Night Owl Cards

  As much as I proudly wear my "kid in an adult body" badge everywhere I go, I cannot avoid that I am an adult -- one of advancing age. I follow a kid's game, I pursue a kid's hobby. I've been known to watch cartoons, play video games and insist on dessert. But it's a losing battle. I'm not a kid.   One of the best hobby examples I have is my compulsion to upgrade the sets I collected as a kid.   One of the first things I did when I re-entered the hobby in 2004 was pursue the first set I ever collected, the 1975 Topps set. I went about completing it. And because I was an adult, I upgraded the condition of the cards, too.   The kid part of me, who didn't think about card condition at all -- average wear and tear anyway, I never wrote on my cards -- was gone. I guess the ensuing years of shopping for clothes, cars, appliances, a fricking house, taught me that condition mattered. There was no going back.   So, my '75 set was completed and upgraded. I ...

   Among the posts I teased to a couple of months ago was one in which I determine who were the worst-performing "Rated Rookies" in the history of the Donruss brand. Well, as much as a few Twitter folks wanted to know that, it's already been done. Almost two years ago , in fact. (I need to get myself a Sporting News gig where I write about baseball cards). That's cool. Because that's just Donruss and I've been only half-interested in Donruss since it debuted. What I really wanted to examine are the worst-performing Topps All-Rookie players. You know, the folks who received a rookie trophy or rookie cup in the following year's baseball card set. Sure, I could determine who was the worst AND who was the best, rating them like that Rated Rookies article did. But you know all the best-performing rookie cup players already. They get all the pub. Guys like Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Rod Carew, Mark McGwire, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger.   Yeah, it's time...

  You don't need me to tell you that it's about to get bleak. Oh sure, it depends on where you reside in the world, but here in the northeast the weather is turning. The latest weekend monsoon transformed an extended Indian Summer into more typical fall weather. Temps in the high 40s and leaves everywhere. Snow will be arriving in a matter of weeks, if not sooner, and with it, no baseball. Yeah, the Dodgers still have a shot, they've come back from 0-2 deficits before and the Braves have blown 0-2 deficits before (the Dodgers have also blown an 0-2 deficit -- anyone remember the 1978 World Series?). But without Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw, an ability to hit with RISP and an overwhelming desire to change the pitcher the likes I have ever seen, there is just too much I can't ignore. Baseball is almost over, no matter what. And the chances are good your team and my team isn't going to win. Again. And then that'll be it. Then what's left?   Footbal...

    A couple of commenters in the last post brought up a good point about the ways Topps recognized the postseason after the 1970s. They didn't necessarily use the flagship set to do it, and although I'd prefer that they did, I know that recognition came in other forms. As the commenters said, one of the main ways was with stickers. I know all about that. Because that's the only way I could get an account of the Dodgers' World Series title in 1981 -- it certainly wasn't on cards! There they are, the 1981 postseason stickers. There's one for the Dodgers' win over the Expos in the NLCS and then one for each World Series game the Dodgers won, Games 3, 4, 5 and 6. Topps selected a player for each sticker, Fernando Valenzuela for Game 3, Steve Garvey for Game 4, Jerry Reuss for Game 5 and Pedro Guerrero for Game 6.  I think Jay Johnstone would've made more sense for Game 4.   There are also two stickers showcasing the World Series champion team (a precursor t...