The Hit List

I've seen enough gangster type movies and shows to understand that being on a Hit List isn't exactly a good thing. Then I came across a blog post from The Chronicles of Fuji which made me rethink the punitive label I had given the term.

In the aforementioned blog post Fuji talks about the generosity and camaraderie of the blogosphere and how he sometimes struggles to keep up with timely return packages. (Seriously, don't we all?) He created a list of collectors he needed to hit back with cards. Now, that's a Hit List I don't mind being a part of!

Personally, I always have a "sticky note" open on my computer desktop with a list of names I owe cards. Currently, I have four names on that list, which is really good for me right now. Yet, I remember a time earlier this year when the owed number of packages was in the teens. Ouch, it happens. I haven't been hunted down by an angry mob wielding torches and pitchforks . . . yet. LOL

Seems like everyone I swap cards with is super generous and patient. Fuji, is right at the top of that list.

I'm actually in a list making mood, so let's run with it.  Here's the Top 10 best cards Fuji sent me from his package to knock me off his Hit List.

#10

The Vogelmonster comes in at #10?  I know, I know... I am a bit depressed right now about Vogelbach's prospects with the Mariners. He finished the minor league season on Tacoma's Disabled List. I can't find any information on his injury and even with the expanded rosters I am not terribly hopeful that Seattle will call him up at any point this month. I also read Seattle and Nelson Cruz, who is a free agent after the season, share mutual interest in signing a contract for 2019 and possibly beyond. Sigh.

#9

Cub prospect autos! Brett Jackson was once the top rated prospect in their system, but he hit 0.175 in his Cub career and is now out of baseball.
Barret Loux might be the only minor league pitcher the Cubs have acquire from the Rangers in the last decade that did not work out. He is out of baseball as well, but Carl Edwards, Justin Grimm, and Kyle Hendricks are not.
Hayden Simpson was the Cubs' #1 pick in the 2010 draft. His last year in affiliated minor league ball was 2012. Ouch.
Jake Stinnett, a second round pick in 2014, is still active and has some promise as a bullpen piece, but he turns twenty-seven next season and is running out of time.

#8

 This is the 1990 Topps Glossy All-Star card only made available through a TV promotional offer. I never thought I would see one of these in my collection. Very nice! Oh, and who doesn't love the Wild Thing?

#7

 2018 Topps, 35th Anniversary, purple prism thingy parallel found in silver packas of Anthony Rizzo numbered to /75. The 1983 design is special, but I'm not sure about all the bells and whistles here. If it were blue it would be higher on the list. Purple? Comes in at #7.

#6

 I remember Chadd Krist from the 2012 Peoria Chiefs team. He played with Javy Baez and started hot right out of the gate. I thought the Cubs found a special talent in the 12th round, but then he came back down to earth a few weeks later and was out of baseball by 2016. This card is the silver parallel and is numbered 6/25. I always have a soft spot in my collection for former Chiefs!

#5

 Okay, I'm cheating here a bit. Four chrome cards from 2018 and NONE are a base card. That's pretty special, and I couldn't leave any of them off the list so I grouped them together. For the record, the Willson Contreras card is a refractor.

#4

 More cheating. Sorry, not sorry. I have mini player collections of Glenn Beckert and Ken Holtzman, but the Ed Mayer card is special in it's own kind of Don Mossi way. Vintage trumps chrome, thus it comes in at #4.

#3

Here. We. Go. Fuji just went straight fire 🔥 right here. Eric Karros, at age 35, was a nice presence at first base who helped the 2003 Cubs make the playoffs in his only season. I've been a Karros fan ever since. This bat relic card is from the 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies Baseball set and couldn't have been very common. This is a very quality addition to my collection of relics!

#2

 I actually just saw this card for the first time the other day and it made my "Items to Chase" sticky note. Maybe Fuji had a notion it was a card I would be looking for at some point? Anyway, I like this card because Rizzo is the face of the franchise and he's a GOOD GUY. He leads, he plays hard, he has a sense of humor and understands there is more to life than baseball. He helped out after the Parkland shooting, he visits children's hospitals and he's constantly raising money to battle cancer. A card commemorating his 2017 Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Roberto Clemente Awards is something I needed in my collection. I have over 100+ Rizzo cards and this one is easily in the Top 5 of that player collection.

And here we go!  The big reveal at
#1

BOOM!! The countdown starts and finishes with a VOGELMONSTER! This one is from 2012, although it says 2011 on the front, and is numbered 10/99 and it's autographed! With the addition of Fuji, eleven different bloggers have now contributed a new card to my Vogelbach collection, which now stands at 333 unique cards.

Wow, I wasn't expecting quite the return on the cards I sent Fuji's way.  Thank you, kind sir!

Fuji. I'm adding you to my Hit List.  I've got a score to settle with you... You know, the cardboard kind. 😀