Custom Cubs Cards Courtesy of Rookies App
Until 2014, I was an Android user. The iPhone had tempted me, but enough to take the plunge. I used Mac computers for three years at my previous job and never did get used to their quirks. That was a big reason why I stuck with Android.
Then the Rookies App drew my attention. For about a year the company kept touting the app as "coming soon to Android." That was 2013. Fast forward five years and the Rookies App is still only available on the iPhone.
I succumbed to the iPhone in July 2014, and the Rookies App was one of my first downloads. The Rookies App features 20 templates, many of which are classic baseball card designs, to create custom trading cards.
Creating my own baseball cards had always fascinated me. Photoshop and I have an ugly history, so designing and printing my own cards was not an option.
Once you slap a photo in a pre-designed template, you can add text on the front and back, submit payment, and about a week later a 20-pack of cards arrives in your mailbox. The cards literally come in an unopened wax pack.
Following the recent Cubs Convention, I decided to create a pack of custom cards from the past few conventions using the 1981 Fleer design. This is by far my favorite Fleer design of its run.
There's Kris Bryant from Woody's Winter Warmup.
Ryne Sandberg holding a napkin wishing my friend, Robin, a happy birthday.
Jordan Howard of the Chicago Bears.
David Ross at Woody's Winter Warmup.
Anthony Rizzo from Woody's Winter Warmup.
Meeting Kerry Wood near the end of his fundraiser at Harry Caray's.
John Cusack and Bonnie Hunt showing off their bartending skills.
Pete LaCock, a 1970's Chicago Cubs player, in the hotel bar.
Bill Buckner appeared at Club 400 for a convention kickoff party.
Steve Trout bought myself and a couple new friends pizza on Saturday night at the convention.
Jason Heyward took a selfie at last year's Woody's Winter Warmup at Navy Pier.
So did Addison Russell.
And David Ross.
I ran into Sandberg in the hallway at the 2017 Woody's Winter Warmup and was gracious enough to stop for a photo.
Dorothy, the 90-something Jaeger-loving Cubs season ticket holder, saved me a seat to tell me about her World Series suite that Jaegermeister provided for her following her national television interview.
Scott Sanderson spent a couple minutes to talk.
Trevor Cahill introduced Kyle Schwarber at the 2016 Woody's Winter Warmup.
Cahill was an outstanding bartender, and the crowd even began a "MVP" chant for Cahill. He in turn signed a baseball for me with that inscription.
Miguel Montero was another outstanding bartnender in 2016.
The 2015 Woody's Winter Warmup was my first. Travis Wood pours a good rum.
And here's Wood himself. This photo was taken a few minutes after he saved my phone. It was charging on the bar top when someone next to me spilled a glass of red wine on the bar.
If you want to cherish some of your own memories on cardboard, Rookies App is the way to go.