Dodger fan in mourning

 

Father's Day ended in pretty sucky fashion yesterday.

Right in the middle of a dinner prepared to my specific requests, I heard hushed voices coming from my laptop over in the living room. I ignored it for a little bit -- I really like burgers and deviled eggs -- but it kept hushing and I had to go and check it out.

There I saw people hunched over Mookie Betts, who was having difficulty getting up. I couldn't see the number so I couldn't tell who it was, I just knew it was a Black man. It didn't seem like Jason Heyward, not large enough. It didn't seem like Teoscar Hernandez, not enough beard. Finally I saw the name and, well, that's how you ruin Father's Day. Thanks a lot, Dan Altavilla, who I had never heard of until yesterday.

I used to write about the Dodgers as a fan quite a bit on this blog. A lot of rah-rah rooting stuff. I moved away from it because I never felt comfortable with it and focusing more on cards seemed more natural. But I am still a Dodger fan the whole time I write these posts -- always. And I'm in mourning.

The Dodgers lost both Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for at least a couple of months on the same day. But I'm not in mourning because I think it diminishes their playoff chances or title chances. The postseason doesn't operate the way it did for the first 45-plus years I've been a fan. If you get to the playoffs, you've got as much a chance as any other team, and if you are hovering around .500 for the season, you have an excellent shot of making the playoffs. The Dodgers will be going to the playoffs and after that, who knows -- you saw the Diamondbacks last season, right?

 

I'm in mourning as a fan because I don't get to see and hear about Mookie Betts playing for however long he is out. He's one of the more interesting MLB players. I was looking forward to seeing how he'd field his new position at the end of the season. I was looking forward to seeing if he could get his swing back like it was at the start of the year. Now all that's delayed.

 

That's what bothers me. But let's get into some Dodger cards I recently received to help take away the pain for a little bit. Because I'm a Dodger fan!

 

The yellow-themed Betts card up top arrived from Cards On Cards who sent yet another envelope recently.

 

Kerry also managed to find a Ron Cey sticker that I didn't have. How does that even happen? I didn't have his 1983 Fleer sticker? Yeah, it's true, I looked at my collection and everything. Somehow it slipped past me. (Turns out I'm still missing several '83 sticker Dodgers).

 

 

These I looked forever at before I realized what they were. My brain was puzzled why Cards On Cards would be sending me 1987 Fleer Dodgers well into our 90th-something trade. Then I realized -- like days later -- that they are from the glossy parallel set. ... Yeah, that 1980s collecting will never end.

 

 

This is the remainder of the envelopes that Johnny's Trading Spot sent me last week. All three of these were needs. The Dodgers displayed their new City Connect uniforms today (I don't care) and the three models were Ohtani, Freeman and Will Smith, and all I could think was Smith should've been Betts 😞 

 

I recently received a pack of cards from CardBoredom. I hope you're reading his blog. It's very in-depth and very interesting.

He sent me an email that he had a few cards for me and they came presented inside this custom pack. Nifty!

 

There's the back, folded and glued just for me.

The first card I saw was this marvelous, iconic 1952 Topps Clyde King. Zounds. I don't think I've ever pulled a 1952 Topps card out of a pack before.

 

 

The other two cards completed my 1993 Finest Dodgers team set!!! Can you imagine cards more different than '52 Topps and '93 Finest appearing in the same pack?

Oh, and the wrapper said there was gum.

I am not certain what that is. It looks like gum and it smells like gum, but it does not feel like gum.

Finally, I acquired a few cards from a fellow Dodger fan, Derek, who was selling off some of his collection. I didn't know I'd need a card pick-me-up then but glad I did it.

The Kimbrel goldie and all these entered my collection. I'm still a sucker for parallels, which most of these are. The Bowman Bellinger is very low-numbered and unlike me, but as a Dodger fan I should have it!

There were other cards in envelopes from Kerry and Johnny that don't fit the Dodgers theme of this post.

Some Bills, night cards and a 1975-themed designed "comedy card." (I looked up James P. Connolly on youtube and he's not too bad). The comedy card will go with my other '75 themed card items that I stash in the back of the '75 Topps binder.

As a baseball fan you have to be prepared for players -- stars and all -- getting injured. In football it's even worse. There will be a player out for the season in Week 1. But at least we still have their cards to collect.