Night Owl Cards

   Like several other bloggers I received a nice care package from Bob of the best bubble a couple of weeks ago.   I'm just getting to it because -- yes, life has reared its ugly head again. But also it took me a number of days to figure out exactly what I had once I spilled the contents. Lots of oddball stuff and other items I don't come across every day.   I'll separate these into "STUFF I KNOW," "STUFF I FIGURED OUT" and "STUFF I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS".     * STUFF I KNOW*   Yes, I know this is a 1996 Finest card. I have it already. But I've suckered myself into collecting both the cards with the coating intact and the ones with it removed. I need help.     A 2013 Gypsy Queen mini of former Dodgers reliever Paco Rodriguez. 2013 was the year for Paco Rodriguez cards. Rodriguez last pitched in the majors 11 years ago and he's now 35. We're all old.       Another Dover reprint card for the collection of one of my pre-war...

There is a quote from the movie "Dazed and Confused," in which 20-something loser Dave Wooderson utters what is now a T-shirt/meme/excuse to eyeball 16-year-olds: "I get older, they stay the same age." This is meant as a distasteful, lecherous statement, but as you get even older than 20-something, it transforms into a lament. Yes, I'm getting older, but dammit, there are always all these young people, all the same age, looking the way I used to and enjoying the things I used to, and it's a little difficult sometimes reconciling that. It's apparent every time I look in the mirror. Less hair, more lines. The body doesn't do what I ask it to do often enough or well enough. And then there's my view on things. I try not to sound old, but it's a fact, the music, the styles, the clothing, the hair, the card stock, it all used to be better. It's obvious, I get older and nothing is getting better. At least from my perspective. But there ...

In 1992, U2 came out with a song called "One." It was hugely popular. I liked it, too. U2 was my favorite band since way back in 1982 when no one outside of the U.K. knew what a U2 was. But not long after One, Mysterious Ways and Achtung Baby, I started to lose interest. U2 got a little strange for me, and Bono, who was always the "look at me" sort, seemed like he was ready to swallow the whole band. In fact, if rock stars wore jerseys with uniform numbers, I'm pretty sure Bono would wear the No. 1. That's how some of us view that number, as a blatant way to draw attention to oneself. "Look at me, I'm No. 1" And then there is the corresponding reaction: "Who does he think he is, wearing the No. 1? This is a team game. Nobody is above anyone else. Nobody is "No. 1." But I get the feeling that for baseball folks, the No. 1 means something different. Or at least it does with the Dodgers. The Dodger associated the most wi...