There's always next year

It occurred sometime last week and I missed it. To be honest, it has actually occurred every year since 1908 at different times of the year so I sometimes just lose track of things. Not that I dont care but I do try (not) to "celebrate" this event.

Yes, you might have guessed it, the Chicago Cubs have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, let alone winning anything this year. In honor of this moment I have turned to a book that offers some levity to this situation, titled: "The Cubs Fan's Guide to Happiness" by George Ellis, circa 2007.

With chapters such as; Beer will make it better (Chap 2) and At Least You're Not a Sox Fan (Chap 7) to the 15 Habits of Highly Happy Cubs Fan's the theme of being "frustrated" for 100+ years is evident throughout out these pages.

So as the season winds down with some teams preparing for or pushing themselves for that last run at the playoffs and potential World Series celebration, other teams just go home ashamed of under-performing, I turn to a book.

We however as the eternal optimist called a Cubs Fan, we simply chant "wait til next year".

1970 Topps: card # 4

Tom Egan, California Angels backup catcher. Egan had a ten year major league career, all but two with the Angels (1971 - 72 with the Chicago White Sox) and played in total of 373 games; yes only 373 games in 10 years. The epitome of a backup - playing only when the regular needed a rest or as a late inning substitute.
Egan had a career BA of only .200, hit 22 HR's (ten of which were in 1971, when he appeared in the most games of his career in one year at 85). Egan struck out 336 times in his career, almost one per game (not a very impressive statistic at all). At 6'4" and around 220 pounds, he was a "giant" in those days. Maybe he should have stayed with football as he was a high school all-american running back.

The back of his 1970 card highlights his defensive ability with the cartoon in the upper right; at the end of the 1969 campaign he had only made four errors in his five year career - playing in only 88 games though. He would conclude his career with only 27 errors, 1861 putouts and a .987 fielding percentage (not so great by any standards for a "defensive star" or backup).

So that is card # 4 for this 1970 set . . . slowly but surely . . . and at this pace, I should be done chronicling this set by March of 2011 !

Oh what a year it was . . .

. . . in 1959 for Chicago baseball.

While this year was most celebrated on the southside with the White Sox winning the American League pennant and facing the Los Angels Dodgers in the World Series (eventually losing to the Dodgers 4 games to 2), Chicago baseball can boast one thing !

Each team had their league MVP ! Nellie Fox led the White Sox and Ernie Banks won his 2nd consecutive MVP for the bottom dweller Chicago Cubs. 1959 was the year Chicago bragged about having two MVP's (as an aside, Early Wynn from the Sox won the Cy Young as well).

The same city MVP's had happened quite often in the 40's and 50's with the Yankees and Dodgers dominating the award (Brooklyn at the time) but for Chicago, 1959 was the year. The closest since 1959 was in 2000; Jeff Kent of the San Fransisco Giants (NL) and Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics (AL). So the Bay area fans can brag about that if they want to.

1959 is also the year that future Chicago Cub MVP and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was born.

Oh what a year it was . . .

and 40 years ago the hobby was . . .

. . . much much simpler, to put in mildly. I live by the Winnie-the-Pooh philosophy of "simple brain, simple things"and today's hobby literally overwhelms me.


As so many of the baseball card collecting world is focused on the "new" cards of 2009 (and as I understand the over 300 different sets and subsets to collect), I am resisting all temptation to "get with the times" and am saving my money (as little as that might be these days) to supplement my "vintage" collection.

40 years ago, collecting cards was "pure" . . . little investment required, tremendous joy in finding stars and non-stars and the games we played with these cards. There were no Walmarts or Targets to rush to, no card shops to hound, just the local five and dime to head to after school on our bicycles. The joy we found in opening up packs of cards back then is the same joy felt today by so many . . . however . . .

We played the popular flipping games, competed in "how many cards can we fit in our bicycle spokes" and calculated trades with friends. My best friend back in those days was a White Sox fan and we spent hours trying to make trades that were "fair". We compared batting averages, homeruns, doubles, and triples; era's, strikeout to walk ratios and wins vs losses record. We made trades "fair" based on production on the field not monetary value. Such a idyllic thing to do.

Those were the days . . . here are my favorite Cubs from 1969 . . . just to help me remember the "good ol' days" . . . .

So in fairness, I still "play" with my cards, though "play" now includes, page protectors, top loaders, and blogging.

Above are the three Chicago Cub Hall of Famers (from "those days"), the three backbones of the Cubs from the late sixties and early seventies, the three Cubs who stood tall amongst the rest.

I am still testing my resistance levels . . . 40 years ago life (baseball and card collecting) was so different . . .

Santo - Stone Trade in 1973

During every offseason, including this year, there are trades made by teams that many of us start to question. Some we like and some we dont. As I look back at some trades from years gone by, I still get angry and confused as to what some general managers or owners were really thinking.

For me, in one of the saddest (not worst) trades of Chicago Cub history Ron Santo was traded to the Chicago White Sox on December 11, 1973.

Santo was sent to the southsiders (ie Chicago White Sox) in exchange for four players; Steve Swisher (catcher), and three young pitchers including Steve Stone.

Previously, in 1972, Santo actually became the first player to invoke the ten-five rule and block a trade to the California Angels (the ten-five rule allowed players with ten years of service and the last five with the same club to veto any trade). Santo wanted to stay in Chicago, and complete his career with the Cubbies, but the Cubs top brass had other ideas and finally arranged this deal to the White Sox.

Santo was miserable, the worst year of his professional baseball playing life. Sox manager Chuck Tanner had high hopes of good production from Santo in the designated hitter role. Santo hated not being in the field. Tanner gave in, kind of, and put Santo at second base where he was less comfortable and ultimately embarrassed himself. To be fair to Tanner, the Sox had Bill Melton at third base a regular 30 HR man and good defensively.

Fortunately for Santo, the time in the White Sox uniform was short, only one year. Santo retired after that one year, hitting only .221 with five homeruns.

Stone’s best year was several years later; winning a Cy Young award and The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award with the Baltimore Orioles in 1980 posting a 25 – 7 record. He would later be joined with Santo in the Cubs broadcast booth.

I remember buying these cards together, when I re-entered the hobby in 1984 for $ .10 cents each – probably still a bargain today. The best thing about these cards is that Santo is NOT in a Sox uniform or cap (note the airbrushing and no logo). Stone however is in his new cubbie blue cap.

Sometimes trades benefit teams, sometimes one player shines in his new uniform, and sometimes trades go unnoticed for years. This trade however left a scar in the Chicago Cubs history and was incredibly sad to see a great ball player like Santo reduced to this low level of performance. Sometimes trades are just sad . . .