Night Owl Cards

  I'm not sure where I got this post idea, it's possible it came from Nick's blog , but the spark from wherever made me wonder about switch-hitters and cards. How easy was it to find separate cards of a switch-hitter hitting from both sides of the plate, or at least posing as both a left-handed batter and right-handed batter? My guess was it's probably pretty easy. And in researching, I found that it's very easy. Just to have a frame of reference, I found this article from three years ago, presenting a lineup of the best switch-hitters in MLB history. Then I went to work going through my collection. Even in this era of being able to find almost any card image on TCDB, etc., I still would rather pull cards from my collection when I can. Yeah, it takes longer and, oh, the putting back , but I'm a slave to tradition.   Here is a look at the team (remember, I didn't pick this team) and a card of each player as a lefty and righty swinger:     Left field: Tim Ra...

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...

I just dropped the scanner lid on my fingernail. The lid is thicker and heavier than it has any need to be, and one the many visible signs that my scanner was created by baboons. At any rate, my finger hurts and I'm trying to type without it, but it's not going very well. So let's see how long this lasts ... I'm very excited about my next post -- that's right, the post after this one. Sorry you're not reading my best effort this time around. But just to lead into that exciting post, I'm showing you some minis I've received lately. The most recent card packages I've received have been mini-heavy and they're about to consume the card desk, so I've got to get them out of the way. Here are some sent to me from a mini-exclusive package by Brian at Play At The Plate : The most excellent Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier and the departed James Loney. The Kershaw will be going toward the new frankenset quest because I received a pair of K...

Way back in the first days of the blog, I mentioned that the one player in the major leagues today who seemed like he was put on this earth to play baseball, the one player who I couldn't possibly envision doing anything else, was Chipper Jones. Even though there could be any number of players about which you could say the same thing, for me, there could be only one player like this at a time. The first player I attached to this concept was Cal Ripken Jr. No real surprise. He came from a baseball family. What else was he going to do? But when I saw Ripken, I knew that he was THE Baseball Guy, the man who if someone said, "give me an example of the ideal baseball player," would flash instantly on everyone's screen. But Ripken held that title all the way until his retirement. Being THE Baseball Guy is a career-long responsibility, and no one can take it from you. Since Ripken's departure, Jones has held the honor. But now that Chipper is old and dec...

In the last 5-to-10 years, the percentage of night cards in sets has exploded. Reasons for that include Upper Deck's exceptional photography over the years, Topps devoting entire subsets to the All-Star Game, and the general tendency to start sporting events later and later (which is both a blessing and a curse for the night owl). In fact, night cards are so frequent that I have an unlimited supply. I can also start to consider something that never would have been possible even 15 years ago: Which player has appeared on the most night cards? Now, I haven't figured this out. First, I don't have the time for that right now. Second, with the exception of one binder, most of my night cards are scattered about willy nilly. Third, I don't have a lot of cards from the Upper Deck late '90s/early '00s period, where I imagine there were a great many night cards. But I do have some guesses. Jimmy Rollins, for example, seems to keep popping up on night cards. I l...

Before something changes -- after all, both teams won last night -- I better get this written quickly. I'm feeling a strange kinship with Braves fans these days. That seldom happens. And I know it won't last. But the seasons of the Braves and Dodgers have been fairly similar after the first month. Both teams are unexpectedly at the bottom of their respective divisions. Both are 9-14. Both are decent at home, horrible on the road. Both have dealt with injury issues, to the starting lineup and the pitching staff. Both have outfielders in extended slides. And both, most importantly, have an excruciating, infuriating, maddening, pull-out-my-eyeballs-and-fling-them-into-the-air inability to score runs. Players get on base, enjoy the surroundings, chat with the fielders, work a crossword puzzle, settle in for a picnic, take a nap, wake up to realize they're STILL ON SECOND, father a child (they're major leaguers, they can do anything), compute how many cars they will...

So, what will become of Upper Deck now that Topps has gained exclusive rights to manufacture MLB -licensed cards? You've come to the wrong blog, my friend. I'm not very good at prognosticating. But I do know the obvious: UD can't possibly be as good as it once was under this current format. And to me, it's just the continuation of a downward slope. For me, Upper Deck was king in 1993. That was their peak. They were never better before or after. And their card set that year annihilated every other set on the market. Start with UD's usual awesome photography and combine it with a design that has to be one of the most pleasing of the last 20 years. Isn't that a fantastic-looking card? A nice border, sharp team-colored strip across the bottom, and script font. And the "Upper Deck" lettering across the top makes the entire card. I bought more Upper Deck cards that year than any other brand. Any other brand combined . And for someone who grew up with Top...