.  Remember, the originals were intended to be premium decorations, displayed on cabinets or walls.

As I mentioned, the Turkey Red cabinets were a gift that dates back to my childhood years.  On that note, they weren't the only childhood baseball cards that I found during my storage shed mission:

This, battered, bruised and beaten Mark Whiten has definitely seen better days.  It's worn, folded, torn and suffering from substantial paper loss.  Why would I even bother to save such a tattered trading card, especially one that features a rival Cardinal?

You see, this 1994 Post Mark Whiten is the very first baseball card I obtained - this emerald green, cereal box prize was the launching point for my baseball card fascination.  I'd thought this relic had traveled down the "lost forever hole," along with half of each pair of socks that I own, but it was hiding in a stack of high school English papers in a vinyl tote.  Turns out that younger me was just as absent-minded as current me.

That did it for the recovered baseball cards; however,t there were still a few other pieces of Cubs-related memorabilia of interest within the "wreckage":

The 2003 Chicago Cubs sent the Chicagoland area into a fever pitch - you know the story, a surprising division title, five outs away, yadda, yadda.  They were Chicago's favorite team that year and Chicago's favorite stock car racing team also got swept up into the enthusiasm.

The Venturini family hail from Chicago and their race team has competed in NASCAR and ARCA for 35 years, winning two championships in the latter.  Father Bill won both of those titles and son Billy, who's autograph adorns the packaging, competed for several years.  Nowadays, their cars are filled with young prospects.  For those who may not know, while ARCA began as more of a Federal League to NASCAR's MLB, it has since evolved into a developmental league.

Bill Venturini founded Venturini Motorsports in 1982

Here's a closer look at the special paint scheme:

Billy Venturini & Venturini Motorsports ran this special paint scheme in the ARCA EasyCare 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway that October.  The race was won by Kirk Shelmerdine, former crew chief to Dale Earnhardt and longtime independent driver, in a rain-shortened affair.  Coincidentally, somewhere in that shed, I'm certain that I have a die-cast signed by him, as well.  Meanwhile, Billy V came home with a top ten finish (9th), a good run fueled entirely by "Cub Power."

I remember ordering this commemorative scale model shortly after the running of that race, as it blended my love of baseball and motorsport, through the Venturini Motorsports website.  The autograph was an unannounced bonus.  Race car drivers may very well be the most genuine and kind group of athletes in sports.

Finally, under that 1:64 scale die-cast was a stack of old programs, including:

The program from when the immortal Ferguson Jenkins came to deliver a keynote speech at my University a few years back, as part of an annual fundraiser.  You darn well better believe I came down from my college apartment to come listed to Fergie reminisce about his career and give advice to college students on how to succeed when surrounded by adversity.  It was a surreal experience, having a Hall of Famer at our little, private University.

This year, for that same fundraiser, they were able to bring in Grampa Rossy... I'm told tickets sold out VERY quickly.  

Speaking of "Grampas," under Fergie was this scorecard that I remember sitting on my grandfather's coffee table, throughout my childhood:

This, I can only assume, is a reprint of the scorecards handed out at the 1932 World Series, between the Cubs and the Yankees.  Y'know, the Series that featured the legendary "Called Shot?"  Yea, that one.

I can't find any markings that would indicate that this is a reprint, but it's just in such grand shape that it doesn't seem like it could possibly be 85 years old.  In 1932, my grandfather would have been nine years old and he was known for truantly skipping out on school to go to Wrigley... maybe it's possible???

The inside is pretty basic, head shots of each player found on both rosters and an (unused) score card.  The back features a beautiful lithograph of the old Friendly Confines:

Even all these years and multi-million dollar renovations later, it sure does look remarkably similar, doesn't it?  

With that, I had to call the excavation short and get back inside with the stash of photographs that I had originally been looking for (and found).  However, these pleasant diversions also came back indoors with me, in order to be redistributed into my collections.  A nice bounty of collecting gold as a reward for risking life and limb (seriously, I think tetanus was a risk here) made the whole ordeal worth the effort.

Don't you just love when you find forgotten gems while doing your spring cleaning or reorganizing your home?  What's the best item(s) that you've found buried within your storage spaces?  

In the meantime, time for me to get to sorting through those Kodak prints...