13 of the 69

Below is the list of the 69 Cubs from 2021.  There are names that I put in bold.  They are the players with a card in the Topps flagship set.  Only 13 of the 69 Cubs have a card.  That's just 19%.

The Update Series comes out next week.  The checklist was released yesterday and there are eight more Cubs.  That will make a total of 21 of of 69, which is just 30%.  If I want a Cubs card for each of the 69, I'll have to make a whopping 48 homemade cards!  That will keep me busy for a while.

Cory Abbott

Jason Adam

Sergio Alcantara

Adbert Alzolay

Jake Arrieta

Javier Baez

Joe Biagini

David Bote

Rex Brothers

Kris Bryant

Erick Castillo

Andrew Chafin

Robinson Chirinos

Willson Contreras

Zach Davies

Greg Deichmann

Matt Duffy

Scott Effross

Johneshwy Fargas

Trent Giambrone

Taylor Gushue

Ian Happ

Kyle Hendricks

Michael Hermosillo

Codi Heuer

Jason Heyward

P.J. Higgins

Nico Hoerner

Jake Jewell

Craig Kimbrel

Tyler Ladendorf

Jose Lobaton

Dillon Maples

Jake Marisnick

Nick Martini

Trevor Megill

Ryan Meisinger

Shelby Miller

Alec Mills

Adam Morgan

Tommy Nance

Rafael Ortega

Tyler Payne

Joc Pederson

Alfonso Rivas

Anthony Rizzo

Manuel Rodriguez

Andrew Romine

Austin Romine

Michael Rucker

Kyle Ryan

Adrian Sampson

Frank Schwindel

Eric Sogard

Justin Steele

Kohl Stewart

Robert Stock

Pedro Strop

Ryan Tepera

Keegan Thompson

Trayce Thompson

Ildemaro Vargas

Rowan Wick

Brad Wieck

Trevor Williams

Dan Winkler

Patrick Wisdom

Tony Wolters

Brandon Workman

Not One, But Two MLB Records Set by the 2021 Cubs

 Yesterday I wrote about the Cubs new MLB record of most players used in a seasons, the 69 Cubs.  But this team didn't settle for just one MLB record.  No, they set a second one.

It's another record that you don't really want to set.

The 2021 Cubs set the record for most strikeouts by the offense.  It came down to the wire, but my boys in blue made it.  Coming into the last game on Sunday they were nine short of setting a new record.  It took six innings for seven players to fan.  We were now one away from tying!

In the top of the seventh, Tyler Payne (who was the record-setting 69th Cub to play in a game) went down swinging to tie the record. Tied!! The next batter, Rafael Ortega, watched strike three go by and the record was now the Cubs!

What a season.  Only 71 wins but two records.

And what do 1,596 K's look like?

This

The 69 Cubs That Are Not Going to be Remembered

 The 1969 Cubs are one of the most storied teams in franchise history.  They are beloved even though they didn't win anything.  The team had four future hall of famers and was led by a skipper in the hall, too.

The 2021 Cubs can also be called the 69 Cubs,  Its not because they are beloved.  They are not memorable and I don't think that there is a single player on the team that will end up in Cooperstown.

The 2021 Cubs are the 69 Cubs because there were 69 different players that played in a game for the team.  Yes, a major-league record 69 players.  

Here are the names of all of the 2021 Cubs.  I doubt you'll recognize barely a third of them.  That's OK.  It is a pretty forgettable group. 

 Cory Abbott 

Jason Adam 

Sergio Alcantara 

Adbert Alzolay 

Jake Arrieta 

Javier Baez 

Joe Biagini 

David Bote 

Rex Brothers 

Kris Bryant 

Erick Castillo 

Andrew Chafin 

Robinson Chirinos 

Willson Contreras 

Zach Davies 

Greg Deichmann 

Matt Duffy 

Scott Effross 

Johneshwy Fargas 

Trent Giambrone 

Taylor Gushue 

Ian Happ 

Kyle Hendricks 

Michael Hermosillo 

Codi Heuer 

Jason Heyward 

P.J. Higgins 

Nico Hoerner 

Jake Jewell 

Craig Kimbrel 

Tyler Ladendorf 

Jose Lobaton 

Dillon Maples 

Jake Marisnick 

Nick Martini 

Trevor Megill 

Ryan Meisinger 

Shelby Miller 

Alec Mills 

Adam Morgan 

Tommy Nance 

Rafael Ortega 

Tyler Payne 

Joc Pederson 

Alfonso Rivas 

Anthony Rizzo 

Manuel Rodriguez 

Andrew Romine 

Austin Romine 

Michael Rucker 

Kyle Ryan 

Adrian Sampson 

Frank Schwindel 

Eric Sogard 

Justin Steele 

Kohl Stewart 

Robert Stock 

Pedro Strop 

Ryan Tepera 

Keegan Thompson 

Trayce Thompson 

Ildemaro Vargas 

Rowan Wick 

Brad Wieck

Trevor Williams 

Dan Winkler 

Patrick Wisdom 

Tony Wolters 

Brandon Workman

It's Finally Over

 

The 2021 season is finally over.  Good riddance 2021.

The Cubs were in first place on June 18, eight games over .500 with a one game lead.  They won fewer games than any other NL team after that date.  They went from contenders to sellers and within a month the core of the 2016 world champs was gone.

Nothing about the 2021 season gives me optimism for the team's future.  Imagine just how bad things have become for a Cubs fan to lose optimism.  

Yikes.

Five Random Cubs Cards

  I've got 19,499 Cubs cards from 285 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1952 Topps #348 Bob Kelly The 1952 season was Kelly's second in the big leagues.  He was a swing man, starting 15 games and coming out of the bullpen sixteen times

.

1980s: 1988 Fleer #429 Rafael Palmeiro This card comes from Palmeiro's first full season in the big leagues.  He hit .307, made the All-Star team, and was traded after the season.

1990s: 1995 Team Issued Howard Johnson Known mostly for his time with the Mets and Tigers, most fans don't remember Johnson's one year with the Cubs.  Johnson made the 1995 season forgettable by hitting just .195 in 86 games.  It was his last season in the majors.

2000s: 2007 Factory Team Set #CHC4 Jacque Jones The blue and red dots on the card match nicely with the blue jersey and red bat.

2010s: 2012 Prime 9 Home Run Legends #7 Ernie Banks  What a nice way to end, with a card of Mr. Cub.

70s Saturday - 1976 MSA Discs Cubs

 Today I've got the MSA discs that came out in 1976.  MSA worked with a several different retailers.  Buckmans, Carousel, Crane, Dairy Isle, Isalys, Orbakers, Red Barn, Safelon, and Towne Club were among the stores that gave out these promotional discs. 

The checklist for the different brands was identical and included five Cubs.  The design on the fronts were the same too, as were the colors used for each player.  Jose Cardenal was always yellow, Bill Madlock, green, and so forth.

The only brand that had a different looking front was Crane.

They had they name added to the front instead of the four stars like everyone else.  Did they have to pay extra for that?

I'll Never Complete This Set

 In 2016 I was gifted with most of the Cubs cards from 2016 Topps Now set.  The Cubs were pretty good that year and there were 92 cards in the set.  I have 90 of the 92. The two missing are from early in the season and had a pretty low print run.

While I'd like to get the missing two, I don't think I ever will.  Every so often one or the other will pop up on Ebay.  I see the listing, see the price, and then move on.

One was listed on Wednesday.

I'm not paying ten grand for a card of Addison Russell.  And how about that shipping price, nearly 90 bucks.

Nope, I will never complete the Cubs set from 2016 Topps Now.