30 Day Challenge: Day 2

Courtesy of Off Hiatus Baseball Cards

Day 2: A Card With More Than One Player On It

When I was a kid, there was a card that I was certain was going to be among the most valuable in my collection. The rookie card of a Hall of Famer was an awesome card to have, but like a lot of people, I was convinced this rookie card would have two future Hall of Famers on it, and how cool would that be?

1978 Topps #707 Rookie Shortstops

History proved me wrong...for now. Now that I'm older, the value of this card doesn't meant much to me. However, I still believe strongly that Alan Trammell deserves to be enshrined with the greats of the game. He wasn't the defensive wizard that Ozzie Smith was, and he didn't redefine the shortstop position as a power position like Cal Ripken, but he has the credentials nonetheless. A World Series MVP and 6 time All-Star, he was one of the baseball superstars of the 80's, an era the Hall of Fame voters has strangely ignored. Here's hoping one day he can make it in via the Veterans Committee.

30 Day Challenge: Day 1

30-Day Challenge by Off Hiatus Baseball Cards

One of the reasons that I wanted to start this blog is to get involved in this challenge. It was initially posted on the blog Off Hiatus Baseball Cards, and I have enjoyed reading other blogs and their picks. I found myself thinking about what I would have picked, and now I can share those thoughts. If nothing else, it'll give me 30 posts worth of content.

Day 1: A Card From The Current Year With A Photo You Like

I'm going to try to stick with cards I own. I haven't bought much of the 2017 sets, so I don't have a large pool to select from. There was however, one that caught my attention.

2017 Topps #8a Jose Berrios

This is just a beautiful card. The background isn't blurred, and I love how the lighting reflects off our subject. This is a player ready for their moment in the spotlight.

The Urge

I don't know what I've gotten myself into. I was a hard core baseball card collector in my youth. Thousands upon thousands of baseball cards strewn all about my room. I went to card shows, visited my local card shop whenever I could, spending whatever I could. It was joyous. When I graduated high school, I went off to college and the cards stayed behind, boxed up. My twenties led me in many directions, many hobbies and pursuits, but baseball cards were no longer a focus. It became less of a focus once I got married, worked full time, had kids. I just didn't have time or extra money for hobbies. (If I'm being honest with myself, I still don't.) Then the urge hit. It started innocently enough. I was at the Dollar Store, and discovered they were selling repacks of old cards. What the heck, I thought. I bought a pack, not expecting much. I opened it, the first pack I've opened, and before I knew, my youth came flooding back to me. Cards I had not seen in decades, but I still recognized the sets they came from. (I'd know your wood-grain anywhere, 1987 Topps!) Others, like beautiful mysteries from the days I stopped collecting. Unknown designs, unfamiliar companies and sets - I had to know what I had. Online searching led me to The Trading Card Database - a wondrous site where any trading card could be found, and any collector can catalogue their collection. It made me want to know what I had. Slowly, those boxed cards came out of the attic. Little by little, I'd bring some to work, and spend my lunch hours entering each one into the database. I reconnected with each and every card. I also started following along on the TCDB forums, and eventually started reading other collector's blog posts. I started buying a few of the newer packs at my local Wal-Mart.

I'm probably fooling myself, but I don't consider myself a collector, at least not like I was, and not like those who blog about it. My collection has grown a little, but not much. There are no local cards shops, no shows nearby to enjoy. I haven't bought anything online, and if I spend $10 a month on cards, it's a splurge. But I enjoy the forum discussions. I enjoy the looking at all those wonderful cards on the blogs.

So here I am, joining the blogging world in an attempt to throw what few thoughts and opinions I have out into the interwebs. I don't know how often I'll post, what I will post, or if anyone will read it, but it will be out there. Fortunately, I already had this blog. Years ago, I started one for my fantasy baseball teams, but it got monotonous quick and didn't last long. So now I've re-purposed it. We'll see if this one lasts a bit longer.