Night Owl Cards

I have found myself in possession of modest number of Reds cards, and it's totally my own doing. As a Dodger fan, there isn't a lot to like about the Reds. The first year I followed the Dodgers, they finished in second place, 20 games behind the Big Red Machine. The following year, the Dodgers finished 10 games behind the BRM. I did not enjoy them. The Reds have been in the World Series three times since I knew what baseball was. I rooted against them every time. And there was also that 1995 NLDS. Nasty stuff. That all seems like ancient history now because Cincinnati hasn't been relevant as a baseball team for a long time. The Reds and Dodgers no longer share the same division, and all that animosity that had been built up since the '70s is slowly trickling away. So, when Red Cardboard announced he was giving away surplus Reds cards, I had no problems entering and adding Reds to my collection! After all, I don't just collect Dodgers. I collect sets and ...

I wish I had time for this blog, but I'm too busy writing for a living right now. I've really been slacking off on these '56 of the Month posts, too. The last one was in September . I'm down to doing them biannually, which I suppose is better than doing them biennially. (Figure it out, English majors). So here is a short-and-semisweet chocolate morsel of a post about the Jim Greengrass card I picked up at a show several months ago. I grabbed it solely because his name is "Greengrass" and he played the outfield. In other words, Greengrass played on green grass. This is fantastic. As I'm sure I said when I acquired the card, why is this guy not mentioned every day? He should be a legend by now. I also enjoy how this card shows some giant billboard advertisement. I don't have any time to look up what it might be, but I want it to be an advertisement for Jamaican Steaks because that's what it looks like it reads next to the action shot of ...

Sometimes I feel like I cheat myself when I attend this particular card show in Syracuse. It takes me an hour to get there and an hour to get back, and lately I've spent maybe 45 minutes at the actual show. I should be soaking up the scene. Checking out all the bargains. Getting my admission fee's worth. Unfortunately, my personality conspires against me in the following ways: 1. I'm a late riser. By the time I get to the show, dealers are talking about what kind of show it's been. 2. I'm not good with crowds. Get me to attend a popular event and I'm automatically figuring out when it will be the least attended and the least populated. 3. I know what I want. There is no "well" or "maybe" or "we'll see" or "well ... maybe ... we'll see." I know what I want and I know what I want to pay for it. 4. I like a lot of cards. I like so many different kinds of cards that my money is gone almost instantly. And...