Night Owl Cards

It's the end of March. Every year at this time I look around, do a quick inventory, check myself in the mirror, and celebrate that, yes, I am still alive. The month didn't kill me. This year I had resolved at the start of the month that I would not let it get to me. And then a different firecracker went off in my face for the next 31 days. But that's over now. Here we are -- as this fiendish month draws its final breaths -- still going. I recognize that fact each year by acquiring a few celebratory cards. Just a few, because who has time to scope out a palette of cards in March ? The cards arrived the other day and you'll see them in several different posts, but right now I want to show the ones that most make me smile. Because March is dying, dammit, and I'm ready to smile. I decided to make an effort in my quest to complete the 2001 Upper Deck Decade '70s set. But except for the above absolutely amazing Dennis Eckersley card, I didn't end up pic

It's incredibly easy to find night cards in current sets, and there's no better example than the most current of flagship offerings 2015 Topps. To underline just how available night cards are, terrific-sender-of-packages Dave shipped me a bunch of 2015 Topps night scenes amid the great selection of other cards he sent (I'm getting to those, I promise). I immediately went about determining whether they qualified for my night card binder, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many made it. Let's relive the rundown. "Does it make the binder?": Yordano Ventura, #79. Yes Chris Carter, #246. No Starling Marte, #79. No Alexei Ramirez, #65. No Michael Bourn, #23. Yes Tyler Colvin, #245. No Brandon Phillips, #266. Yes Maikel Franco, #309. Yes Andrew Susac, #232. Yes Craig Gentry, #183. Yes Toronto Blue Jays, #13. Yes Atlanta Braves, #64. Yes New York Mets, #24. No (shouldn't have worn those hideous camos) Chase Utley,

I still get emails from people periodically asking me for advice on how to run a blog. No, not Hope Solo , although she could learn a thing or two from me, but from regular card-collecting people. Some want to know how to get started, or how to get trades going, or how to get some interaction. My advice is simple and nothing no one else hasn't said already: you just have to be yourself, write about what you like, and maybe most of all: get out there. How does one "get out there"? Well, like I said, you have to be yourself and write what you like. Don't write things on your blog that you don't believe or don't interest you. There is a temptation to do that if all you're looking for are readers or comments. But it won't end well. Write often. Yes, that takes time and none of us have time. But like anything in life, you get what you put in. Writing often not only attracts readers and keeps you in their very active and busy lives, but it makes y

"Can't you say something NICE?" I get that a lot. Yes, I can say something "nice". I do it all the time. Even right here on this blog. I think what clouds the issue for some people is that I'm not afraid to point out something wrong -- in life or on the blog. I refuse to be sugar and sunshine all the time. I'm actually a very happy person who likes to laugh, enjoys people of all kinds and has a wide variety of tastes and interests. But I won't run a blog where it's "golly gee" every moment and every comment is "Nice Cards!" Yes, sometimes the cards are very nice. Other times, they're crap. I'm not too shy to point to a pile of stink and say "THERE'S CRAP THERE! HEY, EVERYBODY, DON'T STEP IN THE CRAP! " I don't look at that as being negative. I'm trying to be helpful. Strong opinions is how readers came to Night Owl Cards ... well, that and some bitchin' cards . And I promise I

A couple of years ago, I joined a card draft at Scott Crawford on Cards! I enjoyed it quite a bit and also snagged some random cards that were interesting but I don't really collect. One of them was this 2011 Topps Andrew Bailey hope diamond parallel. I grabbed it because I wanted a hope diamond parallel in the collection. That's the only reason. Well, since then, I've acquired a couple more hope parallels, of the more appropriate Dodger variety. And, more to the point, Scott sent a collector my way who apparently is trying to complete the entire set -- base and update -- of hope diamond cards. He needed the Andrew Bailey card as one of three cards left to completing the whole thing, and he said he'd pay me $25. Done. I got the cash, and I happily sent the card off, and I hope he finds that Alex Avila and Frank Robinson to finish the full set. And that's enough about current cards. Time to see what I got for my $25. I went the oddball route in an e