Night Owl Cards

I do a pretty good job of coming up with thoughtful posts when I don't have a lot of time. But there are times when I have no time and I just don't feel like digging deep. Today was one of those days. I was randomly looking through past posts, looking for some kind of easy inspiration but not really expecting it. I settled on one post from about a year ago in which I showed the above unopened package of 1989 Baseball Talk cards. It has remained unopened in my collection since that time. With no Baseball Talk "record player" and the Kirk Gibson card already in my possession, I had no incentive to open it ... until now. A lot of this will be well-covered material. The cards are larger than your average card, about 3 1/4-by-5 1/2, with a grooved "record" on the back that plays an interview and highlights when inserted into a special player that I believe you had to purchase separately. Each of the four-packs contain three current players and either ...

I was at the dentist earlier this month. I look forward to/enjoy the dental visit about as much as you can imagine. But I still go because I keep hearing about what happens if you don't. The last couple of visits have been slightly more enjoyable because I have a new dental assistant. The office features three different dentists and several more assistants. I couldn't tell you how many. It seems like about 50. They seem to try to keep certain assistants with certain patients, which I appreciate. And I think I like Rachel quite a bit. She's one of those people who talks about interesting, relatable topics, and even though I'm at least 20 years older than her, I felt -- right there in that dentist chair -- that she could be a long, lost friend. She also didn't talk to me when my mouth was full of water/instruments. Major bonus. So, there we'd be, talking about high school experiences or parents' unfamiliarity with technology when suddenly Rachel would...

I just got finished with a long day of summer vacation stuff and I was looking forward to playing Allen & Ginter Box Buster Bingo over at Crackin' Wax . Unfortunately, the internet was down for like an hour and now I'm beating on the door at CW seeing if they'll let in someone over an hour late, but having no success. So, trade post it is!!!! It was either that or finding something interesting in my latest A&G purchases. And while I look at people who moan about A&G the same way I look at that one person who says "but I don't like chocolate," I will be nice and lay off the A&G for at least one post. I received a stack of Dodger cards from my good man, The Cardboard Don , recently. As you know, he's a Marlins fan. He even stuck this card of Ozzie Guillen -- the current Marlins manager -- in with the Dodgers. I like Ozzie. I've said that before . I know he says stupid stuff. I know he ticks people off. I don't care. I st...

I received a package of shiny in the mail the other day from Mark of Mark's Ephemera . Mark and I have conversed several times via email over the months, and as chance would have it, my wife actually will be traveling past Mark's town of residence next week while on a business trip. They probably won't meet -- unless my wife and her posse's rental car suddenly acts up -- but it's always good to know there's a friendly blogger willing to help out. Plus, he's already provided some good sight-seeing tips. See, hon, this blogging thing is really paying off for both of us! But, of course, the best part of blogging is opening a package in the mail and squinting because there's so much shiny in there! Mark sent me a stack of 2004 Topps Traded Chrome, because he knows I like sparkly things. Cool. One of the best kinds of chrome cards are ones that feature scoreboards in the background like on the Brian Jordan card. I know you can't tell what I'm talkin...

So, what will become of Upper Deck now that Topps has gained exclusive rights to manufacture MLB -licensed cards? You've come to the wrong blog, my friend. I'm not very good at prognosticating. But I do know the obvious: UD can't possibly be as good as it once was under this current format. And to me, it's just the continuation of a downward slope. For me, Upper Deck was king in 1993. That was their peak. They were never better before or after. And their card set that year annihilated every other set on the market. Start with UD's usual awesome photography and combine it with a design that has to be one of the most pleasing of the last 20 years. Isn't that a fantastic-looking card? A nice border, sharp team-colored strip across the bottom, and script font. And the "Upper Deck" lettering across the top makes the entire card. I bought more Upper Deck cards that year than any other brand. Any other brand combined . And for someone who grew up with Top...