Night Owl Cards

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Random pick-ups, musings and determinations

Blogging in detail can take a lot of time and effort. I've got several observations and pick-ups to discuss and none of them are worth dedicating a whole post to -- so let's drag out the "housekeeping"' label and piece together a bunch of unrelated topics! I do that a lot, though not since 2024. Up first is this terrific Hideo Nomo Dueling Dugouts insert from 1997 Pinnacle Inside. I've been intrigued by these from afar for a long time and finally received my first one last year (Karim Garcia on "the back" of the Vladimir Guerrero card). It was time to get a full-fledged Dodger one this time. The kicker to these is you can turn the dial on the side and it shows the player's stats for that year in the center windows. So cool. Here is a look at the other years on this card: Outstanding. Interestingly Nomo's stats with the Japan Pacific League's Kintetsu Buffaloes are shown for 1994 but 1993 is blank despite Nomo playing for the same ...

I'll take that generic-looking card, thank you

One thing that has helped me pull away from modern cards at least a little bit, is how generic they look. This is an issue almost across the board with current products and has been for the last 15-to-20 years. And it's no matter where you look. Bowman, as a whole, is generic as it gets. I'd say I don't know why anyone is still collecting it, but I know the ones that do aren't prioritizing design. Panini features plenty of generic sets like Prizm and Donruss. Allen & Ginter has progressively gotten generic. Stadium Club is also like that. Flagship is hit and miss but several sets over the last 25 years could easily blend together. The only products that stand out to me are retro sets using old designs, like Heritage and Archives. Inserts and parallels aren't immune, the same ones are used from year to year with not a lot of difference. 2025 marked a new level in generic parallels as many of them are almost indistinguishable from each other. ...

Almost no words

A member of The Infield is gone. The Dodgers announced today that Davey Lopes passed away at age 80. He was a central part of my earliest years as a baseball fan. That 1976 Topps Record-Breaker card is in the top 10 of cards that meant the most to me as a boy. RIP.

Acting accordingly

When faced with the decision of watching the so-called "World Series rematch" between the Dodgers and Blue Jays or the Sabres' showdown with the Lightning last night on the TV, I chose the Buffaloes in their goat-head jerseys. Rather easy choice actually. My wife's a Buffalo gal and back on the hockey bandwagon, the baseball game was No. 10 out of 162 and not worth the hype and, finally, have you seen the conditions outside? Does not look like baseball season to me! It snowed last night and this morning. April 7th. I had to clear off the vehicle like it was February. And the wind hasn't stopped since February, too. That is nothing-to-do-but-watch-hockey-inside weather. It turned out to be a great game (the Dodgers took care of business, too). The Sabres beat those annoying Lightning 4-2. Jack Quinn (see above) scored the empty-net clincher. The Sabres have been doing just about everything right since January and they're hanging onto their players, too...

The closest I had to a sure thing

The farther I get away from the age 18-49 demographic, the more the players that dominated the sports scene for seemingly forever fade out of the conversation. You could have never convinced me in the 1970s and 1980s that guys like Reggie Jackson would slowly disappear, that their names would cease to be on everyone's lips, on every magazine cover, in every card set, in every sports column and TV broadcast. Fewer and fewer sports fans can relate to the significant players and moments of the '70s and '80s and, yes, that means I have less to discuss on social media sites and the like. There are more modern players and moments that get all the attention and I sit on the sidelines either puzzled or with nothing to say. One of those notables of the past who has become less and less significant with each passing year is Steve Garvey. I know a lot of people my age don't want to acknowledge that, but it's true. If someone isn't a Dodgers (or even Padres) fan and d...