Tranquility & Calmness

Being an educator has a lot of perks.  One that often gets brought up by friends and family are the numerous breaks and holidays.  I typically use them to recharge the batteries and embrace a little tranquility and calmness.  Unfortunately there's nine week stretch between Labor Day and Veteran's Day where there is all work and no rest.

It's a good thing I have a few hobbies which help take my mind off of things after hours.  Obviously collecting cards is one of those things and we'll get to a couple of those later in this post.  Right now here's another hobby I began playing around with a few years ago:

Lego #10281

When I need it the most... Lego sets have provided me with tranquility and calmness.  This bonsai tree distracted me from the real world for about an hour and a half.  The best part about toying with Legos is they make great display pieces when you finish.  This set sits in my family room right next to my mom's photo.  The pair bring a smile to my face on a daily basis.

I built a few Lego sets over the past few months, but I chose to show this one off because it's related to a postcard I recently received in a care package from Reader X:

Not sure if bonsai trees and black bears have anything in common, but on the back of this postcard there's a really cool Forever stamp:

Here's a closer look:

The USPS released a set of Forever stamps in 2012 that feature five different bonsai trees.  Thanks to Xavier, I'm actively trying to hunt down one of these stamp sheets.

He's actually sent a few different care packages over the past few years.  Last year he sent me several eTopps.  Two of them feature Tim Lincecum:

2010 eTopps #6

2011 eTopps 206 #NNO

Timmy has been known to use another type of vegetation in his search for tranquility and calmness.  That's not really my thing... but these shiny cards sure are.

I'll just stick to collecting cards and building Lego sets.  I've also made plans to meet up with my friend's nephew to play 9 holes this afternoon.  Assuming my balls are flying reasonably straight... this will also help me find tranquility and calmness.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

The Green Monster

What's the longest you've ever sat on a post?  Well... this post was written and published back in September last year.  That's when I was trying to clear out my card show haul box... which was filled three months prior to that on June 26th, 2021.

That's when I found this 2002 eTopps card of Shawn Green sitting in a dealer's 5 for $1 bin at the Bay Area Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo:

2002 eTopps #24

For those who aren't familiar with eTopps cards, they were the 2000's version of the online exclusive cards Topps floods the hobby with today (or at least back in September of last year).

Collectors could purchase cards from the eTopps website and have Topps store them until they were ready to have them shipped.  In the meantime, the collector could add the card(s) to their online portfolio and trade them with other collectors like stocks.

Based on their website, I'm pretty sure the IPO (initial player offering) took place back on 06/20/02 with a price around $7.  According to production numbers... 4,438 copies were created and sold.  Since this is a weird number, I'm guessing these were made to order (like Topps Now).

What's not weird was the timing of the release.  Less than a month earlier on May 23rd, 2002... Green set MLB record for total bases in a game when he smacked four home runs, a double, and a single against the Milwaukee Brewers in an afternoon game at Miller Park.

Here's a breakdown of his six at-bats:

• Top of the 1st: Double (off Glendon Rusch) 1 RBI
• Top of the 2nd: Home Run (off Glendon Rusch) 3 RBI's
• Top of the 4th:  Home Run (off Brian Mallette) 1 RBI
• Top of the 5th:  Home Run (off Brian Mallette) 1 RBI
• Top of the 8th:  Single (off Jose Cabrera)
• Top of the 9th:  Home Run (off Jose Cabrera) 1 RBI

At the end of the day, he was 6 for 6 at the plate with 6 runs and 7 runs batted in as the Dodgers spanked the Brewers 16 to 3.

And since I'm so invested in this post... here's a deeper look at Mr. Green and the impact of this monstrous game on his season...

This had been the 46th game of the season for Green.  He entered it with a .238 average and 5 home runs.  He exited it hitting .265 and 9 home runs.  That game also kicked off an impressive hot streak where he hit four more home runs with a .444 batting average over the next four games.  It also turned his entire season around as he would never hit below .265 again that season.

Getting back to the card itself... I don't make a habit of picking up eTopps cards.  The holders make storing them bulky... unless you of course bust them out and set them free.  However for 20¢, I just couldn't pass this card up.  And I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to write a post about it... even if I had to wait eight months to publish it.

Happy 20th Anniversary Mr. Green!  That was one monstrous day on the green.  It'll be interesting to see how long this MLB record will stand... and who will break it.

Happy Monday and sayonara!