This one was printed up by the Cubs in 2003. Coming into the season, Sammy Sosa was sitting on 499 home runs and the Cubs were anticipating a big celebration when he hit #500. But it never happened at Wrigley as Sammy hit #500 on April 4 in Cincinnati. So what did the Cubs end up doing with the 35,000+ of these that they had printed up? I have no idea, but somehow this one ended up ebay and in my hands.
Move ahead a year later and guess what? The Cubs didn't learn their lesson!
Another boatload of these were printed up in anticipation of Greg Maddux's 300th career win. Maddux came into the season with 289 wins, so it was a pretty sure thing he would reach 300 in 2004. What wasn't sure was where. After winning #299 on July 27, he had his first attempt at #300 at Wrigley Field on August 1. He went six innings against the Phillies, but the Cubs were trailing 3-2 when he was taken out. They rallied with four runs in the 7th inning to win the game, but Maddux got a no-decision. Win #300 would come with his next start, on August 7. Unfortunately, the Cubs were on the road in San Francisco. So once again, they were stuck with a bunch of these cards.
I don't know how collectible they are, and I only paid a couple bucks for the pair, but they're nice keepsakes for events that never happened.
Too bad this was another keepsake for an event that never happened!
Those are pretty cool... I need to add one of these to my Maddux PC. Imagine that thing autographed, matted, and framed.
ReplyDeleteHow did the Cubs plan on passing these out? I'm picturing quite a logjam as people trying to exit the park had to wait to be handed their card.
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