Night Owl Cards

  I hadn't done much with the momentum that came with acquiring the 1954 Topps Tom Lasorda card months ago . With Lasorda's arrival, I was down to two cards to finish the '54 Dodgers team set, but the Rube Walker card sat in my online cart for ages, just daring someone to snatch it. Fortunately, not many collectors appreciate an off-condition card of a backup Brooklyn catcher. Their loss. I finally added it. That allowed me to slip Walker into the 15th spot and that was so satisfying ... Just wonderful. I've never been a big fan of the 1954 set but as often happens when you line them up all together in a display, you discover a set's appeal (once again, binders over boxes, folks).   There is the back for Albert Bluford Walker Jr. Interesting that the cartoon strip clearly references Roy Campanella but doesn't mention him by name. Campanella was under contract with rival Bowman in 1954. So Walker is finally secured ... and, yes, I've been hearing the "ye...

The Dodgers have been very busy this offseason, adding just about anyone that will fit into their budget, which is to say they haven't added a single player who I think can help them win a World Series. In fact, it would be more inspiring seeing Bo Derek out there in the outfield, riding her horse after fly balls, than Jay Gibbons, Tony Gwynn Jr., Marcus Thames or Gabe Kapeler. Inspiring in a different kind of way, perhaps. But this isn't a post about Derek or Dudley Moore or the movie I really, really, really wanted to see when I was 14 years old. This is only a post about the number 10. There are a lot of new additions to the team and I'm curious to know which Dodger will land the coveted uniform number 10. It has always been my favorite uniform number, not because of Derek's cinematic breakout but because of a player who worked for the Dodgers from the early 1970s to early 1980s. Before and since that time, the No. 10 has been worn by Dodgers low and high....

I am genuinely happy for collectors when they land a key vintage card or a great pull of whatever gimmick is popular these days. Their success is success for the collector in general. It's cool. It's inspirational and a reason why I dial through the blogs every day. Even when my fellow Dodger fans display the great Dodger cards they've acquired, I can't help but be pleased for them. We share a mutual appreciation for the best cards on earth. We should be happy for each other, regardless of whether we have that card or not. But then there are the collectors who are fans of other teams that display their cool Dodger cards. Ooof. I try. I really try to be happy for them. I even rehearse to myself what I'm going to say in the comments: "Great card! Nice pick-up. Oooh! Good for you!" But that's rarely what I write. Sometimes I don't write anything at all. Sometimes I do write something. It goes along these lines: "Wow. You...