You're not working? I'm not working

 

This has been a weird holiday week as far as working my job.

In general, holidays don't mean much in the journalism world, the news doesn't stop and newspapers come out every day (mostly). But my paper has always been good about holidays and I often am able to take some time off.

Not this year. I worked on Christmas. Not unusual but not ritual either. I also worked on New Year's Day. Both of those are very common days to have off in the general work world. Also I did a little work on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve even though I was technically off. Meanwhile, my work computer decided to stop working two days before Christmas. Apparently it wanted a vacation, too. And good luck getting someone to look at it during the holiday week. I've been working from home ever since.

I could go on and on but to sum up, I feel like I'm the only one working the last 10 days. I'm a little sick of it. So what we have here is a lazy write-up on some cards that came to my door and quietly piled up while I was working.

Let's see them in a way that doesn't feel like work.

 

I claimed this Vlad Jr. Chrome rookie in the recent Diamond King giveaway that he likes to hold around this time of year. This may be useful in a trade but if not I'll happily keep it.

Kevin threw in a couple of fancy Dodgers. They don't look all that fancy but both are numbered to 50. The Muncy is a gold parallel.

Max of Starting Nine sent a nice Christmas card filled with goodies, like this 2014 Golden Age Zack Wheat card. I can always use more Zack Wheat cards.

 

This Clayton Kershaw filled one of the holes in my 2024 A&G Dodgers collection. I'm now in the uncomfortable stage where I own about half of the team set and waffle over whether to order a team set, which would create dupes (because I'm not collecting the main set). Seems inefficient, but I'll probably do it.

I don't even need to look at the back of this card to know it's from 2022. That year is all about Trea Turner Dodgers cards. This is a slice of Triumvirate card that needs two other pieces to make it whole. I don't know if I'll get the other two. That seems like work.

 

 

 Max mentioned this excellent night card of Evan Carter that is in 2024 Topps Update. This is a must for the night card binder, although there was a bit of agony in adding it.

 

That's because it replaced this card as both are No. 58. The 2012 Tim Hudson has always been a favorite because you're never going to see a pitcher admire a home run blast anymore. Maybe I'll add this card to the page in the back that contains night cards that didn't fit but are too good to just go back in a box.

Max closed it out with a couple of players on a last-place hockey team! Wooo! The Sabres are never going to get their act together.

Finally, to conclude this simple and relaxing post here are some Diamond Jesters Time Travel cards that arrived last week.

After skipping out the last couple of series I grabbed these four cards with the hopes of adding some inventory at the upcoming card show. But that plan was foiled by purchasing a Reggie Jackson rookie card. So I scrambled together some items that I hope will work.

Meanwhile the vintage here had been up for the offering for quite awhile so I finally grabbed it. (The Rick Gale Senior League card may have been there for awhile, too, who's keeping track?) The '68 Woodie Fryman amuses me as someone who knew Fryman only as an old farmer type. The Del Crandall has a few creases but '57 Topps is made to be beaten up.

 

Matt also included several old newspaper clippings from the 1970s about Jackie Robinson. Many are from the end of his life in 1972 and there's an article by Pee Wee Reese on Robinson from 1977. 

I'd like to store these in a page and an album because clippings don't store all that great (although I have a bunch of my old stories clipped out and stuffed in manila envelopes). Looks like a 2025 project!

But later. Right now that seems too workish. I've got one more day to work tonight and then hopefully I'm off the next three days. I believe some people are finally coming back to work. It's about time.