Nothing special

I've mentioned before here that I'm easily entertained. I'm also easily amused and easily pleased. To sum it up in one nice, tidy phrase: It doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

That explains ol' Paul Gibson here. This is a card that is:

-- not shiny
-- not a relic
-- not autographed
-- not from 2009
-- not an insert
-- not a parallel
-- not a 1-of-1
-- not a gimmick
-- not a rookie card
-- not rare in the least
-- not a picture of a star. In fact, 98 percent of baseball fans probably don't even know who he is.

There is nothing inherently exciting about this card at all. Nothing. Yet, I am happy to receive it.

I love it when a single card comes in the mail. Ben of 1988 Score sent this card off to me with a one-word note: "Enjoy." Amen. Simple and to the point. Thanks, Ben. I will.

Thanks to Ben and the '91 Art Howe card provided by Steve of Wait 'Til Next Year (more cards from him coming to this site soon), I am down to needing eight cards from the 1991 Topps set. It probably will be the quickest set that I complete from the time I announced on this blog that I wanted to complete it to the time that I actually complete it.

And this single card gave me the excuse to find out more about Mr. Gibson. He, in fact, played 19 years of professional baseball. He pitched for both the Mets and Yankees. I may have actually watched him pitch a couple of times. He runs his own baseball academy on Long Island, and the top high school pitcher from the Suffolk area each year receives the Paul Gibson Award.

And you thought this guy was a nobody.