Card show strategy (or lack thereof)

I haven't mentioned anything about this yet, because I wasn't sure until today that I'd even have a chance of going, and I didn't want to jinx it. There is a card show on my horizon.

The weather has been such crap around here that I had pretty much resigned myself to passing on this one. Normally, I would brave the elements no matter what. But somehow I had tricked my brain into not caring about a giant room filled with tables and tables of baseball cards. Or at least not caring enough to drive two hours through a Weather Channel wet dream.

But now the weather looks fairly decent (if 10 degrees can be considered decent). If the forecast doesn't change, and that's always a possibility, I'll be sending my merry little self down the interstate to Collectorsfest 50 in Syracuse.

I know a lot of you like the autographs, but I'll be at the show strictly for the cards. So I won't be saying "hello" to Bye Bye Balboni, who is the announced autograph guest for this show (certain Royals fans are calling me crazy right now. But I'm allergic to crowds and lines, and I can't stand in one place when I'm surrounded by cards). They originally announced that Darryl Strawberry would be there, too, which I was rather intrigued about, because of his Dodger connection. But the show guests change so quickly that when I saw Strawberry on the promo sheet last October, I doubted he'd actually be there.

What I do like to do is stick around after the signing period is over. Often times, the player or players hang out afterward, and if you get lucky, you can chat with them for a couple minutes. That's what I did with Al Downing a year or two ago. I think sometimes they're more relaxed then, than when you're sticking a pen in their face.

So my entire agenda is focused on the cards. But what that agenda is, I have no idea. I usually bring a list to the show, but I don't know if I'll have time to work out a list. So here are the things I'm thinking of looking for:

Vintage: I'd like to get closer to knocking off the 1976 Topps set. The most valuable card left that I don't have is the Babe Ruth All-Time Great card, and that's only 10 bucks at the most. So I could wipe out a whole bunch of wants there.

I also can't turn away any 1971s, so if someone throws a '71 binder at me, I could be there all afternoon. Same goes for 1972. Both of those years could do major wallet damage. Other possibilites include 1950s and 1960s Dodgers, upgrading some 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1983 Topps, tracking down some '91s (although nobody likes to sell any late 80s, early 90s stuff unless you're buying a whole box), and finding some blogger wants.

Modern: Hmmm, where do I start? I could pick up a pile of Heritage. I could hunt for the Stadium Club cards I need and possibly get sucked into that variation vortex from hell. I could find some cheap GU and auto cards that I see other bloggers picking up in the dollar bins.

What I should really shop for: binders. I'm in desperate need of two or three. Whether this actually comes to pass is another matter. Shopping for binders and sheets is the hobby equivalent of buying socks and underwear.

So, I think even though it's fiscally unresponsible and goes against everything I've ever done before, I may just completely wing it. There are only two cards I'm truly looking for:

1. A second 1975 Topps Herb Washington card, for my TTM attempt.
2. The freakin' 2008 Updates and Highlights Manny Ramirez card that I should have by now.

Otherwise, I'll do what my eyes tell me, which normally gets you into a heap of trouble.

If anyone has any suggestions on what I should look for, let me know. Because this may be my first and last card show without my trusty list.