Night Owl Cards

  I'm sure you've noticed that things are still glitchy out there. Trying to find a doctor to treat a specialized problem is an endless circle of phone calls and waiting. The pasta section of one grocery store has been nearly empty for weeks with that all-too-familiar attached note about "our suppliers." Then there's the mail. I received a voice mail from my curb-side garbage pick-up service that they hadn't received my most recent payment. I had noted the same thing while watching my account. I figured an actual voice mail after only a couple of weeks deserved my attention, so I called, was assured it was likely lost in the mail and made another payment. Two days later, my account showed that my service had cashed that check that was "lost in the mail." Card mail has been glitchy, too. I haven't been able to write a particular post because the last cards I needed for it I had expected to arrive by mid-week. They're still not here. Also, an e...

(When I was a kid I begged to stay up for the World Series and wished it would last forever. Now I'm required to stay up for the World Series and can't wait for it to end. Life plays tricks, man. Welcome to Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 214th in a series): This has been one of my favorite cards from the 1976 Topps set since I first saw it in 1976. I'm sure that if you asked me then, "why do you like this card so much?" I wouldn't have been able to explain it. I still don't know if I can explain it. But I'm going to make an attempt. I think the reason why I like/liked it is because it was so unusual for its time and that made it stand out to me. Even in 1976, almost four decades ago, the photograph on this card was old-fashioned the moment people pulled the card. Pretending to field a fly ball? Wasn't that something they did on cards from the '60s? In the years since, the old "pretend" poses have gradually been fazed o...

I'd like to point you in the direction of the baseball-reference.com blog . The fine folks at that glorious baseball oasis linked to my Mickey post from a few days ago , and riffed on the nickname that has fallen into disrepair in the major leagues. It's always cool when one of my posts makes it onto the big boys' sites. So check it out if you haven't already. Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of card show land today, which is why I'm making this short. I just can't put together a coherent thought when I'm surrounded by so much cardboard. I'll be back with my usual inanity soon. Oh, and somebody please feed Mickey Rivers. He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks.

If there is such a thing as a midlife crisis, then I think I am going through it. Don't get too concerned. I'm fine. And I'm not going to do anything stupid. It's just that if you look up the symptoms of the supposed midlife crisis, there are a few that I find extremely, extremely familiar. One of these symptoms is a feeling that life has passed you by, that you're getting ready to hit the second half of life (or already in the second half -- God only knows), and most of what's going on in the world isn't really intended for you anymore. Again, I'm not crushed by this, but I'm aware of the feeling. In terms of baseball, that feeling is definitely there. I've already documented that I've probably reached the point where there is no current ballplayer who is older than me. Jamie Moyer can say all he wants about how he'll be back soon, but I will believe it when I see it. Midlife Night Owl is too experienced to take everything and ev...

This is probably better suited to my other blog. But that's what makes the 1975 Topps set so great. There is so much awesomeness in this set that it can't be contained to one blog! The aspect of the '75 set that I wanted to mention today concerns the All-Time Fan Favorites set that Topps put out from 2003-05. I've mentioned this before: it needs to come back . It was a great set. Plus, it can take a lot of the credit for my return to card collecting. When I started collecting cards again in 2004 my only goal was to complete the 1975 set. But the act of collecting perked my interest in cards that were sold in stores. I wasn't interested in the current card set of the day (2004 Topps still makes me sleepy). But I picked up a couple packs of '04 Fan Favorites and I was hooked. I tried to complete the entire set that year, but fell short. I'm still short a number of cards. But it's my goal some day to finish off that set as well as the 2003 and 2005 Fa...

It's a very busy night in a very busy week. I don't have much time for anything except the mundane realities of life. But I do have enough time to open my first pack of 2010 cards. As you know, Phungo Cards have hit the streets and the maker is right on top of things. Instead of having to drive all the way to the store to buy these, he delivers them right to your door! Now that's service. Anyway, I think we've all seen these before. A nice mix of Phungo originals with cards from your traditional card manufacturers. Ten cards per pack. Eleven cards if you find a Black Frame insert. Let's see if I get lucky: 1. Chan Ho Park, Phungo original: Another Park card to add to my monster pile of Chan Hos. Yes, I realize that last sentence sounded dirty. 2. Johnny Podres , 2005 Topps Fan Favorites: Darn, a double. How many times does the first pack of the year contain a double? 3. Orel Hershiser , 1989 Baseball Card Magazine: Awesome! A Hershiser card I n...