Night Owl Cards

A recent package from Tony at Wrigley Roster Jenga gave me a project to do, but first a few other cards he sent before the "project" card. This here is a Topps 205 mini of a very young Chad Billingsley, oblivious to the years of surgery ahead. Don't get excited. These are all reprints. Yeah, it'd be nice to have the real thing, but I can now say "I have a card of Hot Potato Hamlin," and how long would it have taken me to say that if I held out for the original? Some Opening Day Dodger needs since I still haven't opened any Opening Day. Here we have two clear superstars, and then one guy who has all of 7 innings in the majors, so of course put him on equal footing with the other guys in a card set with a limited number of players. You can see how the Montas card naturally separated itself from the other 2 on the scanner. It knows it's not worthy. Tony says he's pulled Corey Seager cards in everything he's opened this ...

Buying cards is generally considered a pleasant experience. But because this is the real world, there are always some hassles that go along with even the happiest of purchases. If you're buying cards online, you may choose from multiple outlets, but sometimes you can't see the cards you buy, sometimes you have to constantly comparison shop so you don't get ripped off, sometimes someone snags the card out from under you, sometimes cards arrive damaged or not at all. If you're buying cards in a store, you must deal with crowds and lines. Sometimes you're dodging shopping carts parked in the card aisle for the specific purpose of deterring you. Sometimes there's this weird 20-something guy there in an army jacket, who -- what is he doing, is he sniffing the cards? -- and you have to pretend to be interested in something else in the store until he goes away. The worst experiences of the best shopping experience that exists are without a doubt in Walmart. I...