Night Owl Cards

  I've collected for a long time. It's kind of difficult to imagine someone picking up collecting for the first time in 2022. This very year. But I'm sure there are some newbies out there. I'd like to think they're the new kind of collector who goes to the store looking for packs to rip. But probably not. Probably a bunch of newcomers looking for a '54 Aaron to grade. I'm not sure whether 2022 is an ideal year to start in the baseball card hobby, and this is the thought I had that led to this post. I once wrote a post titled "the best years to begin collecting" six years ago (2016 is 6 years ago? 😳). This will be the opposite of that. This one will be more controversial, I'm sure. That's because collecting cards is super-subjective. What's good and bad, great and lousy almost always depends on the individual collector's frame of reference. Whatever year that collector started in the hobby was the greatest year ever, and that set/t...

The postseason has transformed into a pile of crap, just as I suspected . It's the continuation of a horrid cycle that began in 2009, in which the two teams that I hate more than any other keep showing up and winning the World Series without any regard for the fact that I've despised them since I was 10. And I'm really sick of the "jolly good show" comments from the likes of MLB and the MLB Network about how terrific the games have been, as if they don't have anything to sell. A party in which nobody attends except your enemies is not a party, no matter how fantastic the caterer is. No, it's a great big colorful suckfest. I'm reduced to rooting for the Tigers, who have almost no chance because their bullpen is made out of kerosene and a few of Jim Leyland's discarded, still-lit cigarettes. It's depressing, and I probably won't watch but a few snippets of the rest of the playoffs. And that's depressing, too. And what do I do...

I believe that Reggie Jefferson is taking his fielding stance at first base in a major league stadium. But the lighting in the photo on this card gives me the impression that he's in a minor league park. That's appropriate because right about now I should be taking in another Syracuse Chiefs game. No, it's not a night game, but the tickets were FREE, so I'm willing to suspend the night owl act for a day. The Chiefs, still the Triple A affiliate of your beloved Washington Nationals (still no Strasburg, still no Harper), are taking on the Lehigh Valley IronPIGS today. When I told the female members of the family that the Chiefs were playing the IronPigs, they both scrunched up their nose in that "ewwwwwww, yuuuuuuckk" way. But they'll get over it. I don't know what else to expect. I'm hoping for a game as interesting as last year . But I know I don't have a lot of time, so here is a quick look at who I am most interested in seeing: ...

Do these Mantle cards from 2006 give you blinding, regret-filled flashbacks? They do me. The Mickey Mantle home run history cards were a plague on the hobby for several years, but began with one single card. The card was of Mantle's first home run. It came out in Series 1 of Topps' 2006 base set. I have no idea what the seeding rate was for this particular card, but every rack pack appeared to feature one. In 2006, I bought rack packs like they were food and the world was ending. So, when I head to my big box of dupes, the tiny tribute to Mantle's very first homer is still going strong, and I am powerless to stop it because none of the cards are edible. This causes me to wonder if 2006 was the year I blew the most money on cards. Chris at Stale Gum features a running total on his sidebar of how much he has spent on cards each year. That's rather brave of him. I have never calculated it. All I know is I have a budget, and I try to stick to it. But total cash wast...

This is what is known as "lowering your expectations." It's a tried and true Night Owl tactic. I have been quite good at this since I was a youngster. This weekend I am supposed to pick up another box of cards purchased for me at a flea market by my brother-in-law. I'm told it's a big box. I don't know what is in it other than that there are baseball cards and non-baseball cards (that's narrowing it down, huh?). There are no football cards because my brother-in-law removed them for himself. He is a football fan, yet he knows nothing about cards and is under the assumption, as all non-card collectors are, that every card ever made will make them rich. But I am just as guilty as hopeful anticipation as he is. I can't wait to see what's in the box. Perhaps there is one fool out there who has no idea of the value of 1951 Bowman cards and threw them in a box for public review, and my brother-in-law just happened to be the first one to walk by, a...

I turned on the heat in my car this evening. Can you believe that? It's July 4 th . With the way this summer has been, we're going to be grilling for warmth on the holiday. Today it rained all day. And it was a cold rain. With wind. So far in the Northeast, April has been three months long. But I won't let the weather spoil my Independence Day. There will be hot dogs, hamburgers, fried dough, amusement park rides, water rides and fireworks (my brother-in-law oversees the show at the park). And I can't think of a more American thing to do than post about a baseball card package received in the mail! Why, it's practically my patriotic duty! This package is from Mark of Stats on the Back , who last I knew was off to Europe. Spending the 4 th in a different country is something I'm familiar with, although I was in less distant surroundings . I partied with friends in Montreal on our nation's 214 th birthday. Mark sent some Dodger needs and another app...

I don't expect to measure up to the "competition" tonight. Bloggers are breaking news about 2009 Allen & Ginter (commence drooling now ) and creating their own set of "The Big Lebowski" cards. I can't match that. So all I can do is come up with a sensational post title and hope you stick around until the end. Hey, it works for the New York Post, right? The funny thing about junk wax is that even though everyone has too much of it, I still find that I need it. You've got people recommending that you burn it, or use it as insulation for your home, or shred it for kitty litter. All excellent ideas, except for one thing: I'm still collecting some of those cards! Pathetic isn't it? I still have a need for some '91 Topps and '93 Fleer, and Mike Morgan's 1992 Score card up there. I should turn in my collector badge right now. But I can't help it. No matter how many cards I get, there are still some that get past me, even cards...