Night Owl Cards

  Today is the 50th anniversary of the surgical procedure that gave Tommy John his career back and, by extension, hundreds upon hundreds of major league pitchers, as well as amateur pitchers, too. So much has happened since that initial surgery that merely the mention of it can spawn all kinds of discussions, and "Tommy John Surgery" has been the "nickname" for decades for the ulnar ligament replacement procedure in the reconstruction of a pitcher's elbow. I've talked to Tommy John a couple of times for stories and each time his surgery came up. I can imagine he's talked about it hundreds, if not thousands of times. I had the opportunity to talk to him again recently, but, frankly, I couldn't think of anything new to discuss and didn't want me or him to repeat ourselves, so I passed. But I have something new when it comes to his cards ... well, it's old, but it's new to me.   I've mentioned many times that Tommy John's 1974 Topps ...

  Anyone who reads this blog knows that I appreciate a good anniversary almost as much as Topps does. From my own blog or card-collecting moments to even personal moments, I'll recognize anniversaries here because they're important. It's almost rude to ignore notable events of the past. You always hear that "don't look back" stuff -- from Satchel Paige to Don Henley -- but sometimes strictly looking forward is overrated. You need to see where you've been, too. And, we all know, baseball cards are 60 percent cardboard and 40 percent nostalgia.   I thought I'd recognize the sports card anniversaries that are happening this year with this post. I've probably noted a couple of these already but I'm not above bringing up the past over and over.   It's what I do. Let's go:   5 YEARS AGO   Five years ago, this hobby of ours was transformed into what we know now: empty shelves and people known as "flippers." The pandemic thrust these ...