Cubs Convention Set 1996 - Members of the Broadcast Team

The Cubs broadcasters have a popular following too and most of them were included in the card set.

 

Harry and Stone were the big stars.  Brickhouse and Lloyd were favorites from the past.

Santo was working the radio booth at the time.  Missing from the set is the radio play-by

-play announcer.  He was someone unfamiliar to Cubs fans, as the 1996 season would be his first in the radio booth.  I'm sure he was introduced at the convention, but he didn't get a card in the set - Cubs fans didn't really know him yet.  They soon would and he would be a huge favorite - Pat Hughes.

One Decade Ago...

Ten years ago today the first post of Wrigley Wax went live.  You can see the entire first post here.

At that time my Cubs collection consisted of most of the Topps cards from 1952 - 2008.  I was missing only the high number cards from 1952 and Ernie Banks' 1954 rookie card.  I also had all the Cubs from Fleer, Donruss. and Heritage.

And that was it.  It totaled 3,171 Cubs cards.

Since starting the blog I have put up 3,702 posts and added 13,000 Cubs cards to my collection.  I guess I've done a lot of writing and spending over the past decade.

And I am looking forward to more writing and more spending!

Cubs Convention Set 1996 - Assorted Other Players

While the players from the '69 and '84 teams were very popular, they weren't the only former Cubs in attendance at the 1996 Cubs Convention.

 

Pappas and Pafko lived in suburban Chicago and were regulars at the convention.  

Stoddard was on the '84 team but that was his only year with the Cubs.   

Monday and Cardenal were outfield-mates in the '70s and were well-liked during their time with the Cubs.

Cubs Convention Set 1996 - From the '84 Roster

Although the 1969 team was still a huge fan-favorite, the 1984 team was quite popular too.  Plus, they actually won a division title!

Several members from that team attended the 1996 Cubs Convention and had cards in the set.

 

 

 

 

 

Cubs Convention Set 1996 - From the '69 Roster

The 1969 Cubs team was still a huge fan-favorite in the 1990s and many from that team annually attended the Cubs Convention.

 

 

 

That's the entire starting infield, plus Fergie and Billy.  That there were seven from the 1969 and just ten from the current 1996 team with cards shows you how much we Cubs fans were living in the past, or just how mediocre the 1996 team was.... or probably both!

Cubs Convention Set 1996 - From the '96 Roster

Six year ago I picked up the 1998 Cubs Convention cards.  I had no idea that there was also a set given out at the 1996 convention.  I somehow stumbled on it a few weeks ago while browsing over Cubs sets on Ebay.  I missed out on one auction but another set was listed a few days later and I was able to get it.

The 1996 convention was held from January 19 - 21 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers.  It was sold out, with over 12,000 fans attending.

The Cubs produced a set of 27 cards.  They are oversized, measuring 4" x 5½".  The set included current players, former players, and the broadcast team.

I'll be showing the set all week long, dividing it into different pieces.  Today I've got the players that were on the roster in January, 1995.

There are just eight cards, including manager Jim Riggelman.  I'm assuming that cards were only made for players that would be at the convention.

 

 

 

  

Other than Mark Grace, there isn't a whole lot of star power here.  Notably missing is Sammy Sosa.  Sammy often couldn't be bothered to attend the convention.

The biggest name, however, wasn't on the 1995 roster but would be on the '96 team...

.... Ryne Sandberg.  He announced in October that he would be ending his retirement and returning to the Cubs for the 1996 season.  His appearance at the convention was a huge deal.

Merry Steve!

I knew this guy played a few games for the Cubs, and I knew that I just had to get a card of his. He played only three games for the Cubs in late April of 1986, and he was just one for nine, a crummy .111 batting average. As far as I can tell, this card from the Cubs team issued set is the only card that features him as a major leaguer, though he did play with the Reds in 1983 and the White Sox in 1984.

He didn't have much of a big league career, but once a year his cards will be here on Wrigley Wax

 

Merry Steve Christmas to all!

The Christmas Story According to St. Luke

If the networks can run A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, and the Grinch every year, then  I think I can re-run this post every Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

From the Gospel according to St. Luke, the second chapter: 

In those days

Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire

world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So

also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of

because he belonged to the

and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the

to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a

because there was no

for them in the inn. And there were

living out in the

nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at

An

of the

appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

May the simple, yet miraculous truth 

of the Christmas story 

touch your heart anew this year.

Peace,

Paul

Wrigley Wax

Five Random Cubs Cards

I've got 16,197 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: 1955 Bowman #137 Bob Talbot  Talbot played in 114 games in 1954, which was good enough to get a card in the 1955 Bowman set.  Yet after 1954 he never played in the major leagues.  He knocked around in the minors until 1960.

1980s: 1982 Fleer #603 Lee Smith  This is one of Smith's first cards.  Fleer, Donruss, and Topps all made a card for him for the first time in 1982.

1990s: 1990 Baseball Wit #19 Ernie Banks  This card uses a nice-look mid-Sixties picture of Mr. Cub at Shea.

2000s: 2006 Upper Deck #103 Ryan Dempster  Dempster was always someone who appreciated the fans.

2010s: 2013 Topps Cut to the Chase #34 Ernie Banks These die cut cards from 2013 were awesome.  Too bad they don't make them any more.