Night Owl Cards

  I returned to where I grew up yesterday, mostly to say hi to my folks in their final resting place, as well as reconnect with old people and places.   I don't get back there much anymore, not for the last five years, which is weird to me as it's where I spent 15 formative years of my life. And it's probably just as well because whenever I go back, I definitely get that "you can't go home again" feeling.   For example, this:   That yellow house is where I spent ages 6 through 13. I couldn't get any better photo than that because the whole damn neighborhood is getting roads redone and it's hell trying to drive there -- in fact there are those signs all over stating "local traffic only." Dammit, I used to be "local traffic" ... well, if riding my bike everywhere was "local traffic." I hope whoever lives there now is enjoying the second-floor extension built on the back (I can sort of see it in the picture). That was built...

  This is the last card that I pulled out of a pack that I bought off a shelf at Target.   Will it be the last card that I pulled out of a pack that I bought off a shelf at Target ever?   Today is the final day that Target will sell baseball cards -- and football, basketball and Pokemon cards -- at its stores, according to a statement from Target itself . Random stores may still sell those cards but in general Target's policy now is to only sell them online, saying it is temporarily suspending in-store sales.   It makes sense. Target made this decision after a childish display at a store in Wisconsin in which four grown men got into a fight over sports cards and one of them ended up displaying a gun before arrests were made.   Kids and guns. I hope their moms are happy. I've gotten to the point where I don't have a lot of hope for the future when it comes to common decency in public. The fact that grown-ups don't know not to do this and that it was trading cards...

I tried a second time to spend my Target gift card from Christmas today. Since I recently won a blaster of 2018 Topps in a contest at Waiting 'Til Next Year, I figured it was pointless to save the gift card for 2018 Topps. A blaster of that stuff is plenty, it should satisfy the craving for the rest of the year. Those of you who store unopened card product in your homes are probably now saying why don't I save the gift card for when Heritage comes out later, or maybe Stadium Club or Allen and Ginter months from now? First of all, there's no way I can keep a gift card for that long. I'm not my parents or other people's parents who can whip out an envelope filled with unused gift cards on call. The point of free money is to spend it and BUST OPEN THAT STASH OF CARDS IN YOUR CLOSET NOW! So, I was going to spend that gift card today, one way or the other. I ended up spending it on "the other." The card aisle at this time of year remains a depressi...

Before I get to more 2016 Topps cards, I have a little story for you guys out there. You ladies may pick up a pointer, too, but really this is for the guys. Last week, before the new cards came out, I was in Target with a little extra money to spend. I shopped for some necessities -- I really don't remember what they were now -- and threw in a blaster of Stadium Club and pack of Update. I got to the register and was the second customer in line. The checkout person was a woman, maybe in her mid-20s, kind of attractive if you're into that sort of thing. Checking out in front of me was an old couple. As they left, one of them knocked a couple of Target promo flyers off the checkout counter and onto the floor. I put my purchases on the counter and as she began to ring them up, I bent down to pick up the flyers on the floor. It was then that I heard her say, "I can't wait for spring training. I can watch only so much football." I paused for a second, wonde...