People come and go. I learned that at a very young age when one of my best friends moved away. It sucked. That happened right around the time when Rickey Henderson was traded to the New York Yankees. That sucked too. In 6th grade, my teacher left on maternity leave at the end of the year and we were stuck with a sub. That wasn't as bad as saying goodbye to Rickey... but it sucked too.
Over the years... family member, friends, co-workers, students, principals, Starbucks baristas, flea market vendors, favorite players, and just about every other category of people in my life has seen a fair share of people coming and going. That's just the way it is.
A few months ago, Jeremy over at Topps Cards That Never Were announced that he was leaving the hobby. People come and go within our hobby all the time. I accept that. But that doesn't change the fact that he'll be missed on the blogosphere.
I'm happy for him, because he left on his own terms and it sounds like he'll be happier making this change in his life. That's what really matters.
Two days after his farewell post, I received a PWE from him in the mail. Inside it contained a thoughtful, handwritten note that was much appreciated as well as these three Oakland A's cards:
2021 Topps Royal Blue Walmart #46
2020 Topps Gold #474 (#'d 1360/2020)
Being an A's fan, I've had more opportunities than the average sports fan to get used to people coming and going. Jesus Luzardo was shipped off to Miami in July, while Canha recently signed a deal with the Mets.
2020 Stadium Club Chrome Wave Refractor #240
Puk is still representing the Green & Gold... for now. However I'm not holding my breathe. It wouldn't surprise me if he's gone within a year or two.
1991 Allan Keyes' Sports Card Price Guide Prototype #P3
People come and go all the time. Heck... even the all-time strikeout king left New York, Anaheim, and Houston to wrap up his career and retire in Arlington.
I realize that some of my posts can be long-winded, which is why I appreciate every fellow collector and blogger who has taken the time to read these posts. Jeremy was one of those people. Which is why he knew how much I appreciate magazine cards and promos.
This card combines both of those interests.
I'm assuming, he'll never read this thank you post... but just in case he does...
Thank you Jeremy.
I truly appreciate you taking the time to support this blog. I know I enjoyed reading yours... and exchanging care packages with you over the years. Hope things are going well with you and your family.
As for me... I know I've been away from the blogosphere myself. But I assure you, I am not walking away from the hobby. In fact, I've actually been spending a lot of my free time sorting cards, organizing my collection, and cleaning out my garage (where I store part of my collection). In fact... that project is now officially in the rearview window.
Does this mean, I'll be returning to the keyboard on a regular basis? Probably not. The past two days I've enjoyed opening up Blogger, reading some recent blog posts, and leaving comments. This will hopefully continue into the new year.
But the days of me writing three or four posts a week are in the past. I'm not going to say that routine won't re-enter my life at some point, but right now I'll be content with one post a week.
Today... I'm spending the day opening up care packages that date all the way back to October. Plus there were some cards I acquired earlier in the year that I'd like to share with you.
2017 Topps Allen & Ginter Box Topper #BL-CS
I know box toppers can be annoying to some collectors due to storage issues, but not me. I'm always willing to adopt any unwanted oversized cards. This one arrived in my mailbox over the summer. It was sent to me by Reader X and there were plenty of other goodies in his care package, so I have no shortage of writing material. I figured Seager ties into this post nicely... since he recently bid farewell to the city of Los Angeles and Dodger fans around the world... to hang out and play in Arlington.
Like I said... people come and go.
Happy holidays everyone! Thanks again Jeremy and Reader X for providing the cards seen in this post.
Happy Wednesday and sayonara!
Glad to know you're sticking around!
ReplyDeleteYep, always good when Fuji's blogging! Also, count me in as someone that'll miss Jeremy. Anyway, looking forward to seeing everything you picked up (eventually). Gonna take me a while to catch up too!
ReplyDeleteIt's getting a little lonely around here with everyone taking breaks or exiting. I guess I can live with once a week. ;) ... That A&G Seager box-topper is one of the few that I have.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to be reading your words again. I was fortunate to meet up with Jeremy in person at the Jax card show. Nice guy all around. I too wish him well.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Fuji!
ReplyDeleteHappy to see a post here! I'll be equally happy with next week's (or month's or whenever!) I wish Jeremy well in his future, and will miss his creativity.
ReplyDeletejongudmund - thanks. i actually have three different gwynns i'm planning on writing about that are pretty cool and interesting (well... at least to me).
ReplyDeletedennis - i'm hoping it doesn't take too long for me to catch up on writing posts. i wrote and scheduled three yesterday... and it literally took me the entire afternoon. not complaining though, it was fun to get into the routine of writing again. btw... i'm excited about opening up your care packages. the shape has me baffled.
night owl - at the very least, i hope to read blog posts more consistently. miss reading articles about cards.
johnnys trading spot - always nice to hear about bloggers meeting up out in the real world. if i ever make my way out to georgia or florida, i hope we're able to get together to rip a few packs
the lost collector - merry christmas aj!
matt - thanks matt. already have a few schedule, plus i have one i'm currently writing for christmas morning. as for jeremy, it's a little sad to hear about a collector walking away from the hobby. but in jeremy's case... i'm really happy for him and his family.
Glad you are still here - the title of your post scared me! I wasn't familiar with Jeremy's blog before, that was some heavy reading.
ReplyDeleteI had just finished 6th grade when the Yankees basically gifted Rickey back to the A's. That sucked for Yankee fans! Turned out well for A's fans in the end.
The problem is though, there's a lot more blogging people going as of late, and I don't see things bouncing back anytime soon. The social media/YouTube pull seems to be too strong for most folks to resist.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing the garage project. I've not been able to do that very well - ever, even though I haven't bought much over the last year.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays Fuji. Excited to see your garage at a future date for sure!
ReplyDeleteI'd be thrilled to be getting one Fuji post a week. The more good bloggers we have around, the better.
ReplyDeleteWell, a post a week is more than I'm doing.
ReplyDeleteIf the Rangers are actually trying to become good, maybe I'll go see some games.
A post a week from you would be great. Always enjoy your blogg.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you back here, Fuji! One post a week is totally fine. Over at my blog, I've been doing that from the beginning lol.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more on this garage project. Maybe even some photos? Until then, I'm wishing you well for the new year. Keep an eye out for a care package, too. (If it hasn't already arrived.)
bo - it was awesome to see rickey come back to oakland, but he never reclaimed my favorite baseball player spot.
ReplyDeletejon - that's sad. i haven't been around enough lately to know who has left... but i guess i'll start figuring it out soon enough.
runforekelloggs - it's nice to have that "sort" crossed off the list. it's also nice to be able to park my car back in the garage.
sumomenkoman - happy holidays to you and your family! for sure. we definitely got to get together in 2021
the diamond king - thanks. i hope blogging isn't on the decline for others. that being said... i'm going to try and do better at supporting other blogs.
gtt - seager & semien are a great starting point. maybe they'll be this era's andrus and beltre
bulldog - i've been writing posts for several days straight, so i have a little cushion. but i'd like to also write an additional post each week as well. we'll see how it goes.
gregory - i sent sumomenkoman a photo of my garage being a disaster. i'll try to see if i still have it. if i do, i'll show it off in a future post. btw... i received your customs. great job!
Its so sad seeing people leave the hobby, leave blogging. Tough spot all of us true collectors are in.
ReplyDeleteyeah. we all know the hard work and effort that goes into blogging. i know i've taken my own share of breaks. i might take a few more breaks, but doubt i'll ever quit blogging. as for collecting... i don't foresee quitting the hobby in my lifetime
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