Re-opening the wound

I pulled this card out of the five unopened 2010 Topps packs I won in the Play at the Plate contest. I didn't have to do anything to win them. The randomizer told Brian I won. And you must do what the randomizer says. Do not question the randomizer.

This is one of those Cards Your Mother Threw Out. It's ridiculous really. It is a replica of the 2006 Topps card that was yanked out of the set. Topps was the one doing the throwing out, not anybody's mom. Nobody not named Keith Olbermann could get their hands on the card. So how could a mother throw it out (a fact even mentioned on the back of the card)?

I happen to be one of the lucky collectors who was attempting to complete the 2006 Topps set. In fact, it was the first modern set I collected upon my return to the hobby. And I immediately found out how much the collecting world had changed when I saw a Topps checklist that featured the Alex Gordon card -- card No. 297 -- but knew I couldn't obtain the card.

For awhile, I left a space in my 2006 binder for Alex Gordon, just in case I happened to stumble across one. But the more I collected, the more I knew that I'd never be able to afford the card, and I shifted all the cards in my binder over one so there wasn't a gap at No. 297 anymore.

But it didn't feel right. Topps tried to reassure me by writing "all 659 cards!" when its complete sets hit the stores. Topps considered the set complete with 659 cards, not 660. And so did hobby publications. As the months and years passed, I eventually threw up my hands and said, "OK, I have the complete set." And I was as convinced as I was going to get.

Then I pulled this card.

What do I do with this? I could shift all the 2006 cards back over one space and put the Gordon card in slot No. 297. It looks pretty close to the original, except the foil is gold instead of silver. I might be able to fool a couple of people into thinking I had the Gordon card.

But I'd know it wasn't the Gordon card.

So, it's not going to go in the 2006 binder. Instead, it will remain with my 2010 cards. And every time I leaf through my 2010 cards, there it will be. Taunting me.

Topps, you're mean.

Anyway, thanks for the cards and the contest, Brian. I'll show some of the other cards you sent later.

And speaking of contests, my favorite Olympian, Lindsey Vonn, doesn't seem to know whether she's ready for the Olympics, but I have it on good authority that she does know you should enter this very cool Olympic contest.

                                                               AP

Do it for Lindsey. Her husband's a pleasant guy. I interviewed him once.