A CUBS extravaganza

Thanks to A Cardboard Problem my Cubs collection took a big boost today. Once again the generosity of fellow bloggers make me smile. The offer to send "free cards" of my favorite team was too hard to pass up and I just received a small box of 117 cards -all Chicago Cubs. Here is a picture of about half of them.

Yes, many of them are the over-produced mid 1980's cards but for his Cub fan one can not have enough duplicates of these (great for putting in team sets, team binders and year binders). Thank you ! An added note of interest to those who care; there were three Ryne Sandbergs, four Andre Dawsons, two Mark Grace and three Greg Maddux's.

There was also two 1981 Cubbies: Lenny Randle and Larry Biittner.

A small collection of Frank DiPino - a twelve year, 5 team journeyman who spent the middle of his career (2 1/2 years; 1986-87-88) as a Cub. DiPino's highlight was in 1989 going 9 - 0 for the St Louis Cardinals.

Two 1998 Fleer Ultra, my first cards of this set and nice cards they are.

And one cannot forget to mention two of the happiest Cubs ever, always smiling, always playing hard; Manny Trillo and Bob Dernier.

Thank Card Bandits and A Cardboard Problem . . .you have given this Cubs Fan much to smile about !

More cards from the UK

As I promised here is my second post acknowledging the generousity of John from across the Atlantic.

Amongst the cards he sent me was a batch of 1978 Topps Chicago Cubs. That team from 1977 was as "unremarkable" a team as so many other Cubs teams from the mid seventies. A record of 81-81, one 20 game winner (Reuschel) {nobody else had more than 14}, and one player (Murcer, 27/89) who hit more than 20 HR and had more than 75 RBI's. But John did send me . . .


. . . Ivan DeJesus who led the team in stolen bases (24), triples (7), hits (166), runs scored (91) and strikeouts (90); Steve Ontiveros led the regulars in batting average with a .299 BA, and then there was Mick Kelleher and SteveSwisher - batting .230 and .190 respectively.

And Larry Biittner, yes he dotted both his i's and crossed both of his t's; did have a decent year with 12 HR's, 62 RBI's and a .298 BA but seems to be left out of the thick bushy mustache club.

A good time to say thanks again to John and to store away these easily forgettable Cubs of 1977 in my 1978 binder, alongside the likes of "unremarkable" George Mitterwald and Donnie Moore.