Night Owl Cards

  The other day I received one of those pink postage-due-your-cards-are-waiting-for-you-way-down-at-the-post-office slips.   I always go and pay the postage because CARDS, and even being down to one vehicle -- that also needs work done kind of immediately -- wasn't going to stop me. It was a little surprising how much "postage due" has gone up for simple PWE, but after seeing the contents, I was happy I made the effort.   The cards arrived from reader Casey, all 13 of them stuffed into that one envelope, and some required extra protection, too. But this wasn't 1991 Donruss, or even the average modern cards I usually receive. Certainly worth the cost.     I'll start with one of the many parallels in products these days. This is one of the acceptable ones because it involves color, and also I'm always grateful when someone sends me an Ohtani card.     My first team logo border parallel. I've seen plenty of these online over the last couple of years but n...

  As a known enthusiast for the 1970s, I've got the history of the decade down pretty well. I didn't follow the news much during that decade -- I was just a kid -- but a lot of what happened was around me, on the TV here and there, the gas lines and the peace talks and the disco scene. I was aware of what went on in the back half of the decade more than the front half.   The first part, I don't know a lot, just what the history chroniclers tell me. The year 1971, in particular, is the most mysterious to me.   I recall listening on the radio to a decade wrap-up music show that was popular around the close of 1979/early 1980. Mixed in with the music from each year was a news highlight from that year. I can't recall each one, except for 1971, which recounted the tale of "D.B. Cooper" and the hijacking of a Boeing 727, Northwest Orient Flight 305, out of Portland, Oregon in November of that year.  It remains the most mysterious hijacking in U.S. history. Cooper --...

  One of the bothersome things about Topps Heritage that I never mention is the choice Topps made when they started the brand.   When Heritage debuted in 2001, Topps chose to start with the 1952 design. It ignored the '51 game cards that actually kicked off the Topps brand and that decision has led to confusion every year since.   Look back at your Heritage cards. What year did the 1968 design cards come out? 2018? No! They came out in 2017! Remember when the 1956-designed cards were issued? It was 2005, but, man does my brain have a difficult time not thinking they came out in 2006. If only that last digit lined up! Things would be so much easier.   Topps could actually say, "in honor of the 50th anniversary of Topps' 1969 set we bring you 2019 Heritage with the '69 design." But they can't. And I can't say it either.   All Topps had to do was start with the '51 design ... or begin Heritage in 2002 with the 1952 design. Years of my addled brain becomin...

Circumstances over the past 24 hours have me thinking about legacies, specifically how you will be remembered and what you will leave behind. There was a shooting in my city yesterday, one of those horrific workplace shootings in which two people died senselessly and the entire community was turned upside down. This type of thing is disturbingly common now but it's an awful first for my city and it took place on the same block where I work. One building away.   It makes you think about a lot of things. One of the big ones is "have I done enough to be remembered?"   Oh, there are those who think that type of talk is selfish and "who cares" and "I'm going to live how I want to live and who gives a damn if anyone remembers me." Great. Enjoy that train wreck. I think it's natural to think about your legacy, your contribution. Legacies aren't just for famous people, celebrities or sports figures, Kirk Gibson limping around the bases on video for...

Topps Heritage is scheduled for release on St. Patrick's Day. Although I enjoy the 1972 design a lot -- have I mentioned I've completed that set? --  I won't be buying much of this year's Heritage, probably no more than a sampling. I'm still too involved with 2020 Heritage, because that's how long it takes for a rational collector to complete a Heritage set. Actually it takes longer than that: I'm still trying to finish 2008 Heritage. But I've gotten a lot farther on 2020 Heritage than I ever imaged at this time last year. Recently I received six needed cards from the set from reader Ben. He sent a very nice "thanks for blogging" package and you'll see the rest of the goodies another day. This card put me four cards away from completing the non-short-printed portion of the set. That's pretty damn good for someone who hasn't seen much of this set for sale since a year ago at this time.   The rest of the Heritage cards in the package ...

  Around this time of year, my world ramps up and I get amped up.   The Super Bowl makes things busy at work and also for me as a fan. Usually, February means the start of area high school playoffs that continue throughout the month and into March. That's not going to happen this year, but a few teams are going to start playing some games soon and that's practically the playoffs for them (and us, too) during pandemic times.   February also means the beginning of "birthday season" in my family and extended family. And sometimes I'm thrown two weeks of a Winter Olympics to handle as well.   Into all of this, Topps decides to release its most anticipated set of the season, the reason for it existing really, the First Cards Of The Season.   I've always considered this a terrible time to release its set. Not only am I incredibly busy but the weather is usually ass. Six-foot piles of snow in the Target parking lot is not uncommon. But I shovel myself out because it...