Blog Update. Final Post?

It's been a long time. Too long. I haven't blogged since I can remember (Blogger tells me it was late May), and haven't been meaningfully writing for longer than that. Why not?


A couple of reasons. A good one would be that I've been working. About a year ago now, I wrote about wanting to pursue journalism as a career. I had just returned from Harvard, and was planning to apply to Princeton in the fall. Now, having been accepted to Princeton and hoping to study journalism and history, I am interning at my local paper, the Cullman Times. I've had the opportunity to do a lot of writing here, and that's a big reason why blogging has dropped off.

Side note: I've come to realize that blogging is almost more of a job than a hobby. The time it takes to make it really good is time I've never been able or willing enough to give. (Lessons learned for my future projects.)

Among other reasons why I haven't been working? Listia and laziness, most likely. That doesn't mean I haven't been keeping up with cards, though. I popped my a thrift store the other day and spent about 20 minutes going through loose commons. I ended up purchasing a bunch of old Huntsville Stars promotional minor league cards, some picturing Jose Canseco lurking in front of an old Burger King logo.

I've also been following the season. I wrote an article about Craig Kimbrel's alma mater days before going to Turner Field for my first-ever game, in which Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning as the Braves beat the Philadelphia Failies 6-4.

So I guess the question remains, what's next for the blog?

View from the seats

Like Andy from Toy Story, I'm now headed off to college, career, etc. I'm supposed to shut down the blog, box up the cards, forget about it and them, and enjoy the rest of life. And I probably will.

But I don't plan to stop writing. I don't plan to stop blogging. Though I may choose to write about topics other than printed cardboard squares, I still enjoy pounding out words in a post.

And unlike all the kids who had to pack up their cards before me, I will remember the many, many others who came back to the hobby and are part of the card blogosphere. I can email many of them and mail them cards when I want. I've struck up friendships, met up with some writers, and had a pretty darn good time.

So don't consider this the wrap-up post. Consider it the transition post. Once I get a new project started - and ensure I budget time properly to do it well - I'll be sure to post it up here.

Thanks so much!

-James
"Chunter"

**Edit**: If you are still interested in swapping cards with me, I'll be able to trade until about August 15th. If you have traded with me before, my address will be the exact same. Thanks!

2007 Topps Series 2 Retail Break

It was on a recent trip to Kmart - yes, that store of bad press and worse stock share values - that I picked up a discounted blaster of 2007 Topps Series 2. Why this blaster in particular? Two words: relic fishing. This blaster's odds were decently promising. I must say, I was both impressed and depressed by what I found.

2007 would be Dave Wells' last season in the big leagues. The lefthander would go on to play against the Padres as a Dodger in his last few games.

Al Cora is also out of the majors. Cora signed with 5 different teams in his last three years after leaving the Sox. Note the upper left corner of this card:

 before taking a look at the next one...



...

...

...

Oh dear. Though it is a relic, I wasn't exactly holding my breath for a dinged swatch card of Vernon Wells. Maybe I should sell this card off to the Angels or the Yankees...

For what it's worth, Vernon had a monster season in 2006 (he hit .303/.357/.542 and tallied 32 home runs). If I were busting this pack back in '07, I might have been able to flip this card, along with my Kmart stock. Assuming, of course, that these corners got mangled sometime around Christmas 2009.

This one ends with a whimper. Note that all four cards had dinged corners, and depicted guys who are out of baseball in 2014.

Card back? Why not?

This post is being cross-posted at A Pack to be Named Later

Yankees-Red Sox Trade Bait!

It's been a while! In a nod to the Yankees-Sox match tonight, I'm posting some more trade bait for the two respective teams, in addition to what I have already on my Trade Bait Page. Give it a look, and if you like what you see, drop me a line! My email is in my Blogger Profile.

 

Things Are Heating Up...

...with my pursuit of the 2003 Topps set! Thanks to Bert of blog Swing And A Pop-Up and Johnny of the eponymous Johnny's Trading Spot, I've gotten a bunch of cards closer to finishing the decade-old set. I've since freshened up my wantlist to reflect that. For real, this set is so old most of the players are retired, and the Oakland A's sported the above logo on their caps!

Art Howe, of Moneyball fame, was one such Athletic. If you zoom in very closely, you might make out the blazing elephant logo. Perhaps the only major league manager to be played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in a movie, Howe did not manage the A's in '03, leaving instead to skipper the Mets for two years and work as a bench coach for the Phillies and Rangers until 2008.

Justice was also on the Moneyball team recounted in Michael Lewis' book. Incidentally, the guy who played him in the movie was in the Braves' system along with Justice back in the '90s.

 2003 would be the only year from 1990 to 2008 that Maddux did not win a Gold Glove.

Another example of fun headgear! The Padres have worn some sort of camo uniforms since 2000. The full 2003 camo uniform looks like this.

I would love to meet a self-described Taggert Bozied supercollector one day. A Xavier Nady SC would be fun to meet too.

 Loving this.

I'll be as happy as Vladdy when I finally finish off this set!

Thanks again to John and Bert! If you want to help me out with this set, check out my wantlist  (and perhaps my for-trade list) and shoot me an email about a trade!

A Bunch More Trade Bait!

Here are a bunch more of 2014 Topps, comment or email me about trading!

 Mariano Rivera cards are both on hold; Trout still available

Trade Bait!

I'm trying to get some new stuff up for trade, and here's a start! Leave a comment (or shoot me an email) if you're interested in any of these 2014 Topps.

Floating Heads and License Plates: Cards from Royals and Randoms!

Josh over at Royals and Randoms recently had some 2013 Topps trade bait up for grabs, and along with the couple of cards I requested, he sent a boatload of PC needs my way. Check them out!

What a way to start. A Matt Moore floating head for my Moore PC? Fantastic!

I'm learning quickly that the 2012 Triple Play puzzle piece cards, like the Halladay on the bottom here, are going to be the hardest finds. I'd really rather not buy a box if I don't have to, so if you have any of these off my wantlist, let me know! Maybe I can finish this set before the next presidential election.

Some Dale Murphy additions, including a neat oddball Rite Aid card. Any grammar police out there, please tell me: is the apostrophe in MVP's used correctly?

 I've had a couple of people ask me about whether I like Dale Murphy Phillies stuff. I have mixed feelings on them: I don't necessarily "like" them, but that doesn't mean that I won't take them.

Some Chili! Davis is still working as the Oakland A's hitting coach, and is trying to help Cuban OF Yoenis Cespedes this spring training.

I thought this Pinnacle write-up on Davis was pretty interesting...who know Chili Davis was the X-factor for Minnesota? I'll consider it catharsis that I, a Braves fan, collect the supposed player that propelled the Twins to beat my team back in 1991.

Josh also sent me some David Eckstein PC needs - these from his time with the Anaheim Angels.

And another floating head!

This Chipper Jones card reminds me of license plates that I've seen for bicycles - it's about the same size.

These were the two cards that I actually requested from Josh - everything else you've seen was what he generously threw in!

Here's a Chipper floating head...and shoulders.

Finally, a Chipper Jones painting on a modern-day Diamond King. Unlike earlier DK cards illustrated by Dick Perez, this was done by artist David Kramer, who still actively paints today. I wonder how much these baseball cards helped his portfolio...

Thanks so much to Josh for the cards!