Building Connections

The older I get... the less social I become.  I started down this path as I transition into my 30's.  That's when I lost the desire to meet up with friends at the local dive bars, attend concerts, or go to other large social gatherings like weddings and Christmas parties.

Upon self-reflection, I think it has to do with feeling burnt out after trying to accumulate as many friends as I could in high school and even college.  These days... it's all about quality over quantity when it comes to friendships.

Without getting to deep into my personal life... I'll just say that I can count on my two hands the number of friends I consider to be a part of my inner circle.  Sprinkle in my immediate family and I have plenty of social and emotional support to last a lifetime.

Then there's the collecting community.

I'm exactly the opposite when it comes to all of you.  I enjoy reading and commenting on your blogs.  Plus at this point, I don't think I would write four posts a week without the interaction with all of you.

It's actually kind of weird how social I am among the blogosphere compared to my "personal" life.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that we're not meeting face to face and in a sense... I'm hiding behind a keyboard.  Actually... that's not entirely true.

I've actually had the pleasure of meeting up with several bloggers over the years: Dan @ The Other World, Brady @ St. Louis Cardinals' Cardboard, Ryan @ Japanese Sumo Wrestling Cards and Menko, and Rod @ Padrographs.

I only met Dan once, but that might change after the pandemic ends and we're able to attend card shows again.  Brady and I used to meet up once or twice a year at the Serramonte Mall Show, but it's been at least two years since we've sifted through dime boxes together.  Ryan and I have hung out twice: once in Southern California and once up here.  He's also the only blogger I communicate with on a regular basis and we're hoping to hit up another card show at some point in the future.

And then there's Rod.  A few years ago, one of my best friends moved up to Portland and ever since I typically visit her at least twice a year (well not since the pandemic).  Anyways... two summers ago... I reached out to Rod and met him at the bookstore he used to run.

In fact there are a bunch of bloggers up in the Pacific Northwest:  Rod, Gavin @ Baseball Card Breakdown, Kerry @ Cards on Cards, and Kevin @ The Diamond King.  The goal is to one day make it back up north and eventually have a little blogger gathering with those guys.

In the meantime, Rod manages to stay in touch through the mail.  Two weeks ago, he sent out a very thick bubble mailer containing a ton of cards including my two prizes from his recent contest:

Topps Project 2020 #71 (by Ben Baller)

His contest utilized a draft format and I was awarded two picks.  He had a ton of cool prizes to choose from including ten to twenty different Project 2020 cards.

I used my first pick on this Ben Baller rendition of Rickey Henderson's 1980 Topps rookie card.

Topps Project 2020 #97 (by Andrew Thiele)

There were a bunch of interesting cards, including a variety of autographs and a Willie Mays card by Sophia Chang... but ultimately I went with this McGwire with my second pick.

I selected this card, because up until now I've been focusing on Gwynn and Henderson Project 2020 cards and ignoring Big Macs (outside of the Blake Jamieson).

Rod also tossed in a bunch of bonus items including this Dave Stewart custom he had autographed at a private signing:

On Tuesday, I listed my favorite Black MLB players and Stew made the Top 5.  He never pitched for the Padres, but he was their pitching coach during their last trip to the World Series in 1998.

Rod opened a bunch of packs for Christmas, including a ton of 2020 Allen & Ginter... which is a set I've been working on.  He helped me with three of the non-sports insert sets I'm building:

This chicken completed my Down on the Farm set:

2020 Topps A&G Down on the Farm #DF-CH

He also got me six steps closer to wrapping up the Reach for the Sky! and Digging Deep insert sets:

Next up are some singles for my Japanese and Oakland A's PC's:

And rounding out Rod's generosity are two memorabilia cards that inspired me to open up about my social life inside and outside of the hobby:

2003 Playoff Prestige Connections Materials #C-47 (#'d 153/400)

2003 Playoff Prestige Connections Materials #C-48 (#'d 042/400)

If you talked to my closest friends or family members, they'd most likely tell you how I like to keep my inner circle small and they wouldn't be lying.

But it's really nice to have an outlet like my blog and this hobby, because it's allowed me to make a lot of connections with other people who enjoy collecting pieces of cardboard with pictures of pitchers, chickens, and artwork on them.

Thank you Rod for this very generous prize/care package!  And thank you to each and every one one of you who has taken the time to read any of my posts and connecting with me by leaving comments.  They're truly appreciated.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Smell the Roses

Topps Project 2020 seemed to be hit or miss with collectors... more specifically... bloggers.  People either bought them or didn't.  Although I didn't get swept up by the hype, I definitely purchased a few for my Tony Gwynn and Rickey Henderson collections from my favorite Project 2020 artists.

Then a few months ago, one of my former students shared her rendition of The Great Wave off Kanagawa.  I asked her if she would be interested in doing a commissioned piece for me.  I gave her a synopsis of the Topps Project 2020 and she loved the idea and accepted the job.  She mentioned that her schedule was pretty busy.  I told her I wasn't in any rush.

Last week, she messaged me that she finished the piece and within two days it was in my collection:

Outside of asking her to use a 4x6 index card... I left the rest up to her and was truly blown away by her rendition of Tony Gwynn's Topps rookie card.  I really enjoyed her use of natural colors and the little 'stache she put on Mr. Padre.  I'm also glad she included the roses, because flowers seem to be a popular theme in her works of art.

We've already discussed her doing another piece for me... which will be the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson rookie card.  However... her schedule is a little crazy right now.  You're more likely to see it on this blog sometime in 2022.

Regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Topps Project 2020, I hope you enjoyed this post.  We all have cards that stand out more than others in our collections.  This one is definitely one of my favorites.  Not just because it a one of a kind piece of artwork... or the fact that it features my all-time favorite baseball player.  It's because it was created by a former student who has gone out of her way to keep in touch.

Thank you Sarah!

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Setting Myself Up for Failure

Two years ago, Daniel over at It's like having my own Card Shop introduced the blogosphere to the Five Minute Post.  The concept was simple.  Try to write a post in five minutes or less.  When I gave it a shot two years ago... I failed miserably.  

Today I'm here to try it again.

Like the first time around... scanning, uploading, and arrangement of images won't be part of the five minutes.  However... research, editing, and revising will be included in the time.  I'm know I'm setting myself up for failure, but the goal is to beat the time I posted two years ago (36 minutes and 57 seconds).

By the way.... none of the above writing or this sentence was included in the final time.  The timed portion of this post begins, now...

Two weeks ago, I mentioned how Collecting Cutch's care package inspired me to purchase some cheap Topps Project 2020 cards off of eBay.  These two cards were the key cards in the lot:

Topps Project 2020 #94 (EFDOT)

EFDOT is a pretty popular artist among Topps Project 2020 fans... and although I wasn't a huge fan of this particular rendition of Gwynn's 1983 Topps rookie card... it has grown on me.

Topps Project 2020 #81 (Blake Jamieson)

As for this McGwire... it was love at first sight.  I can't remember whose blog I saw it on... but I wanted to find an affordable copy ever since.  After adding up all of the cards in the lot and combining shipping each card boiled down to less than $4.25 (shipping & tax included).  Those are prices I can live with.

I'll cut things off here, because I'm already over the five minute mark and it'll take me at least a few minutes to edit, revise, and publish.  Stay tuned to see how I fared.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Here's a breakdown of how I fared in this challenge:

Research and Writing:  8 Minutes, 51 Seconds

Editing and Revising:  7 Minutes, 58 Seconds

Total Time: 16 Minutes, 49 Seconds

It's this kind of exercise that helps me appreciate how much time and effort goes into this blog as well as all of the other hobby blogs out there.

By the way... when you factor in the number of minutes it took me to write the section (at the start of the post) I didn't include in time... I'd estimate it took me around 30 to 35 minutes to write this post from start to finish.  And that's only because I already knew what I wanted to write about.

Either way... I beat my old score.

The Forgotten Fad?

Is it just me... or has the Topps Project 2020 hype started to die down?  I never dove head first into the scene, but there was a point when I was checking their website on semi-regular basis.  However ever since I purchased Sophia Chang and Ermsy's versions of the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson and 1983 Topps Tony Gwynn rookie cards... I don't think I've checked more than a handful of times.

That being said... I just purchased six of them on eBay, because they were less than $4.25 each (shipping/tax included).

Why the sudden interest?  Well... I was inspired by Brian over at Collecting Cutch after he sent me three new Project 2020 cards for my collection:

Topps Project 2020 #198 by Mr. Cartoon (Print Run: 3,567)

According to the his website, Mr. Cartoon is an artist who was born and raised in Los Angeles.  His work can be found on famous celebrities such as Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Beyoncé.  I'm not an expert on tattoos, but I feel like his version of Gwynn's rookie card definitely gives off a tattoo vibe.  I really like how he incorporates the portrait and action shot photos from the original card into this one with Gwynn's nickname.

Topps Project 2020 #153 by Mr. Cartoon (Print Run:5,155)

Brian also hooked me up with Mr. Cartoon's version of Rickey Henderson's rookie card.  Although I tend to prefer the Project 2020 cards that semi-resemble the original card... I have to admit I like how the A's logo stands out and also enjoy the font he used for his name.

Mr. Cartoon actually produced two other cards for Oakland A's fans and card collectors that were available at his online store.  Unfortunately both are sold out.

Topps Project 2020 #77 by King Saladeen (Print Run: 11,425)

The last Project 2020 card I received is my very first Ichiro from this line of cards.  I'm not very familiar with Saladeen's work, but he's an artist from Philadelphia who was a gifted high school basketball player.  He refocused his energy on art after an automobile accident sidelined those dreams.

My favorite thing about his interpretation of Ichiro's 2001 Topps rookie card is the Seattle skyline in the background.  The way he drew Mariners also gives off a 1989 Topps vibe... which is the first Topps set that The Kid appeared in.

Although Sophia Chang and Ermsy are hands down my favorite Project 2020 artists, I enjoy looking at and appreciating the work of other artists like Mr. Cartoon and King Saladeen.

That's why I went hunting for cheap copies of other cards from this series which I'll share with you guys as soon as they arrive.  In the meantime, let's continue checking out the rest of Brian's care package.

2001 Inkworks Smallville Autograph #A4

Before seeing her on Collecting Cutch, I wasn't aware of Kelly Brook.  If you're not familiar with her, click here and you'll be in for a special treat.

This autograph was one of the prizes offered in Brian's annual Save Second Base event.  Most of you know how much I enjoy an on-card autograph, so this one is a nice addition to my non-sport collection.

Wrapping up the care package were some singles for my Tony Gwynn, Greg Maddux, and Kurt Suzuki collections.  I'll start off with three new Gwynns for my binder:

1994 Pacific Silver Prisms Circular #35

1996 Fleer Update Headliner #8

2000 Pacific (Portrait Version) #363

It's always nice to add a new card to my Gwynn collection.  Three new additions is three times as nice.  At first glance, I thought I already had all three of these cards.  I guess I'm at the point where I don't really know what I have in my Gwynn collection compared to what I've seen on other blogs or websites.

However these additions have made me realize that I need the other 1994 Pacific Prism card of Gwynn as well as the "in action" version of his 2000 Pacific card.

He also hooked me up with two new Kurt Suzuki cards for my collection.  One of them I showed off yesterday.  If you didn't see it, please click here... because it was truly worthy of its own post.  The other card was this Allen & Ginter buyback card:

2010 Allen & Ginter #281

Once upon a time, I treasured Allen & Ginter and looked forward to its annual release.  During that era, Suzuki had a nice four year run where he was included on Ginter checklists.  This card is one of them.

If I ever go back and add money to my COMC account, I'll probably grab the other Kurt Suzuki A&G buybacks up for sale.  But it's not really worth dealing with the shipping drama over a pair of cards.

Here are the final four cards that Brian sent:

Talk about a complete care package.  Even though I already own these four cards... each of them are fantastic in their own special way.  There's a chance you'll be seeing one of these in a future post.

Thank you Brian for this very generous care package!  I'm not exactly sure what you send to the Andrew McCutchen collector who has just about every single Cutch card out there... but I'll find something.  Even if it means hooking up your girlfriend with more Cactus Coolers.

Okay... let's get back to those trendy Topps trading cards for today's question of the day...

Have you noticed that interest in Topps Project 2020 has softened the past few months?

Have you purchased any Project 2020 lately?

I'm interested in seeing of my point of view is skewed or not.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Afterword:  Giving Thanks

Trevor over at Bump and Run Football Card Blog has challenged fellow card bloggers to write down some things they are thankful for.

On Saturday, shared why I was thankful for my parents.  Yesterday, I explained why I was thankful for the blogging community.  I'll be going a different route today as I express how thankful I am for my job.

When I was a kid, my parents would remind me over and over again that one day I'd have to grow up, move out of the house, and survive on my own.  They explained that an education opened up opportunities and they were right.

While I was in college, I made a life-altering decision to become a teacher.  Originally my parents thought I'd follow in my father's footsteps and become an engineer, since I really enjoyed science and math.  However that all changed after taking a few early childhood education courses at the community college level.

I'm not going to say that my job is perfect.  Most of you have read about some of the ups and downs on this blog.  But the "ups" heavily outweigh the "downs" and even though I haven't had a lot of positive things to share about my job these past eight months, I wanted to point out just how fortunate I am.

I'll never be a millionaire... but my job pays the bills, offers reasonable health insurance, has introduced me to some of my closest friends, and gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact on my students.  For these things... I truly am thankful.