I don't know much about these two cards that I picked up off of ebay.
This one was printed up by the Cubs in 2003. Coming into the season, Sammy Sosa was sitting on 499 home runs and the Cubs were anticipating a big celebration when he hit #500. But it never happened at Wrigley as Sammy hit #500 on April 4 in Cincinnati. So what did the Cubs end up doing with the 35,000+ of these that they had printed up? I have no idea, but somehow this one ended up ebay and in my hands.
Move ahead a year later and guess what? The Cubs didn't learn their lesson!
Another boatload of these were printed up in anticipation of Greg Maddux's 300th career win. Maddux came into the season with 289 wins, so it was a pretty sure thing he would reach 300 in 2004. What wasn't sure was where. After winning #299 on July 27, he had his first attempt at #300 at Wrigley Field on August 1. He went six innings against the Phillies, but the Cubs were trailing 3-2 when he was taken out. They rallied with four runs in the 7th inning to win the game, but Maddux got a no-decision. Win #300 would come with his next start, on August 7. Unfortunately, the Cubs were on the road in San Francisco. So once again, they were stuck with a bunch of these cards.
I don't know how collectible they are, and I only paid a couple bucks for the pair, but they're nice keepsakes for events that never happened.
Too bad this was another keepsake for an event that never happened!
The hoopla with Bowman seems to be dying down, making it easier to pick up some of these. It only took five bucks, delivered, to get these.
Today I've got the Cubs prospects featured in the Topps 100 series. If there are 30 teams and 100 cards, then there should be 3.33 cards per team. The Cubs got five players, which would be above average. And two of the five are already with the Cubs, and doing a decent job.
Let me start with the three still in the minor leagues:
Josh Vitters, Topps #13, was the Cubs first round selection (3rd overall) in 2007. He's been slowly climbing through the Cubs system, going step by step through the Class A teams up through 2009. This season he started with High A Daytona and was promoted to AA Tennessee. He's struggled there, hitting only .236 in over 100 at bats.
Brett Jackson,
Topps #62, was the Cubs first round pick in the 2009 draft and was a non-roster invitee to spring training. He is the Cubs #2 prospect according to Baseball America. He is currently with the Cubs' high A team in Daytona, hitting .290.
D.J. LeMahieu, Topps #72, a second round pick in the 2009 draft, D.J. is listed as a shortstop on the card. But the Cubs seem to be set at short for years to come, so he. has been playing second and third at Daytona this year.
Starlin Castro, Topps #10, broke in with a bang, but has come back to earth. Still, he looks really good for a 20 year old, and I think the Cubs got a good one.
Andrew Cashner, Topps #39, he was called up to the Cubs a couple weeks ago to help shore up the middle and late inning bullpen. So far, so good for Cashner in the bigs. He's pitched in six games, seven innings, and has yet to give up a run.
My quest for Bowman 1955 Cubs was in the home stretch, needing only two more cards. Ebay auctions were not being helpful, so I went another route. I went to the Beckett Marketplace.
When I first got back into the hobby, I used the Beckett Marketplace quite a bit. The selection was huge and the prices were good, especially for commons. Then they instituted a minimum card price of 25¢ and I found Sportlots, with 18¢ prices.
Now I'll only use Beckett for harder to find cards. I was able to find a single seller with the two cards I needed, which cut the shipping charges. One thing I do like about Beckett is that the cards tend to be graded more honestly than ebay.
It took a week, and the cards arrived.
Harry Chiti; one of the best names in baseball. Can you just hear the fans from the bleachers yelling, "Hey Chiti, you're Sh***y!"
Dee Fondy, the Cubs regular first baseman for 5½ seasons.
And with the set now complete, here are the rest of seventeen cards.
It feels good to have another set completed. Up next, Bowman 1948, Bowman's first set.
In Thursday's post, I talked about how the Cubs have had 18 different Opening Day third baseman during the years between Ron Santo (1961 - 1973) and Aramis Ramirez (2004 - 2010). That's 18 different guys over a 30 year period, which averages to less than two opening days per player. That is quite a revolving door at third.
Today I'll take a closer look at each of the 18 guys who played between Santo and Ramirez. I tried to pick cards that showed the player in the field, if possible.
1974 - 1976: Bill Madlock. When he came to the team in the Fergie Jenkins trade, it looked like the Cubs would be set at third for another long spell. He hit over .300 each of his seasons with the Cubs, including consecutive batting titles in '75 and '76. But he wanted a big, multiyear contract, and old-time owner P.K. Wrigley didn't want to do that. Instead, Madlock was traded to the Giants. The Cubs got Bobby Murcer in return and Wrigley gave him a bigger contract than what Madlock was seeking. Whispers of racism followed that deal.
1977 - 1980: Steve Ontiveros. Ontiveros came to the Cubs from the Giants in the Murcer trade. He was a body filling a spot. He wasn't flashy with the bat or the glove, but he could fill a spot in the line-up. His four year streak would be the longest at third until Aramis Ramirez arrived. The fact that he is featured on a Kelloggs card tells you how bad the Cubs were. Kelloggs usually featured just one or two of the best players from each team; and this is the best they could come up with-Steve Ontiveros.
1981: Ken Reitz: The Cubs picked him up in the Bruce Sutter trade with the Cardinals, but he was a total bust and lasted one season.
1982: Ryne Sandberg: This was Ryno's first season with the Cubs and he spent most of it at third base, not switching over to second until the last month of the season.
1983 - 1985: Ron Cey. The Penguin was the fourth in four years, but would stabilize things for the next three. He was in the sunset of his career, but still had a little pop left in his bat.
1986: Manny Trillo: In his second go around with the Cubs, he was now a utility player, getting the Opening Day nod, I would guess, because Ron Cey was injured.
1987: Keith Moreland: Cey was gone and Moreland was moved to third, a position he played earlier in his career.
1988 - 1989 Vance Law: Another serviceable, but unspectacular player who lasted two seasons.
1990 Luis Salazar: Utility guy turned starter, see Manny Trillo
1991 - 1992 Gary Scott: This highly touted prospect was supposed to be the long-term answer to the Cubs problems at third. He wasn't; instead, he flopped.
1993 - 1995 Steve Buechele: The Cubs picked him up when it was obvious that Gary Scott wasn't going to work out.
1996 Jose Hernandez: This experiment lasted only one season. By the end of the year, Hernandez was the starting shortstop.
1997 - 1998 Kevin Orie: He was Gary Scott II
1999: Gary Gaetti: How low have you sunk when the fourth starter in five years is 40 years old.
2000 Shane Andrews: He makes five in six years, and lasted barely half a season.
2001: Bill Mueller: And the revolving door continues....He played in only 70 games, missing two months in the middle of the season with a broken kneecap.
2002: Chris Stynes: The Cubs picked him up as a free agent (notice the Red Sox uniform he wearing on the card) and he hit .241 in his one and only season with the Cubs.
2003: Mark Bellhorn: He was a free-agent pickup for the 2002 season and smacked 27 homers, playing mostly at second base. He was moved to third for 2003, but slumped badly, hitting only .209 before being traded to the Rockies in June.
2004 - present: Aramis Ramirez! The Cubs had eight starter in the nine previous seasons before Ramirez started his streak in 2004. Finally, some consistency! Sadly, it looks like his streak will be over, unless he can get himself turned around soon.
I've reached the end of the line. Actually, this is the start of the line (I've been working backwards from Ryne Sandberg). Leroy Herrmann was the first Cubs player to wear #23, as he was a part of the 1932 team, the first season the team sported numbers.
Herrmann pitched in seven games and was 2-1 but his ERA was a huge 6.39. He was also the first Cub player to abandon #23, switching to #21 in 1933.
And so ends our look at all of the Cubs who wore #23, from Leroy Herrmann to Ryne Sandberg. Other than Ryno, it was pretty much a collection of stiffs who had those digits on their back. I wonder how Ryno escaped the curse??
Here are what the numbers look like for all of the pitchers. They were a combined 73-75 with a 4.02 ERA in 322 games. Yuk!
| Player | Year | Games | Wins | Loses | ERA |
| Leroy Herrman | 1932 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6.39 |
| Lynn Nelson | 1933 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 3.21 |
| Lynn Nelson | 1934 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 36.00 |
| Roy Joiner | 1935 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 |
| Clyde Shoun | 1935 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2.84 |
| Clyde Shoun | 1936 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12.46 |
| Vern Olsen | 1939 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Vern Olsen | 1940 | 34 | 13 | 9 | 2.97 |
| Vern Olsen | 1941 | 37 | 10 | 8 | 3.15 |
| Vern Olsen | 1942 | 32 | 6 | 9 | 4.49 |
| Vern Olsen | 1946 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2.79 |
| Doyle Lade | 1947 | 34 | 11 | 10 | 3.94 |
| Doyle Lade | 1948 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 4.02 |
| Doyle Lade | 1949 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 5.00 |
| Doyle Lade | 1950 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 4.74 |
| Andy Varga | 1951 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Dave Cole | 1954 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 5.36 |
| Bubba Church | 1954 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 9.82 |
| Bubba Church | 1955 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 |
| Jim Bronsnan | 1958 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3.14 |
| John Buzhardt | 1958 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1.85 |
| TOTALS |
| 322 | 73 | 75 | 4.02 |
The position players were just as bad. Less Sandberg, they combined for a .233 average.
| Player | Year | Average | Games | HR | RBI |
| Phil Cavarretta | 1937 | .286 | 106 | 5 | 56 |
| Phil Cavarretta | 1938 | .239 | 92 | 1 | 28 |
| Roy Hughes | 1944 | .287 | 126 | 1 | 28 |
| Roy Hughes | 1945 | .261 | 69 | 0 | 8 |
| Jerry Kindall | 1956 | .164 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Kindall | 1957 | .160 | 72 | 6 | 12 |
| Jerry Kindall | 1958 | .167 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Moe Thacker | 1958 | .250 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| Art Schult | 1960 | .133 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| Nelson Matthews | 1961 | .111 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Nelson Matthews | 1962 | .306 | 15 | 2 | 13 |
| Bobby Smith | 1962 | .172 | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| Nelson Matthews | 1963 | .155 | 61 | 4 | 10 |
| Don Young | 1965 | .057 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| Carl Warwick | 1966 | .227 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Campbell | 1966 | .217 | 24 | 0 | 4 |
| Manny Jimenez | 1969 | .167 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmie Hall | 1969 | .208 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| Jimmie Hall | 1970 | .094 | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| Adrian Garrett | 1970 | .000 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramon Webster | 1971 | .313 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Carmen Fanzone | 1971 | .186 | 12 | 2 | 5 |
| Carmen Fanzone | 1972 | .225 | 86 | 8 | 42 |
| Carmen Fanzone | 1973 | .273 | 64 | 6 | 22 |
| Carmen Fanzone | 1974 | .190 | 65 | 4 | 22 |
| Pete LaCock | 1975 | .229 | 106 | 6 | 30 |
| Pete LaCock | 1976 | .221 | 106 | 8 | 28 |
| Mike Gordon | 1977 | .043 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Gordon | 1978 | .200 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Tracy | 1980 | .254 | 42 | 3 | 9 |
| Jim Tracy | 1981 | .238 | 45 | 0 | 5 |
| TOTALS |
| .233 | 1268 | 60 | 334 |
Ryne Sandberg deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, if only for surviving as long as he did with #23 on his back.
I had been keeping my eye out for a deal on this card and not too long ago I was able to finally pick one up.
It's from Upper Deck's 2009 SP Legendary Cuts set and it features the two best Cubs third baseman in my lifetime. And both swatches have a blue pinstripe on them. I really like this card!
Ron Santo was the Cubs third baseman from 1960 - 1973. He was an All-Star nine times and won the Gold Glove five times. He hit 337 homers and was arguably the National League's best third baseman during his playing time.
He was shipped across town after the 1973 season, when the Cubs dumped most of the 1969 holdovers. Bill Madlock took over at third and it looked like the Cubs would be set at the hot corner for another 14 seasons. But Madlock lasted only three years and so began the quest to replace Santo.
Madlock was one of 97 different player to play third base for the Cubs between 1974 and 2003! During that span, Opening Day saw 18 different players covering the base.
And then came Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs stole him from the Pirates on July 23, 2003. He (and Kenny Lofton) cost the Cubs Matt Bruback, Jose Hernandez, and Bobby Hill. Aramis has been a fixture at third base ever since, averaging nearly 30 homers and 100 RBI's.....
....until now. He has been in a funk all season, and is currently on the disabled list with thumb problems. His average is a measly .168. When he comes back off the DL I sure hope that he can get things figured out. I really don't want to have the revolving door at third re-opened!
Today we look another of the mediocre Cubs that wore #23, pitcher Clyde Shoun. Shoun's career would span 15 years and he even threw a no-hitter while with the Reds in 1944. But his time with the Cubs while wearing #23 was less than impressive.
Shoun broke into the majors with the Cubs in 1935 and was given #23. He spent the last two months of the season with the Cubs and appeared in five games. His stay in 1936 was a little shorter, only four games. And during those four games, he had an ERA of 12.46. It was time to change numbers!
In 1937, his last with the Cubs, he switched to #21 and stayed with the club the entire season. He posted a 7-7 record and had a pretty high ERA, 5.61.
In the spring of 1938, he was a part of the trade with the Cardinals that brought Dizzy Dean to the Cubs. He spent the next eleven seasons bouncing around between with the Cardinals, Reds, Braves, and White Sox before retiring in 1949.
Lynn Nelson (1933-34) and Roy Joiner (1935) also wore #23, but I've got nothing to show you of these guys.
