Night Owl Cards

Yesterday, I was reminded again that Melvin Upton Jr. is a Blue Jay. It's difficult to keep track these days as players seem to be change scenery more and more often. And in this very "life goes too fast" year of 2016, I'm in a perpetual state of catch-up. It doesn't help that players like Melvin Upton Jr. are on a new team each year. It doesn't help that players like Melvin Upton Jr. didn't even have the same name he did less than two years ago! Yes, Melvin Upton Jr. started out on very different terms not so long ago. He played for a team formerly known as the Devil Rays. And Upton was formerly known as "B.J." That transition was marked by Topps in 2015, with a card in flagship and a card in Update: And a very helpful notation of the name change on the back of the Update card: That got me thinking about other name changes. I'm not referring to wholesale name changes, like David Arias transforming into David Ortiz,...

There are a number of hobby tasks I must address both here on the blog and elsewhere. But today is not the day for that because -- say it with me -- I have no time. I am spending my day working, as well as searching for cards for people as I continue to dig out from a backlog of IOUs dating to at least last November. I'm progressing as I've gone from about 5 weeks behind to 3-4 weeks behind. One of those folks on the "find him cards" list is Jaybarkerfan's Junk , just because I know he needs more Junk. I know that because he keeps sending cards out to people at a pace that could only be described as "frantic." I feel obligated to replenish his supply. This is the second time in the last couple of months that he's sent cards to me unsolicited-like. And, just like the last time, the cards are both tailored to my interests and gloriously random. A creased checklist from 1971 Topps? That is both very specific and "where is this coming f...

(Weeeee! It's another round of training at work! Those of you on summer vacation, remember those of us who are staring at four windowless walls this week. I'm sure I'll daydream about baseball cards at some point in there. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 118th in a series): I received this card twice over the last week. One from Brian at Play at the Plate and one from Johnny at Cards From the Quarry . It's one of the many charming cards from the OPC set from a couple of years ago. Johnny also threw in the Edinson Volquez card from the set. Both Upton and Volquez were two of the final five cards that I needed to complete the set. And then there were three ... #274 - Scott Feldman #413 - Marcus Thames #418 - Justin Duchscherer A Ranger, a Tiger and an A. That shouldn't be too difficult. However, when I do complete it, it will be a significant occasion. And here's why: I don't know when I'll complete another set. Oh, I know,...

I decided to rip a pack of 2008 Topps Stadium Club here, because that's what all the kids are doing these days. You won't find me featuring the latest and greatest very often, so enjoy it while it lasts. Actually, I got this pack today so I can lead into something else. It has to do with the polls off to the right. I'll get to that in a minute. In the meantime, you might be asking yourself: only a pack? How come there's no blaster? And my response is: one month to Christmas my friends. No blasters until after then. If you want to see Stadium Club blasters, check out a number of the fine card blogs out there. Cardboard Icons, Free Andy LaRoche, Fielder's Choice, and a bunch of others have busted this stuff in the last few days. My quick thoughts on Stadium Club before I get to the cards: I respect Stadium Club, I recognize its ground-breaking ways, I like its photography. But I'm not ga-ga over it, like some are. Full-bleed photos contribute to a sameness in whi...

I'm sure everyone's read those "etiquette in the work place" articles that are always popping up in the business section of newspapers. Inevitably, in those articles, there is a mention of email etiquette. And one of the most frequently mentioned pieces of advice is on sending hastily-written emails. "Wait 24 hours!" they say, before hitting "send" on an email you might regret. I'm sure the same goes for posting. But I've waited -- OK, not quite 24 hours, make it more like 10 -- and I'm still posting, dammit! And this is what I'm saying: I don't see anyone preventing Tampa Bay from winning the World Series in a couple of weeks. Seriously, what I see on the TV is three teams playing with their flaws hanging out and Tampa Bay, playing like a postseason team should. The Rays are playing like the Rockies last season, only there are no 2007 Red Sox lying in wait for the Rays in the Series. So, this is what I see: the Rays facing the...