Monday Mailday Features Some Cubs Oddballs
Monday's mailday brought 1,216 more Cubs cards to the One Million Cubs Project. I'm going to be much better at updating totals on a daily and weekly basis. I love numbers and since its going to take awhile to get an accurate total count of my Cubs collection, this is the next best thing.
This trade review comes courtesy of Dennis , who sent 865 Cubs cards. For Dennis, I sent over about 850 Yankees cards.
Topps All-Time Fan Favorites is one of my favorite releases. The 2005 set comes on thick card stock and the color pops on these throwbacks. Jerome Walton's really popped as it's a new addition and Walton was one of my favorites from the 1989 Cubs. Huge bonus is this is done on a 1989 Topps template. Love the picture and the blue here looks really sharp.
Another retro throwback is from 2002 using the 1989 Upper Deck template. Great action shot of Jon Lieber.
During my first year working in radio I began doing phone interviews with minor league baseball players to gain experience. Interviewing was an early broadcasting weakness as a 19-year old just starting out. Plus, I wanted to talk baseball with Future big leaguers. It was the summer of 2002 and I interviewed about 10 players, most I forget. Joe Mauer was the biggest name as he was in his first pro season with the Quad City River Bandits. I also interviewed Joe Borchard (White Sox), J.J. Johnson (Cubs), and the following player, David Kelton.
Speaking of minor leaguers, London Bradley is a Cubs farmhand I had never heard of. This is a 1993 Classic Best featuring Bradley with the Peoria Chiefs.
And my guy Earl Cunningham. By 1992, Cunningham was still in A ball with the Winston-Salem Spirits, his fourth pro baseball season.
Upper Deck 40 Man is another set I enjoy because it featured some players that didn't receive many other cards, like Robert Machado.
The oddballs begin. Two years ago I bought a large collection that included a dozen boxes of old magazines several of which were the old Baseball Cards Magazine that had the baseball cards on the inside. One magazine I didn't have was from 1991 that included this Shawon Dunston card.
Another collection I picked up in the past couple years included several Oddball sets from the 1980's and 1990's. There were a few Toys R Us Rookies sets from the mid-1980's. Little did I know this set carried on into the 1990's. Jim Bullinger and Rey Sanchez were a part of the 1993 set.
TCMA put out some great sets in the 1970's. This Chuck Tanner card was released in 1979.
Hee Seop Choi was supposed to be the Cubs first baseman of the future as we entered the 21st century. Fleer's 2003 Authentics cards were designed to look like tickets. They were great cards. Unfortunately, Choi was not a great first baseman, but a trade to the Marlins netted...
Derrek Lee! And he became the Cubs first baseman of the future after the 2003 season. This Bowman's Best from 2007 is super thick and super shiny.
Shiny for 1995 was the Select Certified Edition set. A new Mark Grace added to the collection.
And another new Mark Grace from 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game marking his time with the Cubs from 1988 to 2000.
Flair was an awesome set. Not too many sets from the 1990's impress me, but Flair is at the top of the short list. Here's Steve Buechele.
Topps Gallery was first released in the late 90's and is another set that tops my short list of great sets from that decade. Corey Patterson was supposed to be a can't miss prospect that missed. Par for the course at this time in Cubs history (2002).
Finally, an oddball from a Cubs great Sammy Sosa. This is a regional release from Connie's Pizza. Not sure what year this is from, but at the time Connie's had locations in Chicago, Aurora, Rosemont, Westmont, Bloomingdale, Union Station, Naperville, and Chicago Ridge. A quick search shows Connie's is down to just two Chicago locations today.
Another great trade. Thanks, Dennis and hope you enjoy your Yankees.