Blogging Perks

Last week, Mario posted a once coveted Bowman Chrome card of Kerry Wood and asked his readers what card that once topped Beckett's Hot List would we want to pick up now that the bottom has fallen out of the market for older cards. My response was the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire Olympic card. I didn't buy many packs of '85 Topps and never pulled a McGwire. I had a change to buy a rack pack with Mark showing on the front back then, but I passed it up for a rack with Oddibe McDowell on top instead. I regretted my mistake, but passed the card over again in college when a new card store opened up and offered the card for $10. Mark was kind of sucky in the early '90s so I passed again. Then he bulked up and hit almost 300 home runs in 5 years and you couldn't even find a pack of '85 Topps for $10. Now everyone hates McGwire for tainting such a pure and unblemished sport and you can probably find cards of Marky Mark on the cheap.

I posted the comment, promptly forgot about it, and then on Monday I got this note in the mail...

Reader Todd sent me a story:

It's June 1984 and the Mets have the first pick in the draft. They narrow it down to two choices:

A) Mark McGwire - a college first baseman from USC

Or

b) Shawn Abner - Multi-talented outfielder from Mechanicsburg Area Senior High*

They chose B and he goes on to do pretty much nothing. The next spring 13 year old Todd gets these cards in a 500 count vending box where they become part of the collection for 24+ years. Now I can set them free!

Behold:

FREEDOM

FREEDOM

My long national nightmare is over. I finally have a Mac! I needed the Abner card too for the set, interestingly enough. I'm two cards closer to completing a set I can probably find discarded on the side of the road! WOOOOOOO! Hey, it's the journey that's important, not the destination. Thanks Todd! (but seriously, do not send me hundreds more '85 Topps, I'm covered)

*Also from Mechanicsburg: Todd and Bret Michaels from Poison.