It's not a race

 

I have a competitive personality. That conflicts with my low-key demeanor and probably explains why nobody expected anything out of me in gym class and then out of the blue I'd make some diving catch in the outfield and everyone was like "where'd that come from?"

 

I'd get competitive at work. When we actually had a sizeable sports department, I'd want to be the best writer on the staff. And that motivated me to get better. In grade school I'd want the best report card grades (but there was always someone better). My want to compete has played out in a variety of circumstances, including here on this blog.

It's part of the reason I have the collection I do as well. I'd like to have the biggest and coolest -- without going into debt or jail or being obnoxious.

During the first few years of this blog, blogs were where you'd find out what the first cards of the year looked like. Anytime there was a new set, you'd check the blogs. So there was a race among bloggers to find those first cards. I'd whine because I live in a place that doesn't usually get things first. That was the competitive side of me. Pretty dopey of me.

Over the years, I cared less and less about being first. I stopped running to the card aisles as soon as a set was released. I realized that it's not a race. Find cards at your own pace, complete sets at your own pace. You'll have more fun.

Old habits do die hard though -- having two brothers does things to you. So when a new set arrives, I'm always amazed, and yes a little envious, by people who have the set, or the team set, done within a week of release. What? How?

So here we are with Series 2. I've bought some. But I still don't have the Dodgers team set complete. I could've bought the whole thing online but a lot of times that doesn't seem fun. 

Instead I rely on fellow traders.

Bru from Remember the Astrodome and House of Cardboard on Discord recently sent me an envelope with Series 2 Dodgers, most of them needs. The cards above are reason one why I shouldn't be in a rush. Series 2 is out of date as soon as it hits shelves (James Outman is toiling in the minors). I think everybody knows that Series 2's reason for being isn't to update things but to keep collectors buying, which wouldn't happen as much if Topps was releasing the entire set all at once as it did when I was a kid.

 

Here are cards of three players on the injured list. Yay, Series 2!

 

But at least there's a card of Teoscar Hernandez in the right uniform (photoshopped, I'm sure. Is that background even real?).

It's interesting how the gold parallels change color every year. This year's gold gives off a milk chocolate vibe.

So that send was very helpful with my team set needs. Since this arrival, I've crossed off two more Dodgers wants and all I need to do to keep the competition devil off my shoulder is to think about two months from now when I will have multiple dupes of every Series 2 Dodger, three, four, five, six versions of each card, like I have for every year since I started a blog.

As for the other 2024 set I'm collecting, I got some great help from Jeremy of Topps Cards That Never Were.

These three base cards get me down to just one more base card to finish that portion of 2024 Heritage. The last one is the "Leading Firemen" card, which I believe someone is sending me.

 

Jeremy also happened to have a nice selection of short-prints to send, too! A lot of the SP subjects in this year's set are not very interesting, but at least it helps keep the price down. I'm doing pretty good knocking off a few SPs at a time almost every week, but every little bit helps.

 

These cards are the biggest sticking point for me as there are two Dodgers in the SP'd Highlights portion. Very happy to get this out of the way, but I need a second one for the team collection.

The blurbs on these are stupid. Read it. It sounds dumb in your head. I don't understand how you can get the design to match with the '75 set and then thoroughly drop the ball on the captions. Is this an AI thing? All the Highlights captions in the '75 set were complete sentences and at least four words (if you count a number as one word). 

 

Jeremy also sent two of the three Dodgers New Age Performer cards. Wee! The Kershaw is the other one and it's coming to me soon. I love the colors on these, 100 percent mid-1970s vibe with that. 

Finally a couple of Bowman cards that I didn't have. Not much more to say about that.

Being competitive has helped me get a job, win writing contests and it helped me raise a kid who isn't afraid to stick up for herself and want to be the best version of herself. I know it's not everyone's style and that's probably why I try to keep it to myself most of the time.

But don't expect me to enter a hot dog eating contest or anything. That's just stupid.