SCANDAL! CONTROVERSY! SHAME!

Folks, we have a full blown scandal on our hands!  Yesterday, with pure pleasure I showed you that yours truly was a topic of conversation on the eTopps message board.  At least, my blog was.  Those of you who have followed my blog know that I have been a champion of eTopps from the get-go, and even when I was aggravated with them, I acknowledged that their product was fantastic.   I’ve even sent several of you your first eTopps cards through trades and answered questions on how the program works.  So I was very excited to see that my little blog had become visible to some of the heavy hitters in the eTopps world.  I posted the discussion thread yesterday, and last night there were a few additional comments that I didn’t capture.  I think one guy took me seriously when I said I was “the greatest blogger who ever lived.”  But that was fine too. 

So I was anxious this morning to see what, if any, new comments had been posted on this thread before interest in it dried up.  I clicked the link and….nothing.  The post about my blog was gone!

I was pretty confused.  Why would that thread be removed by the moderator?  It surely couldn’t have been because of a perception that I was anti-eTopps.   There are far worse things said about eTopps on the message boards than anything I’ve ever said.  I’ve never referred to anyone at eTopps as “monkeys.”  Maybe they didn’t like me posting their ridiculous response to myquestion a few weeks ago.  But my posts are typically positive.  Perhaps there is a guideline against linking to other websites?  I don’t know, but, whatever the reason, the thread was gone.   My new ally in the eTopps world, Diamondjake, was also incredulous.  He later this morning posted a follow up thread:  “Wow…. Really?”  I took a screen shot again in case eTopps censors this one too:

I haven’t been this interested in the eTopps message board since (inside eTopps reference) Boysofsummer was an active member and stirred things up.  

This is not the first scandal associated with this blog.  Let’s revisit the top 5 scandals in Napkin Doon History:

1)       Mystery of the Vanishing eTopps Message Thread.  So scandalous.

2)      Chicago Dog Temporarily Closes During The First Annual Napkin Doon Northwest Arkansas Hot Dog Tournament.   Maybe there was more to this than meets the eye?  Was their foul play involved?  We may never know.

3)      LostCollector Raises a Ruckus.  Everyone’s favorite new daddy couldn’t get a hold of himself when I made an executive decision regarding White Oak’s offering in the Hot Dog Tournament. 

4)      Death of the Doonboggle.   I was actually pretty pleased with my Doonboggle concept, but it never caught on, mostly because of Eric from Manupatches and Mustaches.  It was his  fault.

5)      Top 5 Scandal list only had 4 scandals.  I could only think of 4 things, but had already said this would be a top 5 list.  So that’s a scandal in itself.

My God, blogging is fun.

R.I.P. Doonboggle

Sometimes you just have to admit when an idea  doesn’t work.  My “Doonboggle” of the week program was met with some serious yawns and disinterest.  Thanks to the Lost Collector for giving it a shot and participating, and thanks to Josh at Royals and Randoms for giving it a shout out on your blog, but this program just didn’t get any traction.  

Maybe I’ll start a graveyard for my unsuccessful blog gimmicks.

Doonboggle Of The Week: Courtesy of The Lost Collector

One of my favorite blogs out there is the Lost Collector, run by one of my favorite dudes.  He was gracious enough to provide my first "Doonboggle of the Week" material and answer a few questions about his blog and himself as a collector.

Blog Name: The Lost Collector

How long have you been blogging? Since Feb., 2011.

What do you enjoy most about the card blogging world? Trading with other bloggers. I've grown my Yankees collection vastly. After middle school, I wouldn't have imagined I'd ever trade a baseball card again. Now I make trades on a nearly weekly basis.

How long have you been collecting? Like most bloggers, I started when I was a kid, stopped in high school and college, then recently picked it back up again.

What do you collect? Yankees cards, Tino Martinez, Yankees prospects, and currently 1968 Topps Game. I'm also a fairly avid TTM (Through The Mail) autograph collector.

 The Bungles

How did you come to own these Doonboggles? Frustratingly enough, I was born a Cincinnati Bengals fan. It's the only sport where I follow a non-NY team, and it's horrible. After years of being irrelevant, the 2005 Bengals exploded onto the scene with young talent and an exciting team. They even won the AFC North. I was so inspired, I went on eBay and bought a few lots of Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson cards. I grabbed a few rookies and inserts. I have never collected football cards and I literally had no idea what I was buying at a time when I wasn't even collecting (I was in college). I thought it would be a sound investment. I even told my dad about it while I was home on winter break, and I remember him saying, "you better hang onto those ones, buddy." I didn't spend crazy amounts on autos or game used or rare cards, but the fact that I felt the need to stock up on these guys when I knew nothing about the product I was buying certainly makes me a doonboggle. Just six years later, Carson is sitting out the season because he doesn't want to be associated with Mike Brown or the Bengals, and Chad Johnson has a new last name and is struggling to put up remotely decent numbers in New England's high-powered offense.

He even saved his invoice.  No Credit Cards?  This was old...

What advice would you give to someone who is starting a blog, and/or starting a sport card collection?  For someone starting a blog, I'd say do it for yourself and find your own identity (I'm still looking for mine). Everyone has their unique spin - some guys are team collectors, others player collectors, and others just offer insightful thoughts on the hobby in general. Personally, I like showing off cards I get from other bloggers and showing off TTM successes. It's very Yankee-centric, which probably turns off some potential readers, but I can't please everyone and if it's not to their liking, and that's ok. I use it as a way to stay interested in collecting and I would encourage anyone else to do the same.

For starting a collection, find something you like and don't go overboard. Pick a team or player to focus on and start small. There is always set building too. Try a few different areas of focus and then it'll be easier to narrow down what to collect.
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Thank you for participating AJ!  I would love to do this weekly, so please shoot me an email if you would like to share your Doonboggle story.

Doonboggle: My Contribution to the Cardboard Lexicon

 Doon-bogg-le: [doon-bog-uhl, -baw-guhl]  noun,verb

noun
1.  A serious misjudgement regarding the potential value of a sports card.  Usually occurs as an over-reaction to a hot streak by a player, in which the collector freaks out and buys an expensive card of said player and soon realizes he/she made a big mistake.  
2.  The point after purchase or trade in which a collector asks: "Why do I have this card?"

verb
1.  The actual act of misjudging the potential value of a sports card.   This can include overspending of money towards a card, or the act of submitting a worthless card for grading, among other actions.  The failing end of the process of prospecting.

Perhaps there already is a term out in cardboard land for what I am getting at above.   I like "doonboggle" myself, and hope it catches on like "bipping".  What was my inspiration for this post?  I was petting my cards this evening and came across this thing: 

It's a graded card of Kris Benson.  Keep in mind, it is not my motif to make fun of players, past or present, if I can help it.  Benson was a darn good pitcher for a while,  so I don't mean any disrespect towards him.  And it's a sharp looking card, too.  But.... what in the holy hell am I doing with a graded card of Kris Benson?  I didn't send it in for grading, but obviously I bought this along the way somewhere in my collecting life.  I don't remember when or why I bought this, and I really hope I only got it because it basically a gimmee on eBay or part of a lot or something.  Whatever the back story, there it was, sitting with some other graded cards in one of my boxes.  I needed a word to explain what I had here, and doonboggle seemed to fit.


I am comforted by the thought that I can't be the only person out there that has committed at least one doonboggle in my collecting life.  So I invite you all to submit your doonboggle stories.  I'm going to tie this into a blogger/reader profile series that will have a place on the sidebar of my blog.  If you have a doonboggle you would like to share (it's cathartic, trust me) please shoot me a note.