Night Owl Cards

  You know, I forgot all about how I hated the current wild-card set-up last year. I complained last year that division winners shouldn't be involved in such chaos. I guess I still agree with that, but I didn't think of it once during this past week and that's even with my team involved in it.   I'm never going to get to Grandpa Simpson status at this rate.   But I like my postseason attitude this year. I don't feel like hiding behind the couch like I've felt for decades when the Dodgers are in the playoffs. We'll see how it goes when they're playing the Phillies in Philadelphia this weekend (most likely I'll just be pressing "mute" a lot).   Meanwhile, with four games on the docket tomorrow, I've got my current postseason tradition cued up and ready to go. This is where I pull out the oldest, newest and random-est card in my collection from the remaining playoff teams. This is the third time I've done this (well, fourth as I did ...

In high school, and then later when I moved away for college, the library was a place of transition, somewhere to go while I adjusted to my new surroundings. I didn't build relationships easily then -- never have, in fact -- and it took time. By the end of high school, and the end of college, I had formed relationships that have lasted a lifetime. But the early years were a little tough, and I'm glad the library was there. During my freshman and sophomore years in high school, if I had a free period, I'd head to the library, even if there was no homework to do. I'd walk to the back, the small "lounge area" where the magazine racks were, and pull out a Sports Illustrated or Time or Life (yes, Life, that's how old I am). Then I'd proceed to spend the next 45 minutes or so absorbing the contents. A lot of times, it was the happiest part of my day. In college, out of habit, I'd do the same thing. The library was much larger and filled with fas...

I am at the stage in collecting -- or more accurately I'm at that stage in life -- where a retail pack of 2013 whatever can't possibly compete with a simple repack of old cards. They're both the same price, as you know. A single rack pack of Topps Update and one of those Fairfield rack pack "guess what's inside" repacks run about $4.99 with the repack yielding a lot more cards. I guess you're paying for "new" with the other pack. But when I bought one of each last week I received so much more "card collectibility" out of the repack. Not a surprise. Not something I haven't said before. Not something others haven't said before. It was just so apparent , that's all. The most notable feature of the Update pack was that it was a Mariners' hot pack. Besides the emerald Aaron Harang card, there were these Seattlites: What to do with these cards? I suppose I'll send them off to Larry at Emerald City Diamon...

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a rant about the new Topps Heritage High Numbers set, a hunk of 100 cards that comes equipped with an autograph and sticker shock. Quantities are limited and there may be plenty left or none left. I don't know. I don't care. Topps' swift move has pretty much turned me off to modern cards, except for sampling here and there. And except for getting the Dodgers in every current set I can find. So, the way around shelling out 100 bucks for Heritage High Numbers, just for a handful of Dodgers, is to find a team break. I found one . And I'll be getting my Dodgers. But there are lots of good teams left in the break that Padrographs is holding. And you know you want the cards. Stick it to Topps! Don't give up all that cash for their lousy money grab, but get the cards you want! And it'll cost you less than 10 bucks. OK, the Ackley card is here for a two-fold reason. Pimp a break, and continue yet another regular series here...