Logic says '90s, heart says '70s

If someone were to analyze my collection the way we analyze ballplayers, with the litany of statistics used these days, determining where that collection is most deficient, the numbers would spit forth a resounding conclusion:

I suck at collecting cards from the 1990s.

I have plenty of them -- because no decade created more cards -- but there are holes everywhere. And my heart just isn't in it for '90s cards. If I want to be a well-rounded collector, then I have to do something about my '90s deficiency.

However, the beauty of collecting is nobody is evaluating my collection. There isn't a baseball-reference page devoted to my collection, websites creating graphs on my collection or fans in the stands calling up facts about my collection on their phones.

I can ignore whatever kinds of cards I like. Logic says I need lots of '90s cards. My heart says: screw that. What can I still scrape out of the '70sl?

Recently, Nick from Dime Boxes sent me a healthy stack of cards. The vast majority were Dodgers from the '90s. I am proud to say that I owned at least half of them already -- see, numbers-crunchers? I'm getting better -- but there were still quite a few new to the collection.

That was cool. Who doesn't need more random parallel action in their collection?

Whap! A whole mess of those 1999 Fleer Tradition parallels, which are red in color with the bizarre "warning track collection" notation in the corner (the '90s were so weird).

Here are some more. I needed all of these. Because I want to have so many binders in my room that I can't close the door.

Yes, moving on to Upper Deck parallels from the '90s now. All needs. All pretty pointless. I'm guessing that these came from Nick's penny box finds, and I basically agree with putting these in the penny box. Paying 2 sets for a replica signature is probably too much.

All '90s needs -- even some base cards thrown in there -- but I can't say I have a lot to say about them. They fill a need. That's the best I can say.

Nick added some modern cards to the package, too. I admit that I find crossing off 2017 needs more appealing than erasing '90s needs. Although that foil parallel Jansen can find a time travel machine and head right for the '90s. That's where it belongs.

My first look at any Heritage High Numbers Dodgers, including my very first Chris Taylor Dodger card. I'm guessing that Taylor's jersey and hat are photoshopped and I've already expressed skepticism about the backgrounds in Heritage.

That means potentially the only thing real about the Taylor card is Taylor.

Maybe I should go back to the '90s.

Weeee? See? That's more like it. Early '90s oddballs. Mustard Oddballs! This is fantastic.

There weren't a lot of '80s cards in the assortment, but these two are beauts. I love the California League '89 cards and my appreciation for TCMA is well-established. I particularly love it when Collier-Aronstein are misspelling players' names. (P.S.: Wes Ferrell spent one game -- one game! -- of his 15-year career with the Dodgers and here is a card of him with the Dodgers).

Please calm yourselves. This is not an actual Red Heart card. It is a reprint.

Minor league '90s cards of various Dodgers prospects. Not the most attractive designs. But needs!

These are two separate cards. I have no idea what they are. Something from 2013. "Historic Autographs and then a script word I can't read" The player on the right is Van Lingle Mungo. The player on the left is Lonny Frey. I'm pretty impressed Nick knew Frey was a Dodger since there is nothing on the card that designates team affiliation.

More 21st century cards of mid-20th century players.

Nick also sent about a dozen 2017 A&G minis in a bid to crack my A&G frankenset binder. These are the only ones that made it. I don't know who McNamara is (a surfer of note, apparently), but there was an empty slot waiting for him.

I can't believe I forgot these when I was showing the '80s cards. Both of these are from the tail end of Kellogg's 3-D reign but I sure do love them. I've gotten enough '82 and '83 Kellogg's now that I should probably make a run for those, too.

By now, if you're anything like me, you're wondering when this rambling post is going to contain some '70s cards. You know, those cards that own my heart?

Wait no longer.

Here is 1975 Topps buyback no. 188 in the collection. This could be the least interesting card in the entire '75 set.

Now --- NOW -- we are talking!

BOOG!!!!

It's a beautiful 1976 Hostess card! Very carefully cut by a previous owner.

And a 1977 Hostess of Thurman Munson, cut by someone who didn't want to have anything to do with trimming the left and the right.

I really want the player in the background to be a Milwaukee Brewer.

And finally a 1978 Hostess card of pot-smoking John Candelaria. Jerk-face no-hit the Dodgers.

Still happy I have this card though.

After seeing those '70s cards, my heart is still going pitter-pat.

No '90s card can do that.

That doesn't mean I am not happy that I have those '90s cards now.

I'm just saying that card collecting, unlike number-crunching, is ruled by the heart, not logic.