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Monday, March 8, 2021

HERE COMES THE SUN...

Cards haven't been a priority the past few weeks. Our cardboard hobby has changed a lot in the past year and in turn, so has my collecting. I haven't read the blogs since Topps was released and have yet to see a single card. I'll be around of course, to check out your opinions. The early previews had my head spinning. Toppruss. That's all I can can come up with for a description. We are a short time away from the Heritage for which I'd waited years and it makes me sad to say, I no longer care. 

While I've spent less time and no money on cards this year, I'm not throwing in the towel just yet.  There are older cards I'm still searching for and have actually received recently, including a few set finishers.

Tom - Waiting til Next Year   

    1992 Heritage = complete

(3) 1992 & (1) 93 Heritage


    1997 UD SP - missing one card for completion, 155 Gwynn.




    1995 Ultra Power Plus - done!


    1991 Fleer Pro Visions. All of these cards passed through my hands over the years. I waited until 2020 to build the set. Still need 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10.



Gavin - Baseball Card Breakdown

    1994 Studio Heritage: need 1, 5 and 8



    1998 UD Wonder Years - done!


    1996 UD Lovero:  still need 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10

How is it even possible this card wasn't part of my collection long ago, for the bat alone????




     2000 Fleer Greats of the Game - complete!




    1991 Score Dream Team, subset complete



    1992 Studio Heritage - one of the last cards needed! Complete.



    1993 Stadium Club - a beauty
    from my TCDB want list



    Hey Pardner - a new Dutch!  1993 Cardtoons


Cards like these keep me tied to the hobby. Outside of trading, only a few ebay purchases have been added to my collection. This month makes two years since I've been to a card show. I had plans to attend one a few months back but tougher covid restrictions were reinstated keeping me home. Trips to the card tables allowed me stock cards I've offered on pickpockets, a supply which won't run out any time soon. 

Sorting and checking cards off the old W/L is still fun so I won't disappear entirely. Spring is nearing which means a return to outside chores. Warmer weather will allow time with friends too, sitting on the back deck with coffee or around the firepit. I have missed the sunshine but missed my friends more. It was July the last time I had a group gathering. 

I've been doing a little reading. Naturally, I catalog all books read. Here's a snippet of the past few months:



There are a few heavy titles in there, eh? Still found time for some baseball though. "Wax Pack" was a Christmas gift and a fun read. The book jacket feels like an old Topps wrapper. The cover itself has a waxiness to it, missing only the sugary sweet scent of bubblegum. The author shares his personal struggles with a stutter and obsessive compulsive disorder with the story of road-tripping to meet the players found in a random pack of 86 Topps baseball cards. 

I've also taken up an old love of mine: acoustic guitar. I played regularly until I moved to Michigan. I found myself busy exploring life here and dealing with a ridiculous commute. Combined with overtime, there wasn't enough  time to do everything. Here's a peek into my quiet space:



Ibanez [Ibby] on the left, and a crazy little Luna travel guitar [Vinnie] on the right but my favorite [Carter] is a sweet solid mahogany Crafter, my newest addition joining the family only last month. Woods make a difference in tone. Spruce on the Ibanez gives off a bright tone while mahogany is more mellow and warm with a midrange voice. 


Guitar was always important to me. I was afraid too much time had passed but that old rhythm is still in my bones.  Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Beatles, Eagles, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Indigo Girls and so many other singer/songwriters - all part of my playlist. I may be a little rusty but the dog has yet to howl at me. 

Right now, I'm sitting in the hobby room enjoying a moment to catch up the blog. I promised a round of pickpockets which is now a couple weeks overdue. If  you and I have traded, I implore you to pick, pick, pick. Please keep this in mind should you want to bless me with 2021 Tigers or any cards from my want lists. You'll see some 2020 Update Turkeys within these pages, given to me by a friend. Nothing like some hand-me-downs to share with you. Maybe by the time Stadium Club comes around, I'll feel differently. I'm not opposed to future trading but please understand for the immediate future, cards from me will be found via picking my pockets. My needs can be found on the tabs.

Thanks for stopping by to knock a little dust off this blog!

                   


51 comments:

  1. Spring is here and my excitement for watching baseball is growing. For baseball cards...not so much. That's why I'm focussing the blog more on past autographs and correspondence. New stuff just doesn't do it for me anymore.

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    1. It seems a few of us feel this way about new product. Flippers gonna flip, more power to them. Topps' imagination has gone by the wayside, imho. Tom, do check out Pick Pockets...just in case you need a little something. :)

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  2. It's alive! Love those Studio Heritage cards. Been meaning to build that subset but it keeps getting backburnered. Totally understand drifting out of current cards. It's been happening to a lot of us. Partly the state of the game and how MLB is trying to drive us away. Partly the state of the hobby and thing just being hard to find and overpriced.

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    1. amen to the state of our hobby and nutso pricing. I updated the PP tab to reflect errors in addressing are "my bad." LOL. I'll have those cards on the right path shortly.

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    2. LOL you have lots of company. I've had people (yes, more than one) send to the wrong address AFTER they sent to the correct one. Thankfully nothing has been lost so far although one was stuck in the bowels of the USPS for months.

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  3. Even with much for cards, looks like you stay very busy. I love 2000 Greats of the Game. Congrats on finishing it!

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    1. Thanks, AJ! I don't have much down time. I enjoy my friends and hobbies but outdoor work will beckon soon. I need a condo. LOL.

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  4. I suppose you're quite good at picking "Take Me out to the Ballgame" on the guitar while chilling in the hobby room.

    Good Job. 👍

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks Johnny! I did enjoy that package, thanks again!!!

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  6. alrighty then
    page 4: 1
    page 9: 3
    page 11: 1
    page 12: 5
    page 16: 9
    page 18: 7

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  7. Very nice guitar collection. Love their names. What were your thoughts on the Swingin' A's book? I bought it, but haven't read it yet.

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    1. Hey Fuji! I liked it enough that for now, it's a permanent part of my collection. That the A's did so well under his management is surprising. Turbow keeps the story moving and interesting. He also wrote 'Baseball Codes' which was a decent read. I'm not hanging on to that one cuz I can't keep 'em all.

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  8. Glad you are back! I am not as excited about the new cards either. Nice cards from all corners of the world, and wonderful reading list! I used to read constantly, but I guess I am getting too old. I fall asleep within 10 minutes of starting anything, even if I am interested. I definitely miss it.

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    1. Thanks!!! I keep two books going: one with short chapters for bedtime, and one for mornings. Morning reading can be a books, blogs or Facebook time. I've haven't spent time on FB in years. It's been a big help keeping in touch with people I haven't seen in since last March.

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  9. Here's hoping you'll get those sets completed soon! The Fleer Pro Visions were always one of my favorites. I'll never stop enjoying the Mike Greenwell.

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    1. I hear more about the Greenwell than any others in this set. Why I had to wait so long, who knows. I'm a conundrum, even to myself.

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  10. A very nice selection of great cards. A nice selection of guitars as well. I do not play but I do like to listen. The heavier the better. Thanks for the "Pick Pockets" and an interesting post.

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  11. Speaking of set needs, let me know if you still need those '93 UDs I emailed you about. Thanks!

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    1. I think I'm good on those. Thanks for double-checking! I meant to let you know.

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    2. According to your TCDB you still need three? If it is up-to-date I'll pull those and then start working on your Stadium Club needs.

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  12. JULIE IN DA HOUSE!! Oops, sorry if I woke anybody up, lol. Maybe Julie in da hobby room is more accurate. In any case, it's nice to see what you've been up to, even if it's not as much as you'd like. Those Fleer Pro-Vision cards are especially cool. I wonder if the artist was ever credited. Congrats on getting all those cool cards.

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    1. Ah thanks! Right now, Julie in da recliner! LOL. We love crossing cards off our lists, yes?

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  13. It's a little disappointing to see that first book on your list. It's still good to get a new post from you though :)

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    1. That first one was part of a book club read. I found it to be enlightening. Thanks for stopping by Jon!!! Always good to see you here.

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  14. Toppruss! Love it. I haven't heard that comparison, but I totally see it now that you mentioned it.
    You're right, the hobby sure has changed in the last year. Glad to see you're still apart of it!

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    1. looks like you may be tired of new cardboard as well. I plan to stick out this season of discontent. Glad you're still around too!!!

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  15. Ooh, I love those Studio Heritage cards, especially the Kirby Puckett! Sportlots here I come...

    I'll have to pick up that "Wax Pack" book. Some of the reviews/summaries I heard about it kinda turned me off, but if nothing else, it'd be good for a quick read. Just gotta read the other 500 books scattered around my room first, of course!

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    1. Wax Pack was interesting. I was familiar with most of the player which helped. Brad's a good writer, blunt. It's probably more of a "guy's" read. Books like these are great for bedtime. I can read a chapter, enjoy it then turn out the light without my brain pondering the contents.

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    2. Just finished it. Definitely more of a guy's confessional. Which is fine. Fun idea to use the cards as a backbone but it's not really *about* cards.

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  16. What a great post. Got stuck on that song while reading this so the video was a nice wrap up. Thanks for sharing the book list, it's refreshing to see the diversity. The Marvin Miller book is a good read too.

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    1. Hey Steve - I'm a bit behind. What's new? lol. Thanks for stopping by! I've read a couple more. Will have to update the list soon.

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  17. Wow, congratulation on all of the completions! I've been focused more on organizing and also getting dismayed when I run across a box, wonder what's inside and then discover more clutter that hadn't been addressed. Hey, it took me 45 years to get this messed up, it's not going away in short order.

    Part of me is jealous of your guitar-playing ability, but then I reminded myself that my parents paid for guitar lessons when I was a pre-teen, but it didn't stick. I love the idea of playing music, but I don't think I'm a musician at heart.

    Love the Dutch Cardtoon! When I get back to seeking out cards I'll have to remember to keep an eye out for it.

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    1. thanks! I couldn't do it alone. First Dutch Cardtoon I've seen. Hope you come across one too! Outside of a literal handful as a kid, I never had lessons. What I've learned has been by ear which of course, has also taught me some bad playing habits, no doubt.

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  18. Thanks for the update...very nice guitar corner!

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  19. Hi again Julie:).Wow,these are a lot of great looking cards that you have shown in this post.My favorites are all of the 1991 Fleer Pro Visions and 1992 Studio Heritage cards.I also think that 1993 Brady Anderson Stadium Club is a sharp looking card as well,and the guitar you sowed is not to bad looking either:).

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    1. Hi Gary. You're a hard guy to get in touch with. I've tried emailing weeks ago.

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  20. I think thats a major worry is true collectors like us finding a second hobby because we can't find cards and can't afford them anymore. I worry who will be left to pick up the pieces when the bubble bursts. I hope you are and I hope I am.

    I have actually been thinking about writing again and trying to chase my dreams of writing a book.

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    1. Matt, you should write that book. Your pen style is always fun to read. I can picture a good honest book with good humor throughout.

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  21. So I missed some comments on my blog and a few of them were yours. Sorry about that.

    I like the Pro Visions.

    And I respect all guitarists, because I tried it and my fingers were way too sensitive.

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    1. Hey! No worries. I read everything but don't always comment but when I do... Anywhooo. I'm sure I have some make-up readin' to do.

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  22. Replies
    1. Oh wow - I'm almost afraid to say yes. You are way too kind and generous.

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