Night Owl Cards

Even though I've only recently announced my more focused emphasis on set collecting and easing up a bit on the Dodgers completion quest, it's still been quite awhile since I've spent meaningful time with my Dodgers binders. There are a couple of stacks of Dodger cards waiting to enter those hallowed binders. I usually update them after the most recent card show (at only 2 or 3 shows a year, it works out well). But after the last show in October, I didn't bother. So, they wait. Also, it has been awhile since I received a card package like the one that was sent recently by cynicalbuddha at Collector's Crack . This was exclusively Dodgers, and mostly ones from that decade or so when I wasn't collecting. I used to receive packages like this on the regular. It would make me flock to my binders to check whether I needed the cards. Then, since my knowledge of that time has always been limited, I'd have to check them again, because I can't retain anythi...

I've been out of town the last few days as it was my folks' 50th wedding anniversary over the weekend, and in the process, I neglected just about every aspect of being a respectable card blogger and sports fan. Let's relive, shall we?: 1. I was in Buffalo on a Sunday in the fall and did not do what was required. Anyone who finds themselves in this situation -- sports fan or no -- must watch the Bills. It is imperative if you are to stay in the city. I watched on TV for a little bit, saw them fall behind, then got distracted by the lake effect rain outside (yes, lake effect RAIN, I said I was in Buffalo) and left the game so I could travel out of a lake-enhanced monsoon. Punishment? The Bills came back and won while I was in bat-out-of-hell mode. 2. I missed a card show. Yes, one of the four card shows that I get to go to -- I missed it. This card show used to be at the end of every October. Three years ago or so, they moved it to the beginning, and it's been ...

Back before the playoffs started, when every moment was filled with possibility and baseball occupied my daily planner, I entered a World Series contest. It was called the " 3rd Annual Almost Easiest World Series Contest On The Web ," and it's a good thing it was because I don't really enter anything willingly anymore unless some derivation of the word "easy" is in the title somewhere. Even a contest, where I can win free CARDS, isn't incentive enough for me. I've actually read about contests to win free cards in which all I have to do is enter my name, and I click off the post and do not enter. I don't know why I do that. Sometimes I just can't be bothered with someone saying they're going to give me free cards. The nerve of that person. So, Collector's Crack put up his Almost All-Time Easiest Postseason contest and I made the most feeble entry attempt in recorded contest history. Entrants were supposed to guess which two te...

I have removed the poll from the sidebar because I don't think anyone is going to catch the "sea turtle set" in the race for what we should call 2013 Topps. When I took down the poll, "sea turtle set" had 40 votes. The "baseball diamond set" and the "spaceship set" received seven votes apiece. The tortoise wins again. That makes me happy. Because I like "sea turtle set" best. It's quirky. It's whimsical (just like the design, by the way). But I don't want you to have to listen to me explain why the sea turtle is such a worthy creature for such an honor. Instead I'll let Marlin Perkins explain. (You can stop paying attention at 1:27). Well that seals it for me. Any reptile fondled by Marlin should get some sort of reward. So it's official: 2013 Topps, you are officially ... The Sea Turtle Set Congratulations! As for the few vocal dissenters who don't want to have anyt...

As in "certain" that this card is now in my collection. The Nebulous 9 is now down to a mere six cards. That's both due to my laziness in adding more wants and a sudden blitz on the list by fellow collectors. I've received four cards from the Nebulous 9 in the last couple weeks, including this mere 1989 Topps checklist, which came from cynical buddha . Now I can add it to the '89 binder with the rest of the unchecked checklists and everything will match. We must feed the OCD monster. Here are two other cards that came with the checklist: Two ugly Gypsy Queens (although the inserts are just a tiny bit pretty). I need one more base card Dodger and then you can expect never to see these cards on the ever blog again -- unless I'm doing an end-of-the-year post about which set most resembles the outside of a 12th century asylum for the criminally insane. Thanks, CB! This former Nebulous 9 need -- a 2002 Fleer Greats Maury Wills -- arrived fr...