2024 Factory Set Me vs. Topps

There are five current Cubs players with cards in the factory set but were not included in series one.  I did homemade cards of them for my opening day post, so lets see how mine compare to Topps.

My cards are on the left, while the Topps version in on the right.

My action shot wins! 

Topps has both the ugly City Connect uniform and a screaming shot, so I win times two!

 

I like the Topps bunt shot,  but any card that uses the City Connect uniform is an automatic loser.

 

Wow!  Great minds think alike!

My action shot wins, again!

2024 Cub #31

The bullpen needed some fresh arms so yesterday the Cubs sent Luke Little and Daniel Palencia to Iowa and brought up Hayden Wesneski and Colten Brewer.

They didn't waste any time using Wesneski.  He was brought in yesterday's game in the fifth inning, with the Cubs leading 2-1 at the time.  It turned out to be a great move as he gave up no runs and pitched through the eighth inning.  In the meantime, the Cubs scored three more runs while the D-Backs tallied once in the last frame.  Because starter Justin Wicks didn't last through the fifth, the win went to Wesneski.

Topps included him in series one, so I didn't have to make a card for him (though I was tempted since the Topps card is horizontal).  I will need to fire up Photoshop if the other new arm Colten Brewer gets into a game.

2024 Cub #30

On Monday the Cubs placed Seyia Suzuki on the 10 day IL.  To take his place they called up rookie outfielder Alexander Canario.  Canario played in six games last September and hit a respectable .294.  Craig Counsel wasted no time in getting him into action this year as was used in a pinch runner in the 11th inning of Monday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

All I've Got of Him - Ken Holtzman

Former Cub pitcher Ken Holtzman passed away yesterday at the age of 78.  The lefty was a member of the '69 Cubs and pitched in one of the most memorable games that season.  He tossed a no-hitter on August 19 against the Braves.  Remember, the Braves won the West that season, so it wasn't like he no-hit an also ran team.  An oddity of the game is that he didn't record a single strikeout.  

Two years later he pitched another no hitter, this time against the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati.  The Cubs won the game 1-0 and the lone run was scored by Holtzman.  And this time he did record some strikeouts, six of them.  I have definite memories of watching this game on our black and white TV down in the basement.

The 1971 season was his last with the Cubs.  He had grown tired of manager Leo Durocher and was pretty vocal about it.  Over the winter he was traded to Oakland, with Rick Monday coming to the Cubs.  The deal worked out nicely for Holtzman, pitching well for the A's as they won three consecutive World Series.  

After Oakland, he had stints with the Orioles and Yankees before returning to the Cubs during the 1978 season.  His career ended after 1979.

I have a total of 31 cards of Holtzman, including a certified autograph.  They are below.

2024 Cubs #29

On Thursday the Cubs optioned reliever Jose Cuas to Iowa.  Good riddance to him and his 12.00 ERA.  The following day it was announced that Keegan Thompson would be taking his spot on the roster.  Thompson got into the game that evening against the Mariners and pitched two hitless and scoreless innings.  I sure hope he keeps that up!

He's the 29th player to take the field for the Cubs this season.  Jameson Taillon and Patrick Wisdom are on rehab assignments in the minors right now, so I would expect a couple of more roster moves soon.

Five Random Cubs Cards

 I've got 21,716 Cubs cards from 316 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1976 SSPC #314 Gene Hiser This close-up of Hiser gives you a nice look and the pasted on C the Cubs use on their batting helmets, along with the number added inside the C.

1980s: 1982 Fleer #589 Bill Buckner  This is a posed shot.  If it was from game action, his uniform wouldn't be clean like that.

1990s: 1994 Score Traded #89 Turk Wendel  He was 27 years old in 1994, but spent most of the season in AAA.  He pitched just 6 games for the Cubs and his ERA was 11.93.

2000s: 2000 Opening Day #162 Sammy Sosa This card commemorates Sammy's record-setting June, 1998, in which he hit 20 home runs.  That record still stands today.

2010s: 2013 Topps Traded #70 Edwin Jackson Jackson was signed as a free agent in January of 2013.  It was a four year deal for $49 million.  They released him after just 2½ seasons which saw him post a record of 16-34.  That's over $3 million per win... not a very good deal!

Eighties Alphabetically - Chef Boyardee

 When I was growing up you had two options for spaghetti in a can.  It was either Chef Boyardee or Franco American.  I has in a Franco American family.  And when they invented Spaghettios, it was no contest.

That was in the 1970s.  If I had grown up 10-15 years later, I may have sung a different tune because the Chef had baseball cards.  The Chef Boyardee set was a one time only issued in 1988.  Optimistically they had a heading on the cards that said "1st Annual Collector's Edition."  But it was their first and last.

There are 24 cards in the set.  Licensed only by the players, the logos were airbrushed out.  You had to mail in for the set and were sent a full sheet with the 24 cards.  You had to cut them out yourself.

 

Two of the 24 were Cubs, which is not bad at all.  There are two versions of the Dawson card. The back of one incorrectly lists his 1987 team as the Expos and the other corrects that mistake.  I have the more common one that lists him with the Expos.