Organization?

I'm getting ever so close to putting the finishing touches on a completely organized collection. Using Wrigley Wax's collection as the ultimate goal (check out two of his ridiculously beautiful older posts here and here), I've been logging card after card into a spreadsheet, scanning them and putting them into binders.

The good news is that I'm almost done. The bad news is that I have nowhere near the amount of "unique" Cubs cards I thought I had. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely in the thousands. The boxes were full but there were a lot more dupes than I realized. The next step is finding master team set checklists and figuring out what I don't have. I've also been making notes of cards that could use some upgrading. But more work now also means more fun when I'm acquiring new cards!

 

I'm sure this comes up every once in a while in the blogosphere but I do have a couple of questions for those who are team collectors and use binders. I know a lot of this is personal preference but I'd like to poll the community.

 

How do you sort them?

 

When my cards were in boxes, they were sorted by player. When I started the transition to binders, I assumed I would have binders for each different brand. The closer I get to finishing, the more I realize that's not really how I use my collection.

 

I collect autographs too so when I need to find a player, it was much easier to find the player when they were all together. Now, I will have to pull multiple binders to decide which cards to pull. If I were to sort by year (for example one binder would be all my team sets from say, a 5 year run), all of my Jeff Samardzija's would be in the same binder. But I really like how team sets look when shown together. I'm leaning towards the multi-year span rather than brand.

 

I guess if my spreadsheets and scans are all up to date it doesn't really matter as long as they're organized somehow. But that keeping it up to date thing is daunting!

 

For those who use binders, are you putting cards back to back (18 per page) or singular (9 per page) into your pages?

 

For my complete sets, I have been doing 9 per page. It made it easier to fill in the gaps when new cards were obtained because I could see the card numbers on the backs. With my Cubs team sets though, I've been doing back to back to save pages. Maybe in the offseason when new cards aren't coming out, I'll be able to splurge a little more on supplies and redo them.

 

Let me tell you, there's nothing as frustrating as 10 or 19-card team sets. Manufacturers should definitely issue team sets in factors of 9!

 

How often are you going through your cards (for fun)?

 

I found that I wasn't really looking at my cards once they were scanned/logged/filed away. Once I had them, they were out of sight, out of mind, but what was the point of having them if I wasn't enjoying them? I showed off this video for my Father's Day 2012 post but that was pretty early on in my blogging history so I thought I'd show it off again. While it is hard to beat flipping through a binder, having these make enjoying my collection just a little bit easier.

 

 

At the rate shown in the video, I could view nearly 29,000 cards in a 24 hour period. Or my entire "unique" Cubs collection about four times a day. Or my signed ATCRCS collection in about 3 minutes. Haha.

 

It would be great if you have a desk at work to distract you, maaaaybe throw in a few family photos as well.

 

And finally, if your organization method involves lots of unsorted stacks/boxes, what is your dream solution?

2013 Topps Ian Stewart Factory Team Set & Series 2

Around the same time that Carlos Marmol was DFA'd, Ian Stewart was finishing up serving a suspension and was released outright. It had more than a little something to do with his Twitter rant in which he expressed frustration with his lack of a call-up. Although it probably doesn't help to be batting .168 when the comments were made.

I have no ill will towards Stewart as a player. It sucks to get hurt and while I have all the sympathy in the world for the frustration caused by rehabbing an injury and then not really having a spot when you're ready to come back, the way Stewart went about expressing it was out of line. 

Earlier this week, we said good-bye to Carlos Marmol after his trade to the Dodgers was made official. Now it was announced on Friday, that Ian Stewart has signed with the Dodgers as a free agent. He doesn't appear on their roster on the team website nor has he been officially sent to their Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes where former teammate Marmol awaits. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, on to the card. Like the Marmol card earlier in the week, this is the same photo used on both the Factory Team set and on the Series 2 version. I apologize but for the life of me I can't remember where I saw it. Too many blogs busting Series 2 packs lately but somebody pulled one in a box or pack and likened Stewart's expression to the Church Lady (Dana Carvey) of Saturday Night Live fame. Classic. If you remember seeing it or it was you, say so in the comments so I can give credit.

Topps did a nice job cropping and zooming on this one. According to the caption on the Getty Images website, Ian Stewart is making a throw to first base in a 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Not real helpful on the actual play though.



Photo taken by Brian Kersey (courtesy of Getty Images)

After looking at the boxscore on Baseball-Reference, two balls were hit to Ian Stewart, both of the "weak" variety. In the top of the 5th, Chris Heisey grounded out to end the inning. In the top of the 6th, after a leadoff double by Willie Harris, Devin Mesoraco was credited with a single to weak 3B, moving Harris to third. And based on the third base coach's (Mark Berry) reaction in the background of the photo, I think that may be key information.

If this is the Heisey play, I don't think Berry has that kind of reaction with the bases otherwise empty and it being the third out. On the Mesoraco single, Berry has to be paying close attention and moving into a better position to direct incoming Harris on how hard he is rounding third.

So that's my call until proven otherwise.

First Pitch Friday - Fergie Jenkins

These two cards were courtesy of the same guy that helped me with the two Andre Dawson autographs I showed off earlier this week. I already had an ATCRCS card for Jenkins, in fact, he was one of the first couple I picked up.

This time, I sent in a First Pitch card and one of the A&G/ATCRCS mashups. Jenkins has thrown out a ceremonial first pitch numerous times. This particular occasion happened to be October 2, 2008, Game 2 of the 2008 NLDS and is currently the most recent postseason game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs would go on to get blown out 10-3 and ultimately get swept by the Dodgers in that series but there's not reason to concern ourselves with that. Jenkins continues to be a very gracious signer and I hope to add more of these types of cards to my collection.

The photo behind the card

 As I mentioned, I also sent in one of my newer designs. Notice on the First Pitch card I went with the contemporary logo as that fit the time frame of the occasion. I used the older logo on this card below as it matches the one of his sleeve in the photo.

I thought I had found a unique photo (although he does have a few in similar poses). Unfortunately, a closer inspection brought forth a 2006 Greats of the Game card. Below is a Pewter version:

Whoops, oh well.

Happy Birthday, America!

By the time this posts, I'm sure there will at least a half dozen similarly themed posts from around the blogosphere. But there's not much more American than baseball, so after a little digging, I came up with these Albert Almora cards:

The first of these is from the 2010 Upper Deck USA Baseball set. The other two are from 2010 Topps USA Baseball.

I also have a couple of the "International" cards from 2012 Bowman that showcase the American flag in the background. I know there are more from the set but I haven't picked those up yet.

Happy Birthday, America! I hope everybody parties safely!

2013 Topps Carlos Marmol Factory Team Set & Series 2

Last week, the Cubs designated setup man, closer, reliever Carlos Marmol for assignment. Wrigley Wax did a nice write up shortly afterwards that showed off his collection of Marmol cards. Aside from my customs which I've already showed off, I don't think I had anything he didn't but I also held back from posting because I didn’t want to count my chickens before they hatched. I wasn’t sure anyone would nibble let alone bite and there was a slim chance he could end up in Iowa and thus, still with the team.

But now that he is officially traded to the Dodgers, I may as well get this card out of the way in my 2013 breakdown. The front of the card was the same one used in both the 2013 Team Factory set and in Topps Series 2. A nice celebratory pose that has become increasingly rare.

I think they did a great job on this card considering the source photo that was used. The crop is tight and with Marmol's face shadowed by his hat in the afternoon Chicago sun, the lightening was well done too.

Photo taken by David Banks (courtesy of Getty Images)

According to the caption on the Getty website, Marmol just earned a Save (his 13th of the season) over the St. Louis Cardinals on July 28, 2012. Hopping over to the boxscore on Baseball-Reference.com, you can see this was a typical Marmol Save opportunity. Up by one run, Marmol of course gives up a leadoff single (a walk would have been just as typical). A stolen base that put the tying run in scoring position while recording the next three outs is enough to warrant a "here we go again" rise in blood pressure response from Cubs fans everywhere.

This game evened the series at a game apiece and the next day the Cubs would win in extra innings to take the series too.

The back is pretty unremarkable. No red "League Leader in Italics" notations which was a little surprising. I remember just a few years ago when he seemed near invincible as the Cubs closer but I suppose those types of stats aren't featured on the back of the card. I figured the K/BB ratio would be bad but I thought he would rank pretty high in K/9. Guess not.

In 2010, he did lead the MLB in Games Finished with 70 and his 38 Saves were good enough for 4th in the NL and 8th overall. I'll miss that Carlos, but not necessarily the current incarnation.

Andre Dawson

These aren't the first Andre Dawson autographs I've added to my collection but they're definitely my new favorites. When a private signing was posted on Sportscollectors.net, I jumped at the chance to add a third Hall of Famer to my ATCRCS collection. I've been waiting on these for a while now but only because I was too cheap to pay for separate return shipping on other signings the promoter was running. Yes, that means I have other players to show off as well!

Dawson was the right fielder I grew up with and has not yet been supplanted in my mind, not even by the once beloved Sammy Sosa. I know Sammy helped save baseball and saw the Cubs to a couple of playoff runs. But it just so happens that was smack dab in the middle of a couple-season-baseball-hiatus. Not because of the strike like most people, but because I was getting married, having kids, etc.

I also sent in the above custom card. Dawson has such a clear, fine signature that showed up fantastically on these cards. I may have to keep these display rather than tuck them away in a binder. At least for a little while. These are definitely going in to the digital photo frame that hasn't been updated in a while!

3 More for the 2013 Custom Team Set

Since I last updated on these, the Cubs have upped their roster total from 36 to 38 players since Opening Day. I only have a card for one of the two newest but I've also gone back and added two more that I missed.

Brian Bogusevic was added to the roster last week when the Cubs designated Carlos Marmol for assignment. This is another card that may ultimately change because of the photo selection. If I could see more of his face, it would have been a keeper. We'll see if a better photo comes along that meets my standards.

He started off well getting two hits in his Cubs debut and getting a hit in 4 of his five games. He did make a blunder in left field that led to the tying run scoring in the opening game of the Seattle Mariners series. Officially, it was a RBI triple for Raul Ibanez but had he played it properly, it would have been first and third with no run scored. Hindsight is always 20/20 though.

I've liked him so far in left field and Alfonso Soriano seemed to do well as the DH. (Hint, hint American League buyers at the trade deadline.)

Speaking of trade bait, Matt Garza is 3-1 in eight starts since coming off the DL with a 3.83 ERA that is just a shade below his career average. I have nothing against Matt Garza but if he can bring another piece or two for the puzzle that's coming together for the near future...

Rafael Dolis pitched five innings over five appearances this season before landing on the DL back in May. I haven't seen any updates to his status.

As for the Cubs as a team, they are 35-45 and 15.5 games back in the NL Central through 80 games. At this point last year they were 30-50 but only 14 games back.

I guess as the Cubs improve, so do the other teams...

Last year, they had scored 293 while giving up 368 through 80 games. As of yesterday's win over the Mariners, the Cubs have scored 330 and given up 340. While the run differential is still negative, they've added almost a half run per game.

These are cards 32, 33 and 34 in the 2013 team set (although they are not officially numbered). There still four unaccounted for but they're coming! You can see the rest of the ones I've posted here.