Love is the Answer

Card collecting has always been about staying in touch with my childhood, but it's not alone.  There are plenty of other things that have the power to take me back to the 70's and 80's.  Music, restaurants, toys, magazines, tv shows, celebrities, books, historical events, and board games also have the ability to trigger memories from the past.

Earlier in the year... I was sorting a stack of cards in my office when I heard a song on YouTube that made me stop in my tracks.  It was Love is the Answer by England Dan & John Ford Coley.  It's probably been decades since I last heard this song play, but it immediately made me think of my mom and sister.  They loved listening to 70's and 80's love songs.

That genre isn't really in my wheelhouse, so I started looking up the artists and the history of the song.  I discovered that it was written by Todd Rundgren and originally performed by his band called Utopia in 1977.  England Dan & John Ford Coley's version was released in 1979 on their Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive album.

I don't own a copy of this LP in my collection, but I do own their Nights Are Forever album which contains their most popular song: I'd Really Love to See You Tonight.  A few years ago my brother gave me his entire record collection and this was in it.

Not going to say I've turned into a big England Dan & John Ford Coley fan, but I have added Love is the Answer to my Spotify walking list.

I had originally planed on publishing this post had the Packers beat the 49ers back in January, but they lost and it got buried among other posts sitting in my rough draft folder.

But since it's the start of the 2024 NFL season, I figured I'd use it to show off my newest Jordan Love card:

2023 Panini Prizm #110

If you follow football, then you know that he was injured on the final drive of this past Friday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Early reports think it's a sprained MCL which means he'd miss three to four weeks.

2023 Donruss Red Hot Rookies #RHR-8

It's a tough way to start the season, but I was impressed that the Packers as a whole were able to compete against the Eagles who many consider one of the best teams in the NFC.

Jayden Reed had a solid rookie season last year... and opened his sophomore season by scoring two touchdowns on Friday.

2023 Panini Prizm #113

I won't speak for other Packers fans... but I have pretty high hopes for them this season.  Their defense forced three turnovers and it was nice to see some of the high salary guys like Jaire Alexander and Rashan Gary earn their pay.

Hopefully their backup quarterbacks can hold down the fort until Love returns.

All three of these cards were part of a care package I received from Reader X back in May.  

Here are a few other Packers he included:

2023 Mosaic Green Prizm #85

I was sad that the Packers let Jones walk and sign with the Minnesota Vikings.  He's the third leading rusher in Green Bay Packers franchise history... and has the fourth most rushing touchdowns.  It'll be weird seeing him in purple this season.

Just like it was weird seeing this guy playing in Minnesota back in 2009:

2023 Prizm #112

As for his time with the New York Jets, I was happy to see him in the AFC... and even rooted for him that season.

Just like I'll root for this guy:

2023 Prizm #227

I'm not a fan of his personality... but loved him on the field.  For well over a decade he gave Packers fans hope... and also brought home a Super Bowl title to Title Town.  As a fan... I can't ask for more than that.

Xavier also hooked me up with some cards for my other favorite football team:

2023 Absolute #17

Last season, I wasn't very confident in the Hawks.  This year... it's a little different.  I feel like they have an outside shot at making the playoffs with this pretty potent offense led by Geno Smith and company:

2023 Donruss Blue Press Proof #257

2023 Prizm Prizm Break #PB-2

2023 Absolute #42

DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett (not shown) make up a very solid wide receiver corp.  And Kenneth Walker III already has one 1,000 yard rushing season under his belt in his first two seasons.  There's no reason to believe he can't reach that milestone again.

Unfortunately... both the Packers and Seahawks have division rivals standing in their way.  The San Francisco 49ers are arguably the best team in the NFC and the Detroit Lions aren't far behind.  Toss in the Eagles... and the 2024 NFL season should be very, very entertaining.

Thank you Xavier for another stack of Packers and Seahawks for my collection.  Hopefully at least one of them make the playoffs this year.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Particular & Peculiar

Collecting birthday related items is nothing new to the blogosphere... but to friends and family it can come off as peculiar.

This year I added a few items to my Birthday PC...

Let's start off with an Olympic ticket stub from the day I was born:

1972 Olympic Volleyball Ticket Stub

According to Wikipedia there were two women's and three men's matches held that day.  Although all of these matches were part of the preliminary rounds, it did feature a pretty notable match.  In men's volleyball, Japan beat East Germany.  Eight days later, they'd meet again in the gold medal match.  Japan won again.

This is my second Olympic ticket from that day.  Last year, I won this one on eBay:

1972 Olympic Rowing Ticket Stub

I attempted to look up which rowing events took place that day, but there were just too many to keep track of.  And honestly... I doubt anyone reading this post really cares.

The next two items are cards I picked up on eBay back in February:

1996 Playboy Chromium Cover: Edition 2 #138

1997 Playboy Centerfold Collection: September Edition #55

Both cards feature Susan Miller and the Playboy cover for the September 1972 issue.  According to her IMDB biography, she had a brief acting career and eventually became a massage therapist.

There's one more card I purchased recently for this collection, but it hasn't arrived yet.  And since it's very particular and peculiar... I'll probably just wait until next year to show it off.

In the meantime, here are a pair of Nomo cards I purchased over the summer:

1995 Cal League Bakersfield Blaze #4

1995 Cal League Bakersfield Blaze #29

Hideo Nomo shares the same birthday as my best friend... which happens to be the day before mine.  We celebrated our birthdays together with her family on Saturday.

There weren't any cards or collectibles involved... but the food and company were amazing.

That's it for today.  Hope all of you are enjoying your holiday weekend.  Stay safe.

Happy Monday and sayonara!