Spent

I spent three days researching yesterday's post and it received about as many clicks as one of those awesome night card posts that takes me 20 minutes to do.

I know it shouldn't matter and that the only rule on this blog is to write about what I think is interesting. I know all that and have known it for years. But this is the continuation of a trend in readership that I've seen over the last month or two, and I'm coming to the conclusion that readership -- I'm not talking solely numbers here -- is not the same as it was four or five years ago.

But that's a topic for another time.

Tonight, in my cranky state, instead of occupying all of my time (and yours) on research that only I find fascinating, I'm going to rely on what everyone finds fascinating -- baseball cards!!!!

In other words, cards that people sent to me!

The truth is I'm spent. Yesterday's post only took some of my time. The vast majority has been occupied by work. For example, yesterday I spent 12 hours at work -- on my day off. Today was another day off. Guess where I was? Guess where I'm going after I finish this post? Did I mention I'm off? So, yeah, September is getting off to the bestest start ever.

All I have the brain cells for is to show a number of cards from people. Between the packages I still must send out and the ones piling up that I've received, I've got to do some thinning out somewhere.

So, let's begin:

This is how I feel

The first cards are from Casey from Cardboard Brooklyn.

He is a card collector living in Brooklyn, apparently (damned if I can the envelope he sent right now). And he is an A's fan.

Yes, that's what I said. He is an A's fan.

Hands off, I saw him first. Wow, do I have a whole bunch of A's cards to send him!

I've never understood why there are so few A's fans -- at least from a collecting standpoint. They have an awesome history and they're so much more interesting than collecting the Angels or Rockies or one of those other teams I'd contract in an instant. I'm willing to bet a greater percentage of A's cards are my favorites than any other non-Dodger team (hey that's another RESEARCH post!).

Anyway, let's get back to the Dodgers.

 Casey sent me some Gypsy Queen minis. The Ramirez one is new to me. Some lucky Dodger fan may see the others. A known Gypsy Queen-hater can't be carrying around doubles.

This card reminds me of old-style Donruss designs. It's achingly simplistic, yet it features odd elements, like the black lines extending beyond the box borders, that is so very Donruss. I don't think they ever figured out what they were doing there.

Nice Duke photo though.

Casey found a couple of 2012 Topps minis for me. I don't know where people find these, it's not like you can go to the store and buy them.

Of course not everyone else lives in an isolated outpost without card shop dime boxes and card shows every weekend, too. Perhaps I shouldn't just assume that everybody lives in a barren cardless purgatory.

Wow, all those hours of work are getting to me.

Let's move on to a happier scene. These next few cards are from Nick of Dime Boxes. Of course, he would be the one to find my Nebulous 9 Delino Deshields card.

This is one of the last '95 Stadium Club Dodgers I needed and now I see why it was so inaccessible. Everyone loves a player signing pieces of paper. Even people who consider the Deshields acquisition the worst in team history (pointing finger at NOC).

Nick focused on oddball items in this latest mailing. I like this SI for Kids Ramon card because it is very, very early '90s. I now know why everything turned to metallic in the mid-to-late '90s. All the color was used up in the early part of the decade.

Another '90s feature. I will happily sample these.

And this? Well, this is just Epix.

Ix missx thex daysx whenx everyx wordx endedx inx anx X.

Ladies and gentlemen, It's the Beatles!

This is great because if I didn't collect cards of baseball men, I would collect cards of musicians. In fact, collecting cards of musicians makes a great deal more sense to me when I think about it. So let's not think about it.

This card, I believe, is from the 1964 Topps black and white Beatles set, which someone taped to something.

OK, now the really good stuff.

Those are three Drake's cards of my high school hero, Pedro Guerrero. In order, 1983, 1984 and 1985. I own all three already, but one of them (I believe the '83) is in desperate need of upgrading.

Then there is this card:

Marvelous.

Amusing and terrible in every way. I enjoy the Playskool primary colors and shapes, how the airbrushed cap makes it appear as if Guerrero is smuggling a large flower pot, how I CAN STILL SEE the Dodgers script on his uniform, and -- best of all -- that he is listed as a "PINCH-HITTER". Nestle listed it so tiny in hopes no one would see, but I saw.

And I mentioned it on Twitter.

To which my high school hero then responded (might want to cover your eyes, it's NSFW):

Easily the most awesome thing that will happen in my next 20 years of existence and now I need to invent a time machine. Why oh why wasn't Twitter invented when I was a sophomore in high school?

Matt from Bob Walk The Plank took a different tactic when it comes to my favorites.

He didn't send Guerreros. He sent Nomos.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

First there was this nifty Press Proof card from '96 Donruss (the metallic loin-cloth set).

And then there were these:

I needed every one. The bottom card is numbered item where Nomo is framed in a tombstone-like design, which takes your mind off the fact that Nomo's face is going to melt off this card in five minutes.

Matt also sent a parallel of the terrific Marquee Pee Wee Reese card (who wore blue-and-white striped socks back then? The Phillies? God, they're ugly).

And this was the best card of all:

That is a jersey card of Brooklyn Dodger Hank Behrman (yeah, I know, you can read).

Fantastic. This beats a Jackie Robinson bat card any day.

Behrman was a relief pitcher who enjoyed a standout 1946 season and appeared in five games during the 1947 World Series. But he faded after that and in 1949, while still pitching, worked as a groundskeeper at Ebbetts Field!!! He was pretty much a character who would often show up late at the ballpark with a list of excuses.

Just try to get a regular card of Hank Behrman. I have a relic card of Behrman. Upper Deck Legends of New York is an awesome set.

OK, all of those cards put me in a slightly better mood.

But I'm still working the rest of the week without a day off. And I'm still going to work now on my day off.

Who knows what I'll put up here tomorrow. I may shut down the blog and quit work.

And start a job as a groundskeeper.

Or tour the country busting heads of Nestle's punks with Pedro Guerrero.