Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2012 Topps Chicago Cubs

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Team Set of the Week:

• Team: 2012 Chicago Cubs
• Record: 61-101, fifth place, NL Central Division.
• Manager: Dale Sveum
• Card on the Top: Starlin Castro

The checklist consists of the following players:

• CHC1 Starlin Castro
• CHC2 Reed Johnson
• CHC3 Alfonso Soriano
• CHC4 Ryan Dempster
• CHC5 Darwin Barney
• CHC6 Kerry Wood
• CHC7 Marlon Byrd
• CHC8 Matt Garza
• CHC9 Geovany Soto
• CHC10 Randy Wells
• CHC11 Carlos Marmol
• CHC12 Bryan LaHair
• CHC13 Anthony Rizzo
• CHC14 David DeJesus
• CHC15 Paul Maholm
• CHC16 Ian Stewart
• CHC17 Wrigley Field

The cards in order from the set (the checklist at the end was cut from the back of the package. What, you don't do that?):

Key differences between the team set and 2012 Topps eponymous set:

• I wonder why Alfonso Soriano's retail card looks like it's photoshopped? I mean he's been with the team for years. Maybe it's just the way the picture looks. But compare it to his base card...:
  
  

• While Darwin Barney is flashing his eventual Gold Glove arm in the retail set, he's showing his Superman impression in his base card:
  
  

• Here is Kerry Wood as I'd like to remember him...in happier times...on his base card:
  
  

• Carlos Marmol on the Fourth of July (the picture was shot in Washington, D.C.) throwing what I'm hoping is a strike against somebody as depicted on his eponymous card:
  
  

• I was so happy that Bryan LaHair was voted by the players to be a 2012 All-Star. It's a shame that his playing time was cut off (although the Cubs did get an upgrade). I hope he's doing well in Japan. But here's his base card...and no, it's not the same as what was used in the retail set:
  
  

• David DeJesus' card uses the same picture on both retail and regular cards, but is cropped just ever so slightly:
  
  

• Okay, you can see the blatant photoshopping used on Paul Maholm's base card:
  
  

• I really hope that what's on Ian Stewart's jersy on this card is infield dirt...:
  
  

So of the 16 players included in this set, there are seven cards that feature a different picture in the retail set that was used in 2012 Topps set (and one slight crop job). If you're a fan of variations, you're going to have a field day with this set. If you are a team collector, you have to get this set (I know Wrigley Wax did as he talked about this set last year in a couple of posts)

Next week's featured set will be the 2012 Miami Marlins. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Update Series (and as it's the Marlins, there will be a lot to discuss).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama