HAPPY BLOG BIRTHDAY

I'VE TOLD THIS STORY A DOZEN TIMES BEFORE BUT THIS BLOG GOT ITS START ON DECEMBER 26TH A MILLION YEARS AGO WHEN I GOT A NEW SCANNER FOR CHRISTMAS AND USED IT TO CREATE THIS IMAGE OF THE CARD I'VE HAD IN MY COLLECTION THE LONGEST AND USED THAT TO CREATE A CARD BLOG COPYING A DOZEN OTHER BETTER ONES I LIKED TO READ

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING AT FIRST BUT THEN I GOT SUPER POPULAR AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING AND I GOT HELLA PROLIFIC WHILE NOT KNOWING WHAT I WAS DOING THEN I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING BUT I DIDN'T THEN I GOT KICKED IN THE DICK METAPHORICALLY SEVERAL TIMES AFTER WRITING STUFF WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING THEN I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING AND THEN I BARELY DID ANYTHING THEN I SAID SCREW IT I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING BUT I'LL DO SOMETHING AND NOW WE'VE GONE FULL CIRCLE AND I'VE STARTED POSTING REGULARLY AGAIN AND JUST LIKE AT THE BEGINNING I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL I'M DOING

ONE THING I DID MANAGE TO DO THIS YEAR IS FINISH SOME STUFF I STARTED. IT TOOK A WHILE BUT I DID IT. THEN I STARTED LIKE THREE OTHER THINGS AND NOW I'M STARING A COUPLE HUNDRED DRAFT POSTS IN THE FACE. ALL WHILE NEGLECTING ALL THE OTHER POSTS I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN MONTHS AGO, SOME OF WHICH ARE MIXED UP IN THAT DRAFT FOLDER. AS A BLOG BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO MYSELF I HAVE DECIDED TO COMPLETELY IGNORE ANYTHING AND POST NOTHING ELSE THE REST OF THE YEAR EXCEPT FOR THE ONE THING THAT'S ALREADY SCHEDULED. IF I GET STUFF WRITTEN, GREAT! I'LL BE AHEAD OF THE GAME NEXT YEAR. IF I DON'T, OH WELL! IT'S JUST SHITPOSTING ABOUT BASEBALL CARDS. MAYBE I'LL GET SOME STUFF ORGANIZED OR PUT AWAY OR GET SOME PACKAGES MAILED OR COLLAPSE IN A HEAP ON THE FLOOR AND LIE THERE TWITCHING FOR A WEEK. SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE! OR MAYBE I'LL DO NOTHING! IT DON'T MATTER. NONE OF THIS MATTERS

I AM STILL HAVING FUN DOING THIS NONSENSE AND I'VE EVEN POSTED MORE STUFF THIS YEAR THAN I HAD THE PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS COMBINED. THAT DRAFT FOLDER THO. AND THE IMAGE FOLDER WITH HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS FOR EVEN MORE POSTS. HOO BOY. I'M NOT GONNA THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW, I'M ON BREAK FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. WHICH IS LESS THAN A WEEK BUT WHATEVER. AS A SPECIAL TREAT I'VE DUG DEEP IN THAT DRAFT FOLDER AND FOUND THREE POSTS FROM A VINTAGE CARD SHOW IN SEPTEMBER 2013 THAT NEVER GOT WRITTEN AND I'M GONNA SHOW THEM OFF NOW. ONE MORE THING FINISHED IN 2023!

IN 2013 I WAS STILL FULL STEAM AHEAD TRYING TO COMPLETE MY 1974 TOPPS SET WHICH MEANS CHASING THAT RATBAG PETE ROSE. HE'S ONE OF THE LAST DAMN CARDS I NEED FOR EVERY DANG SET AND I HATE IT. GO CHECK MY 1976 TOPPS NEEDS, I'M EXTRA MAD AT PETE AT THE MOMENT. I GOT NOTHING AGAINST BOBBY MURCER. I DON'T REMEMBER EXACLY WHEN I COMPLETED THE '74 SET AND I'M STILL LOOKING FOR THOSE DUMB SAN DIEGO LARGE AND SMALL PRINT FRIESLEBEN ROOKIES BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THIS WASN'T ANYWHERE NEAR THE LAST CARD I NEEDED. I WONDER WHAT IT WAS? MAYBE I CAN FIND IT IN THE BLOG

OH SONOVABITCH 

THE BACK FEATURES A BOBBY BONDS 1973 ALL STAR MVP PUZZLE. WHY HAVEN'T I PUT THESE PUZZLES TOGETHER AND TAKEN A PHOTO YET?? ONE MORE THING FOR ME TO DO IN 2024

I REALLY LIKE THIS 1955 TOPPS ALL-AMERICAN SET BUT SOMEWHERE AROUND 20-15 YEARS AGO OR SO I STOPPED BEING ABLE TO FIND THEM FOR A BUCK APIECE. I ALREADY HAD THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS CARD AND I COULD BUY TWO OR THREE 50'S BASEBALL COMMONS FOR THE SAME PRICE AS AN ALL-AMERICAN SO I FOOLISHLY KEPT PASSING THEM UP. NOW YOU CAN HARDLY FIND THEM AT ANY PRICE. I'M PRETTY SURE THIS WAS THE LAST '55 ALL-AMERICAN EVER SOLD FOR A BUCK

BENNIE OOSTERBAAN IS A GREAT NAME AND MICHIGAN IS A PREMIER COLLEGE FOOTBALL CLUB. THIS CARD IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION TOO, SO MUCH CHARACTER. YOU DON'T SEE THIS KIND OF CARD ENTOMBED IN A PLASTIC CASE. OR MAYBE YOU DO, THESE CARDS REALLY HAVE GOTTEN EXPENSIVE

I COULD NEVER LEAVE A VINTAGE CARD SHOW WITHOUT RAIDING THE BARGAIN NON-SPORTS BOX AND I GOT A PRIMO CARD THAT SEPTEMBER SHOW. DA VINCI WAS A FAVORITE ARTIST OF MINE WHEN I WAS A KID BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID HE DO THE SUPER FAMOUS PAINTING BUT ALSO A BUNCH OF SCIENCY STUFF AS WELL. HE WAS WAY COOLER THAN MICHAELANGELO, DONATELLO OR RAFAEL. I WAS ALREADY A BIG FAN OF THIS 1952 TOPPS LOOK 'N SEE SET AND WAS STOKED TO FIND LEO. NOT ENOUGH TO YA KNOW - WRITE THE GODDAMN POST - BUT SUPER STOKED ALL THE SAME

THE GIMMICK OF THIS SET IS YOU COULD HOLD UP A PIECE OF RED CELLOPHANE TO THE BACK OF THE CARD AND SEE A SEECRIT PITCHUR! YOU DON'T NEED NO CELLOPHANE FOR THIS ONE, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THAT BLOB BEHIND THE TEXT LOOKS LIKE. OL' SMILIN' LISA IS EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING ON TRADING CARDS. REMEMBER A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN SOME NEWFANGLED SET PUT A MONA LISA ROOKIE CARD GIMMICK IN THEIR SET? HOGWASH! SHE WAS HIDING ON THE BACK OF A CARD IN 1952 ALL ALONG

I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CARD IDIOCY THIS YEAR BECAUSE THERE'S TWO AND A HALF BOXES OF ONLINE DIME BOX CARD POSTS LEFT AS WELL AS THREE QUARTERS OF A JUNK BOX, AND MORE CARD SHOW POSTS AND A BIG COMC ORDER ON THE WAY AND OH GOD I NEED TO WRITE UP SOME PACKAGE POSTS AND ACK THERE'S TOO MUCH TO DO! I'M OUTTA HERE! SEE Y'ALL NEXT YEAR!