Night Owl Cards

The player in the photo on this card is not Jay Johnstone, no matter what Fleer says. I think that has been established in several blog posts. It's also been established with reasonable certainty who it actually is. But I'm going to go through it again -- with pictures -- for those who missed it. Or for those who just like pictures. First off, here's a card of Jay Johnstone. How Fleer could confuse someone who looked like "Moon Man" up top with someone who looked like Johnstone is absolutely baffling. There are also cards of "Moon Man" featuring sticker autographs that have Johnstone's signature, right there affixed to the card! That is just embarrassing for everyone who has ever made a card, owned a card, laid eyes on a card, played baseball, signed an autograph or went to the moon. Anyway ... When the "Moon Man" card -- which was provided to me by Cardboard Catastrophes -- first hit the blogs, the guesses were all over th...

I am not one of those people who receives a gift card for his birthday and then six months later discovers "Whoops! (hee. hee). Here's that 50 dollars I forgot all about!" Nope, I lie in wait for my chance to get what I want. When the chance arrives, it's cashed in before it knows what hit it. And I have what I want. Instantly. There is no, "oh, what should I get? Hmmmm. Gee whiz. Maybe that ... no, no, maybe this .... no, uh, how about this? ... well, there's always this. ... Oh, I just don't know." JUST BUY SOMETHING ALREADY!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, the year is jam-packed with days in which I can not afford to buy an 85-cent bag of Doritos in the vending machine. So the potential arrival of birthday money is charted, plotted, circled and underlined thricely on the calendar. In the "Me Want" folder are lists and graphs and drawings, updated weekly. Yet, here it is, a month-and-a-half after my birthday, and I'm showing more birt...

I'll just wrap up the last of my Check Out My Cards package here and we can all move on with our lives.  I have just three more cards to show. This card here is one of those spur-of-the-moment I MUST HAVE THIS cards. Duke Snider in an Expos uniform is just classic. Topps can pretend all it wants what Jackie Robinson might look like in a Giants uniform , but SSPC actually FOUND a photo of Snider in an Expos uniform and published it for the world to see. Now that is excellent execution. The best part of the card is there is no explanation on the back. Just a checklist. It mocks you: "No, we are not going to explain our total randomness on the front-side of this card. We identified the people out there for you. What are you whining about?" So that is why I grabbed that card without having any intention of doing so. Now for the rest of the intentioned cards. This is Dodger card #98 of my favorite player of all-time. This is from the Fleer Greats of the Game s...

I received this card from Heartbreaker Matt F. over at Staggering Genius . It's pretty darn awesometastical. (sorry, my daughter's phrases rub off on me). I was so thrilled with the card, I nearly dropped it. But, of course, Matt had to ruin my blissful ignorance with a note: "Like I said"? Did we have a conversation about this? I have no memory of this at all. Ah, geez, it really sucks getting old. I proceeded to turn the card over ... slowly. Card backs on relics tend to disappoint. Well! Seems legit to me! I am to be congratulated for receiving a Pee Wee Reese game-used jersey trading card that features an authentic piece of a jersey worn by Pee Wee Reese in an official Dodgers MLB game. But that note from Matt kept gnawing at me. So, off I went through the Heartbreaking Cards archive, searching, searching for a post on Pee Wee Reese uniform cards. Good gosh, I don't have time for this, I have a job, and stuff to do around the house, and ...

About two weeks ago, I received something in the mail from Joe M. It arrived right during a period when I was absolutely furious at work. I mean so furious that playing the lottery on a daily basis not only seemed like a good idea, but that it was my DUTY. The mailing was better than any "get well" or "thinking of you" card. Here is what fell out: In order, that is: 1. A jersey relic of Dusty Baker from 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game 2. A jersey relic/autograph card of Chad Billingsley from 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces That is muy awesome. The truly fantastic nature of the Billingsley card overshadows the momentary horror that I felt when I turned over the Baker card and read this: "Congratulations! You have received a Dusty Baker game-used coach's jersey trading card. On the front of this card is an authentic piece of a coach's jersey worn by Dusty Baker in an official Giants MLB game. We hope you enjoy this piece of M...

As the Dodgers approach the playoffs, it's easy for me to focus on their weaknesses -- or at least what I perceive as their weaknesses. They leave too many runners on base, some of their relievers aren't exactly clutch, a starter or two lacks confidence. But the Dodgers have made the playoffs three of the last four seasons, which means it's almost time for me to start thinking about this current group the way I think about past Dodger postseason greats -- as flawless and always clutch. Dodger Blue superheroes. The past is always rosier than the present, isn't it? It helps to have card sets like Fleer Greats of the Game around. It gives your favorite bygone stars that superhuman vibe. With none of the icky "hits .165 with runners in scoring position" after taste. Thorzul Will Rule recently held a box break of the 2006 set and I swooped in on the Dodgers. I didn't get any big hits -- the copper parallel of Dusty Baker up top is the only "hit" I ...