Night Owl Cards

Ah, 1998, an epic year in the night owl timeline. But baseball cards didn't have anything to do with it. I was five years into my collecting hiatus. The year is legend because I became a dad. I am sure I watched some of the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run race with a baby in my arms.   Somewhere in the summer of 1998, my wife and I were wheeling that baby in her stroller while walking through a mall, I don't remember which one. We walked into a chain book store -- I don't remember which one -- and I spotted Topps cards on one of those islands near the front of the store. They were packs of 1998 Topps. OK, sure, I'll grab a couple of packs and see what cards look like in the year 1998.   I recall thinking they were OK, nothing special. They certainly didn't break my hiatus, which lasted for another eight years, give or take a pack or two. I had no idea how active the hobby was at that time -- the number of sets and companies and "innovation." It was a year...

I've said this many times, but a want list is a wonderful, wonderful thing. If you have a blog and don't have a want list, I have only one question for you: "What? You don't like cards?" Posting a want list on your blog is such a successful enterprise that it can be a little TOO successful at times. One small example: I received this non-descript, late 1990s card of Jose Vizcaino throwing out an anonymous Brave (I choose to keep him anonymous because it's a Brave. I don't care) from Wes at Jaybarkerfan's Junk . It was part of a big lot of Dodgers that I'll show some other time. I was very happy to receive the card because like a lot of my late '90s wants, it's been sitting on the want list  forever. I'm convinced nobody was collecting cards during the late '90s. With all the Yankee championships at that time, I understand. Too depressing to do anything at all. So with one '98 Fleer Tradition want eliminated, I wen...