1991 Topps Desert Shield Derrick May

It's been a few weeks since I added any Desert Shield cards to my team set but with a private signing on the horizon with former Cub Derrick May, I decided to track down one of his.

Unfortunately, because of a Paypal snafu, there was a delay in getting the card and I missed the signing. But May is still active in baseball as the hitting coordinator for the St. Louis Cardinals so there will probably be other chances to get this and my ATCRCS card of him signed.

This card brings me up to 25 out of the 32 card Cubs team set (not counting the Keith Comstock error). You can see the rest (and the ones I need) by clicking the Desert Shield tab at the top.

1991 Topps Desert Shield Lance Dickson

First off, I wanted to thank everybody for their enthusiasm and responses to my new side project yesterday. I’m not sure I can call it a “mini” collection since there are probably thousands of cards that will fit the criteria so I’ll stick with side project and/or niche collection. If you missed it, go back and check it out. I found two new blogs to follow because of that post and also rediscovered a few I thought I was following, but wasn't. Out of sight, out of mind, but I’m glad to have found them again.

Now to the meat and potatoes of this post, an actual mini collection that I’m trying to wrap up this year. After this one, I’m down to my final eight, five of which will probably cost at least double digits.

Lance Dickson came up right around the time when there were approximately 1.3 billion sets. The Big Three of Topps, Donruss and Fleer were joined by Score and Upper Deck and all of the spinoff sets that those companies could produce. I’m sure it happened before, but this is around the time I remember it starting to become a common occurrence. With all of the rookie prospecting that has gone on, it is more prevalent than ever.

And that is, Lance Dickson has more different cards (at least 20 pro cards, a bunch more minors/prospects type sets) than Major League games played (3). I have to figure (without any kind of research to back it up) the guys that played only a handful of games generally don’t get as many cards as the guys who were top prospects, got a bunch of cards, but flamed out before ever even reaching the show. Maybe I’m making that up. I don’t know.

Dickson made his MLB debut just months after being a first round draft pick for the Cubs, but had a few setbacks due to injuries. He currently has his own mortgage company out in Arizona.

1991 Topps Desert Shield Doug Dascenzo

I'm in the homestretch for completing this set now so I'm trying to knock out the remaining few. Unfortunately, after this one and next two I have waiting to post, it's down to some big money guys. Today, I have former outfielder and four time relief pitcher, Doug Dascenzo.

I'm assuming this photo was taken during the 1990 season, in which Dascenzo played in four games against the New York Mets that also included Tim Teufel. I'm not sure if Dascenzo was trying to steal second or what, but I'm going to try to figure it out.

In Dascenzo's first game against the Mets at Wrigley Field in 1990 (JUNE 12), he entered the game in the top of the 9th as a relief pitcher. The Mets were winning 19-6 so Dascenzo probably couldn't have done much worse than anyone else the Cubs trotted out that day. In fact, he went three up, three down. He did allow a hit to future Cub Dave Magadan, but got Tim Teufel to ground into an inning ending double play. Could that have fueled Teufel's diving attempt to tag Dascenzo out?

According to the boxscore for the bottom half of the inning, Dascenzo led off with a single. That was followed by a ground ball up the middle by Curt Wilkerson, advancing Dascenzo to second. I can easily see this play as Dascenzo rounding too far off of second and having to dive back in after the center fielder came up throwing.

Let's take a look at the other three games though to see if there's anything there.

In the next game (JUNE 13), Dascenzo was on base twice. The first time he walked but the inning ended without him advancing to second or being involved in a play at the second. In his next at bat, he doubled with a line drive to short LF-CF. I take "short" to mean this was one of those hustling doubles that was stretched from a single. The photo could easily be that play too because if the ball was hit to the left side, the shortstop would be the cutoff man and the second baseman would be covering the bag.

A few weeks later (SEPTEMBER 21), the Mets come back to town. Doug Dascenzo enters the game as a defensive replacement for Derrick May in left field but is pinch hit for when his turn to bat comes around. Tim Teufel was playing first base that day anyway as Tommy Herr played second. Not that a first baseman can't cover second, but Dascenzo didn't bat or pinch run so its a moot point.

In the fourth and final match up at Wrigley Field that included both Doug Dascenzo and Tim Teufel (SEPTEMBER 24), Teufel entered the game late as a pinch hitter and never took the field. Another moot point.

So the choices are revenge tag attempt on an overrun base (safe) or a hustling double (also safe). What say you?

If you like this kind of breakdown stuff (and shameless self promotion), check out my 2014 Topps Blog where I am doing something similar for all of the cards in the 2014 Topps set on a daily basis.

1991 Topps Desert Shield Mark Grace

A couple of weeks ago, I showed off some Mark Grace cards I had gotten signed with a little help during the Arizona Fall League. That reminded me that I hadn't yet picked up one of his Desert Shield cards for my set. A quick search around the web to my favorite card sites netted me this beauty.

I'm being pretty particular about condition on this set but this one came with four sharp corners and is very nicely centered. I'll take it!

One of my goals for 2013 was to complete the set and get a couple signed. I'm only about 2/3 of the way to completing the set but I did double about what I expected to get signed.

I'm not sure if Paul from Wrigley Wax has looked at the back of this card recently, but maybe Gracie has a candidate for next year's Flick Friday lineup? The Dutch Card Guy probably wouldn't be as interested though as you'll see in this clip from Taking Care of Business with Jim Belushi.

The synopsis of the movie doesn't seem to revolve much around baseball so this scene might be it. I'd have to watch the clip a few more times to catch all the cameos. Joe Torre is the announcer. Bert Blyleven is on the mound. The dugout scene is quick so I don't know if those are players or actors. 

Paying It Forward

The message boards over on Sportscollectors.net are an interesting place. Like any community, there are some bad apples, but for the most part the cream rises to the top. I'm over there several times a week (if not more) trying to improve my Cubs autograph collection which is a 1000x better because of it.

Last year, and maybe the year before, a thread was started with the intention of Paying it Forward. Go through the want lists of fellow members and send something with no expectation of a personal return. I don't think this is any big revelation for the blogosphere as this seems to be the norm around here. Jeff from 2 by 3 Heroes may be single handedly keeping the Post Office in business with his PWEs.

But earlier last week, I was contacted by SCN member littleking83 about my quest to complete the 1991 Topps Desert Shield Cubs team set. I've seen him around the boards as he is attempting to not only own a complete set of all 792 Desert Shield cards, but to get them all signed as well! Talk about ambition!

I guess in the process of meeting his goal, he's picked up a few extra unsigned cards because he asked if my want list was up to date. When I said it was, these two beauties showed up in the mail yesterday. Just in time for Veteran's Day! 

I've been meaning to pick up a nicely centered Shawn Boskie for a while. According to SCN, he is pretty good about signing his TTM, so this one might go right back out in the mail, along with an ATCRCS card.

Ryne Sandberg has three cards in this set, the base, a record breaker and this All-Star card. I've been putting off picking up any of them since they tend to go for double digits when available for sale. The RB and AS cards aren't completely unreasonable (compared to the base card and the Maddux tends to be) but it would still eat up my card budget pretty quickly.

I've been inspired so I will be spending my Sunday looking through some want lists both here on the blogosphere and on SCN. And my card budget for the next little while will be going towards postage instead.

This brings my total from this set up to 21 cards out of the 32 (not including the Keith Comstock error).

Thanks Larry (AKA littleking83)!!!

Domingo Ramos

When I first added the tab at the top of the page showing off my ATCRCS cards, I put up everything I had at that point.  I still have about twenty or so not on the tabbed page, but there were probably another 20 or so that were put up but never written about either. That's not really fair so every once in a while I'll figure out who never got a write-up and remedy the situation.

Domingo Ramos is one such case that came to my attention because I recently picked up his 1991 Topps Desert Shield card for my team set.

Collecting the Desert Shield team set wasn't even a thought in my mind when I got my ATCRCS card signed, which is a shame because I knocked out his two Cubs Topps cards at the same time.

In fact, once I started collecting the Desert Shield set, I had it somewhere in the back of my mind that I already had the Ramos card because of the signed card from the regular set above. Oh well.

The two cards above and the ATCRCS below were signed when Ramos made an appearance at a Yankees reunion show almost two years ago now. This was one of the first ATCRCS cards I made and if/when I have the chance to get the Desert Shield card signed, I'll try to replace this one too. The signature itself is fine, but the cutting job I did on it was very amateur. I also might even change the photo if I can find another one because it is so similar to the one used on his 1991 Topps card. 

As for his story, Ramos came to the Cubs as a free agent following the 1988 season. His finished his career with two years playing for the Cubs (which means he is one of the Boys of Zimmer) after nine seasons in the American League. He was a utility infielder, mainly used at shortstop behind Shawon Dunston and third base behind Vance Law.  He had two career triples, both while with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Ramos was only 32 when he retired and I can't find any record of him coaching. I did find one story from several years ago that said he worked for Scott Boras in his home country, the Dominican Republic. No information on what he does/did. I'm guessing some kind of scout.

Bob Scanlan

I didn't really think about it at the start of the week but it came together nicely. After showing Keith Moreland on Monday and Steve Stone on Wednesday, I realized I had another former Cub-turned-announcer in Bob Scanlan.

Scanlan was drafted out of high school by the Phillies in 1984. He worked his way up the minor league system but didn't make his Major League debut until 1991, when the phillies traded him and Chuck McElroy to the Cubs in exchange for Mitch Williams.

Mainly used as a middle reliever, Scanlan went 14-19 with a 3.75 ERA in his Cubs tenure. That's probably better than average for the team Cubs teams he played for as he pitched three seasons in the midst of four consecutive 4th place NL East finishes.

His post-Cubs career is better summed up from his own website biography, so I'll finish up with Scanlan is currently a color analyst for radio broadcasts of San Diego Padres games.

When the ATCRCS card above was signed (with a little help from a Sportscollectors.net member), I also sent in two of his Topps cards for my collection. 

Some of you may notice a 1991 Topps card and are thinking, why didn't he send in a Desert Shield card?!? Well, that particular card is from the Topps Traded set and thus not a part of the Desert Shield set. Oh well! Still a nice trio of pickups.

The ATCRCS card marks the 90th one I've shown off here on the blog. I have about twenty more currently signed but that puts me a far cry from the goal of 200 I set at the beginning of the year. It might be a long offseason of TTM letter writing!

Mike Harkey x2

Earlier this week, I showed off my newest 1991 Topps Desert Shield card in Dwight Smith. And that was the newest even though I'm posting this Mike Harkey card now. I've had this one since July-August sometime but it has been languishing in my Draft folder since. With the season over and not too many new cards coming in, it is time to start clearing that out! Some of you who may have checke dout the tab above for my Desert Shield team set may have gotten a glimpse of the Harkey already since I updated that page with both Dwight Smith and Harkey at the same time earlier this week.

Not only did I get the Desert Shield card signed, but I also got my ATCRCS card signed too. By two different helpers. I sent out my ATCRCS card to one guy who was going to be seeing the Yankees (Harkey is their bullpen coach) before I remembered he had a Desert Shield card too. D'oh! So I waited for someone else to offer to help with the Yankees and off went the Desert Shield card.

The only other signed Harkey card I'd like to add to my collection is a 1989 Topps card. He was a Future Star, don'cha know...

Dwight Smith Part 2

Earlier this year I sent my Dwight Smith ATCRCS card to a Sportscollectors.net member who was going to see Dwight Smith during Spring Training. I had also sent the 1991 Topps Desert Shield card but he only had the opportunity to get one signed and I made it clear the ATCRCS was a priority.

Then, a couple of weeks ago another member posted that Smith would be making a free appearance at one of the Atlanta Braves Alumni Sundays. I offered a small amount for the helper's time and effort and I recently received the following back:

There are 32 Cubs cards in the 1991 Topps Desert Shield set. Man, those were the days for team set collectors. Variety meant different players not a dozen parallels. I have 18 of the cards and this marks the 6th one I've had signed. I'm a bit behind on my beginning of the year goal to have the set owned by the end of the year but am now ahead of my goal of getting 5 signed. Win some, lose some.

And it feels like it has been a while since I added a new ice cream helmet to the collection. Many of you probably don't think of Dwight Smith when thinking of top Cubs, but as the 1989 NL ROY runner-up and of course, a member of my favorite team growing up, the Boys of Zimmer, I couldn't help but add him. I did a post very early on in the blog showing a bunch of my helmets but I might have to pull them all together into a tab at the top.

The only downside is that while he signed #18 on the Desert Shield card (his # with the Cubs), he signed #7 on the helmet (his # with the Braves). Again, win some, lose some. Guess that's what I get for sending Cubs items to a Braves Alumni signing...

Five More 1991 Topps Desert Shield

Sorry about the missing posts the last two days. I neglected to hit "Publish" and have been away from the computer to check. Oh well. This post was meant for Thursday.

With the end of the year coming up, I need to make some headway on some of my Resolutions from the beginning of the year. I'm not doing very well...

A quick eBay search a week or two ago brought up a seller who was breaking his 1991 Topps Desert Shield set up. The seller must have put in a lot of time and effort into this set and all of his cards seemed to be in great shape, including centering. He had a bunch of Cubs listed, seven of which I needed. I lost out on two of them to higher bidders but if you read the title, you'll know I came away with five, all for the minimum bid.

I don't think I'll complete this set by the end of the year with a few big names left out there, but I'm really glad to knock these two out for quite a bit less than what I thought I would pay. Especially for their condition.

These other three put me over the half way hump as I now have 18 of the 32 cards from the set (not including the Keith Comstock error).

I was a little concerned when I started to scan the cards as I noticed something about the backs. On some, the Topps 40th Anniversary logo is faded into the background and others were much bolder. I know there have been forgeries for this set, but I thought it had more to do with the foil stamping on the front. But after looking at a bunch of other cards from the 1991 set and getting an opinion from someone who is collecting the set, I'm more comfortable with the purchase. This seems to be a pretty common thing within this set. Hopefully...

Three More Desert Shield Cards

I mentioned yesterday that I will be putting the breaks on picking up any more repacks in the near future. The card budget took a hit the past six weeks or so and with two big card shows on the horizon (a local CSA show and the National), I'm having to prioritize.

 

I've avoided picking up any GQ, Archives and Bowman, not even just the Cubs, but I've been jonesing for some new cards. I headed over to eBay with a very small budget and was able to add a trio of 1991 Topps Desert Shield cards. As I've mentioned before, I'm being pretty particular about the condition of these cards, otherwise this 20+ year old set would be finished by now.

 

 

First up is current Yankees bullpen coach, Mike Harkey. He was a first round (4th overall) pick by the Cubs in the 1987 draft and deemed a "Future Star" by Topps in the 1989 set.

 

Next up is Astros third base coach, Dave Clark. He is also a former first round draft pick but was selected by the Indians in 1983 with the #11 pick. He joined the Cubs in exchange for Mitch Webster following the 1989 Boys of Zimmer season. He spent the 1990 season with the Cubs and then bounced around a little before returning for the 1997 season.

 

And finally, there's pitcher Bill Long. The Cubs picked him up from the cross town White Sox during the 1990 season. He went 6-1 with 5 Saves in 42 relief appearances but was released following the season. According to Wikipedia, following his retirement from baseball, Long became a teacher and currently teaches middle school social studies in Kentucky.

 

This brings me to completing just over 1/3 of the set. Another third should be fairly easy aside from finding excellent conditions versions, with the final third being some of the more pricier stars of the team.

Signature Saturday - Don Zimmer

I've made no secret of the fact that my favorite Cubs team to date has been the 1989 so-called Boys of Zimmer. I was a bandwagon, 1st grade fan in 1984 when I spent the 1984-1985 school year in Moline. After that, I moved around quite a bit, but was always able to find the Cubs on WGN.

Fast forward a couple of years, I am starting to learn more about the game, collect baseball cards and consequently the players. Meanwhile, the Cubs had a new manager in 1988, Don Zimmer. Despite a losing record, the Cubs managed to send six players to the 1988 All-Star game. Zimmer proceeded to lead a 16 game turnaround for the Cubs in 1989, winning the National League East division and the NL Manager of the Year title.

Along with the Les Lancaster, Sandy Alomar Sr and Dwight cards I sent down to Spirng Training, I also included a couple of Don Zimmer card. In the card below, Zimmer is arguing a call with an umpire who didn't make the cut to be included in the card. The incredulous look on his face was perfect for a manager card. Thankfully, he signed between his jacket and his name where the blue signature could be more easily seen.

Not only did Zimmer manage the Cubs (and coach a few years prior), but he also played for the Cubs in 1960 and 1961 when he earned his only All-Star appearance. So he gets two ATCRCS cards! Below is a much younger "Popeye" from his playing days. With nothing hindering his autograph, I got a nice bold signature right across the middle of the card.

But wait, there's more! In addition to the ATCRCS cards I'm working on, Zimmer was also included in the Desert Shield set in 1991.

These cards mark the 46th and 47th signed ATCRCS cards in my collection and the 5th signed Desert Shield Cubs team set card.

Additionally, I have previously shown off my Don Zimmer ice cream helmet as part of that subcollection. But here it is again since that was in the way early history of the blog.

Les Lancaster

Today's cards are courtesy of the same helper from Spring Training as the Sandy Alomar Sr and Dwight Smith. I sent in cards for Les Lancaster from the two sets I am slowly, but surely making my way through, the 1991 Topps Desert Shield Cubs team set and my ATCRCS set. 

The photo on the ATCRCS card isn't as dark as the scan makes it appear. Lancaster has a unique signature in that it looks like he uses one big "L" for both his first and last names. There also appears to be a giant "C" at the end with a dot inside, although nothing in his name needs to be dotted. 

I haven't had a chance to make a back for the ATCRCS card yet but these are both great additions to the collection because Lancaster was one of the Boys of Zimmer. In 1989, we went 4-2 as a (mostly) middle reliever with 8 Saves and a 1.36 ERA. After managing in some independent leagues for a while, Lancaster is currently a pitching coach in the Phillies organization. 

These cards mark the 45th signed ATCRCS and the 4th signed Desert Shield cards in the my collection.

Paul Assenmacher

Last week I mentioned I got in on a couple of private signings done by Chris Potter Sports and showed off my Adolfo Phillips ATCRCS card. Today is the other half of my return shipment, Paul Assenmacher.

I'm very pleased with the signature placement and boldness but wish I had found a better photo to use. The glove was a little blurry because he was in motion, making it a little hard to cut out from the background. Plus, the photo is probably 20(!) years old. I've really taken for granted using photos taken within the last year or so when making recent customs.

But like I said, the signature is nice so I'm happy to add this tough signature to the collection.

Not only did I knock out an ATCRCS card, but Assenmacher also had a Desert Shield card in the 1991 Topps set that I sent in. I picked this card up last summer so I was glad to have it on hand already when the signing popped up on my radar.

These cards mark the 41st signed ATCRCS card and the 3rd 1991 Topps Desert Shield Cubs card in my collection.

Steve Wilson - 1991 Topps Desert Shield

Sorry for the quick write-up today but I have a busy weekend ahead.

Rolling right along trying to complete this 1991 Topps Desert Shield Cubs team set. This addition of Steve Wilson brings my total up to 10/32. I have a couple more in my sights but it is getting tougher to find really nice copies at reasonable rates. Plus, I still need the bigger names on the team including 3 Ryne Sandbergs, Andre Dawson, Greg Maddux, Rick Sutcliffe and Mark Grace.

Curt Wilkerson - 1991 Topps Desert Shield

Moving right along on the collecting resolution! I picked up another Desert Shield Cubs card in the form of this Curt Wilkerson.

I'm very pleased with the centering, corners and quality of the foil stamping on this one. Some that I have seen have the foil rubbing off.

Wilkerson came to the Cubs in the same deal that sent Rafael Palmeiro and Jamie Moyer to the Rangers prior to the 1989 season. The Cubs also got Mitch Williams as part of that deal. By the time this card came out, Wilkerson had already moved on to the Pirates.

Last year, Wilkerson was the manager of the independent team Fort Worth Cats where his son Brandon is a pitcher. However, after a quick look, it seems the team has replaced him with former Cubs skipper Jim Essian so I'm not sure where Wilkerson will spend the 2013 season.

Mike Bielecki - 1991 Topps Desert Shield

Right after I stated my resolutions for the new year, I did what most people do. I got right on them. And the results are starting to trickle in. Nothing like a little positive reinforcement to keep the train rolling!

My last stated goal involved completing the 1991 Desert Shield Cubs team set. There are a few lots here and there on ebay but with almost a full year to meet the goal, I have the luxury of being a little picky with this team set. While I don't want them graded, I am on the lookout for fairly well-centered copies with sharp corners. This one didn't scan as well but it looks great in person.

1991 Topps Desert Shield Mike Bielecki

A quick search yielded this Mike Bielecki. I wanted to get this one pretty early since I know he is a pretty good signer. Once I knock out his ATCRCS card, I will send both of them out to add to each respective collection. This card is  the 8th of 32 I've accumulated for the set. A quarter of the way there!

Dwight Smith & Les Lancaster 1991 Topps Desert Shield

I've been slooowwwwly adding to this team set over the past few months. There seem to be a bunch on ebay at any given time for a few bucks or less with free shipping. There are even a few lots available. I'm sure I said it before but this is one set that I am trying to be a little anal about regarding condition and centering without resorting to buying graded cards so while the lots are a better value, the centering on early 90's topps cards leave a lot to be desired.

I expect this team set to run me upwards of around $100 when all is said and done when I throw in the Andre Dawson, Greg Maddux and 3 Ryne Sandbergs that all go for double digits in price. And maybe even the Mark Grace.  I about 95% sure I have at least one of the Sandbergs, maybe two, in my player collection but have been too lazy to double check. 

Dwight Smith 1991 Topps Desert Shield

Dwight Smith was the runner-up NL Rookie of the Year candidate to teammate Jerome Walton in 1989. Smith had more home runs, more RBIs and a batting average that was 30 points higher than Walton's. But Walton batted lead off and accumulated more runs and hits. And of course, a 30 game hitting streak as a rookie doesn't hurt your chances either. Still, I think the voting should have been closer than it was. Coincidentally, both players went on to play for both Atlanta and Baltimore after leaving the Cubs, but not at the same time.





Les Lancaster 1991 Topps Desert Shield

Les Lancaster was a starter turned middle reliever turned starter. He spent 5 seasons with the Cubs and had a winning record in 4 of them. Without doing any research, that sounds pretty good for a Cubs middle reliever! He also had a pretty respectable 3.82 ERA while with the Cubs.

These came from separate sellers on ebay, both for the above mentioned couple bucks and free shipping.  The centering on both these cards is fantastic and the corners and edges are sharp. Two more down, 25ish to go!