Night Owl Cards

   As a baseball fan it's fun to look back on games I've attended and remember the ballplayers I witnessed in person.   I'm not lucky enough to be able to go to a big league game every week or even every year. So seeing those notable players is extra special to me and, yes, I've written about that . I've watched Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Reggie Jackson, Jim Rice, Adrian Beltre, George Brett and Jim Palmer.   But this post isn't about those guys. Instead have you have looked up the players you watched that you didn't know you watched?   I came across this idea off a BlueSky post when I realized that I watched former Blue Jays second baseman Damaso Garcia during the first game I attended in person. But I didn't see the Blue Jays in my first game. I saw the Royals and Yankees. Garcia was playing for the Yankees in 1978 and on July 15 he appeared in the game I watched in Yankee Stadium.   My mind was blown. I didn't even kn...

If I could've found my wife's camera, there would be a photo here of my copy of "And Then There Were Three ...," the 1978 Genesis rock record (kids: records were round, flat discs made out of vinyl in which songs were record ... ah, never mind). But featuring the inspiration for the title of this post -- Damaso Garcia -- is just as well. The card came in the mail Monday with just one other card. I love getting only 1 or 2 cards in the mail. It's simple, uncomplicated, and no messy clean-up. And it usually comes in an envelope shape that's reserved for bills and other nasty, bummer mailings. But I believe Ross of Boxbusters used a bubble mailer to send along Garcia, and a night card. Garcia is one of the cards that I need to complete the 1986 Topps set. Very key. The three that remain are: #102, Joe Orsulak; #500, Rickey Henderson; and #562, Joe Beckwith. If you have any of these and want to trade, send me an email (I may not reply until Monday or Tuesday. Tr...

My card brand of choice in 2007 was Topps Heritage. Even though some of the photographs, based on the 1958 Topps design, alarmed me with their super-close shots ("That's not a good look," my wife said after seeing the Johnny Estrada card), I could really get behind some of them (Aaron Rowand has an awesome card). So when 2008 Heritage came out, I was ready. I really liked the 1959 Topps design and couldn't wait to see modern players featured with that layout. When they hit the streets, I went on a Heritage buying spree. I was devoted. I was faithful. Until ... A new girl moved into the neighborhood. She was very pretty, with a classic beauty. She was athletic and alluring. She looked fabulous. I asked her name. I'm pretty sure she said, "Allen Ginter," which seemed a bit odd. I dismissed it as having heard wrong. Must've meant "Allie Ginter," I thought. Allie was fantastic because not only did she look great, but she was devastatingly smar...