Why I'll never be mistaken for a player collector

OK, I'm finally posting the rest of the cards that Andy of High Heat Stats gathered up for me from that wonderful vacation card shop of his.

I don't have anything profound or quirky to say about these cards, which are all of the 1990s variety. I thought about it for awhile, but '90s cards just don't inspire me as cards do from the '70s and '80s. The '90s seemed to be all about accumulating and endless variety and accumulating and player collecting and accumulating and rookies. Not much time for staring at weird mustaches and wacky uniforms and introspection.

But I did notice one thing, and it has to do with the whole accumulating thing.

Andy sent me several Hideo Nomo cards. Here are a couple more of them:

There were other ones, but, really, I spoil you with scans. So you'll have to make do with that.

The Nomos that he sent put me at 344 total Hideo Nomo cards. It's the most cards that I have of any one player. It's really not a lot compared with how many Nomo cards there are (and the collections of all of his fanatical collectors). It's not a lot compared with how many cards player collectors have in their collections. It's nothing for a player collector to say, "I have 603 Roy Halladay cards." No one even flinches.

But for me, it's pretty good. Even though I have made it publicly known that I collect Hideo Nomo cards and list the cards of his that I have, I am and always will be more of a team collector. Also, set collecting is still the foundation upon which I base my collecting habits. Player collecting comes in third place.

To demonstrate why I'll never be mistaken for a player collector, here are the other cards that Andy sent me:

A whole mess of Mike Piazzas. Again, that's not all of them.

Getting all those Piazza cards is perfectly understandable and appreciated. Piazza is one of the greatest Dodgers ever. He had scads of cards in the '90s. And as a Dodger fan, I want them all.

But, unlike Hideo Nomo, I have never actively pursued Piazza's cards. I have never specifically looked to buy Piazza cards. I have never publicly made it known that I collect Piazza cards. I'm not officially a Piazza player collector.

But after receiving these Piazza cards, I decided to count up all my Piazzas.

The final total:

339.

That is only five less than the total amount of cards of a player who's cards I am on record as pursuing. I've worked semi-hard at stocking up on Nomo cards and can only muster five more cards than a player that I haven't specifically mentioned as someone I collect.

Obviously, I have a lot of work to do in making my player collection stand out.

But I just don't think I'll get around to it. I'll end up seeing a card of Clayton Kershaw or Dee Gordon or Jerry Sands and before you know it, I'll be chasing those cards. Or Dodgers cards in general. Or mmmmmmmmminnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!

I get distracted easily.

I just don't have the focus to be a player collector.

Obviously.

(P.S.: I lied a little when I said those were all the cards from Andy that I'm featuring. I saved one for a post of its own. Still don't know what I'm gonna say. But I'll figure it out).