Night Owl Cards

Like it or not, the "sick hit" is the Hollywood moment of our hobby. It's not completing a set or finding that Heritage short-print or discovering a funny little fact on the back. It's this:  "SICK! NO. 1/5 DARVISH AUTO/PATCH GREEN CHROME REFRACTOR DIECUT WITH SPARKLES! BOOOM!" Even someone like me, pretty much entrenched in old card sets now, will click on a post that screams like that to see that card. It's a show-stopper. A thrill. And even a collector who doesn't live for the hit, can appreciate the glory of the moment, and even wish it was them ... a little. The pull of the pull is strong, even if it's not your main mission. My card-buying purpose is to complete sets and find Dodgers. Maybe a little trade bait. If I get a hit -- like the 2008 A&G Kosuke Fukudome gimmicked SP that I pulled in a discount pack in 2009 -- then that's a nice perk and a moment to share. It won't turn me into a Nuthin' But Da HIIIIITZ You...

I've read on the blogs several times about collectors picking up some half-price packs at Target. Power packs, they're called. I've seen power packs at my closest Target. But the only things ever available have been Camp Rock cards or cards of some other "tween" show. Every once in awhile they'd throw in a pack or two of 2007 Upper Deck. And even though I still need Dodgers from that set, I just can't get myself to buy anything from what is a mind-numbingly boring UD offering. But the other day I spied good stuff in the power pack display. 2008 Allen & Ginter , 2008 Heritage, 2008 Bowman. This is so key when I'm trying desperately to save a few bucks for Christmas purchases. Even though I'm still trying to complete that blasted '08 Heritage, I grabbed six packs of a set I have already finished -- '08 A&G. I don't know why. I just liked the idea of getting some minis that I didn't have. And I've read recently that some p...

Is Andy still with us ? Hang in there, bud. Only about 460 Allen & Ginter posts to go in this Gint -a-cuffs-a- thon . Meanwhile, I've lost confidence that I will win this thing. But it won't be the fault of packs 13 through 15, that's for sure. Here they are: PACK 13 267 - Melvin Mora (0 points) 221 - Brandon Webb (0 points) 109 - Samuel Morse (0 points). You think I'm going to try to learn Morse code in one minute and write something snappy all code-like? Fat chance. 155 - Yadier Molina (0 points). The NL losing the All-Star Game was not his fault. Hell, at one point I was about ready to adopt him. AGR -AER - Alex Rodriguez relic (+6). OK, this sucks. Not because it's A-Rod or anything. OK, yes, because it's A-Rod. You see, because of our great rules, I have to cut the point total for any Yankee relic in half. But, come on, it's freakin ' A-Rod! One of the better hits you can get! Six points? Arrrrgghhh. (I'm saying this is a short-print re...

To recap, this is where I review some of the cards that I have bought over the past two months. It's kind of a retrospective of what the card companies were putting on the retail shelves in 2008. I tried to pick up a pack of as many brands as possible. I am giving away all of the packs that I bought. What you need to do in order to win the cards is take a look at the list of cards purchased along the sidebar, under "Win These Packs!" Guess which card I pulled first from each pack, guess which pack I bought first and guess which pack I bought last, and then leave a comment with all your guesses on this post or on this post . The person who guesses the most "first cards" wins all 120 cards. What I'd like to do now is count down what I think are the worst of what I received in these packs. Some of the comments will be common complaints expressed by collectors about 2008 cards, but most are just my pet peeves. I hope these cards don't prevent you from enteri...

In the process of Christmas shopping yesterday, time suddenly stopped as I watched myself buy a blaster of the ridiculously long-titled Heritage high number series. It really was kind of an out-of-body experience, for three reasons: 1. I had made a vow not to buy any blasters until after Christmas. 2. I've been warned by multiple bloggers that the "2008 Topps Baseball Updates and Highlights presents 2008 Topps Heritage High Number Series," or TBUHPTHHNS for short, was a disappointment and a fiasco. 3. I'm still trying to collect the low numbers, so why take on this project? A day later I have no idea why I bought it. I guess to serve as a four-weeks-too-late public service announcement. And that announcement is, buy Stadium Club or Masterpieces (although you may get that freakin' Whitey Ford card for the ninth time), or A&G if you're still working on that. Or get your kid a Christmas present. Because I could've done that Wednesday, and now I'll b...