1990 Marathon Oil Chicago Cubs Set

A recent tweet showed off some 1991 Vineline Cubs cards. Unfortunately, they were not for trade so I sought out eBay for sets. Thinking I'd surely find some, it was a fruitless effort.

However, I did come across some other oddball Cubs sets from this era that were missing from my collection. One seller had both the 1989 and 1990 Marathon Oil sets. I put in a couple offers and received a counter. Little did I know it wasn't just one of each set. The 1989 listing was for two sets, and the 1990 set was for four sets. Bonus! I clicked accept faster than a Rick Sutcliffe fastball.

Of course Ryne Sandberg is here.

Here's Don Zimmer sporting a jersey with the 1990 All Star Game patch.

Coaches cards are great. They rarely get trading card love. This set includes them: Joe Altobelli, Chuck Cottier, Jose Martinez, Dick Pole, and Phil Roof.

Les Lancaster split the 1989 season between triple-A Iowa and Chicago. Lancaster went 4-2 for Chicago as a reliever and notched eight saves.

Bill Long came over to the north side from the south side where he played with the White Sox from 1985-1990.

Mike Bielecki gets his arms chopped off on this card. How 90's are these anyway? The neon green and orange with the names vertically down the side ripped from the image. And that Chicago logo is among my favorites. 

Hector Villanueva was a stud! Fans who were watching the Cubs at this time still talk about him.

Didn't think Joe Girardi would follow up his playing career by being one of the most sought after managers. 

Shawn Boskie was another young promising pitcher. 

I was eight years old, so I enjoyed saying Paul Assenmacher's name with an emphasis on the first three letters of his last name.

Steve Wilson came to Chicago via trade with the Texas Rangers that sent Jamie Moyer and Rafael Palmeiro to Arlington.

They were able to get the Baseball and half of Jeff Pico's glove into this shot.

The Hawk! One of my favorites: Andre Dawson. Had the chance to interview Dawson during my radio career. 

Another former Cub that would go on to manage in Major League Baseball. Here's Lloyd McClendon.

Luis Salazar had a long baseball career, but a fairly short stint with the Cubs.

My favorite memories of watching Cubs baseball during this time was looking for the Shawon-O-Meter.

Here's a sweet in action shot of Domingo Ramos, another player with a short Cubs stint.

Mark Grace was another fan favorite. I rooted for Dawson and Sandberg ahead of Grace. 

Rookie sensation Dwight Smith. He took runner up Rookie of the Year honors in 1989 behind...

Jerome Walton. The 1989 National League Rookie of the Year.

Love the ivy behind Curtis Wilkerson in this shot.

Mike Harkey was a future star in 1989 Topps. He had a nice career, and has spent several years as a coach in the big leagues.

Marvell Wynne came to the Cubs after spending four seasons with the San Diego Padres.

Wild Thing! Mitch Williams was a blast to watch. 

Doug Daszenco also went into coaching. He spent some time as a manager for Fort Wayne in the Midwest League.

Great batting image of Dave Clark.

Finally Greg Maddux. If only the Cubs could have had him during his prime.