Night Owl Cards

  Outside of 1975 Topps, 1977 Topps is the set that elicits the most memories for me, underlines what a different time it was and makes me want to go back to sixth grade.   The '77 set doesn't get a lot of love in the hobby but that's because not enough collectors had a sixth grade like mine . The 1977 Topps was at the center of just about everything we did that year and because of that set, I still remember Mario, David, Jeff, Nancy, Gina and Tanya. They all collected along with me, most of them right there in class.   This is why I've looked forward to Heritage covering the sets of the mid-to-late 1970s for so long. Those are the sets I grew up with and kicked off my devotion to collecting. But it's also exactly the time when Heritage pulled away from what it has been since its beginning in 2002, a set-collector's set, and the last surviving one besides flagship.     Still I pressed forward because of how much I love those '70s sets and designs. I was only...

  I went out to get some groceries for making dinner yesterday and popped over to Target for a couple of extras, so let's zip down to the card aisle, too.   It was filled with baseball product. Just about everything really, in multiple forms. Too bad I can't get into much of it. But for old-time's sake, I picked up a rack pack of two sets that I used to love.   Man, I really did love Stadium Club. And I really, really loved Heritage. But the falling out with Stadium Club has been a slow departure over the years. Heritage is more of an abrupt break. Topps/Fanatics is blatantly trying to turn Heritage into something else -- something I don't want to collect.   I think both deserve their own post to explain the falling apart. But quickly I wanted to mention the price for each of these. They were both $6.99.   That means the Stadium Club cards -- the cards that for more than 15 years were always among the most expensive to buy as far as retail product -- are now a r...

   I realized just the other day that I have been rooting for the Dodgers for 50 years. Today, the first Dodgers game of the year, marks exactly 50 years -- although according to the calendar I guess 50 years wouldn't arrive until April 9, which was the first Dodgers game of the 1976 season.   Anyway, for 50 seasons I've been a fan. Last year I celebrated 50 years as a collector and the year before that I celebrated 50 years of owning baseball cards. I'm still waiting for my awards.   I've mentioned before that although I started collecting in 1975, I wasn't watching any baseball games. My allegiance to the Dodgers was demonstrated almost entirely by wearing a Dodgers hat, which was really a Los Angeles Angels hat. I'm wearing it in the photo above on the occasion of my 10th birthday.   Outside of that, being a Dodgers fan in 1975 meant getting as many of the '75 Topps Dodgers as I could. I did not watch any regular season games on TV until 1976. That's...

  This is the earliest I've ever written one of these. With the World Series ending in November, and my Dodgers involved, and the season starting with six days left in March, it seems a little dramatic to be exclaiming "finally, Opening Day!"   Maybe that's just the way things are speeding up at my advanced age, but also, there was once a time when the World Series wrapped up before October and the season didn't start until late April. So, yes, we're being a bit over the top.   Still, I'm super-happy to be able to watch fresh baseball games daily from now through October. No, I won't be watching tonight's Netflix game. I'll be at work and have you seen the participants?? Thursday's real Opening Day will be tough, too, with limited early afternoon games. But that's the beauty of baseball -- there are 162 of these babies!!   Time to introduce the season like I always do. For the first time since I started this 17 years ago, nothing has ch...