Night Owl Cards

  Around 15 years ago, I was up on the very latest in cards, all the new releases, when to get them, where to get them, etc.   The internet made it easy. There were several card sites that posted release dates regularly. Even some card blogs were there to tell you which set was coming out when. And I'd try to track everything: flagship, Heritage, Gypsy Queen, Bowman, Allen & Ginter, Chrome, Archives, etc., etc.   It's much different now. Information on the hobby is a lot more scattered. Most of all, I barely check release dates anymore. But it's not because the info is more difficult to find -- I just don't care. Mostly what I need is the date when flagship first comes out and the same with Heritage. And that's it.   I still want the Dodger cards though and, fortunately, a select few people still send me them. But now it's a surprise when the new cards come out.   Cards On Cards sent me another couple of envelopes a couple of weeks ago. It contained the ver...

  My favorite decade that I have lived in, as a whole, is the 1980s, easily. I've written about this several times. Here is one that sums it up best.   Still, it can't top the '70s when it comes to cards. The '70s will always be my favorite decade for cards. This is the reason why I think I should be done with '80s cards by now. It's been nearly 40 years since that decade ended. You're not the '70s! Why am I still collecting your cards?   Well, that's because there are so many of them. Even though the '80s produced the first set that didn't impress me (1982 Donruss), the first set I didn't like (1986 Donruss) and the first set I didn't really get (1987 Topps), there was still so much to like. That's why I'm still trying to put the bow on 1983 Donruss, 1985 Donruss and 1987 Fleer right now.   And it's also why I just accepted a whole shoebox full of 1989 Score from Bru of Remember The Astrodome .       Lordy, what have I d...

  A couple weeks ago reports came out that Panini America is looking to sell. While this barely causes me to shrug my shoulders, considering its output in the baseball market the last 15 years, it's concerning in another way.   One of the most interested parties in buying Panini is Topps/Fanatics. Topps is interested in Panini's global reach and this would fit right in with Fanatics' desire for world domination. While a sale to Topps would allow some of the brands that Panini made that didn't meet my expectations -- stuff like Donruss and Diamond Kings -- to be retooled into looks I might like better (i.e. have team logos), it also carries the potential for Topps to continue its lazy treatment of many of its sets ... or not publish them at all, as seems to be Fanatics' way.   But what Panini was doing with baseball sets certainly didn't interest me, so it mostly gets a shrug.   I haven't purchased a pack of Panini-whatever in a good long time. The last time ...