Night Owl Cards

I received this super fabulous, golden god of a card from Don a week or so ago. I had no idea what set it was from, and when I turned it over to look at the copyright, I saw "2013," and was even more confused. But Don informed me that it was from this year's Topps factory set, Walmart edition. I'm very happy to have this card because not only do I never have an occasion to buy a factory set, but I'm so out of touch that I'd probably never know that this card existed. The back isn't anything you haven't seen before, but the card number alarms me a little. I don't know what "JRG-1" stands for, but I'm guessing it's something like "Jackie Robinson Greats Card Number 1 In An Exclusive Set Of Five That You'll Never Get Sucker." Now, I'd like to add that I really, really like this card. Gold. Shiny. Refractor. Jackie. How can you go wrong, right? But let's look at the bottom left of the card back...

I watched the movie "Lost In Translation" for the first time Sunday night. It popped up on Netflix and I practically pulled a wrist muscle trying to order it. I have wanted to watch this movie for almost 10 years. But because it hit theaters during a time when movie-watching was impossible, and because my movie-watching is still almost nil, I never got around to seeing it. But I knew I would identify with it as soon as I heard about it. And I did. Completely. It's easily one of my all-time favorite movies. As everyone probably knows, "Lost In Translation" is about two individuals who are very similar but at very different points in their lives. Bill Murray plays a formerly successful actor pitching whiskey in commercials in Japan. Scarlett Johansson plays a recent college graduate and wife of a celebrity photographer, who is working in Japan. Both are terribly lost, in the country, in their marriages, in their lives. And they meet, desperately bond am...

Trying to pinpoint the years on these Classic cards always befuddles me. All I know is the event depicted is from 1987. (Aug. 3, to be exact ). That's the famous Joe Niekro emery board incident, in which Niekro was accosted on the mound by a team of umpires, asked to empty his back pockets, and when he did -- pushing his hands to the sky in a "I got nothing" gesture -- an emery board sailed out of his pocket. The look of the ump on the right is priceless as he's just spied the evidence fluttering to the ground. The emery board actually wasn't incriminating since knuckle ball pitchers like Niekro need to keep their nails filed. But a tiny piece of sandpaper also plopped out, the umps found scuffed balls, and that's what got him suspended. Video of the incident played everywhere, and Niekro famously appeared on The David Letterman Show, carrying a power sander. I wonder if something like this would be treated as comically today. Sports is so serious now....

Have you read this post ? It's a tragic tale of a blogger who really, really wants to do a trade post, but can't. Heartbreakingly, he doesn't have access to a scanner. Well, he does, but he is forced to "sneak scans." Can you believe that? Aren't you thankful now that you own a scanner in the privacy of your own home while those less fortunate go scannerless at night? But throughout that aching post, the blogger remains thankful. He appreciates the cards he receives in trades and it has peaked his interest in trading again. It turns from tragic to heartwarming. After reading it, I couldn't help myself from doing what I must do. I must produce a trade post. FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T. Yes, I am on a mission of mercy. And it involves cardboa ... well, whatever they make cards from these days. And who better to start with than the author of that inspirational post, than Cardsplitter himself. Yes, he done did send me some cards. Among those s...

Tomorrow will mark my first legitimate day off in nine days. If you've noticed semi-sporatic posting from me, that's the reason why. The only thing that is enabling me to post at all is the fact that I can't sleep either. It's good that insomnia cleared out that bit of time for me. While I can (and before blogger eats half my post again), I want to squeeze in some cards sent to me quite awhile ago by Don of Tiger Sportscards and Other Ramblings . I had sent him some Marvel cards and some '94 Score (one of the better Score sets). And he sent me a few cards from my wants. But while looking through the great '84 Donruss items he sent, I stopped on Joe Morgan's card. And I started thinking about how he's almost universally despised by baseball fans. Part of that is because he's a national announcer. If you announce baseball for a national network, somebody somewhere is not going to like you. That's just the way it is. I don't know why, but...