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04/09/2024

On my card to keep track of when the White Sox break the all-time loss record, I added extra loss circles beyond the record, just to be safe.

At this rate, I should have added more loss circles!

23/08/2024

Batman plays Beat the Streak

While browsing the active leaderboard for Beat the Streak, the name “Batman” immediately caught my eye.

Batman is on a 13-game streak, with a season-high of 18 games and an impressive pick accuracy of 76.74%.It seems the Batcave’s advanced tech is serving him well in Beat the Streak!

Fittingly, right next to Batman on the leaderboard is a user named “ButtKicker.” What a dynamic duo—Batman and ButtKicker. ButtKicker’s best streak is also 13 games; however, he doesn’t pack as much punch, with a pick accuracy of 68.42%.

02/07/2024

What’s your dream all-time MLB lineup using your initials? Follow these steps to create your ultimate team

What's your dream all-time MLB lineup using your initials? Follow these steps to create your ultimate team

10/06/2024

The Chicago Red Stars (with Dansby Swanson's wife) played a soccer game at Wrigley Field this past weekend. The last time the Red Stars played in Wrigley was in 2012.

Here's a comparison of how they laid out the field in 2012 and 2024.

30/04/2024

Today I learned that Alfonso Soriano holds the second longest streak for reaching base safely as a leadoff hitter. And he did it as a Cub.

From August 27, 2006 to May 27, 2007 he reached base in 58 consecutive games. He joined the Cubs in 2007.

Only one player has a longer streak. Jack Tobin of the St. Louis Browns with 58 games from April 29 to July 11, 1922.

22/04/2024

Highest ERA by a Cub in first five starts
2024 Kyle Hendricks - 12.00
1999 Micah Bowie - 9.78
2006 Rich Hill - 9.53
2021 Zach Davies - 9.47
2022 Steve Smyth - 9.00

Highest ERA by a Cub in first five starts Year Player ERA 2024 Kyle Hendricks 12.00 1999 Micah Bowie 9.78 2006 Rich Hill 9.53 2021 Zach Davies 9.47 2022 Steve Smyth 9.00 Which is interesting that there are no old-time Cubs in this list. I’m including all-time Cubs in this query. Most earned runs b...

12/03/2024

The PECOTA standings predictions makes each team look like a snail. Or a pile of dirt.

It’s curious how some piles of dirt have different shapes. The dirt pile has three peaks. Whereas the pile is a one very distinct sharp peak.

11/03/2024

Votto might have some impressive stats, but Ichiro OWNS the record books. From single-season hits to never striking out 4 times in a game, he's a true baseball icon.

Ichiro holds a ton of MLB records. What records does Votto hold?

03/03/2024

I discovered a new game. If you carefully pull out the card to show just the years and teams, you can try to guess who the player is.

25/02/2024

What baseball card series do you think has the best designed backs?

04/02/2024

Happy Willie Mays Day, Kobe Bryant Day, Bill Cartwright Day, Ken Griffey Jr Day, Miguel Cabrera Day, and Rickey Henderson Day. 2/4/24

31/10/2023

Numerous baseball costumes graced our neighborhood elementary school's Halloween Parade today, and it was heartening to witness an abundance of children relishing the sport.

Among the young participants, I couldn't help but notice Elly De La Cruz. Did this young one intend to portray a rather chilling character, considering the batting averages of .238, .198, and .202 recorded over the past three months of the season?

10/10/2023

Which 2023 MLB playoffs team is closest to you?

Amusing how the Rangers and Braves blockade the Astros into a tiny corner.

I’m in the Chicagoland area, so the Minnesota Twins are my closest. However, the Atlanta Braves aren’t that far away! I always thought of Atlanta being SOOO far away. But this year, I'm OK with being a Braves fan--they are my pick to win the 2023 World Series.

08/10/2023

🔥 From dropped balls to stolen bases, every play tells a story. Those defining moments against the Braves painted the canvas of the Cubs season.

Now, I'm on the edge of my seat, cheering for the Braves to seize the championship title

I'm leaning towards a Braves vs. Orioles matchup

06/10/2023

Scanning with “dust removal” might alter parts of your baseball card scans

What type of scanner do you use for digitizing your baseball cards?

When I’m feeling a bit lazy, I resort to photographing them. However, on occasion, I opt for the flatbed Epson scanner for a meticulously detailed scan with accurate color representation. Typically, I leave the “dust removal” setting at the “middle” level, thinking it will take care of any stray dust particles on the card or the scanner glass.

Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the dust removal feature has the potential to inadvertently remove certain card details.

On the left is the scan without the dust removal setting, while on the right, you can see the scan with the dust removal set to “middle.”

Take a look at the “B” in the Cubs logo; it should have two white dots within the letter. However, the dust removal function removed these two white dots!

07/09/2023

Going from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above

The Cubs recently improved to 10 games above .500, after being 10 games below .500 earlier in the season. The first time the Cubs ever achieved this feat.

How rare is this achievement, and have other teams pulled it off? And have the Cubs ever gone the opposite route? Going from 10 games above 500 to 10 games below?

Let’s find out.

// A fairly common achievement
Going from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above seems extraordinary. However, since 1901, 45 teams have managed this feat. That’s an average of roughly one occurrence every three years. The Cubs’ achievement in 2023 marks the first time in the team’s storied history that they’ve achieved this turnaround.

// Giants: the record holders
The Giants hold the record for this impressive feat, having achieved it five times in their history.

// A recent surge in turnarounds
While such turnarounds were once rarer, they’ve become more frequent in recent years. Over the past 23 years, an impressive 15 teams have gone from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above .500.

// The remarkable rise of the 2001 Oakland A’s
When discussing remarkable turnarounds, it’s impossible to overlook the 2001 Oakland Athletics. They not only went from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above but achieved an astonishing 42 games above .500 during the same season. They finished 102-60, 2nd in AL West (and lost to the Yankees in the NLDS).

// Coming from the lowest point
Who was in the cellar the lowest? The 1914 Boston Braves and 1969 Houston Astros were at 16 games below .500 at one point.

The 1914 Braves won the World Series. The 1969 Astros finished 81-81-0, 5th in NL West.

A team has never been able to improve to 10 games above, when they dipped down to 17 games below.

// The latest comeback in the season
The 1978 Pittsburgh Pirates hit their low point on August 12th. Then, by September 29th, they fought back to 15 games above. They wound up in 2nd place in the NL East.

// Note some of the teams on this list. They went on to win the World Series.

2019 Washington Nationals
2003 Florida Marlins: Ironically defeating the Cubs in the NLCS
1914 Boston Braves

// Active teams who have never gone from 10 below to 10 above
Arizona Diamondbacks
Cleveland Guardians
Kansas City Royals
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
San Diego Padres
Tampa Bay Rays

31/08/2023

The remaining “Strength of Schedule” for all MLB teams.

The Cubs are ranked 18th hardest. Brewers have 23rd hardest. https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/166dkqz/remaining_strength_of_schedule_for_all_teams/

30/08/2023

The baseball card with the highest quantity on comc is Bo Jackson’s 1987 Topps rookie card.

#1 by far.

1,607 Bo Jackson 1987 Topps
1,101 Yasiel Puig 2013 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects
1,076 Barry Bonds 1987 Topps
1,016 Yoan Moncada 2017 Bowman

29/08/2023

Funny how MLB includes the Oakland stadium as a reward in the MLB Play app.

28/08/2023

Last week I wrote about how how a highlights reel player (Elly De La Cruz) gets more attention than a stats player (Corbin Carroll).

And then today there's a video of Elly robbing Carroll of an inside-the-park home run with a near-100 mph home.

Elly De La Cruz unleashed a missile to home plate to deny the Diamondbacks of an inside-the-park homer.

25/08/2023

With Ohtani's injury, will Topps Now create his 26th card of the season?

23/08/2023

Who's the rookie with the fastest 20/20? Mike Trout tops the list at just 88 games! But keep an eye on Corbin Carroll – he's breaking records with only 94 games.

Who's the rookie with the fastest 20/20? Mike Trout tops the list at just 88 games! But keep an eye on Corbin Carroll – he's breaking records with only 94 games.

16/08/2023

Remember this friendly advice from Nolan Ryan

16/08/2023

The sliding glove that Elly De La Cruz used to steal 2nd, 3rd, and home is an ice cream cone that says "Absolutely Ridiculous"

03/08/2023

The only ballpark where Mike Schmidt had an OPS over 1.000 — Wrigley Field.

02/08/2023

A nickname for the Cubs new first baseman, Jeimer Candelario — "Candelabra."

Or "Lumière" (the candelabra from “Beauty and the Beast”).

Midjourney generated this image of Jeimer Candelario holding a candle while dressed like Lumière.

14/07/2023

Today’s (pulled from a 2021 Topps Archive pack) is John Smoltz.

I can’t bear to look at Smoltz staring at me all day, so I’m displaying the back of his card. Today is the first day that Astrotrain is volunteering as a card holder.

The back of Smoltz’s card lists him as 6’3” 220 pounds. Which is the exact same specs for the guy who held the home run record for 25 years (before Babe Ruth broke it)—Roger Connor.

Today in 1921 was the day that Babe Ruth tied the career home run record. Although the newspapers didn’t even mention this fact the it happened. (I read about this today)

Being 6’3” 220 was unusual back then. In fact, that’s why some people think how the New York Giants got their name. Roger Connor played for the New York National League team.

05/07/2023

I've been getting into the habit of having a different baseball card on my desk every day. The past week I opened a pack of 2022 Topps Opening Day. I pulled one card a day from the pack. Now that pack is completely opened, I'm pulling a random card from my desk every day.

Today is Willie McCovey 2016 Topps Stadium Club - [Base] #18 . I think I got this at the only trading card show I've attended in the past 20 years.

The Stadium Club series has so many great photos—especially of the vintage players. I'd like to collect more of these.

16/05/2023

Yesterday MLB accidentally pushed notifications to users about games from the 1970s.

People are wondering what happened. Did an intern accidentally send this out? Another user jokes, “Judging by the Braves game notifications I’m receiving this morning, that Hank Aaron guy looks like he’s going places.”

Let’s make this an actual feature. I’d sign up to get retro notifications from a team from a particular year. In particular, I’d like to get a daily notification of what the 1989 Cubs did on this day.

Today I would receive a notification saying that the Cubs (18-18) beat the Braves (18-20) by a score of 4-0. Winning pitcher Mike Bielecki. Losing pitcher Calvin Schiraldi. This ended the Cubs’ five-game losing streak. In his first at-bat as a Cub, Lloyd McClendon hit a 3-run home run in the 2nd inning. This was the first Cub home run since May 5th.

01/04/2023

The 1919 World Champion Reds may have been overshadowed by the "Black Sox Scandal," but their fun World Series program stands the test of time.

My blog post:

The 1919 World Champion Reds may have been overshadowed by the "Black Sox Scandal," but their fun World Series program stands the test of time.