Is there a better time of year?

In my opinion, no.  Spring has sprung, the weather is beautiful, and baseball is in full swing.  Plus, there's the anticipation of summer ahead!  I actually feel like the scorecard above captures the moment very nicely.

Paul, the blogger behind Wrigley Wax, sent me this 1953 scorecard as a thank you for picking him up a scorecard from Kris Bryant's Major League Debut.  I was happy to do the simple favor for the ultimate Cubs baseball card blogger.

I felt bad at the time because all the score cards printed at the beginning of the home stand and Bryant was not yet listed on the inside.  Brandon Hyde, the Cubs' first base coach, was given credit for wearing Bryant's #17 jersey.  Nonetheless, I packaged up the scorecard and some oddball Ryne Sandberg duplicates to send off to Paul.

After doing a little research I found that this vintage scorecard was also printed early, with lineups! Back then, it was the responsibility of the individual scorekeeper to accurately update the day's lineup.  Seems like a little bit of a hassle to me.

 

I expressed through e-mail how I was happy to send the scorecard with no strings attach, but apparently the Wrigley Wax headquarters felt the need to reciprocate with a vintage scorecard. Who am I to argue?  

I have a couple of older scorecards, but nothing quote this nice.   Unfortunately, much like Kris Bryant's MLB debut, this game marks another Cubs' loss from August 16th, 1953.  Go figure.

Paul, thank you for the scorecard!  I've had a bunch of fun looking at the prices for tickets and concessions, as well as comparing the scoring to the actually play log.  I like to keep score, but it's taken me a little time to dissect the meaning of each penciled number.  I've never used a "9" to represent first base before, yet that is exactly what this individual has done.  To each their own I suppose.

Enjoy the summer, everyone!