Planning My National Trip. Seeking Advice From Chicagoans

Aloha, everybody, 

I'm taking the leap, and traveling to Chicago this year for the big show ~ The National (July 31 - Aug. 4)

Since I've never been to Chicago before, I'm totally unfamiliar with the areas around the Donald E Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and Wrigley Field. I'm also planning to take in a Cubs game. 

I'm considering staying at the Comfort Suites in Schiller Park. Is this a sketchy area? If so, can anyone recommend another area? 

I could use any and all advice about getting to Wrigley Field from Schiller Park. Are the trains easy to take? Safe? and so on. 

Last, but not least, are any of you down for a beer while I'm in town? Of course, that goes for anybody else who might be traveling to the National also. I'd love to have a get-together with my fellow collector/traders. 

One more ~ how about must see spots while I'm there. Are there any places that were featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives that I should check out? How about the best spot for deep dish Chicago pizza? I loooooove deep dish. 

I'm looking at Base Card  Hero, Dime Box Nick, The Hopeful Chase, Waiting Till Next Year, Wrigley Roster Jenga, and anyone else out there. 

Just drop a word in the comments below, or an email to me. Any advice is appreciated. 

Thanks, aloha! 

When The Dodgers Roster Comes From Wrigley, It's Jenga!

Aloha, everybody,

Yup, it's been a while. I hope you don't think I've deserted you all and the blogosphere; that won't happen. I've just been on other adventures, but I'm happy to say one nice development has brought me back here to ATBATT. 

About a month ago, Tony from Wrigley Roster Jenga put out a call for anyone who might have Target 100th Anniversary Dodgers. As luck would have it, I had just come upon some, and I was able to help him chip a bit off of his wishlist. 

I didn't think of sending those Target Dodgers to Tony as a trade, it was just one collector helping out another. But Tony being Tony, went ahead and stuffed a fistful of cards into a return package for me. 

That was FANTASTIC! As you all know, any new additions to my collection are heartily welcomed. Which bring us to the cards that my friend Tony sent to me. 

Let's begin with Topps Bunt and the man who surprised quite a few Dodgers fans by his return from the disabled list...

One reason Kershaw returned to the big club so soon is the minor leagues have completed their seasons, and there really isn't anyplace else for him to make rehab starts. 

This also explains the return of Andre Ethier to the club. 

Who else was in those Bunt cards? 

The upcoming ROY! With a RC shield. Nice!

One more...

You want more, you say? How about more of the same guys-this time on a different product...

I love that above shot of the professional hitter, focused, and in his element. 

Colorized Jackie! 

Tony knows I like the ol' Brooklyn club, so he tossed in my first Bill Bergen card. 

Maybe there's a reason I don't have many Bergen cards? This is from his Wikipedia page: 
No one played in the major leagues as long as Bill Bergen and hit so poorly. In 1909, Bergen set a record for futility with a span of 46 consecutive at-bats without a base hit. 

No surprise he was a Dodger for eight years. In Bergen's defense, he was a very good backstop during the Deadball Era. He's ranked among the all-time top catchers in more than a few books and publications. 

Come to think of it, maybe I should get my hands on more Bergen cardboard. 

Tony took me from a hero of the Deadball Era to one of tomorrow's standouts...

Another first for me, my first Willie Calhoun card. Calhoun is a fourth-round draft pick who is making lots of noise in the AA leagues. Dodgers fans are eagerly looking forward to Calhoun's development. 

Here's someone who just finished taking some "development" time in the minors...

Just as it is on the field, it is for my collection: more Puig is good. 

Long before Puig was throwing guys out from the deepest corners of RF in Chavez Ravine, and hammering monster home runs, this guy was doing the same...

I loved Fleer's inserts back in the 90's, and I still do. Speaking of  Dodger Stadium and Fleer in the 90's, here a couple more of Mondesi's teammates...

Because I gots to have lotsa Piazza...

A San Antonio Missions Piazza card...Wow!

The next one's not so much of a wow, as it is a hmmm...

Here we go, more young Dodgers blood...

And we'll close out with more Dodgers history...

From that 1990 Swell set, I now have King, Newk, Koufax and Drysdale. I just need five more to complete that checklist. Tony has just given my collection a new goal. 

What a great package that was, Tony. THANKS very much for the cool cards. 

Aloha! 

On Target With The Dodgers

Aloha, everyone,

Let's take a break from the Olympics and take a peek at another Dodgers oddball from the past. 

Recently a fellow collector dropped a couple of these packages in my lap...

These were sold by Target back in 1990 in celebration of the Dodgers' 100th anniversary. 

What a cool set this is! But beware the checklist - it's got over 1,100 players. That's because the set contained every player that ever put on the uniform for the Dodgers (up to that point). This includes all of the variations of the Brooklyn club. 

The main drawback for me is the individual cards are rather small, and the cardstock is crap, which really takes away from the main appeal of the  set - the beautiful vintage photography. 

It's like having a Conlon set exclusively devoted to the Dodgers. And that's a grand thing. 

The set was sold in packages of 6 sheets each. Her's a look at the back of a sheet. The individual cards are separated by perforation. 

The checklist is huge, so the set wasn't the easiest to complete. It also means plenty of scrubs and lesser known players to go along with the legends from Brooklyn and the stars of LA. 

Target didn't feel compelled to only include photos of the players in Dodgers unis, and that doesn't bother me in the least. 

On the other hand, they used photos of the players in Brooklyn uniforms whenever possible, which makes the set a fascinating trip through the history of Dodgers uniform variations. 

Tony Burbs from Wrigley Roster Jenga is chasing this set, and he recently put out a feeler to see who might have some of these Target Dodgers. Auspiciously, it was right when I came upon these. 

I ripped the packages open (!!!) and saw what I could do to help a fellow collector out. Tony will soon receive the cards I was able to pull for him. 

Sure, I was able to help Tony out a bit, but his chase of this set opened my eyes and led to my appreciation of this vintage oddball set. 

Aloha! 

Plenty of Dodgers Pitching in a PWE to Me - All the Way from Chicago!

Aloha, everybody, 

A couple of weeks ago it was Cubs in the Mail Day. It seems Dodgers in the Mail Day has now come to pass. Good ol' Tony B from Wrigley Roster Jenga sent a PWE  to me that was packed with Dodgers goodness.

Let's take a peek at the highlights. First up is some cool Dodgers vintage...

 I remember Rau from my youth. I liked him because I'm always partial to southpaws (bein' one myself). 

BONUS: Here's a great piece of audio/video from the 1977 World Series. The video is some very nice Dodgers Yankees cards from the time. The audio is the best part.

Tommie Lasorda goes out to the mound to remove Rau, who has given up four consecutive hits. Rau doesn't wanna go. What follows is pure profanity-laced Lasorda goodness. 

(Extra bonus' for me are hearing the Dodgers P.A. announcer of my youth, and Helen Dell on the Dodgers' organ as Tommy curses to high heaven) 

Rautzhan pitched in two World Series for the Dodgers, '77 and '78 against the Yankees. 

Unfortunately, Lance passed away this past January. He's now pitching against those Yanks in the big blue sky. 

Up next is Zach Lee, a young pitcher who's had a couple of chances to break into the bigs, but hasn't been able to stay. 

With Dodger pitching being the mess it is, I'm advocating for Lee to get one last shot at making the big club...

Up next are two great new additions for my Ramon Martinez PC...

The back of this card gives us one more Dodgers pitching great.

That's Don Drysdale interviewing Ramon. Drysdale worked as a Dodgers broadcaster until his untimely death in 1993. 
 

Here's one of Bulldog Hershiser that I've never seen before. What the heck is going on here? Is Bulldog laying sod? At another ballpark? No help from the back of the card.

98% of my Strawberry cards have come to me from my fellow collectors. Thanks, because I cannot get enough Strawberry cardboard. 

This one has cool 3-D of the Straw sliding into home. Don't forget to check out the stirrups with high tops. 
 

Thanks to Tony, I now have my first card of the Dodgers' new Japanese import, Kenta Maeda. 

He pitched well in yesterday's 17-inning marathon. He held the Padres scoreless for the first four innings, but never got his groove back after sitting for a half hour waiting for a replacement ump, because the home plate ump took a foul to the groin and had to leave the game.

You can't say Dodgers' pitchers without saying Brooklyn! Tony B took care of that angle too. Here's an oddball with a wonderful photo...

 Here's Dodgers youth that I just can't seem to ever pull from packs.  So once again - thanks, Tony - for helping me to get my hands on some Corey Seager cardboard. 

 We'll close with two of the best starters to ever wear the home whites for my team. 

You can't go wrong with Kershaw or Fernando, and you certainly have a heckuva card when it features both...

The back of the card tells us that Fernando and Kersh - both southpaws - are the youngest Dodger pitchers to reach 1,000 strike outs. They also both started four All-Star games in a row. Not bad company. 

Thanks for the pitching-packed PWE, Tony. Those were a lot of great additions to my collection. 

Aloha! 

You Also Say JENGA When You Save Cardmas!

Aloha, everybody, 

And the Cardmas magic just keeps on rolling. 

In my previous post I showed off some of the cardboard stocking stuffers that Tony B from WRJ sent to me, but I forgot to show the cool oddball that he sent along with the bunch. 

Somehow I left said oddball in the envelope, and at scanning time it remained there, forgotten. Have no fear, because Tony noticed it wasn't in my post, and he sent an email asking me if he had forgotten to pack that oddball in the first place. 

It turns out the timing of all of this was perfect, because a Dodgers news story broke since that first WRJ post, which grooves right into this new post perfectly. 

The Dodgers just announced they will dedicate their first stadium statue in 2016. Statues at stadiums are far from a new thing, but up until now, Dodger Stadium hasn't had one (I certainly don't count a giant Tommy Lasorda bobblehead as a statue). 

Who gets the honor of the first statue? Of course, he's the patron saint of ATBATT, and the player whom I take Stealing Home, my nom de blog from..

 Tony included this oddball of Jackie in the envelope as well, and I must point out that although I already had a couple of these, this one is in pristine shape, as though it came out of a pack yesterday. 

That however, was not the original oddball that Tony was referring to, and I had forgotten. This is...

It's a slightly oversized bio/portrait card of Branch Rickey, who some might refer to as the patron saint of Mr. Robinson. 

For the three of you out there who don't know yet, Branch Rickey was the guy who convinced the Dodgers to take on the task of breaking the black/white color barrier in MLB.  He also convinced Jackie to suck up the abuse hurled at him from the stands and opposing dugouts, and show through his playing ability that he, and others no different than him, deserved to play alongside white, Caribbean and Latin ballplayers. 

He was also played by Han Solo in the movie 42 . 

Here's the bio on the back. Check out Rickey's birthday - he's a Christmas baby - more Cardmas magic! 

 So I now have a piece commemorating one of the most influential men in baseball, and it's thanks to Tony B. 

P.S. for Zippy Zappy. Please grab my email from my profile and shoot an email to me, ZZ.  
P.S.S. for Matt and Tony L. Check my reply to the beer trading comments on Matt's blog. It's in the "Skinny Bonds" post. 

 Aloha - and Merry Christmas, everybody, wherever you may be.

Say JENGA When You Publish W/Out A Title and When You Get A Great PWE

Aloha, everybody,

The flurries of Cardmas continue with tonight's cards coming to us courtesy of Tony B and Wrigley Roster Jenga. This is the first time we've swapped cardboard, and I must say, just as he knows how to decorate a Cubbie Christmas tree, good ol' Tony knows a thing or two about stuffing a Cardmas package.  

Let's start off with one of my favorite things, a southpaw Dodger pitcher...

  Early Clayton Kershaw cards - Not a bad opening act. 

How about a Korean lefty... 

Complete with an All-Star Rookie cup

 And now my favorite lefty bat in the current Dodgers lineup, whom Vin Scully refers to as "The butter and eggs man"...

My previous post featured a Raul Mondesi Starting Lineup figure, and here come a few more Mondesis, of the cardboard variety...

Most cards feature Mondesi at bat, so I'm glad this Leaf Studio card has Mondesi showing off his throwing arm, "El Canon". Raul even has a tattoo of a cannon on his arm.

  
This was the first Rauuuuuul card that I ever pulled from a pack, and it remains my sentimental favorite.

 

Fleer Ultra was a product that I ripped plenty of packs of back in the day. 

But Tony B doesn't just send a few base cards. No way, baby. Inserts and special cards are par for the course as well. Leading off is a very nice white framed 2014 Gypsy Queen Han Ram...

Here's a shiny, shiny mini. this is one beautiful card in hand...

Now some tribute cards...

This is one of those "cards that never were". Campy was left off of the 1954 Topps checklist. 1955 Topps didn't carry him either. 

 

I'm usually a purist when it comes to mitts, but this two-tone job on Sutton is a beauty. 

Speaking of Dodger southpaw pitchers, the best one ever, with added photobombing kids...

 

You want numbered cards? I got yer numbered cards right here...

I love these Ovation cards with the tactile baseballs. This is the first time I've even seen a Dodger on one of the inserts.
 

Nice low number. 

Here's an old-timey Brooklyn Dodger by the name of Napoleon (Nap) Rucker...

I didn't know anything about Rucker, so getting his card was an extra treat and a chance to learn about yet another Dodger left-handed pitcher. 

Rucker threw a no-hitter against Boston and holds the all-time Brooklyn records for most NL shutouts (38) and most strike outs in 9 innings (16). Not bad, Nap! 

Last up is one of those cards you don't know you want until you have it. Remember when Will Ferrell made his Spring Training publicity stunt, playing for every team in one day? 

Topps printed baseball cards commemorating his tour, and now I've got Ferrell pitching for the Dodgers.

 He's not a southpaw, but he seems to have a decent game face. 

That was a way beyond decent Cardmas package, Tony. THANKS for all the great cards! 

Aloha!