Sunday, May 20, 2012

Five Random Cubs Cards

I've got 10,482 Cubs cards from 68 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.




1950s / 1960s  Topps 1966 #110 Ernie Banks  The Random Number generator hits a home run with its first pick!  Too bad Ernie wasn't hitting home runs, too.  1966 was the first season under Leo Durocher and he was looking to replace Mr. Cub with someone younger.  Somehow, Ernie was able to fend off all challengers.  He got off to a slow start, but rebounded nicely after the All Star break when he hit .297 and had 11 of his 15 homers and 50 of his 75 RBIs.




1970s Topps 1974 #62 Bob Locker  He was on the Chicago / Oakland shuttle, spending '72 with the A's, '73 with the Cubs, '74 back with Oakland, and returning to the Cubs in 1975 in the Billy Williams trade.  His 1974 season was a bust, as he spent the entire season on the DL because of surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.




1980s Kelloggs 1980 #6 Dave Kingman  Kong was coming off the best season of his career, as he led the NL with 48 HRs in 1979, knocked in 115 runs and hit a very respectable .288.  Unfortunately he was injured for a big chunk of 1980 and played in only 81 games.  His HR production plummeted to only 18.  Cubs management and fans tired of his moodiness and he was traded to the Mets just prior to spring training, 1981.




1990s Pinnacle 1992 #224 Jerome Walton  It's a Pinnacle card (their first release) but the 1989 rookie of the year was no longer at the pinnacle.  He started the season on the DL with a groin injury and then played in only 30 games through mid June, hitting only .127.  He was optioned to  AAA on June 19 and never played for the Cubs again.  After the season, he was granted free agency and was signed by the Angels.



2000s Upper Deck 2010 #116 Koyie Hill  This card is from Upper Decks unlicensed swan song set, hence the side shot with no logos visible.  The switch-hitting backup catcher played in 77 games in 2010 and had a career high 13 doubles.  

4 comments:

  1. The random number generator picked Koyie Hill? IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kinda freaky, isn't it. Koyie Hill's nickname should be "Herpes." Just when you think its gone for good, its back.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing blog! I just discovered it today. I just started blogging about my favorite Cubs cards growing up and the stories behind them. Reading through your blog I just may pick up the hobby of collecting Cubs cards again as I haven't collected in a few years. Great stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad you like the blog. How about a link to yours?

    ReplyDelete