Participation Trophies

A hot topic in the sports and parenting world for the past few years has been the participation trophy and how it is the cause of ruination for millennials (a favorite punching bag for all of America's problems) and the young, aspiring littler leaguers and flag-footballers of today.  When I was a young, gangly, wannabe athlete, who looked better doing cartwheels in the outfield than at the plate, I got participation trophies every year from my t-ball league and I proudly displayed them on my mantle.  When I was awkward elementary school kid, I got a participation ribbon every year for my science fair projects, that only proved that I enjoyed making a mess, and I proudly pinned them on my wall every time.  As an adult who finally found his niche in sporting world, I've competed in several road races which handed out medals to all participants and I've kept every single one in my memory box.  In short, I know a thing or two about participation "awards."

That's how I know that the package that I received from everyone's favorite Andrew McCutchen super-collector, Mr. Stryker (Collecting Cutch), was more than just a participation gift.  You see, a little while back, this Cutch-obsessed blogger issued a challenge to the blogosphere - for everyone to name their absolute favorite player and show off their favorite card of said athlete, as well.  I jumped at the chance, as I love blog "bat arounds" and challenges - their fantastic writing prompts!

As a child and Cubs fan of the 90's, Mark Grace holds a slight edge over Ryne Sandberg and Sammy Sosa in that department for me; so, I immediately whipped up a show-and-tell post all about my most treasured Gracies and threw my name into the contest hat.  Sadly, I did not win - however, Mr. Stryker was so appreciative of everyone taking their time to participate, that he crafted a package for all those involved.  What a generous fellow, right?

My participation award came in the mail yesterday and I quickly discovered that this was no mere placation - this bubble mailer was more than the cheesy trophies, flimsy ribbons, or "turn your chest green" medals that I usually associate with such awards.  Far... very far... like lightyears away from that.  See that wonderful, hearty Anthony Rizzo Jackie Robinson Day Commemorative Patch card (though it's really more like a coin), from this year's edition of Flagship, at the top of this post?  THAT wasn't even the best card in the package!

Crazy right?  But, I kid you not.  Allow me to show you the rest of the contents of this "participation" award:

First, we kick things off with, of course, an Andrew McCutchen card.  However, this isn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill Cutch here - no way, this is some sort of oddball card put out by one or both of Pirates Charities and/or the Pittsburgh Police Department.  As you can see, both logos appear on this very white, "less is more" oddity.

"Think first - because for every choice, there is a consequence."  Seems like a slogan right out of the DARE playbook or some other after school program.  Mr. Stryker - is this a reboot of the beloved police cards, which were so ubiquitous in the 1980's?  I may not collect Pirates cards, but I love it!

Now into my collecting wheelhouse we go, again courtesy of Anthony Rizzo.  I don't purchase much in the way of Gypsy Queen; so, any time I get a single or two from those sets, I'm always quite contented.

Meanwhile, the insert on the right may be intended to spotlight special jerseys (in this case, Spring Training duds... where the home pinstripes are exactly the same...); that said, the first thing that I notice is Rizz's Justin Timberlake-esque ramen noodle hairstyle.  Anthony and I are about the same age and this was very much the style when we were in junior high; but, seeing those bleached blonde locks on a baseball card in fifteen years later seems out of place.

 Who wore it better?

See?  They're like twins - what a pair they would make.  JT is obviously a immensely accomplished singer and songwriter and Anthony Rizzo isn't so bad on the piano.... how about a ramen-flavored collaboration, guys?

Speaking of dynamic duos - The Bryzzo Souvenir Company!

The muscle of the Chicago Cubs lineup look great both at the plate and in brushstrokes, as evidenced by this pair of 2016 Diamond Kings symbols.  Also, it's a shame that Rizzo card didn't show up on my doorstep a few days earlier, as he is clearly sporting a Chicago Federals throwback jersey and would have worked perfectly for my post about the Windy City Federal League baseball club.

But, make no mistakes, I'm no less happy to see it now!

Next up, we have some more Gypsy Queen - this time, in the form of the coveted minis.  The penny sleeve which contained this tiny Geovany Soto card from the 2011 edition was clearly marked with black sharpie, "black."  Good thing Stryker took the time to make this little note, as overly anxious Tony Burbs was eagerly and quickly flipping through my new haul and would have missed this backside variation.  Sometimes, the small things can mean everything.

What you see above is a Red Back Gypsy Queen (so THAT's what she looks like!) Mini, which had an insertion ratio of 1:6 in both retail and hobby.  While they aren't uber rare, I'd never seen one before and it's always exciting to make a new discovery as part of a blogger mailing.

Everyone seems to love the First Pitch inserts that Topps started up as part of last season's Update release and I am no different.  Of course, the one that was included in this mailing has since taken on a somber tone, as Craig Sager, the famed sports reporter, recently and tragically succumbed to leukemia, after long and tough battle with the disease.  A little more than a year ago, the cubs honored the Northwestern alum and so I'll always have this insert to remember him by.

Meanwhile, "Sweet Swingin'" Billy Williams shows up too, courtesy of Panini's Cooperstown product (2012).  I think we can all agree that this line would be a welcome sight, should it ever return to store shelves.  Furthermore, Panini and their necessitated logo scrubbing look much better with retro-themed products with golden age players.

Okay - so, that was all pretty nice stuff, right?  Then, of course, there was the Anthony Rizzo commemorative patch card, which would have made the perfect mic drop on this bubble mailer.  However, Mr. Stryker was not content to just astound me with this participation award - he was going to knock me to ground and finish me, Mortal Kombat style:

via GIPHY

I'm pretty sure the wind was actually knocked out of me when I got a glimpse of this bad boy:

Ooooooooh doctor!  That right there is a beauty of an on-card autograph from the one and only Jason Heyward, numbered to /45, and from an uber high end product that I can say with certainty that I'll never, ever open myself.  This is a truly stunning development!

As a low end collector, autographs are few and far between in my collection and when they turn up, they're usually roster-filler, pseudo-star types.  Jason Heyward is certainly a notch or two above that status.  It might date from his time with the Bravos, but I absolutely adore this card and, as an added bonus, I'm drawn to the fact that the "Tribute" logo is done in a similar art style to the famed Wrigley marquee.  In short, everything about this hit is superb.

In fact, both the Rizz and the J-Hey Kid are too fantastic to keep hidden in a binder:

These are going to be the first cards displayed on my new workspace, which is a project still in development after my most recent move.  For now, they'll rest up against my lava lamp and pencil cup so that I can gaze at them whenever I please.

As you can see, this participation award was so amazing that I actually shudder to imagine what the winner of Stryker's contest went home with.  Perhaps said blogger had his actual favorite player mailed straight to him?  That's about the only way this package could be topped.  A million thanks go out to Mr. Stryker, both for holding this clever contest and for being so abundantly gracious to those who have participated.  This padded mailer was truly a joy to sort through and contained some of my favorite cards to ever come through the mail.

In summation, many people across America think that giving out participation awards screwed up millennials, like me, and is messing up the next generation of young kids.  At the same time, this participation award definitely screwed me up too; however, that's only because I wasn't expecting so much concentrated awesome in such a gifting.  I could barely handle it!

Now, about that avocado toast though...

Racing Through the Woods

What better way is there to spend a lovely, sunny, temperate, summer day than to take a nice long, casual hike in the forest preserve?  My wife and I feel the very same way; so, when we woke up yesterday morning and saw that there was nary a cloud in the sky and the temperature was going to stay below 80 degrees, we decided to lace up our walking shoes and hit the trail.  However, our normal haunts (Starved Rock State Park and the local preserves) are a little tired at this point; thus, we decided to try out a new location this time.

After a little bit of cursory Googling, I came across a forest preserve in nearby Carpentersville, IL - Raceway Woods.  Obviously, as a noted Indianapolis 500 nut and NASCAR fan, this name caught my eye right away.  After reading up on the place, I knew this was going to be our new destination, as it combined my love of Motorsport with our mutual dedication to physical fitness.

After a little over an hour on the expressway, we pulled up to the gate of what used to be known as Meadowdale International Raceway:

The iconic silo, which actually predates the track, as it appears today

Opened in 1958, Meadowdale was a road course circuit which operated through the 1970 season, hosting a variety of races in several different categories and series throughout it's short history.  During it's 12 year run, the circuit played host to SCCA, USAC, ARCA, AMA, NHRA et al, while sports cars, stock cars, go-karts, motorcycles, dragsters, and even snowmobiles revved their engines in front of legions of fans.

Originally brought to life as an added attraction to a recently built housing subdivision in the Chicago suburb, Meadowdale and it's landmark Pure Gasoline silo was inspired by the famed Formula One circuits across Europe - Monzo, Monaco, Nurburing, etc.  In fact, it even had it's own, smaller version of the Monza Wall as part of it's course.  However, seeing as the track played host to mostly amateur and lower levels, as well as local automobile club events, the skill sets of the competing drivers were rarely up to par.  Furthermore, with it's hurried, almost secondhand though construction, it lacked many basic safety measures, including emergency run-offs, rough and tumble paving, and extremely tight turns.

The Pure silo during Meadowdale's heyday

In fact, the very first day of operation saw a fatality on the track in an SCCA event and the track earned a reputation as a killer, nearly dooming the effort from the start.  Furthermore, the speedway never did gain much of a financial foothold and lacked the cash needed to make the major alterations to make the track safer.  While the few and far between national touring events served as money makers, the major series eventually turned their backs on the track when the requested alterations were not made.  After all, no major series is going to put their assets... I mean athletes... at risk, right?

If money problems weren't enough to sound the death knell, the relatively close geographical presence of Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI and Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, IL provided ready and safer alternatives to the Chicagoland market.  As the old saying goes, adapt or die; Meadowdale International Speedway failed to adapt, leading to an early and abrupt demise in 1970.

What's left of the main straightaway and grandstand area in 2017

The main straightway on race day, sometime in the mid-60's.

For years and years, the track sat vacated and unattended, while nature slowly reclaimed "Little Monza" and the rest of the facility.  Thankfully, in the mid-1990's, a non-profit group was formed to save the "ghost track," rehab the silo, and turn the track into a forest preserve and walking path.  Fifty years ago, racers used to push the limits of nerve and speed on hot asphalt - today, soccer moms push strollers on their way to shedding baby weight on the very same surface.

I must say, turning the old race course into a nature preserve was a phenomenal idea and a great way to add to the community and maintain the history of the area, all at once.  Much like the Rails to Trails program, it's shame that more famous road courses aren't rehabbed in this manner.  How amazing would it be to be able to go for a jog around Riverside International Raceway instead of having the historic facility turned into a character-less shopping mall?

2009 Press Pass - FreezeFrame #FF 18

Despite it's struggles and limited use, Meadowdale International Raceway still managed to attract a large amount of national racing talent - names that are still recognized and revered today.  "Fast Freddy" Lorenzen, of nearby Elmhurst, IL and NASCAR fame, took home the trophy in the first stock car race held at the track, which was co-sanctioned by the ARCA and USAC tours in 1959.

NASCAR never did come to town, but their two main rivals continued to make use of Meadowdale throughout it's existence.  Along the way, this paved the way for stock car luminaries such as Curtis Turner, Marshall Teague, Elmer Musgrave (father of Ted) and "Tiger Tom" Pistone to come to town and raise a little hell.

1991 TG Racing - The Masters of Racing #209

In addition, while they never held a champ car/indy car race (though one was tentatively scheduled for 1970, before the gates were closed for good), many big names from the open wheel circuit made their way through Carpentersville through the SCCA US Road Racing Championships, regulars on the race calendars from 1958-64.  Unfortunately, while you don't see it nearly as much today, racers from the era were versatile and so addicted to speed that they would hop behind the wheel of whatever vehicle they could get their hands on.

With that in mind, Indy 500 champions Roger Ward, Jimmy Bryan, Bobby and Al Unser once turned laps at Meadowdale - 1972 winner Mark Donohue even saw victory lane at the old track in their final big-ticket event (1968 SCCA Trans Am - a one off affair). Similarly, his car owner in that Indy win (and 16x total Indy 500 victor), Roger Penske, took home the checkered flag in a 1961 event, back when he was still in the driver's seat.  Furthermore, longtime Brickyard competitors Lloyd Ruby, Peter Revson, and Dan Gurney (who was also one of the greatest sports car racers of all-time) liked to pop in from time to time.

The track may have only existed for 12 years, but it sure did see it's fair share of racing royalty take to it's banks.

Therefore, I can now say with confidence that Al Unser, Fred Lorenzen, and I have traveled on the very same race track.  It may be a lie of omission, but how cool is that?

I will say that while I'm certain it was much more difficult to navigate travelling over 100mph in a Scarab, walking the pathway was no stroll in the park either.  The 3.27 mile circuit features some tight hairpin turns, and some hefty elevation changes.  On that latter point, my calves definitely got a work out trying to scale the long straight, which can be seen in the pictures below

Today, with my wife in the foreground

During the track's prime

All in all, it was no walk in the park... it was better because it was a walk on a bonafide race track!  A good portion of the original track surface still exists as part of the path, while retaining walls, bridges, track markings, and the silo remain, keeping the spirit of Meadowdale International Raceway there with you as you navigate your way through Raceway Woods.  I want to go again and do some "off track" exploration on my own time and see what I can find... perhaps during the winter when the vegetation isn't quite so thick.  At any rate, if you enjoy automobile racing and you live in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommend that you make the trek to Meadowdale.

I was so enthused (like a little kid) after the experience, that I immediately pulled out my cards and old race results to see how I could tie this adventure into a card-based blog post.  In the process, I found that quite a bit of footage from Meadowdale's halycon days.  So,I'm going to leave you with some fairly high quality footage of the "Twenty Grand" Steinbeck Memorial ARCA race, held July 18/19, 1964 so you can really get an idea of what the speedway looked like in action. 

Meadowdale International Speedway may be long gone, bit it's spirit lives on in Raceway Woods.

Crosstown Blockbuster

Last night, it was reported that Cubs' top pitching prospect Dylan Cease was scratched from his start in low-A South Bend, without a specific reason listed.  Normally, this wouldn't raise too much suspicion - A) Dylan has been pitching lights out and is worthy of a promotion to the next rung and B) he's dealt with a leg injury already this season and the Cubs like to play precautious.  However, at about the same time, news got out that Eloy Jimenez, their top pre-rookie on the other side of the ball, was being held out of the lineup in high-A Myrtle Beach.  Combine these occurrences with the time of year and the curiosity of Chicago baseball fans everywhere was piqued.

Of course, I don't think anyone saw these scratches affecting both sides of Chicago.

This morning, the Cubs and the White Sox came together and shocked the entire city of Chicago (and perhaps all of baseball) by pulling off their first trade in more than ten years and, boy oh boy, was it a doozy.   As it turns out, both Cease and Jimenez were in fact pulled for a pending trade (along with a pair of lesser-name minor leaguers) and left-handed starter Jose Quintana is now a Chicago Cub.  Holy moly!

Within the last year, it's been reported several times that the White Sox did not want to do business with the Cubs, lest they accidentally boost their crosstown rivals that already hog the spotlight.  However, in this case, I think it's Northsiders who should be worried about doing just that.

First of all, Quintana absolutely fits a need and makes perfect sense as a trade target.  With a rotation in shambles, giving starts to guys like Eddie Butler, Brett Anderson, and Mike Montgomery, Quintana fills a slot as a quality number two starter.  Furthermore, he comes to the other side of town on an affordable contract ($8.85MM guarantee for 2018 and successive options, $10.5MM and $11MM, respectively, for the ensuing two years) and under control through 2020.  This is no Aroldis Chapman-style rental, which is an obvious plus for a team primed to loose Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to free agency after 2017.

Of course, in order to get such quality, you have to give up quality... and a lot of it; top of the line pitching doesn't come without cost.  As such, Theo and Crew were forced to part with their top prospects on both sides of the ball.  Cease carries a 2.79 ERA with 12.9 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 at the Class A level and front-line starter potential; however, he does come with injury-risk, with his aforementioned leg issue and his missing the entire 2015 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.  Meanwhile the 20-year old Jimenez is a consensus top-10, MLB prospect with light-tower power and .271/.351/.490 batting line with eight home runs over 174 plate appearances at high-A.

Like I said, to get quality, you have to give quality.  Here's hoping that Jose Quintana helps to solidify the team's starting five and Dylan and Eloy don't make the Cubs look silly in the next few years.

Also, funny fact - I just bought that 2016 Bowman single of Cease from a card show on Saturday.  Last year, at the same show, I purchased my very first single of another Cubs prospect, Billy McKinney.  Just days after that buy, McKinney wound up traded to the Yankees in the Chapman deal.  This time, just days after that show, Cease winds up traded to the White Sox.  As someone who typically doesn't buy many pre-rookie cards, clearly I'm some sort of prospect jinx.

Now - like I said - part of the reason that this blockbuster swap was so shocking is that the Sox and Cubs just don't trade very often.  The last time these two Windy City teams got together on a deal was 11 years ago, in 2006, when they exchanged a pair of relievers.  Neither Neal Cotts (to Cubs) nor David Aardsma (to Sox) did much in their new digs nor did their tenure extend for very long, though both went on to have productive careers elsewhere.

That was a pretty minor deal - in order to find the last trade these two teams made at the same magnitude as this Quintana shocker, we have to time travel all the way back to 1992, when George Bell and Sammy Sosa swapped hands.  Before that, 1973, when beloved franchise icon Ron Santo switched sides with Steve Stone and a few friends.  Like I said, the Cubs and the Sox prefer not to meddle in each other's business.

Man - that just doesn't look right.

We'll have to wait and see a few years to find out who wins this trade overall; however, the transaction certainly improves the Cubs roster, in the near term.  The rebuilding White Sox got a pair of significant new jewels for their ever growing treasure trove of prospects, but who knows how Eloy and Dylan will eventually turn out.  Meanwhile, there's no doubt in my mind that fifteen-ish starts out of Jose Quintana will greatly improve the starting staff (he has 45 K's and a stellar 2.70 ERA over his last 40 frames) and he'll still be around for another two and a half years.  The fact of the matter is that the Cubs are in the middle of their window of contention and need to do everything they can to fortify their near-term assets.

With all of that in my mind, I definitely THINK I am in favor of this trade.  However, I must admit, that I'm still in a state of shock and awe that this even happened.  Maybe I'll change my mind when the dust settles a little bit, but I don't think so.

At any rate, welcome to the North Side and to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder, Jose.  Here's to a few more years of steady, stable, under-the-radar production from the starting rotation!  Also, best of luck on the South Side, Eloy and Dylan - don't make us look TOO foolish, though, okay?

What a day to be a Chicago baseball fan!

A Whale of a Post

Thank God the All Star break is here.

As a Cubs fan, the 2017 season has been everything the storied 2016 season was not.  Gone is the offensive assault, the bullet-proof pitching staff, the likable persona, etc. that steam rolled the National League.  In it's stead, we have a team (made up of mostly the same people) which simply cannot hit with RISP, has severely regressed on the mound, and has seen off field scandal plague the clubhouse.  As a result, this team has struggled to be anything other than mediocre, hovering around the .500 mark all season (they've been exactly half and half 20 times, so far) and quickly losing ground to the upstart Brewers.

Thank god the All Star break is here.  Also, thank God they came through and won the World Series last fall, otherwise the Loop sidewalks would be decorated with Cubs fans having jumped the ledge.

With that in mind, there have been quite a few days where I didn't feel like blogging; being a Cub-centric blog, sometimes it's just easier to unplug from the team entirely.  So, instead of talking about this lackluster sequel season and how Wade Davis is the Cubs' only participant in tonight's All-Star Game, how about we dive down the tangent rabbit hole?

I wear this when I want to feel like a baseball hipster

The Chicago Whales name has popped up here and there in recent years, largely as the result of Wrigley Field's centennial celebration of 2014-2016.  Many know that "The Friendly Confines" have now hosted the Chicago Cubs for 100+ years - Lord knows the narrative of the postseason coverage from last October beat that into each viewer's head.  However, what many may not realize is that the Cubs were not the first occupants of the North Side ballpark.  While the Cubbies were still putzing around at the West Side Grounds, the Federal League came to town and set up shop on the corner of Clark and Addison.

The hoodie you see above has been in my possession for over a decade now... well, more or less; this is Mach II, as the first iteration was lost to a tragic bleach accident.  Anyway, this Gildan-manufactured Christmas gift from 2006 bears the markings of that upstart club - the Chicago Whales.

When the Federal League declared themselves a new Major League in 1914, of course they were going to try to implant themselves in the nation's second-largest urban market - the White Sox were south, the Cubs were west, but the north was wide open territory.  Franchise owner Charles Weeghman built himself a brand-spanking-new ballpark on territory which had until then been a seminary, "christening" the beginning of North Side baseball.

During the 2014 and 2015 seasons, the Cubs celebrated the 100th anniversary of their historic ballpark by donning several different throwback jerseys, at select games.  On a couple of occasions, the club showed their historical knowledge by paying tribute to that Federal League franchise, in both of it's iterations.  In 1914, the club began play without a formal nickname, simply being referred to as the "Chicago Federals" or  "Chi-Feds" - a jersey which is replicated by Emilio Bonifacio on the 2014 Donruss single you see above.  Come 1915, a nickname finally took hold - the Whales (I'd love to know how they arrived at this) - and one hundred years later, the threads of which ended up on the 2015 Update Throwback parallel, on the back of folk-hero, David Ross.

While they were third banana in town, the Chicago Federals or Whales were no third-tier act.  During the two years of the Federal League's existence, the team finished second in 1914 (just a game and half back of the champion Indianapolis Hoosiers), and won the league title in a thrilling, down-to-the-wire pennant race, which went down to the very last game of the season and was settled by percentage points.  Not too shabby, eh?  For a thrilling account of that epic final showdown, I can do no better than recommend this New City re-telling - check it out, it's one of the best baseball stories you've never heard.

Over those two, strong years, the team was bolstered by several quality Major Leaguers, many of whom were formerly of those Cubs of White Sox (Weeghman certainly knew his market); Mordecai Brown and manager Joe Tinker were among the familiar faces to Chicago sports fans.  Claude Hendrix, who had previously spent three years with the Pirates, emerged as the star pitcher for the Whales.  He lead the league in ERA (1.69) and Wins (29) in 1914 and tossed a no-hitter over the Pittsburgh Rebels (take that Steel City!) on May 5, 1915, as the 1992 Conlon Collection card above notates.

Fun fact - Claude was the winning pitcher in the very first game to take place in would eventually become Wrigley Field.

Another star on the field for the Whales was utility-man Rollie Zeider, who supplied plus speed (51 stolen bases) in addition to positional versatility.  Most notably though, Zeider spent the 1910-13 seasons playing with the White Sox and, eventually, the 1916-18 seasons with the Cubs; therefore, Zeider (and teammate Dutch Zwilling) are the only players to play for all three Chicago-based MLB clubs.  That's a nice feather for the hat and a bit of trivia you can impress your bar buddies with.

Zeider may be listed as a Cub on this 1916 M-104 strip card reprint, but he is quite clearly sporting the jersey of the Chi-Feds from two years previous - the Cubs never used that style "C" as their chest emblem.  Thus, along with the Hendrix above, it is one of exactly three Whales/Chi-Feds cards in my collection (the third will show up later).

Of course, we all know how the Chicago Whales and the Federal League ended - folded up like a forgotten lawn chair in the dark of winter.  During the 1914-15 off-season, Federal League owners brought an antitrust lawsuit against the AL and NL. The lawsuit ended up in the court of Federal Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who allowed the case to languish while he urged both sides to negotiate.  In that time, the already financially struggling league and it's teams slowly lost solvency during the lengthy case and were forced to close up shop prior to the beginning of a potential third season.

As the case sat in queue, several FL owners were bought out by NL and AL clubs, further weakening the upstart league.  Furthermore, an additional two Federal owners were allowed to buy a pair of struggling MLB clubs - one of those men was Charles Weeghman, who took over control of the Chicago Cubs after the Federal League was officially put down for good.  It was a noble experiment and challenge to the baseball establishment; however, money talks and the FL simply wasn't making it.

It's appropriate that the Cubs of today act almost as if the histories of the two clubs are one, seeing as Mr. Weeghman essentially and immediately merged the teams.  The dilapidated West Side Grounds was abandoned in favor of the North Side and the best of the Whales roster were immediately transferred to the Cubbies, including Tinker, Brown, Hendrix, Zeider, Zwilling, the entire starting outfield and a whole host of others.

Speaking of Zwilling, he is the subject on my third and final Chicago Whales card.  Like Zeider, it hails from a reprinted edition of the 1916 M-104 strips and again, like Zeider, lists the player as a member of the Cubs.  However, if you look closely at his chest emblem, within the "C," instead of the expected "UBS" script, you'll see a tiny whale.  Photography was a lot more slow moving back in the teens, after all; I'm sure getting updated pictures for a promotional baseball card set weren't a huge priority.

Weeghman was forced out of Chicago before the end of the decade, after a series of bad business ventures. and the club was taken over by William Wrigley.  Weeghman Park became Cubs Park which later became Wrigley Field and the rest, as they say, is history.  Fun fact - Wrigley Field is the only Federal League stadium which still stands (in full).

With that, we have reached the end of our brief history lesson about the Chicago Whales - the Windy City's forgotten Major League team.  I hope you found this little lesson about Chicago's baseball past as enlightening and informative as the current Cubs are frustrating and disappointing.  I've long wanted to cover this darkened corner of Chi-Town sports history and this seemed like the perfect time for such a distraction....

...a "whale" of a good time, you might say!

We Have Clearance, Clarence

This scene, from the cinematic classic known as Airplane!, is one of my favorites in cinematic history - it's "Who's on First?" style wordplay is both clever and always worthy of a chuckle.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that this entire movie is the absolute pinnacle of the parody movie genre, producing more quotable quips in one installment ("I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue," "Stewardess- I speak jive," "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley" etc.) than most movie trilogies.  It's a film that, though it's now approaching 40 years old, remains as fresh and funny as it did in 1980 and, when it's on, I will never, ever pass it up.

Similarly, I will never, ever miss out on a trip to local, monthly card show when I'm otherwise free.

I've been going to this relatively small show, in neighboring Orland Park, IL, for a couple of years now and I always manage to walk away with something fun.  With that in mind and the price of admission costing only a crinkly Washington, I can think of a lot worse ways to spend a Sunday morning.  Clearly, I wasn't the only person who felt this way either, as the rented out space in the OP Civic Center was as packed as I've ever seen it.  I should have snapped a picture, but I was far too busy jostling for space in the crowded hall to even think about it.

Nevertheless, I was able to make my around to (most of) the tables and, though it was certainly not a high volume day for me, I made a couple of supremely welcome finds:

First up, from a vendor who clearly considers himself a prospector, I was able to grab a pair of recent Bowmans featuring some Cubs pre-rookies - these are to be filed away for future consideration, in case they should eventually crack the Bigs.  Dylan Cease is the franchise's top pitching prospect and is definitely on an MLB trajectory; but, he's still in A-ball and you know how volatile young pitching can be.  Meanwhile, Stephen Bruno is nowhere near as highly regarded as Cease; however, the middle infielder is currently rostered with AAA-Iowa, meaning he's only a call away from the Majors.

I may have only been a Boy Scout for a few months, but I've always hung on to their motto:  "be prepared."  Just like every airplane is equipped with automatic pilot, just in case:

I'm pretty sure that's just exactly how it works too.

From that same table, I was also able to grab a "Cubgrade" for my trouble.  Though he was still just a prospect when this 2015 Bowman Chrome single was printed, Victor Caratini is now a certified Major Leaguer, having stepped into the backup catcher's role that was vacated by "Mouthy Miguel" Montero.

I had been prepared for the May and June Cubs Minor League Player of the Month's arrival in on the Big League scene; although, it was with an unlicensed Panini Elite Extra Edition card from 2013, back before he'd been traded from the Braves' system to the Cubs'.  Now, he can be properly represented with the correct team in my massive CATRC binder, with his first (and, to date, only) card in a Cubs uniform.

The right uniform makes all the difference!

Those finds were nice and all, but nothing earth shattering and nothing that a trip to one of my LCS locations couldn't procure.  For while, I thought that was all I would be walking away with too, as every table seemed to be completely devoid of what I was after - affordable vintage and oddballs.  New additions to my CATRC almost exclusively come through those two avenues, at this point in my progress.  Thankfully, it was one of the first tables set up in the hall, yet one of last tables that I checked in at (darned crowds), that saved the day with their clearance sale.

There was a big, ol' 3200-ct box filled with vintage markdowns - I don't mean just 70's stuff either, this box contained stuff that dated back to the immediate post-war years.

We have clearance, Clarence!

What we have here is a 1949 Bowman beauty featuring Cubs outfielder, Clarence Maddern.  Outside of a little wear in the bottom right and slightly rounded corners, this card is in pretty darn good shape for approaching 70 years of age.  This has been a card sitting on my want-list for a loooooong time, as it's the only mainstream baseball card featuring the spare-part, short-term fly-chaser from the late 1940's; thus, it was a hard need for my CATRC binder.

Clarence Maddern quit the University of Arizona (and abandoned his scholarship) to join the nearby, Cubs affiliated Bisbee Bees of the Arizona-Texas League (Class C) in 1940.  As he quickly advanced up the minor league chain, getting so far as the old PCL by the age of 20, Clarence put his baseball career on hold to answer the call of Uncle Sam.  From 1943-45, Maddern served in France with the US Army and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

Once the war was over, the still-young athlete returned the PCL with the Los Angeles Angels and promptly lead the league in batting through September, earning his first call-up.  For the next several seasons, Clarence would bounce up and down between the MLB and PCL, never firmly establishing himself at the game's highest level, but solidifying himself as a PCL favorite.  In 1951, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he saw 11 further games of MLB service before finishing out his pro career, which extended to 1957, in the PCL.

In case you're curious, the year in which this card was printed was Clarence's last in a Cubs uniform and he made it into just 10 games, batting .333 with one walk and a homer in 11 PA's.

Why this awesome card was marked down to a price below a blaster was beyond me.  I had so many questions:

Finding a card that I need for such a long time at an abbreviated price was enough to make me content with the day's haul.  That said, I wasn't about to walk away from this unique opportunity to add super vintage cardboard to my collection at a fraction of the normal price until I searched through the whole box.  I'm glad I was so stubborn too because soon after digging up the Maddern, I came across a mark down that I thought had to be an error.

It also just so happened to be another 1949 Bowman too:

Of course, this card is in nowhere near as nice a condition as it's set-mate - that's a hefty water stain and the surface has seen some better days.  Nevertheless, cards of this caliber rarely approach my price range, even in this state.  That's why, despite it's imperfections, I was so stupefied to read that it would cost me one, measly buck...

One dollar for a 68 year old, super vintage card, from an iconic set which features the hometown team?  This is a trick, right?  Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger cards from 2017 are selling in the double digits and THIS Emil Verban card can be mine for the same price as a pack of Opening Day?

For once it was a deal that was not too good to be true.  The best part was that it was also a card that I needed for my CATRC, as well.  Verban (who possesses one of the best baseball nicknames ever ("The Antelope"), was already represented in said binder, but it was with a Cardinals card:

At least I think it' a Cards card - this Exhibit card dates from sometime in the mid-to-late 40's and definitely shows "The Antelope" in a uniform other than the Cubbies.   Again, it's "Cubgrade" time!

Verban was mostly a utility infielder and his career was quickly forgotten after he retired after the 1950.  However, he remains a significant name in Cubs lore.  In 1975, a group of Washington big-wigs, whose hearts belonged to Chicago, were plotting something.  They started a "secret" society of Cubs fans in our nation's capital as an outlet for their shared misery.  It was decided that the name for their society must symbolize the typical Cubs player; an obscure name who's passion exceeded his talents, but came to the ballpark ready to give 110% day in and day out.  Thus. the Emil Verban Society was born and continues to exist today.

Random as that connection might seem, this surely this isn't the first time a pro athlete has turned up somewhere unexpected:

That dollar Verban made for the perfect exclamation point on already satisfactory day.  Two prospect cards for future considerations, two "Cubgrades," two super vintage finds on super clearance that fit needs in my CATRC... can't ask for much more from a singular card show!  It was definitely worth braving the crowd.

Plus, I got to bang out a post using a bunch of clips from what might be my favorite comedic film of all-time as the framework... all this because of a clearance Clarence!

Okay - I gotta wrap this up and get out of here, I simply have to go watch Airplane!, right now, as I file away my card show findings.

Card show and comedic gold, all rolled into one.