Summer Goals

It's been a few years since I have sat down and hammered out some hobby goals.  But since I won't be teaching this summer, I wanted to get three hobby related things accomplished before the start of the 2026-27 school year.

#1:  Target a handful of set builds.

Whether or not I actually complete any sets this summer, I want to at least make the effort to cross as many numbers off of my set needs as I can.

#2:  Inventory my collection.

Two to three times a decade, I like to go through my collection and update my inventory.  This project will wreak havoc on my back, but when I'm finished... I have a better understanding of what I've been hoarding the past few decades or so.

#3:  Clean up my office and catch up on blogging.

I have stacks of cards all over my office.  Some are sitting on my desk.  Others are laying in 5,000ct. boxes.  Plus I have unopened mailers dating back months.  The goal is to sort, scan, and blog as much as I can over the next two months.  Sundays will be reserved for farmer's markets, laundry, cleaning, and sorting.

Being the first Sunday of my summer break, I'm going to hammer out this sorting tray filled with the remaining cards from Reader X's January care package.

Let's start with some baseball players I collect:

Next up here are some PC additions for my favorite team collections:

Xavier always sends some San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Golden State Warriors for my students:

Plus he tossed in some San Jose Sharks and a few other hockey cards:

I'm honestly not familiar with any of these guys, but the three Las Vegas Knights autographs are dedicated to my mother who rooted for them in their inaugural season.

Xavier also tossed in some football stars, rookies, and inserts:

Most of these will eventually be passed along to one of my students, but I did end up holding onto the Select rookie card of Caleb Williams.  

Thank you Xavier for another generous care package.  Sorry it took me six months to document it on here.

And thank you to everyone who took the time to read this post as I document the first Sunday Sort of The Summer of 2026.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

The Elite Eight

Sports and lists go hand in hand.  So do trading cards and lists.  That's why I never tire of reading fellow bloggers' "list" posts and writing them myself.

Each year Night Owl creates his 30 Teams post where he ranks all 30 MLB teams from his favorite to his least favorite.  I've attempted to sit down and do this myself on a few occasions, but have failed miserably.  It's easy for me to point out teams I like and don't like, but ranking the middle ten to fifteen teams become a nightmare.

My solution?  Wait until the MLB reaches the divisional series of the playoffs when there are only eight teams remaining.  It still wasn't easy picking between the Astros and Dodgers or the Rays and Braves, but I managed to hammer it out and finalize my list.

So without further ado, here are my Elite Eight team rankings based on how well I like them...

#8:  New York Yankees

2014 Topps Chrome #10

The Yankees have enough hardware to last my lifetime.  I cannot imagine a situation where I would root for them in a World Series.

As for the cards in this post... I paired up each team with an active player from that franchise that I enjoy collecting or at the very least resides in one of my PC's.

#7:  Houston Astros

2017 Topps Definitive Collection Autographed Relic #ARC-JA

I originally had the Dodgers penciled in at this spot, but when I broke things down and asked myself who I would root for if they met the Astros in the World Series, I chose the Dodgers.  Sure hope my brother doesn't read this post.

#6:  Los Angeles Dodgers

2010 Allen and Ginter Framed Autograph #AGA-CK

If you had to pick a National League version of the New York Yankees... the Dodgers would at the very least be in the discussion.  The franchise isn't afraid to spend money and the team they've assembled is locked, loaded, and primed to win this year's World Series.  That being said... I won't be rooting for them unless they're playing the Yankees or the Astros. (which after yesterday might just be the case).

#5:  Florida Marlins

2020 Topps Chrome #82

I just looked at the Marlins roster on Baseball Reference thirty seconds ago and recognized about a dozen names.  But if you asked me to name them right now, I couldn't.  Starling Marte, Jordan Yamamoto, Matt Joyce, and Brian Anderson.  Yup.  That's all I've got.  Hard to root for a team I really know nothing about.

*This Yamamoto was part of the care package from Padrographs that I reviewed yesterday.

#4:  Tampa Bay Rays

2016 Five Star Autograph #FSA-BSN

I really, really wanted to put these guys ahead of the Braves... since they're one of six franchises that have never won a World Series title.  But I grew up watching the Atlanta Braves on TBS and I'd wouldn't mind seeing Freddie Freeman win a ring.

#3:  Atlanta Braves

2013 Five Star Autographs #FSBA-FF

If the A's and Padres are knocked out... I'll be rooting for the Braves and Rays.  And like I mentioned above... it'd be close, but ultimately I'm gonna go with Team TBS and my childhood.

#2:  San Diego Padres

2019 Stadium Club Autographs #SCA-FTA

The San Diego Padres have been my favorite National League team since the mid 80's.  I remember watching one of the World Series games in PE with everyone rooting for the Detroit Tigers... which led me to cheering for the Padres.  Within a year or two, I had become a huge Tony Gwynn fan and the rest is history. 

#1:  Oakland A's

2019 Stadium Club Autographs #SCA-RL

The Oakland A's have been my favorite baseball team for as long as I can remember.  Although I'll be rooting for the A's and Padres, my wallet says the Rays (please bounce back and beat the Yankees) and Dodgers will be battling it out in a few weeks.  And if/when they do... according to my rankings... I'll be rooting for the Rays.

Thank you for taking the time to read my "list" post.  And fellow bloggers, just know that I will never tire of reading yours.  #listpostsrule

If you have any suggestions for future "list" posts, please write them down below in the comment section and I'll try my best to build it for you.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Hate to Love

Last week, I asked if anyone had any blog bat-around ideas and Chris (The Collector) suggested that I write a post about my favorite players on my least favorite teams.  As soon as I read his comment, I was into it.

Back in the early years of this blog, I actually had a series called "Players I Hate to Love"... which essentially covered this topic.  Unfortunately I haven't added to that series in over eight years.  I considered resurrecting this series... but I've also considered ranking my least favorite sports franchises for several years.  So this gives me a chance to kill two birds with one stone.

But before I reveal my picks, there are a couple of things I wanted to clarify:

#1:  With the exception of the New York Yankees, my least favorite teams are very fluid and constantly change.  My selections are based on how I'm feeling today.  If I did this again next month, they might not be ranked the same way.

#2:  I originally wanted to focus on current players and avoid adding retired players to this list.  Unfortunately, I struggled with this when it came to the sports outside of baseball.  In the end, I decided any player who I actively rooted for during my lifetime was fair game, but retired guys who played before I was born were off limits.

So without further ado... my favorite players on my least favorite teams:


5th Least Favorite Team:  Los Angeles Dodgers

When you're the best team in baseball, you're gonna receive some hate.  I honestly don't hate the Dodgers.  I've actually rooted for them on occasion since they represent my home state.  At the same time, they stand in the Padres way to the World Series, so they make this list.

My Favorite Dodger:  Fernando Valenzuela

1988 Fleer Baseball MVP #40

I went back and forth between The Tornado, El Toro, and The Claw.  Three aces from three different eras.  Today I'm going old school and picking Fernando.  I vividly remember Fernandomania from my childhood and pulling for him, because he was a fellow lefty.  If I didn't already have too many player collections, I'd probably start one of him.


4th Least Favorite Team:  Houston Astros

Although I was bummed to hear about the Astros banging on trash cans, I didn't loathe them like some baseball fans.  I'm one of those guys who assumes that most teams are cheating on one level or another which stinks... but is part of baseball.  What put them on this list was the fact that it took some of the players almost a month to come out and apologize to their fans.  Like I tell my students... when you make a mistake... take responsibility for your actions... learn from it... and move forward.  I'm not one to hold grudges, so the Astros may or may not be on this list again in the future.

My Favorite Astro:  Jose Altuve

2019 Topps Chrome Negative Refractor #20

Altuve has been one of my favorite players for a few years now, because of his ability to hit.  Plus he's a fellow member of the "Short Guy Club".  I hope he can leave the scandal behind him and go out there, play hard, and not repeat his mistakes.


3rd Least Favorite Team:  Dallas Cowboys

I've never liked the Cowboys.  I can't think of a single time I've ever rooted for them and can't think of a scenario where I would.  In fact, picking a favorite player from this franchise was really the only one I struggled with.

My Favorite Cowboy:  Emmitt Smith

1992 Pro Set Ground Force #150

I always rooted for Barry and Thurman over Emmitt back in the 90's.  But pulling an Emmitt rookie, parallel, or insert always brought a smile to my face.


2nd Least Favorite Team:  San Francisco 49ers

Now that the 49ers are Super Bowl contenders again, Niners Nation have dusted off their jerseys and are loud and proud.  Unfortunately... that means I have to hear about it on a regular basis from friends and family.  If there's a season and they return to the Super Bowl, there's an outside chance they'll hop into the #1 spot next year.

My Favorite 49er:  Jerry Rice

1997 SPx Gold #1

As a Bay Area native who grew up in a 49er household, I had the pleasure of watching him play on a weekly basis... even if I was always rooting for the other team.  The guy was in a league of his own... and definitely made life easier for guys like Montana and Young.


Least Favorite Team:  New York Yankees

I was pretty scarred by the trade that sent Rickey Henderson to the Yankees back in 1984.  I'm not sure if I hated the Yankees before then, but I didn't like them either.  "Stealing" my favorite player took things to the next level.  The thing that shot them to #1 was their success from the mid 90's through the 2000's.  These days I'll root for any team that's playing against them.

My Favorite Yankee:  Ron Guidry

1978 Topps #135

Are you surprised that I didn't choose Rickey?  Well... I didn't root for him while he wore Yankee Pinstripes.  I did root for Guidry.  Like Fernando, he's a fellow southpaw.  Plus I think it's pretty cool when a player spends their entire career with the same franchise.

Okay, it's your turn...

Who are your favorite players on your least favorite teams?

Feel free to leave your responses in the comment section below... or better yet... write a post and share a link instead.

Thanks Chris for sharing this awesome topic.  It'll be fun reading everyone's responses.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!