Night Owl Cards

  Outside of 1975 Topps, 1977 Topps is the set that elicits the most memories for me, underlines what a different time it was and makes me want to go back to sixth grade.   The '77 set doesn't get a lot of love in the hobby but that's because not enough collectors had a sixth grade like mine . The 1977 Topps was at the center of just about everything we did that year and because of that set, I still remember Mario, David, Jeff, Nancy, Gina and Tanya. They all collected along with me, most of them right there in class.   This is why I've looked forward to Heritage covering the sets of the mid-to-late 1970s for so long. Those are the sets I grew up with and kicked off my devotion to collecting. But it's also exactly the time when Heritage pulled away from what it has been since its beginning in 2002, a set-collector's set, and the last surviving one besides flagship.     Still I pressed forward because of how much I love those '70s sets and designs. I was only...

  I went out to get some groceries for making dinner yesterday and popped over to Target for a couple of extras, so let's zip down to the card aisle, too.   It was filled with baseball product. Just about everything really, in multiple forms. Too bad I can't get into much of it. But for old-time's sake, I picked up a rack pack of two sets that I used to love.   Man, I really did love Stadium Club. And I really, really loved Heritage. But the falling out with Stadium Club has been a slow departure over the years. Heritage is more of an abrupt break. Topps/Fanatics is blatantly trying to turn Heritage into something else -- something I don't want to collect.   I think both deserve their own post to explain the falling apart. But quickly I wanted to mention the price for each of these. They were both $6.99.   That means the Stadium Club cards -- the cards that for more than 15 years were always among the most expensive to buy as far as retail product -- are now a r...

I went out shopping for a Generation Z eater yesterday. If you have kids in the house, you might know what that means. I don't think we have a full handle on the "Generation Z" generation yet, but I believe when it all shakes out, one of its main defining characteristics -- other than their insistence on using social media and technology that no one over the age of 25 uses -- is their habit of binging on everything. Show-binging is the most famous one. My daughter does that. But she also "binges" on types of food. This has nothing to do with any kind of eating disorder. She simply decides she likes a certain snack food a lot, must have it , then eats it for like six months, and then never wants it again. I was setting out to get one of those must-have snacks, when I realized I needed a few other items. I didn't have the energy to go to multiple stores, and I knew that Walmart would have everything I needed, so I dutifully drove to Walmart. So I coul...