Night Owl Cards

  Wow, where is everybody? It seems like everyone ditched their computers the last 3 days. I'm glad I pulled all those Don Gullett cards.   That's OK. The Twitter crowd has my back.   Also, I know you'll be back. You can't stay away from cards forever.   I'll still be here (well, until I go on vacation myself). I'll still be discussing the cards, wondering why Topps suddenly changed from featuring players randomly on a 1952-themed insert in Series 1 this year to featuring players randomly on a 1965-themed insert in Series 2. Not only are there too many inserts, but Topps can't even be bothered with incorporating a consistent theme for them through a full year. This card arrived from Cardboard Catastrophes . Jeff actually found a 2021 Topps Series 2 blaster at Walmart. Lucky him. I went to Walmart yesterday for the first time in nearly a year. The card aisle displays were stripped bare. But I did find some pages, which are actually more useful than the cards...

I have long admired this card.   It's an Awesome Night Card from way back and it was one of the only 1986 Topps cards that I owned in 1986. I don't remember at all buying packs of cards in '86 and I had so few that year, but I must have bought some because I've known about that Bo Diaz card for 35 years.   I've known about it for so long that it seemed a given for the upcoming Greatest 100 Cards of the '80s countdown. A tag at the plate was relatively rare on cards in the '80s and to get the entire scene in the frame, and also knowing who is being tagged out , was an achievement. It is an achievement. (Also, they're somehow playing while it's snowing). But after reviewing eligible candidates for the countdown, I began to have my doubts. Oh, that's not taking anything away from the Diaz card. It's still great. But have you noticed how terrific the catcher cards are in 1986 Topps? We'll start from the beginning. At card No. 88 is Tom Niet...

Like it or not, the "sick hit" is the Hollywood moment of our hobby. It's not completing a set or finding that Heritage short-print or discovering a funny little fact on the back. It's this:  "SICK! NO. 1/5 DARVISH AUTO/PATCH GREEN CHROME REFRACTOR DIECUT WITH SPARKLES! BOOOM!" Even someone like me, pretty much entrenched in old card sets now, will click on a post that screams like that to see that card. It's a show-stopper. A thrill. And even a collector who doesn't live for the hit, can appreciate the glory of the moment, and even wish it was them ... a little. The pull of the pull is strong, even if it's not your main mission. My card-buying purpose is to complete sets and find Dodgers. Maybe a little trade bait. If I get a hit -- like the 2008 A&G Kosuke Fukudome gimmicked SP that I pulled in a discount pack in 2009 -- then that's a nice perk and a moment to share. It won't turn me into a Nuthin' But Da HIIIIITZ You...

As the baseball card blog world's night owl, I feel obligated to keep tabs on things like this. I haven't come across very many birds on baseball cards. Granted, I haven't looked through my entire collection. I don't have time for stuff like that. But you'd think there would be a stray bird here or there walking on the field during spring training drills or even soaring through the sky in the distance in the background. There doesn't seem to be much of that. Personally, I think it's because birds are freaked out by baseball players. They have their reasons, as you'll see in a moment. But despite their absence, I am going to chronicle instances of birds on baseball cards, whether they're real birds or not. I will update this post as I find more. Also, if you find some, let me know. I'll include scans if you'd like to email them, or I'll fetch the card in my collection if I have it. I know there are birds on old-timey tobacco card...

I was going to do another trade post tonight. But then I started trying to catch up on all the blog posts I missed tonight while occupied by work. I came across a few Hall of Fame posts, since in a few short hours the 2010 selections -- if any -- will be announced. I started to comment on one of the posts and then I realized I was babbling for far too long and that it needed to be a post of my own. So, here it is. Take it for what it's worth. As a writer for over 20 years, I take offense when people lump all writers together under some sort of derogatory heading that often goes like this: "Writers don't know shit." OK. Let's dissect that a little. That's what's known as a generalization. Here is something that's a little more accurate: "SOME writers don't know shit." And here's the other part of that more accurate statement: "Some writers know more than you or I will ever know." When the Hall of Fame select...

(The list of appreciation days continues: hairstyle appreciation day - April 30, boss appreciation day - Oct. 16, national meatloaf appreciation day - Oct. 18. I still think we can squeeze a baseball collectors appreciation day in there somewhere. It's time for cardboard appreciation and another one of my all-time favorites. This is the 12th in a series): A lot of people like this card. But find me a person who doesn't like it. You can't. Because it's amazing. It's a play at the plate, with Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk waiting for the throw as Cecil Fielder barrels down on him, and some other Tiger (Travis Fryman, maybe?) tells Big Daddy to GET DOWN! Throw in the fact that it all takes place in old Comiskey Park, with its yellow police tape seat railings, and you have a card worthy of appreciation. But the reason I'm pulling this card out again is because I'm noticing how much 1991 Topps has grown on collectors over time. If you went back in time 18 ye...