Five Random Cubs Cards

I've got 16,050 Cubs cards from 135 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1974 Topps #600 Bill Madlock  Topps did a pretty convincing job of airbrushing a C onto Madlock's Rangers hat.  By far, Madlock had the best MLB career of the four.

1980s: 1983 Topps #456 Lee Elia  He didn't make it through the 1983 season.  He was fired after 123 games, with the Cubs record at 54-69.

1990s: 1994 Fleer Traded #113 Eddie Zambrano  Eddie is the sane Zambrano.

2000s: 2002 SP Authentic #141 Francis Beltran  He is looking pretty tough here.  Lighten up Francis!

2010s: 2012 Allen and Ginter Relic #CZ Carlos Zambrano  The RNG grabs another Zambrano, this time the psycho one.

2018 Heritage High Number Cubs Inserts

The Cubs are pretty thin among the Heritage High insert sets.

They were shut out of these:

• 1969 Bazooka All-TIme Greats (though Ernie Banks or Billy Williams in a 1969 set would have been appropriate)
• Transogram Collector Cards
• Decals set
• Award Winners
• Now and Then
• Rookie Performers

Just two inserts included Cubs:

Javier Baez get a Deckle Edge cards...

...while Baez and Russell are in the Combo Cards set

2018 Heritage High Number Cubs

My 2018 Heritage High Numbers Cubs cards have arrived.

The High Numbers add another 225 cards to the 500 card base set.  Of the additional 225, 25 are shortprints.  The Cubs landed eight* players among the 225.

And why the asterisk next to the "eight'?

 

Because there are two different cards for Brandon Morrow.  So eight cards but seven players.  This begs the question of why two cards for Morrow?  Did someone at Topps forget to review the checklist?

And the other six players?

 

 Well, we have two free agent busts....

 

 

 ...and some guys who have actually contributed this season.

Would Night Owl be interested in the Caratini card?  It looks like a night shot to me.

The 1989 Starline Cubs

In  a post last week I mentioned that Long John Silvers gave away baseball cards in 1990.  I've been waiting for the three Cubs from the set to arrive.

But those 1990 cards had some 1989 relatives.

The company that produced the cards for Long John Silver was called Starline.  They had a plan to have several different food chains use their cards.  A six player promo set was produced and the Cubs' Mark Grace was one of the six.

Starline made prototypes for Coke, Burger King, McDonalds, Dominos, 7 Eleven.  There is also a plain Starline card, making six different versions.  I found a seller with all six and I picked up the set.

This is the base Starline card.  You see their logo in the bottom right corner.

The card for Coke added the Coke logo next to Starlines.

 

 

The other four versions kept the Coke logo on the right and added the chain's logo on the left.

The irony is that none of these chains ended up partnering with Starline, but Long John Silver, which didn't have a prototype, did.

Living Set David Bote

The fifth Cub has been added to the Living Set.

Rookie David Bote is now immortalized in the Living Set.  Frankly, he is not, in my opinion, worthy to be included.  At least not yet. 

He did a decent job filling in for an injured Kris Bryant.  He hit a walk-off grand slam against the Nationals.  But lately, he has not done much.  I'm thinking he may not have a spot on the post-season roster.

But he has a spot in the Living Set.

90+ Wins... Again!

So the Cubs have now won 90 or more games for the fourth consecutive season.  They're the only NL  team with a current run that long.  We are in uncharted territory for any living Cub fan, with a team being good for such an extended run.

The last time the Cubs had four consecutive 90+ win seasons, these were modern cards.

They had a nine season run from 1904 - 1912. Since then, a three season streak from 1928 to 1930 was the best they've had.

These are good times to be a Cub fan!

All I've Got of Him: Jerry Morales

This post is for reader Ashonk51.  He left a comment mentioning that Jerry Morales was his favorite Cub.

Morales came to the Cubs via a trade with the Padres.  Glenn Beckert went west.  It was a decent trade for the Cubs as Beckert's career was pretty much over, while Morales has some good years ahead of him.

 

After the trade, Topps switched the teams but not the pictures on the players' cards.  This, despite the fact that the '74 set had a traded set.  These are some very odd looking cards.

For the next three seasons Jerry started as the Cubs right fielder or center fielder.  His Cub career peaked in 1977 when he was named to the National League All-Star team.  After the season he was traded to the Cardinals.  He then was bounced around to the Tigers and Mets before the Cubs signed him as a free agent for the 1982 season.  

His second go-around saw him as a fourth or fifth outfielder and pinch hitter  He was released after the 1983 season, ending his playing days.

Two things stick out in my mind regarding Morales.  

One, he held his hands very high in his batting stance.  The other is that he would catch a fly ball with a basket catch, his glove held at his waist.

I've got 20 cards in my Morales collection.  They come from nine different companies - Topps, Donruss, Fleer, Hostess, Jewel, Burger Chef, Isalys, SSPC, and the Cubs team issued sets.

Five Random Cubs Cards

I've got 16,029 Cubs cards from 135 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1973 Topps #139 Carmen Fanzone  I really like the one-and-done road uniforms that the Cubs wore in 1972.  The red and blue on the sleeves and collar look great, as does the centered number.  They took a big step backwards when they went to a more reserved look in 1973.

1980s: 1982 Donruss #477 Dick Tidrow Its appropriate that the RNG picked a player that suited up for both Chicago teams on a weekend when they are taking on each other.

1990s: 1993 Ted Williams #21 Billy Herman  That's a pretty snazzy action shot for the '30s.

2000s: 2009 Allen and Ginter National Pride #4 Geovany Soto  Geo's career was on the way down in 2009 after winning Rookie of the Year in 2008.  I hope that Willson Contreras doesn't have the same quick decline.

2010s: 2016 Archives #173 Billy Williams  What a great way to end!!

Question About Comments

I love getting comments from those of you that read the blog.  Keep 'em coming!

I detest getting comments from bots.  Lately I've been getting more.  Last week one was made on the post I had for my 6th anniversary, which makes it nearly four year old.

What do you fellow bloggers do when you get those comments?  

I delete mine.  Even if the post is 4+ years old, I do not want some weird random comment on it.  So I dump them as soon as I get a notification that a comment was made.

I know I can change the settings to make it more difficult to leave a comment, but I don't want to create a hassle for you who do comment.  As long as the bots aren't deluging me, I 'll keep things the way they are.

So how many of you get those comments?  What do you do with them?

Let's Go Out To Eat

Yesterday we had breakfast, lunch, some snacks, and then supper.  But we had to stay home for all of them.  Today we're closing the kitchen and going out to eat!

Restaurants too have been involved in baseball card promotions.  Most were those that cater to kids.

We've got burger joints....

... Burger Chef, Burger King, and McDonalds.

Want some ice cream?

Isaly's will take care of you.  I also remember that Dairy Queen had sundaes in little plastic batting helmets.  Those, however, are too big to fit in my binder!

Looking for some pizza?

Shakey's is the place for you.

And if you're looking for a bigger menu, or a Grand Slam breakfast?

Then head to Denny's.

While doing some research for this post, I saw that Long John Silver's gave out cards in 1990.  Mark Grace has three cards on the 40 card checklist.  He was also included in the prototype set in 1989.  I'm going on a hunt for those four.  I get them posted once the quest is complete

Food and Baseball

Tuesday's post with the Holsum discs reminded me that food and baseball really seem to go together.  You go to the ballpark, you eat.  Hot Dogs, peanuts, popcorn, ice cream, and you name it, you can gorge yourself at the old ballgame.

A look through my Cubs collection shows that food and baseball cards go together as well.

Thirsty?

 

Have a Coke or a Squirt.

Hungry for a little breakfast?

Some cereal or sausage can get the day started.

Need a snack?

 

 

You can't go wrong with a Ho Ho, Devil Dog, Granola Bar, or a box of Cracker Jack.

If you want to make a sandwich,

 

Tip Top, Aunt Millies, and Holsum can take care of you.

Need the full meal?

 

How about a pizza, hot dog, or a box of mac and cheese.

Let's eat!!