The obligatory milestone contest

I received a very prompt and plump package in the mail yesterday afternoon.

It was from Mojo & Beardy's Fantastic Card Blog. Actually, I believe it was specifically from Beardy if you want to get all uptight about it. But that isn't the point.

The point is they were GIVING AWAY CARDS. Shiny, colorful cards. They were giving away 2004 Finest. I love '04 Finest. It might be my favorite Finest ever. Yeah, I know. I have a lot of favorites. That's a common theme in a lot of areas in my life. And it can be a problem.

But THIS isn't a problem:

Isn't that FANTASTIC???!!!!!

That is so awesome. They really did Finest right that year.

And, I received half of the freakin' set from M&B's card emporium!! HALF. OK, so the set's only 100 cards, but still half a set is half a set. It's a good deed. Flat out. A good deed.

I have been the recipient of a lot of good deeds since I started this card blog. To briefly recap, someone found a way for me to get my cards signed by my favorite player of all-time. Another person sent me a glossy photo of my second favorite player of all-time, signed by said player and personalized to my blog nickname. Another person sent me my favorite player's rookie card. Another person sent me the coveted 1971 Thurman Munson card. Several others have sent me hundreds of cards in a simgle mailing just because. No reason. Just because.

I have received drawings from bloggers' children and custom cards of bloggers' children. Another person sent me a perfectly created custom card of my favorite player.

When I think about it all, it's overwhelming.

I can't possibly return all the favors. I don't have the cards or the money or the time. I do what I can and I hope an "A" for effort is enough.

So here is one of those "A"-for-effort" moments. Whether I deliver, that's up to you:

You may have noticed that I am quickly approaching 100,000 visitors on my blog. I just surpassed 99,000 in the past 24 hours. It's a cool number. Hell, if 10 people a day looked at my blog, it'd be cool. But since I'm coming up on a big round number I figured I should hold a contest -- not really because a bunch of people look at this thing, but more because of what I mentioned before: I am very grateful for what you have done to help me appreciate this hobby more than I ever thought I could.

So this is what I am going to do. Instead of offering a cool card from my collection or something similar, I am going to do something a little more tailored to your interests. I am going to go shopping for you.

I have a card show to go to in about a week and a half. When I go to that show, I will shop for whichever lucky person wins this contest. I will devote a portion of the cash that I bring to that show to that person.

But I need to know what that person likes to collect. So, this is how I'm going to figure that out and how you enter.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. State your name and your collecting interests, whether it be a player, a team or a set. It can be more than one of those things. The more options I have at the card show the better. It's a larger show, but I never can find everything I want, so I'll need secondary options.

The winner will be selected at random. I hope I can get the random.org thing screen-captured on the blog, but I have trouble with stuff like that, so you might have to trust me. Don't worry, I run a very honest operation. I am a contest-operating veteran.

You will have until I reach 100,000 visitors to enter the contest. Once I reach 100,000, the contest is closed. But that should take about a week, so you have time. Oh, and one entry per person.

Once I determine the winner, I will consult with that person before I head to the show to find out what they're specifically looking for and what I can afford.

So, be wise when listing your interests in the comments. If you say you collect only original T206's or Albert Pujols 1 of 1's, then you apparently have me confused with Keith Olbermann. You aren't going to get what you want. The more expensive or more specific your tastes, the less you'll get from me. However, I am doing this with the intent of trying to find something nice. So don't think I'm going to go all Topps Attax on you.

And, if you happen to be collecting something that I collect and will be looking for at the show -- like Dodgers or 1971 or 1976 Topps, then you NEED to enter this contest, because I will be all over that kind of stuff.

In a day or so, I'll link to this contest on the sidebar, so you can continue to enter, and I'll let you know when the contest is closed. In a week or so, I'll reveal the winner.

Thanks for reading. And thanks for, well, being nice to me, I guess. You're all awesome.