Night Owl Cards

Some of you need some cheering up . I think I have the perfect thing. I rarely wish that I was capable of video on this blog. But this is the one time that I do. I received a gift in the mail a couple of weeks ago from Andy of the Baseball-Reference.com blog . It was a thank you for my blog work and contributions to the B-R blog. The gift was one of the coolest items that I have received since blogging, and probably years before that. You're looking at the gift right now. The scan that you see is a scan of an unopened wax package of 1975 Topps MINIS . A 36-year-old wax pack dating back to the very first year that I opened packs of cards. And we're going to open it. I expect it to be something like this: Except, you know, more manly, with beer and babes and bazookas. But first we're going to take a look at the back of the wrapper, all nerdy-like. What a wonderful sight. Sealed just for me, and packaged with just the right amount of dextrose and B...

I'd like to point you in the direction of the baseball-reference.com blog . The fine folks at that glorious baseball oasis linked to my Mickey post from a few days ago , and riffed on the nickname that has fallen into disrepair in the major leagues. It's always cool when one of my posts makes it onto the big boys' sites. So check it out if you haven't already. Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of card show land today, which is why I'm making this short. I just can't put together a coherent thought when I'm surrounded by so much cardboard. I'll be back with my usual inanity soon. Oh, and somebody please feed Mickey Rivers. He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks.

If everything goes on schedule, my first Baseball-Reference.com blog post should appear next week. What can you expect from those periodic posts? Well, basically the same stuff you see here. Consider them "Cardboard Appreciation" posts, but with a wider and much more intimidating audience. But I do feel up to the task, which is why I agreed to jam the gig into my schedule. I appreciate that Andy asked me to help out, and that he sent some cards my way, possibly as "payment" for my assistance. I do love getting paid in cards. Andy sent me exactly 136 cards off my want list for 2009 O-Pee-Chee. I now need just 20 cards to complete that wonderfully wacky set. Among the cards he sent me are the typically strange and typically wonderful, which is what '09 OPC is known for: Floating heads. Giants heads. Strange camera angles. Commentaries on the attendance habits of South Florida fans. Now for the wonderful: The home run by Soriano appears to be...