Blogger karma

I've seen some amazing things during my time in the hobby.

Because of the fact that trading forums are big on "box breaks", I've read through a few posts from members who netted that "big pull".

A Bryce Harper autograph. A Mickey Mantle quad "relic". A Babe Ruth jersey card. Although I've personally never been fortunate enough to land any of those huge hits in my pack-ripping career, I've witnessed more than my fair share.

But I've never been as awestruck as I was a week ago today.

It started out like any other weeknight in my post-blogging life. Watch some TV, put away some new cards, and catch up on any recent blog posts I might've missed.

Then the "amazing" happened.

I noticed a new post in my blogroll that night, one that blew everything out of the water. One of our own pulled perhaps the most pursued card out of this year's A&G. Mr. "Play at the Plate" pulled none other than the coveted Yu Darvish autograph.

From a retail pack, no less.

What made the pull especially amazing was the fact that he's a Rangers collector. The first thought I had (other than "Wow!") was,

"What are the odds of that happening? A Yu Darvish autograph is tough enough to pull, much less one by a guy who actually collects Rangers cards!"

Then it hit me.

There's definitely some sort of "blogger karma" going on here.

What other explanation is there?

My reasoning behind starting this blog was to basically be able to talk about baseball cards and the joys of collecting them. I've realized it's had other benefits in the past few months, but that was the original goal of this blog.

It's still pretty much my premise for blogging, when you get down to it.

Never did I think there were side benefits to becoming a blogger. All the fantastic trades with the great people in the blogosphere is definitely one of the better "side effects".

As I've come to realize lately, the other one is the case of "karmic justice".

After I saw the amazing Yu Darvish autograph pull, I thought back. Then, I realized that I'd been bit by the "karmic bug", although it didn't sink in until that moment.

I'd loved dime boxes for years and years before I started this blog, ever since I was a kid. Over that time span, I must've dug through at least a hundred of them throughout my life.

Then, one day, I hit upon a great notion.

Why not start a blog about it?

I went with that train of thought and started a blog. I loved it more and more each day, and I kept writing to my heart's content. You're reading it right now.

One of the "karmic gods" must've taken notice, too. Just months into my blogging career, I stumble upon the "best dime box ever", as I called it. That wasn't an exaggeration. It really was the best dime box I've ever gone through.

Although it took a little more than an hour to look through all those cards, I ended up with 500 new ones for my collection, covering all parts of baseball lore. Everything from minor league cards of Rocco Baldelli to cool inserts of Lou Brock.

Is it any coincidence that it came after I started writing for this blog, aptly titled "Dime Boxes"?

I don't think so, as I've come to realize lately.

Not if karma has anything to do with it.