The past two weeks have been a blur. I've been packing, while accumulating more
items cards to pack. Somewhere along the way I have to stop shopping...right? My last day at the office was Friday, May 15th. I headed right to OKC to spend a few days with my Sis and some good friends before my move to the Big Mitten. Sis and I caught an OKC Dodgers/Iowa Cubs game on Saturday. OKC won 1-0 in the 9th. The Dodger affiliation is new this year. I don't care for the team name though. Aren't minor league teams supposed to have fun names? Redhawks?? 89ers? The park now known as
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, is still beautiful. Ads covering the upper decks force fans to pay for the higher priced seats around the field. Crowds fill the little park in Bricktown anyway.
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| The Commerce Comet |
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| Little General |
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| Approaching storms kept attendance light that night |
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| Ballpark necessities: kids meal bucket, THE helmet and adult beverage |
On Monday, I spent several hours in
The Old Ballpark, the LCS in South OKC. Dime boxes galore! From 11-5, I went through 4000 count boxes - box after box, fourteen in all!
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| Baseball - orange tagged |
I pulled 1500 cards we couldn't live without.
We being me and you! I won't say what the total cost was because the owner gave me an incredible discount. Let's just say if you were to guess a nickel per card, you'd be on the high side. I found short prints, inserts, a few good rookies and Fergie Jenkins.
While texting my friend
The Ump, with pictures of the many stacks of old timers, I messaged that Fergie Jenkins was in here. She replied to go ahead and get him too, get them all. No -
HE is in
HERE ! NO WAY she text back. There I was surrounded by thousands of cards and not a single one Jenkins. No unsigned baseballs for sale, nothing. I had nothing for him to sign. How could this be???? And why did this man wander into a card shop in South OKC? My super-spy listening skills revealed to me he knew one of the customers also in the shop at the time. This big time Cubbie fan just named his newborn Jenkins. Fergie came out to meet his namesake on the way to the airport, headed for home in Arizona.
I worked up enough courage to approach the Hall of Famer for a short conversation and picture. Not the best photo but an excellent reminder of my good fortune. I've had an incredible run of the stuff lately!
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| Jenks - HOF 1991 |
Fergie looked great, not any bit of 72. He chatted with the owner a bit about Ernie Banks and NL rules for pitchers batting. He's all for it, of course. It was a memorable afternoon for me. I'm rarely in the right place at the right time.
All this Cubbie talk brings the opportunity to share a recent trade package from P-Town Tom, our friend at
Waiting til Next Year. He sent over a stack of 2013 Hometown Heroes.
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| 2002 Topps Total |
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| 2001 Topps |
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| 2014 Panini Classics |
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| 2015 Donruss Altuve 81 - larger than life |
Tom, thanks for completing my set! I do love my Tigers but Altuve is right up there with them! He is my favorite, current playing non-Tiger!
As I mentioned, Friday was my last day in the Dallas office. I've made a lot of friends and worked with - and for - so many good people. Leaving them has not been an easy decision. The office threw me a surprise farewell party on Wednesday. Josiah, World's Greatest Office Assistant is also a talented pencil artist. He spent 30 hours on a drawing specifically for me which he and many of my co-workers signed.
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| Tip of the Cap |
Josiah's work is so good it doesn't appear authentic! (He's shown me a few of his sports drawings in various stages of completion, some taking 200 hours or more!) Ian Kinsler is in fine detail, stadium lights reflected in his helmet. A true labor of friendship.
Within the next two weeks, I'll be moving into my new home. I'll comment and post when I can but will be without internet beginning May 28 through at least June 4th. Thanks for sticking with me through this transition. I truly appreciate you, my blogger friends!
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| Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! |
