Night Owl Cards

My dog looks somewhat similar to this one (he's a beagle/Basset mix, more beagle than Basset). And this is the precious head tilt that he gives me sometimes when I'm talking. Dog experts say that the animal tilts his head to pick up on sounds or inflections from their owner that indicate something enjoyable is about to happen (we get a lot of head tilts when a walk is imminent). They also say it could have something to do with how dogs' ears pick up sound or perhaps to get a better view because their snout is in the way. From my very human perspective I interpret the dog head tilt as a sign that the dog is confused about what is in front of him and perhaps studying it from a different angle might help. That's why I sometimes tilt my head when I see certain cards. (*tilts head*) I've seen these before. It's actually an advertisement for Topps' upcoming baseball Wacky Packages, in which each sticker is related to a specific team. I suppose thi...

The sports card industry summit kicked off today in Hawaii. That's not the first place I think of when I think baseball cards. Unless it's these . But actually it's appropriate that they're all in Hawaii. At the summit today, there's been a lot of talk about relevance, appealing to a larger consumer base, reinstating National Baseball Card Day, you know, basically focusing on the modern card world. And that's why it's appropriate. Because I'm moving as far from that world as Hawaii is from me. As I mentioned recently, each year for the last decade my purchases have revolved around the baseball card calendar. January through April, I focus on current cards, because that's when flagship and Heritage is released. May through June, I step back and get ready for Series 2 and Allen and Ginter. July through September, I focus on non-current cards, mostly vintage. October through December, I mostly take a breather and check out Update and/or Chrome....

I was reserving this card from Brian of Highly Subjective and Completely Arbitrary for this particular awesome night card post. Then, in the handful of days that passed since receiving this card, I received another envelope from Brian. So I'm just lumping "Stuff from Brian" all together here. He's really taking this Supertraders thing seriously. Rock on, brother. I wish I had the time for that kind of dedication. Anyway, Brian sent this card because he's done his research, too. Last summer I featured the first page in my night card binder. I mentioned how the No. 4 slot was a tricky one and I was resigned to putting a Yadier Molina card from 2013 Topps in that spot, even though watching Molina, and Cardinals games in general, is not good for my blood pressure. So, Brian sent this card from the special 8-card 2001 Upper Deck Coca-Cola commemorative Cal Ripken Jr. set. It happens to be the fourth card in the set, and Brian wondered if I a problem with the...

I've increasingly made the weekend a rest period from blogging. I started the practice during the NFL season. People don't read blogs much on the weekend, and on Sundays during football, it's almost pointless to put something up, unless you blog purely for your own entertainment (which actually I do). So, I figured I'd give all of us a break one day on the weekend. You're stuck fighting crowds in Walmart, or the hardware store, or the park, or whatever nightmare scenarios you people with Monday-through-Friday jobs endure. You don't have the time. Today was going to be one of those days that I wouldn't blog. To pass the time before going to work, I cataloged some cards instead, because the hobby is a constant. That's when I came across this card: It's a 1950 Bowman card of Dodgers infielder Bobby Morgan. I received it from Scott Crawford On Cards . He had planned to send it to me quite some time ago. But during that time, I got another '5...

I don't consider myself a "supertrader." When putting card trades together, I'm slow. God, I'm slow. I might get something out in the mail once every two weeks if things fall just right. And often, they don't. My inventory isn't deep. The hobby is about fourth or fifth in line when it comes to cash handouts. So there's not a lot to go around. But good intentions? I own a bunch of that. When it comes to planning and intent, I'm as super a trader as you're going to find. Perhaps that's why I'm part of Jaybarker Fan's Junk's Supertraders crew. It's a pretty exciting venture that Wes has put together, and I'm grateful for being a part of it. I'll try to keep up the best as I can, but I think you all know that I'm not really much of a box buster (that doesn't mean I won't surprise you though). As for trading, don't be concerned, supertraders or otherwise. I'll spread my paltry stockpile a...

I wasn't going to do this post because I've basically done it already (the perils of being in your eighth year of blogging). But on that very post, I rediscovered a comment requesting more cards of players chewing their cud. So, three-plus years later, departed blogger, your wish has been granted. Going through my brand new complete 1976 SSPC set, I discovered card after card of a player enjoying a fat wad of tobacco. This pleased me quite a bit because it confirmed what I knew about ballplayers when I was growing up. Part of what made the game of baseball baseball back then is that players (and managers and coaches) chewed tobacco. I admit I didn't know much about tobacco, other than that my mother hated it and players seemed to really, really like it. And that spitting was COOL! In the '70s, tobacco-chewing was the background of baseball, like vendors calling out their wares, or jets flying over Shea Stadium. It was part of the experience. And, then -- under...