2022 Cubs #40, #41, and #42

 Three more players took the field for the 2022 Cubs, bring the total for the year up to 42.  Two made their MLB debuts in game 1 of a doubleheader against the Brewers while a third began his career in game 2.

Pitcher Matt Swarmer started the first game and went five innings.  He struck out six while giving up four runs though just one was earned.  

Nelson Velazquez saw his first big league action, getting the start in right field.  He singled in his first at-bat, which had to be quite a thrill.  He popped out in his other two plate appearances.

Pitchers Anderson Espinoza was brought up as the 27th man for the doubleheader.  He was pressed into service in the fourth inning when starter Drew Smyly got hurt.

1986 O-Pee-Chee Cubs

 Set Size: O-Pee-Chee - 396, Topps 792  

Cubs in set: O-Pee-Chee - 15, Topps - 28

Same old here - OPC is half the size but with all the stars.

OPC used both their new logo on the front and old logo on the back.  I guess they just couldn't let go of the old one.

Most of the big names are all here.  The only change I would have made was to replace Chris Spier with Shawon Dunston.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Random Cubs Cards

 I've got 20,582 Cubs cards from 304 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1979 Wiffle Manny Trillo The discs in the 1979 WIffle set were printed on the packaging and had to be cut out by hand.  My Trillo disc was not cut out by a very steady hand.

1980s: 1986 Leaf #181 Shawon Dunston  Dunston usually had a big smile on his cards.  Not this one, though.

1990s: 1990 Leaf #361 Les Lancaster Two Leaf cards in a row!  Les was more in 1990 with a career-high nine wins.

2000s: 2005 Classics #116 Aramis Ramirez  This card looks weird to me with the player in color and everything else in that bland brown tint.

2010s: 2011 Finest #92 Darwin Barney Autograph Relic Purple This is from the Barney PC and is one of six different versions I have of this card.

70s Saturday - 1978 Saga Discs Cubs

 One is the loneliest number.

Dave Kingman is the only Cub in the 1978 Saga disc set.  I guess it is appropriate because Kingman was always a bit of a loner.  He never seemed to get along with his teammates and would rather spend time alone on his boat.

Topps Living Set Marcus Stroman

 After a five month drought, the Cubs had a player in the Topps Living Set.  Marcus Stroman was included the week of May 4.  His card is the fifth consecutive time that a Cubs player didn't crack a print run of 2,000.  In fact, Stroman's card has the second-lowest Cubs print run of the 17 players in the set.  His run of 1,686 topped only Patrick Wisdom's 1,547.

Really, how much longer will Topps keep the Living Set alive.  Is it actually the Life Support Set now?

A Couple of Bowman Inserts

There are Cub prospects in two of the 2022 Bowman insert sets.

Brennen Davis has a Hi-Fi Future.  Does anyone use the term "Hi-Fi" any more?  I'm pretty sure it's use disappeared in the 1980s.

 Keeping with the music theme, Kevin Alcantara was included in Virtuosic Vibrations.  The alliteration is interesting, but how many collectors had to look up the word "Virtuosic"?

2022 Cub #39

 The Cubs called up catcher P.J. Higgins on Sunday and he has seen action in a couple of games already.  He was one of seven different catchers that played for the Cubs last year.  This year he is the third.  Hopefully there won't  be four more following him.

The 39 Cubs from 2022 are below:

2022 Bowman Top 100 Cubs

 There are five Cubs prospects in the Top 100 Bowman insert set.  That's more that I thought that there would be.  The only team with more one the list were the Orioles and Rays with six.  The Pirates and Red Sox also had five like the Cubs.

The Cubs had six in the set in 2014 and five in 2015 when the team was loading up for the World Series run.  I hope that there will be the same result in a few years with this group!

1987 O-Pee-Chee Cubs

 Set Size: O-Pee-Chee - 396, Topps 792  

Cubs in set: O-Pee-Chee - 17, Topps - 28

Today I've got the wood-bordered 1987 set. 

The logo swap was the only difference on the front.

OPC back uses same colors that were used in the Topps Traded set.  Otherwise, its the usual differences on the back.  Notice, though, that OPC used their old logo on the back.

There are four hall of famers in the 1987 Cubs set, although Dennis Eckersley did not play for the 1987 Cubs.  The team did have a fourth HOFer on the roster, Andre Dawson.  His very late arrival on the team was even past the cutoff for OPC.