Night Owl Cards

  I did this post last year and it got so many "more, more" requests that I'm doing it again this year. As a review, to avoid too much flack for actually daring to root for teams during the postseason for a whole entire post, I went with a "most, oldest, newest" post to recognize the annual October ritual. Yeah, I know I'm a little late. But I planned it like this. I don't know what that thing was that we just saw this week. I'm pretty much discounting the wild card as part of the postseason until they get it fixed. You got to win only two games? And teams that won their division are involved??? If you're going to have some crapshoot round, let the wild card teams knock heads, keep the guys who conquered everyone over six months out of it. Also, please, MLB, start reseeding after each round like pro leagues who know what they're doing.   So now we're at the division series, where things make sense somewhat -- though the Phillies should

 ( It's a little noisy around here! I live in a residential neighborhood. There are very few trees on what is a fairly long block. But get to my house and there are several tall and old oak -- or are they maple? -- trees, including two directly in front of my property. They were incredibly scenic at this time of year, but, sadly, this week, they are coming down as they were growing unhealthy and dangerous. I've known these trees for 28 years and it is bizarre seeing a front yard without a roof. The house feels totally exposed. Anyway, due to the noise and commotion, I'm very tired -- those 8:30 a.m. workers -- and my schedule is wrecked, including blogging. But it's still time for Cardboard Appreciation! This is the 343rd in a series):   I have a very good handle on TCMA sets of the 1970s. Those are the first TCMA sets I ever knew, the ones shown in the old TCMA Advertiser that used to come to my house, the first ones that I ever bought, ordering through that publicati

  I know the postseason is here and everyone learned of Pete Rose's death yesterday evening/afternoon, but this wouldn't be a blog if I wasn't behind. Rose was one of the titans of my youth as far as baseball players. Somewhere along the way I graduated from Ernie & Bert and come on and zoom, zoom, zoom-a, zoom to watching live baseball on TV. Big Bird and The Count became Reggie Jackson and Pete Rose. Those were the two biggest ballplayers on my TV. They were the biggest sports guys period on my TV (well, Howard Cosell became very present). I've mentioned all this before and I did a post on Pete Rose fairly recently in which I mentioned this, too.   I was never a Rose fan. Didn't like the team he played for, didn't like his playing style. Media folks and critics used to brand him as the world's highest-paid singles hitter and I bought into that. Plus he just seemed so damn cocky out there.    My suspicions about the man were somewhat right -- not abou