Ballparks of the IBL: Fergie Jenkins Field

 Hello Friends!

Spring Training has begun. Games are on TV and radio. Baseball is coming!

Today I want to share another park used in the Intercounty Baseball League here in Southern/Central Ontario. 

Today is Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham, Ontario. 

Fergie Jenkins Field is a Rotary Club ballpark in Chatham Ontario used by the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers of the IBL. They have a very short history, coming into existence last year as an expansion team. 

The field has been around since the 1960s. It was the field where big league dreams started for players like Fergie Jenkins, Bill Atkinson, and Doug Melvin. (He played in the minors for the Yankees and Pirates before becoming an executive) 

In the 70s, the turf was ripped out and became more of a softball field. Years of neglect on the park took its toll, causing the old grandstand to be condemned, then torn down in 1984. Since then they have reinstalled the turf infield, and improved the park. 

This is an aerial view of the park. I have a screenshot from Google Maps to show more of where it is in the city. 

It is on Tweedsmuir Avenue in Chatham. There's a soccer field in Centre and Right and houses over the wall in Left Field. 

Originally the team name was going to be the Blackbirds, but it was soon changed due to racial connotations.. 

Apparently, Blackbirding is the coercion or kidnapping of people to work as slaves. As a result, they changed the name to reflect the old baseball custom of barnstorming.

Here is the current grandstand. I'm not sure how comfy those aluminum bench seats are, but it's better than nothing, right?

The outer facade of the grandstand. On the middle of the backstop section, is the name of the park and the Rotary Club symbol. 

From what I remember reading on the features for the place, they have space for wheelchairs as well. 

The dugouts are in ground. 

There's really not much to say about the place or the team, really. If I was going to make a card of this place, I'd almost be tempted to use the top image. Unless I could find something better elsewhere. 

New Arrivals

Hello Friends!

Another day to post random things. 

First, I got a few wax panels from a person I talk with on Discord and I believe in the Team Collector's forum. 

I grabbed them with the intention of cutting them out. 

I completed the 1986 set, so I figured why not go for it all and also get the box bottom cards. I have half of them now. I just need the first two panels, A-D and E-H. Eventually maybe even try to get a second Jorge Bell 

Now, this one I got for the Reardon Expos card.. I will most likely see if anyone would like the other three cards once they're separated. 

The other cards I received recently were from Tom at Angels In Order. He recently offered some cards up for free.. I was able to grab a few Expos. He added a few more. 

I think I really like the first few years of Studio. Once it started becoming just another set, it got boring. 

Bazooka was a weird set for me.. I think it was supposed to be for kids

The steel cards were always odd.. 

Stadium Club has generally been a set I love, but never get the chance to even sniff more than a few cards of.. Between cost and the fact people snap it up so quickly, I almost forget about it as soon as it comes out. 

I kind of have a love hate relationship with Pacific. There were some sets in the late 90s and early 2000s that I just don't know about. I didn't see them enough to have an opinion, but I also don't really know about bindering them either.. 

A very familiar card for me. 

This Action Packed card is rather cool. I like it

I was just talking to the group on Discord about how this is my all time favourite parallel.. This parallel is the only one I've ever really liked. There are way too many now. 

I'd even go as far to say I prefer the parallel over the base set for 1992 Leaf. 

Incidentally, I see Vander Wal and I get the line "You're my Vander Wal" to the tune of the line from Wonder Wall.. 

My brain goes all over the place.. 

Anyway, thank you to both for the cards! I do plan on sending something back at some point since I think I'm finally at a place where I can start cataloguing and feel a little comfortable. 

 

Multiple EXPOSure

 Hello Friends!

Another day here in the Great White North. Today I believe is snowing. But, it's February. In the not too distant future pitchers and catchers will be reporting for Spring Training, and baseball will return..

Today I want to show some cards from Fellow Blogger and Canadian CrazieJoe. Joe and I have been trading partners for a while now. I got some Expos from him and I wanted to show a few of them off.. 

A nice 1975 OPC card. I always find the 70s cards interesting for some reason. 

Another 75 OPC! 

A 1988 Donruss MVP. Obviously I have the full set, but this helps with the Million Expos project that I am still working on. 

A Classic Best Billy Koch auto. Now, he isn't an Expo, but it's nice to get a MiLB auto. While Joe collects Jays, he doesn't much care for the Minor League Cards. I love them, however.. 

Another Minor League Auto. This time Paul Spoljaric. This fits into my Canadians Auto Project. 

Andre Dawson Archives. The 1991 design was an interesting one. I'm not sure if I like this one more than the original design though. 

Pedro Expos showing the 1977 design. I think I prefer the 1978 design over the 1977.. 

Finally, for the cards I'm going to show today is a 1972 OPC dual card. 

I also received cards from 1986 Topps Traded, 1990 Upper Deck, and Fleer.. 

Thank you Joe! I'll be working on sending something to you soonish. 

Cards From An Offseason Break

 Hello Friends!

I'm back with a new post. I had some small health issues between posts but I'm ready to post something tonight. 

Over the holiday season, just after the World Series ended, a group of people I trade and interact with held a break for our little group. Well, when the break happened, Canada Post went on strike and it took a bit for the backlog at the border to clear to have USPS accept mail to Canada again. 

So, while others got their cards, logged, put away, and likely forgot about the cards from the break, mine got here last week. I'm not complaining. In fact, I was the one who was updating the group on the status of Canada Post. 

Anyway, I wanted to show some of the cards from that break. I believe there were a few extras thrown in. We broke 2024 Update, 2024 Holiday, and I think Stadium Club and maybe Prism from 2023.. I may be wrong. Anyway...

First card is one of the extras I mentioned. A Leaf Ed Sprague. 

It seems so long ago that Alek Manoah was considered anything but a walking injury. I hope he can recover enough to return.. 

A couple nice Vlads. 

Canadian Content always welcome. Bo Naylor!

It's kind of odd seeing Pat Gillick on a card. I checked TCDB and there's apparently 172 cards available. Mind you, it's Leaf and Panini with their endless parallels. I know for sure I have two, but may have three.. One looks very familiar. 

More Vlads!

Possibly the only time the Canada Day unis look good.. On a black card...

Davis Schneider! 

An image that, while I was intrigued of his signing, also feel shouldn't exist. 

I wanted so badly for Joey to be able to play in Toronto, but I'm kind of glad it ended in Buffalo, so he stays a Red in the Majors. 

The Mystical insert is.. Interesting? I guess??

I love these Allen and Ginter cards. 

Another Joey. I believe this one is either from Spring Training or a photoshopped uni again..

Vlad and Vlad and Davis round out the cards I wanted to show. I'm not quite sure what the play was on that Schneider card. I just like the photo. The angle on the Jr card reminds me of some cards from the Astrodome with that same perspective. 

I didn't show anything from the Holiday set because well.. I've never been a fan of Holiday. It's a set that shouldn't exist and has gotten progressively worse to me since it started. This year it was like someone just vomited Christmas onto a design software, created a card and hit print. 

Anyway, that was the break. I didn't show everything. I don't want to take up that much time. Thanks to the Team Collectors Forum for the break!

Cards From a Night Owl

 Hello Friends!

I will admit this winter is kicking my ass so far. It's been very isolating. That said, I have been getting out into the hallway of my building to talk to the person two doors down from me and to give scritches to her pug loaf. 

That said, I believe Greg, also known in these parts as Night Owl, had some cards to send my way last month but was delayed by the wonderful strike by Canada Post. There was a little note hoping the cards would be a pick me up and thanking me for posting. 

I think our little circle of bloggers keeps shrinking as life or blog burnout rear their ugly heads. I'd love to write more than what I do sometimes, but there are times where getting the motivation is... Difficult.. I'm sure fellow bloggers can relate. 

ANYWAY.. You're here for cards.. I'm here to show cards.. So in the immortal words of Bender Bending Rodriguez... "Let's Go Already!!!"

First up is a nice 83 OPC Bill Virdon. I already have one, maybe two of it, so this helps with the Expos project. 

Ever since I saw them, I absolutely loved the SuperVet cards in 1983. This one was a need for my set build. 

A 1983 Topps All Star glossy send in card. Doesn't it look like a precursor to the 1990 (?) Bowman set?

Always a pleasure to get a card of one of the best pitchers in the 80s. 

Vladdy! Now.. This one was hard to figure out. I knew it was Chrome. I go to the Chrome checklist. 21 is something different. I see Vlad is 201.. Different photo and so I figure "Ok, this is from somewhere else.. " 

Happen to look in Chrome Update.. And it's there.. I know they normally notate on the back the Update set, but there was nothing there.. Very confusing.. Anyway.. I needed this one too!

Now, the next couple are from Heritage. Above is the back scan from TCDB of the Jordan Hicks card below. Obviously, if you've held the card in hand, you know it's even darker. I don't remember (or more to the point haven't dug out my Expos) if the original 75s were that dark. In order to see anything I needed to put a flashlight on it. 

And here's the front of the Hicks card. I see last year he was a Giant. I also see he started most of his games.. Was he used as an Opener? Or did SF actually stretch him out to be a starter?

Finally two Heritage minis. Whit Merrifield was a weird get for the Jays. I recall it was around the time that there were still some travel restrictions between the countries from Covid. I believe you had to be vaccinated to cross without being quarantined. There were some players who balked at it so when the teams came to Toronto, those players were considered inactive for the series and the teams, I believe, were able to replace the players.. 

I remember Merrifield was one of those who didn't want to get the vaccine.. But ended up getting it once he was traded to Toronto. He did decently in his time with the Jays but I saw last year he kind of fell off a cliff. 

Jose Berrios has been a somewhat solid pitcher for the Jays since his signing. I just noticed that there's just a slight difference in colour on his cards. I know they're supposed to be two-toned.. I just thought they used contrasting colours. To my eye it looks too similar. (I am slightly colourblind though, so... ) 

Anyway, thank you Sir Greg of Night Owl!

The cards and the note were much appreciated!