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.

My it certainly is damp around here

HOLY CRAP WHERE'D ALL THE WATER COME FROM?!???!

Here's what it looked like in Georgia today:

What a lovely day for a game of golf!


here's what used to be the fairway.


Not going down this road anytime soon...



I was gawking too much to get pictures of the really spectacular devastation, such as the car stuck in three feet of water on Chastain road, the bridge to my kid's school being overtopped by a raging creek (yes, creek) and a brand new very expensive park in east Cobb that was completely underwater. Man, it sucked to be in Georgia today. I spent about 5 hours in the car due to floods, road closings and school closings. I spent about a third of that time street surfing. Ugh. It wasn't all bad though as this came in the mail.


Wooo a package! but wait... look at the return address!


ZOMG ITZ MAH JESSE VENTURA FEATHER BOA RELIC CARD!!!!!!!

Let's open 'er up!

Ut oh.... Letter. Letter's are never good. I think I may have just got drafted.


Oh well, no feather boa relic for me. Of course that means I have a.....

SURPRISE RELIC!!!!

I know it's a celebrity relic because I could feel the star shape when I was taking it out of the penny sleeve, but I took off my glasses and squinted while scanning and uploading it so I would still be surprised. I want to share this momentous occasion with you all, so I am going to bed without looking at the relic. I would like you to post in the comments your reactions WITHOUT SPOILERS to the replacement for my feather boa card. I shall be back at 0600 hours to read your comments and guage how excited/disappointed I should be before finally looking at my prize. Thank you for your support in my endeavor.

Out of nowhere in my hour of need

Patricia and Lucy must have psychically anticipated my Heritage crisis on Monday, because I found a package in the mail today with my name on it. After a week of meetings and work emergencies (and a stiletto in the sternum courtesy Duryea, PA), this unexpected bounty is a real treat. Along with the above artwork, here's what else was in the package:

Spidey, who has apparently gotten him into a sticky mess,

A '93 Mike Stanton who has just thrown his patented Flaming Logo pitch, plus an Andruw Jones puzzle insert on the other side.

And a nice brick full of what appear to be Braves.

There's an '86 O-Pee-Chee Mighty Murph on the back. Sweetness.

As you can see from the side view there's a rainbow of different card types in there all looking like the layers in Saturn's rings. I'm looking forward to opening this and I'll have it posted a little later. Right now I just want to take a nap.

I've also embarrassingly neglected to post the gifts of our resident 88 Topps Expert and a Braves fan I know from the Frozen North. I'll be posting them sometime tonight as well. The Box break has gotten my posting schedule all goofed up and I'm putting it on the back burner until I get caught up.

Thanks again Patricia and Lucy! You may be finding a surprise of your own in the near future.