Night Owl Cards

How old do you have to be to experience nostalgia? My daughter and her friends get nostalgic, but it's that weird kind of nostalgic that only college-age kids experience, that nostalgia that isn't really nostalgia because it wasn't even 10 years ago. You know that song "We Are Young" by Fun? If that pops on the radio -- well, it means I have no control over the radio station, for one -- it will throw my daughter and her friend into fits of "remember when" as if this 2011 song came out when The Brady Bunch was in prime time. It's bizarre, and as a parent you can't help but announce in response "that was yesterday! " But as the years go on and my daughter and her friends have moved on, I can't help but get nostalgic over stuff that was brand-new not even a decade ago, too. For instance, 2009. You remember 2009, right? The movie "Up"? That horrible "Boom Boom Pow" song? But some things were kind of good...

As I mentioned in the last post, a blogger was trying to make me jealous while I was on vacation. This is a little bit like holding up a 100 dollar bill to LeBron James and saying, "lookie what I got!" He's going to laugh in your face. And then his bikinied groupies are going to laugh in your face. But I understand it was a timing issue. How was Greg Z. supposed to know I was happily sunning myself when he was baiting me? But I suppose I should return the favor, because that's what us guys do. So here are some Clayton Kershaw cards I obtained just before I went on vacation. Kershaw is the lone Dodger who will get playing time in the All-Star Game tomorrow (because Dodger fans aren't ballot-stuffing losers like fans of another team I know). He's my favorite current player, and he's also one of Greg Z.'s two favorite players. So, let's turn on the Jealous Meter and see how high we can get that baby to go. I obtained eight Kershaw card...

( Note from the night owl: This is an actual new post. It is not a post you have read before. Blogger is somewhat back to normal. ... We now return you to your regularly scheduled post -- scheduled to publish Thursday night, that is). I received this "postcard" from Thorzul in a trade a week or two ago. I use postcard in quotes because although it's postcard size, the back is thoroughly blank. I don't think you can send this card through the mail in the traditional fashion, unless you want postal goons at your front door the next day. Thorzul had no idea what the card is or when it was issued, so he thought I might be able to figure it out. You know, because I'm a Koufax fan, and a Dodger fan, and have gobs and gobs of free time on my hands. Heh. But I enjoy a good research project. Besides, I didn't think it would take me much time to figure out. After all I do have this: You might be saying that this is a book about baseball cards and wha...

I'm not much for surprises. I think we can all agree that the bad kind of surprises aren't good for anyone. But I'm not a fan of the good kind either -- parties, roller coasters, winning free fries in the McDonald's Monopoly game, whatever. I like routine. I like sameness. I like boring. At least that's what I let others believe. And then they're all stunned when I squeal like a dog toy because the mailbox is stuffed full of golden, rectangular envelopes. On the very day of my birthday, there were three such envelopes in the mailbox. I promptly dubbed them birthday gifts. I don't care if none of the senders could have known it was my birthday or that the packages would arrive on my birthday. I sung "happy birthday to me" as I opened them and soon everyone was annoyed except for me. Which is how most birthdays around here end. So, shall we see what Joe L., Johngy and dayf got for my birthday? Yes we shall. Joe L. found something very a...

Now that I have your attention, I am going to show a few recent acquistions that I think are cool. You may think so, too. Or you may not. But that's fine. We know who's really right. I pulled this 2010 short-print Carlton Fisk card out of the first pack from a blaster purchased yesterday. I am averaging one short-print-per-Topps-base-set a year, and each happen to have been Chicago players. I'm willing to trade this card, but it's got to be in exchange for something cool. For example, I'm still looking for the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese short-prints from 2009 Topps. Now, for those of you whose attention wanes whenever the latest and greatest isn't featured, your time here is done. Go find something shiny. For the rest of you, you may remember that I have sworn off blasters this year. It's sort of working. I have purchased two blasters so far -- but one was with money intended for a card show that I never went to and one was with money obtain...

First off, I'd like to thank the entire blogosphere for refusing to comment on my last post. Do you realize that at least one person had commented on my previous 93 posts? Goodness, do you know what that does to my ego? Apparently you all decided to put together your own little intervention. Night Owl's head had grown a bit too big. I mean he's referring to himself by a nickname, and in the third person, too. Isn't it obvious? He's got a problem. So, thanks for giving my narcissistic self a kick in the id. I needed that. Now, hopefully, you won't find this post as boring as the last Gint -a-Cuffs post. You may have noticed that I was semi-MIA last week. I was actually out of town for a few days, enjoying the vacation. But a birthday, combined with a vacation, combined with card packages that keep arriving at the door, means I am so very behind in posting pretty pictures of these fine cards. But I still want to acknowledge everyone. So that means if I ...