Throwback Thursday and an Earl Cunningham Wild Goose Chase

Topps has been releasing a Throwback Thursday set, which I discovered this past summer when I found a Javier Baez All Star card on eBay. Since then, I've been checking the Topps website each week to see the new sets and have purchased a few featuring Cubs.

One set I missed recently was the 1978 Topps throwback. Kris Bryant was in the set, and I found this one on eBay for $2 shipped.

The second package that arrived on Saturday included 154 Cubs cards from Zzzap Comics and Toys in Chaffee, Missouri.

I'll be sending a package of Cardinals out this week in return. One card in the Cubs package was a 1991 Studio Lance Dickson. He celebrated a birthday this past week. Lance was a highly touted pitching prospect and was rushed to the major leagues after getting drafted in the first round by the Cubs in 1990. Dickson made just 11 appearances in the minor leagues before getting called up in August 1990. The University of Arizona alum went 0-3 with a 7.24 ERA with the Cubs. It was the only three games he ever played in MLB. His 1990 season ended abruptly when he went on the disabled list with an infection in his knee.

One early 1990's Cub prospect that lived up to the hype, if only briefly, was Jerome Walton. Here's a 1990 Topps gold cup of the 1989 National League Rookie of the Year.

Earl Cunningham had led me on a wild goose chase for many years. He has been elusive since his playing days in the early 1990's. Cunningham was the Cubs first round draft pick in 1989 and fizzled out with a high strikeout rate in the minors. In my research Cunningham has never signed through the mail (TTM). This week I searched high and low regarding two different things about Cunningham. I did find him online, and took a shot in the dark by sending two cards in an attempt to get them signed. I'm not holding my breath.

One Million Cubs Project Stats

Saturday's (10/20/2018) Cards: 155

Saturday's (10/20/2018) Packages: 2

Weekly Count: 4,653

Total Count: 173,700