Night Owl Cards

(That's right, I'm combining my two longest-standing features into one so you can ignore both in a single handy post! But that would be your loss, of course. It's time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 244th in a series): I'm covering a few different topics here, as you may have guessed by the title. One of them, unrelated to the title, has to do with the 1983 Topps set. The tendency with this set is to look at the two photos on the front of each card as separate elements. A larger action photo and a smaller portrait photo. They are independent from one another. But when you view them as collaborators on the same card, acting in concert with each other, a new door opens into an amusing sidelight. Here, inset Dan Ford is admiring the drive delivered by action Dan Ford. In fact, it appears that action Ford has hit to the opposite field and inset Ford is looking in the same direction! Great fun. This could develop into its own separate post very soon. Th...

This is the most sentimental day on the calendar for me. It doesn't have anything to do with baseball (although I did take a tour of old Busch Stadium in St. Louis on that same weekend in 1987). So I avoid slipping into mushy thoughts here by putting a baseball spin on the day. Last year I celebrated a milestone moment for this day by opening a rack pack of 1987 Topps. And in previous years, I've talked about my fondness for the city of St. Louis because of Oct. 29, 1987. But since that time, I've soured on the St. Louis Cardinals, the media there, and some of their fans. In 1987, I rooted for the Cardinals against the Twins in the World Series and turned off the TV in disappointment when Minnesota won. But if the same two teams were involved today, I'd be rooting for the Twins. I'm not sure why I rooted for the Cardinals that year anyway. It was two years removed from Jack Clark, Ozzie Smith, Whitey Herzog and GOD, I hated that team. So what possessed me...

As the apparent sole arbiter of "night cards," I am particular about what I declare to be a night card. My scan folder is filled with cards that may never see the light of this blog because I can't say for sure that they are in fact night cards. Even some of the cards that have already been declared Awesome Night Cards may not actually be night cards. I know that is a shattering revelation. I ask that you please try to get ahold of yourselves. I admit that sometimes I find my blog minions asleep on the job (what? you don't have blog minions?) and inferior product sneaks through. But after a lecture on the importance of time-wasting regular blog features and the occasional sound beating, we are all back on course, generating premium night cards on a weekly basis under a strict deadline. Really determining a night card comes down to a few of simple rules. They're posted on the walls of the NOC factory: a) Is it dark in the photo? (you'd be surprised b...

I received a note in the mail from Andy of the must-see 78 Topps blog the other day. The note read thusly: "Yo. 78 Topps blog." Short and to the point. You may interpret "yo" as "hello" or "what's up" or "how y'all doin' out there tonight?" But I interpret it as "give me your own personal top-10 countdown of your favorite 1978 Topps baseball cards." I'd be happy to Andy. Keep in mind, this is my list, assembled in a matter of minutes during a Monday afternoon of making sure the dog didn't do any MORE damage to the Christmas tree. So I may have been distracted. Here we go: 10. Steve Stone, White Sox, card #153: I was tempted to put this card at No. 1. If someone had to pick one card to sum up the 1970s, this is it. Long, curly hair, mustache, open collar, gold chains, wacky White Sox get-up. This photo has it all. All Stone has to do is lose the cap and don a white jacket and he's ready for Studio 54. ...