Night Owl Cards

I haven't attended a Major League Baseball game in more than a decade. It's been even longer for an NFL game. Longer than that for an NHL game. An NBA game? Never. So what's my excuse as a sports fan, whose job is all about sports, whose first choice when flipping on the TV or internet is sports programming? I guess I have a few excuses. They're actually exactly that: excuses. If I really wanted to, I'd get on that MLB website, buy some tickets and head out tomorrow. But most days, the following excuses make total sense: Pro games have gotten way expensive, I live far from large cities, and traveling sounds less and less fun the older I get. (Every time I see one of those car signs that reads "I'd rather be hiking" or "It's always better when you're swimming," I think "I've got to get one of those that says, "I'd rather be home reading a book.'") Obviously, I've settled down. So, naturally...

The most famous person I have ever interviewed is John Elway. I'm in sports after all, so there have been no conversations with kings, presidents or hollywood actors ... thank goodness. But you won't find my interview with Elway under my byline. And that means I can't prove to anyone that I talked to John Elway. But I did. It was on Monday, Sept. 18, 1989 . I was at the Bills' stadium to help cover their Monday Night Football game against the Broncos. It was my first time covering a Monday night game and it was as hectic as an emergency evacuation in the middle of downtown. First, Monday night games don't start at east coast-friendly times. Second, I worked for a newspaper that was an hour away from the Bills' stadium. Third, this was before cell phones and smart phones. Filing remotely was like trying to start a fire under water. So, as the newbie, my designated job was to be the gopher. While the main writer gathered quotes from the home team, the Bil...

A few weeks ago, I resolved to do something about my Bills collection. I have been a fan of the Buffalo Bills since the mid-1980s, back when the team was 2-14 and touted Vince Ferragamo as their starting quarterback. Even before that, I remember making trips to Buffalo and reading about Joe Ferguson, Jerry Butler, Joe Cribbs and Fred Smerlas. Later, during the late 1980s and the team's return to prominence, I covered the Bills as a sports reporter just starting out. The Bills have been my closest connection to professional sports for virtually my entire life, and I've basically ignored them when it comes to collecting cards. That ain't right. So I set out to acquire SOME Bills cards. I have no interest in full-blown football card collecting. I just want a modest amount so when the card police come to my door and say, "What's your favorite football team? May I see your cards, sir?", I will have something to show them. I was able to acquire some q...