Every year I act like everyone's curious whether I received any cards for Christmas or not.
And every year it seems like the success of Christmas hinges on whether I receive any cards.
But that's exactly what it is: just an act. When your kid goes away to college and your folks pass on, Christmas gets real. Prioritizing gifts -- although I still do it instinctively in my head -- is way down the list of the best parts of the holiday. I'm just happy I have people to celebrate it with this year.
So, yeah, that means nobody left me any cards under the tree.
That doesn't mean I won't get any for the holiday. There are still gifts coming and my sister-in-law is involved so the potential for cards is always there.
Plus, I get plenty of card gifts from collectors around the country. I certainly don't need anything extra from the family. You know how better at card-buying collectors are anyway.
They buy them with the holiday in mind, too.
See?
This was a message from Kerry at Cards On Cards, arriving just before Christmas. And, like any respectable Santa would do, he consulted my Christmas list, a.k.a., my want lists, a.k.a., my list of demands.
Here were some:
Continuing with Mr. Muncy, that mean man who gets upset when he needs a bulldozer to clear out the fan mail that comes to his home. I'm right with ya, Max. Some stuff just needs to be said.
This card represents the only positive thing to come out of last year's All-Star Game for the Dodgers. It's Muncy throwing out Carlos Santana from the outfield grass between second and first in the sixth inning.
Showing the actual play is a nice comeback for Topps who couldn't even create a card of Muncy for much too long.
Kerry cleared out the rest of my Dodgers wants for the 2019 Update set. I sure do appreciate it. I also appreciate Topps creating cards of specific moments from the season, like the Cody Bellinger card. However, in typical half-assed fashion, the back is just a checklist. There is no explanation of what Bellinger did in April 2019.
I'll fill everyone in: Bellinger was NL Player of the Month in April, batting .431 with 14 home runs and 37 RBIs and setting a bunch of early season records.
Here is that same Will Smith card except from the Chrome Update set that you usually find in special retail boxes. I haven't bothered to look for that stuff the last couple of years so I don't know if it's sold the same way. Thank goodness other people are buying it though.
More Chrome Update Dodgers. And back to that forgettable All-Star Game.
Both Kershaw and Buehler gave up runs in the game, accounting for two of the AL's four runs. It got so embarrassing for the Dodgers that I was actually cheering silently when a Giant -- Will Smith -- gave up the decisive blow, Joey Gallo's home run in the seventh. Kershaw still got the loss though.
The only Dodger pitcher who didn't give up a run in that game was Hyun-Jin Ryu, the starter. But he's not in the Chrome Update checklist for whatever reason. Not enough "collectability" I guess.
Kerry also found a need from the regular Chrome set. This card scanned brighter than the other Chrome cards, which makes me think it's a refractor. But I don't even know if Topps is doing the unnumbered refractors anymore.
Last bit of Chrome, from the 150 Years insert set that I believe is never-ending and is still growing outside right now as I write this. Are there a thousand cards in this insert set yet? Stop feeding it!
I am returning to the regular Update set because I forgot the Dodgers® inserts and parallels. There you are.
Kerry added my last Dodgers base need from 2019 Opening Day. It's Miami Marlin Matt Kemp. A very depressing and weird statement that was.
Like a true committed team collector, Kerry didn't stick with Topps cards in this package. These come from Optic and, I think, Chronicles. We committed team collectors are a bit odd.
The package wasn't all 2019 Dodgers either. These three cards represent that very 1990s trend of promotional samples, which I never understood because they're the same cards that are in the regular set, just with stamping across it (and different card numbers on the back).
But, yes sir, I will include them in my collection.
So that is a Happy Holidays package that came my way just in time for Christmas.
Out of all the cards in that gift just two were ones I didn't need.
And that is why it's cool that my card gifts come from collectors. Because they know just what I want.
Family members?
Not so much. Not when it comes to cards.
But they can provide so many other things on Christmas that collectors can't.
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