What the scanner hath wrought

You should have known this was coming.

There is no way I am ever going to get anything done on this blog if I don't get rid of this unbearable guilt.

When my scanner stopped talking, the mailbox was still functioning and I literally ran out of room on my card desk as cardboard began overflowing onto the floor. I started getting dirty looks and only through begging, pleading and bargaining (that scanner is one shrewd negotiator) was I able to get the scanner conversing again and just in time.

But the cards remain. Stacks upon stacks. Only through sheer night owl brain power am I able to not mix them up. But I'm pushing my luck. Two consecutive days without mail (I think the postman has gone AWOL) will not lead to a third. I must show you all of the accumulated cards RIGHT NOW.

Yes, right now.

Now I can't control what you're going to do after receiving this news. The cards are good, so if you choose to leave, you'll miss out on some fascination and some knowledge. And you won't know what the cool kids are saying. But it's your choice. You have to live with it. Forever and ever until your dying breath. (Do I sound like a parent?)

But I don't want to get preachy today. Let's see a whole raft of cards!!!

First, a bunch o' pitchers from Corey of Adventures in 1952 Topps. He always seems to have some Fernandos for me. Scott Elbert doesn't fit in with the other guys, but the Dodgers are sure holding onto him like he might some day. It's been about of decade of hope with that guy.

A trade with a guy who blogs about '52 Topps wouldn't be complete without ... um, a card from '54 Bowman?

Close enough.

Someone tried to decapitate Russell Meyer but didn't succeed. So I'm the beneficiary. Also, I plan to go to a card show this weekend and there's a good chance there will be '54 Bowman there. This might be inspiration.

Creating the Nebulous 9 is probably the greatest decision I ever made on this blog. But if you choose to do something similar on your blog -- and I don't know why you wouldn't -- there is one cautionary note.

If you put junk wax era cards on your list, expect to get them ... and get them again.

In a fit of disgust, I put all of my 1993 Score Dodgers needs on the Nebulous 9, because I couldn't believe I still needed '93 Score Dodgers, and I thought someone was going to report me.

Well, John of Johngy's Beat sent me all four cards, which you see above.

And then Commish Bob of The Five-Tool Collector and '59 Topps blogs, sent me three of them, plus a previous Nebby 9 need in Collector's Choice Wallach.

I was working on another trade with another blogger -- I haven't heard from him lately but I think it's still on -- and guess what the focus of the trade was? Yup. 1993 Score Dodgers. Sorry, dude. I'm good.

We've moved onto Archives and some cards from Baseball Dad. Archives doesn't have a lot of Dodger cards, but I can't seem to pull them for some reason -- other than the not buying reason, I mean.

Both cards are pretty blah, and, wow, I guess I can just keep talking about the regurgitation of old images with Jackie because Topps keeps churning them out.

Despite what my now-cooperative scanner says, this is the gold-bordered mini Matt Kemp card from last year's A&G. That means I still need the regular mini Matt Kemp card. And I can't believe I just wrote that sentence and am still collecting modern cards.

Shiny, protected Nomo. Me really like.

The 1979 Topps completion project has stalled out lately. But these pump some life back into the effort. First, the top card includes the incarcerated Sammy Stewart. Secondly, the bottom card reminds me that if Randy McGilberry did his part, the Royals could have had two pitchers on their staff named McGilberry and Quisenberry. If that's not a natural tie-in with Frankenberry (or more appropriately, Boo Berry) then I don't know what is.

Oh, the advertising dollars lost.

STAR STICKARS!

From 1981 Fleer!

Lopes' first name is not spelled "Davy"!

Get me the Burt Hooton Star Stickar, it's the only one I need!

Thanks Baseball Dad!

Moving forward to the Life and Baseball Cards portion of the proceedings. Lonestarr (or whatever name he's calling himself today -- he has a lot of them) got me a card closer to erasing the humiliating moment when I realized I had not completed the Heritage Dodger team set like I thought I had.

Greinke and his stink eyes is much appreciated. Dee Gordon's on the way, and Luis Cruz is on the Nebulous 9 list (as well as the disabled list). Everything is just fine now.

More gold border-that-looks-like-black-border A&G. Ethier's looking much better these days. I think the Dodgers should try to continue this "one-guy-in-the-outfield-injured" rotation plan through the entire season. A) It's working and B) it'd be mighty impressive to do that for the whole year.

We're at the meaningless parallel portion of the show. This is a no-number back, although I could be totally lying to you because I refuse to scan the back.

And here's an xrefractor of Orlando Hudson with a pinkish ghostly Ramon Martinez lurking off to the right.

Ooooooo. This is definitely not a meaningless parallel. Any Orel Hershiser card -- especially a parallel -- is a prize for the collection. I'm very happy.

Lonestarr likes these Panini Prizmzmzmzmzms a lot so I was fortunate to nab one of nonlicensed Hanley ... and all I can see is no logos.

This was some head's-up thinking here. Audrina has graced the sidebar in the past for her Dodger rooting.

Like so:

I have never watched "The Hills," nor any movies she has been in, but I have seen some of her other work.

I think owning a signed card of hers is an absolutely necessity.

I received a whole bunch of '75 minis from two different people during the scanner incident.

First, the Junior Junkie, T.J., had obviously been back to see his dealer friend and produced a few more '75s off my want list.

Those are just some of them.

But these four are probably my favorites:

All four are cards direct from my first year of collecting in '75. I can tell you specific details about what I thought and where I was about each card. In fact I'm sure I did on the 1975 Topps (it's far out, man) blog. So I won't repeat here.

The always generous mr. haverkamp also sent me some '75 minis.

Great, great cards, each for their own individual reasons. But again, these four are my favorites:

All of those are commons, and you probably don't understand. Unless you collected as a 9-year-old.

Mr. haverkamp also managed a nifty trick that is going to get more and more difficult as I acquire more '75 minis. Even though both he and the Jr. Junkie sent me cards off the '75 mini want list at the same time, not one was duplicated.

Both packages featured some cards from the beginning of the set -- like these ones -- so there was a little bit of luck there. But mr. haverkamp went to the back of the set, too.

All of those cards are from the final 10 cards in the set (I left the one spot blank for the mini Hank Aaron I still need).

He also sent me some 1972 Topps needs -- he really knows how to find the sets I want to finish the most, doesn't he?


OK, by my count, I have just shown 85 cards in this post. And there are others I didn't get to show.

There are also other packages still sitting on the card desk.

But I don't want to take advantage of my agreement with the ol' scanner. I may talk bad about him when he's not cooperating, but I really don't want to spend money on another one. I need him. You just saw how many different kinds of cards I collect! I NEED HIM. I'll ease up for now.

So you'll see those other packages some other day.

I'm sure you can't wait.