Looking out for each other

As this blog nears its one-year anniversary, I can't help but notice how much I've learned.

I know I bring it up a lot in my writings, but it's been amazing to see just how monumental the changes have been.

My trading forum "collecting self" from a year ago is barely recognizable next to the present day.

Of course, there's the whole "book value" thing. Nowadays, I realize just how meaningless and hypocritical it really is.

However, this time last year, I treated it as the be-all, end-all for valuing baseball cards. I wasn't much different from most forum members in that regard.

The sheer diversity I've seen on the blogs opened up a whole new door for me. It's good to know that there are people out there collecting guys like Jeff Weaver or Cleon Jones, as opposed to the continuous stream of Pujols and Jeter collectors found on trading forums.

However, the single most eye-opening aspect of the blogosphere is a pretty easy pick for me.

It's the way trading is done here.

Fittingly, I have a few trade packages to show off that perfectly personify why that is.

The first grouping of cards I'll be showing in this post came from Mr. Michael Spiegel, author of the phenomenal blog "Nomo's Sushi Platter".

As one of the "friends of the blog", we've traded a few times already.

Before I knew it, we'd completed another swap. A short time later, I found a large mailer sitting in my mailbox.

Just like that, I was able to knock out the last of my 2012 A&G base needs with this Jon Lester short-print.

It seemed like it all happened in the blink of an eye.

That in itself is a great example of a major difference between blog and forum swapping.

The sheer quickness of the trades.

A lot of the time, it takes a few hours of back-and-forth on the forums to work out a trade. Taking out this card. Adding that card. Anything to get those darn "book values" to match.

For the years I was on the forums, I didn't mind. I came to accept it as a general part of what "trading" means.

Boy, was I wrong.

It took no less than two emails to work out this trade with Mr. Spiegel. It went a little something like this...

Spiegel: "Hey, wanna make another trade? I have some cards to send to you, and I can always use any extra Dodgers or HOFers you can spare."

Me: "Definitely! Let's do it."

Bam.

Just like that, a trade was born. Just like that, two new Topps Gold parallels were in my mailbox.

No more long, dragged out negotiations.

It's definitely the way to go.

On the rare occasion that I do make a trade on the forums nowadays, I've gotten a little "lazy".

I can't go through with those tedious, boring "negotiations" anymore. I probably could've traded for some 2012 Panini Cooperstown on the blogs by now, but I really, really don't feel like going through all that other stuff.

In time, I'm sure I'll acquire most of the ones I need without much of a sweat. Mr. Spiegel was nice enough to include a quick "sample" of the set with this Joe Morgan.

After finally seeing one of them in-person, I must say that I'm an even bigger fan of Panini Cooperstown. I'm sure they'll start popping up in dime boxes soon enough.

I guess the simple, flawless way we deal here in the blogosphere has spoiled me. I mean that in a good way. 

It's hard for me to spend a half-hour going through someone else's unorganized tradelist these days. I'm not too keen on digging through tons of set needs in order to "even out" those last two bucks in book value.

Although I've been a regular member of my current forum for a good five years, I never really got to know many of the people on there. Maybe I'm just being skeptical, but I can't be sure what their motives are as far as collecting goes.

Are they only building this set to "flip" it for a profit? Are they only collecting Mike Trout in hopes of a quick turnaround on Ebay?

Which leads me into my next point...

Trading is a much, much more personal experience here in the blogosphere.

In our last trade, Mr. Spiegel himself noted that I seemed to put real time and effort into compiling the last group of cards I sent his way.

I try and do that with every single trade I make here.

Why?

That's simple.

It is extremely comforting to know that an "outcast" card in your collection can be a cherished piece of someone else's.

Whether it's hitting a set need, finding a new card for someone's player collection, or simply finding a random card you'd think they'd like, seeing another bloggers' enthusiasm for cards I sent them is all I need to make a trade "worth it".

There's no doubt in my mind that Mr. Spiegel put a good deal of time into putting together this trade package for me. He seems to read my blog fairly frequently, which I vehemently appreciate.

From my past posts, he knows that I enjoy cards like this Cuddyer that show players in the process of signing autographs...

Or shots of "pitchers at the plate".

He probably noticed the recent oddball "kick" I've been on lately...

And he knows that I'm always interested in cards that simply feature "fun" photos.

The Daulton has to be the first card I own that shows a catcher prowling the infield, probably the result of some sort of rundown play.

Spiegel noted that a lot of the cards he sent me came from a nickel box from his LCS.

After the jealousy of having an LCS with a nickel box went away, I couldn't help but think of how cool that was. This guy specifically went and found cards to send me.

Maybe he even said, "Hey, I bet Nick would really like that 'Smokey the Bear' card of Dave Parker. I bet he'd enjoy that quirky Molitor, too. I'll buy these for that trade package."

Knowing the great people of the blogosphere, I'm sure it went something along those lines. I know I've had similar thoughts whenever I find a really neat Dodger or Oriole card at a show.

I can't wait to send it along to a collector who will really cherish it.

Of course, even with the terrific Moyers, Zambranos, and Kingmans that this package held, a trade with the author of "Nomo's Sushi Platter" wouldn't be complete without...

You guessed it.

A few Nomos.

Ones that I will wholeheartedly enjoy.

Seeing as how they came from a guy who dedicated his entire blog to Mr. Nomo, it is an absolute honor to have these in my collection.

There's still a whole lot more to love about the way we trade here in the blogosphere.

In my ten or so years of frequenting trading forums, I'd never had anyone send me a "surprise" package of cards.

Sure, there was the occasional free card or two, but never anything completely out of the blue.

As many of you know, surprises are a regular part of being a blogger. It's one of the blogosphere's biggest benefits.

Last week, I was happily surprised to see a package from blogger Johnny fall out of my mailbox. You might know him better as "hiflew", author of "Cards From The Quarry", one of the first blogs I ever came to love back when I was just a reader.

I had no idea he'd be sending me anything. No email, nothing. That bright yellow mailer arrived on my doorstep without any kind of warning.

As I opened it, I couldn't help but think...

"Man, being a blogger is great! This type of thing never happened to me on the forums."

It's true.

I don't know that I would've ever been able to experience the feeling of "surprise cards" had it not been for the blogosphere.

To put it lightly, it's one heck of a good time, I'll tell you that.

Digging through unexpected cards is truly invigorating.

If the Fielder is any indication, hiflew knows about my unforgiving weakness for unorthodox shots.

Cecil Fielder in a lawn chair? And a cameo appearance from the famous San Diego Chicken?

I don't know if it gets more "unorthodox" than that.

A few hand-picked "Gems of Junk Wax" are always welcome in this household as well, including a couple I'll be using for future theme posts.

I seriously hope that ump behind Rich Gedman is okay. It almost looks like he's about to, um...refund the remains of a long night of drinking.

That "what the heck is going on?" factor is something I love on a baseball card. Both of these certainly have that.

The great people of the blogosphere have certainly introduced me to dozens and dozens of those during my time as a blogger.

Perhaps more than that, it's awesome to know that people are specifically hunting down "zero-year" cards to send my way as well.

Unlike the simple "unorthodox" baseball card, these aren't as easy to recognize.

Most of the time, you can't just look at a card and say, "Yup, that's a 'zero-year' card."

These can involve a fair share of research.

I'm guessing that these were extras in hiflew's massive Rockies collection, ones that he recognized were of the "zero-year" variety.

Although it has to be the most tragic of all "zero-year" cards in existence, I'm glad to finally own a card of Doug Million.

The appearance of these "zero-year" cards in a trade package certainly is significant.

It goes to show the amount of time and effort we put into our trade packages around here.

Or, in this case, the "surprise" packages.

On top of that, hiflew added a few new pieces to some of my largest player collections...

...and even threw in some "sunset" cards for good measure.

Before this package came along, the '86 Foster was suffering a similar fate as the Rollie Fingers card I mentioned a couple days ago.

I'd long had a card of Foster's Archives reprint of that very same card, but had never been able to track down the real thing. Thankfully, they now proudly sit next to each other in my Mets binder.

Like peas in a pod.

As I said, this amount of care almost never goes into trades on forums. Most of the time, I'd just go dig for the previously-agreed-upon cards in my doubles box, package them up, and send them on their way.

Then, I'd receive the cards, ones I already knew were coming. While those types of trades certainly helped build my collection in the past, they weren't all that exciting.

In contrast, every package is like a "surprise" here in the blogosphere. Neither blogger knows what's coming most of the time.

That makes it a thousand times more fun.

At first, I simply thought I'd start showing "zero-year" cards or "gems of junk wax" because I thought people might enjoy them. I noted my sudden interest in "oddballs" because I thought it was interesting.

I needed an outlet for my thoughts about cards like those.

I'd never professed my love for these types of things on my trading forum. I didn't think anyone cared.

Thankfully, I've found that a lot of collectors do care. Especially the ones in the blogosphere.

And if these terrific packages from great people like hiflew and Mr. Spiegel are any indication, most bloggers even willing to assist in your "quests".

No matter who or what you collect, the people of the blogosphere will always be there to help.

After all, we look out for each other around here.

"The Dime Boxes Top 100": Cards 70-61

I like to think I'm an unbiased collector.

I tell myself that I hold every era of the game in an equal light.

While that may be true in regard to my overall appreciation for baseball as a whole, I'm starting to believe that my collection is slightly shifted to the more "old-time" stuff.

Even though my "Top 100" certainly has its fair share of both the "then" and "now" in the world of cardboard, you may begin to see a slight tipping of the scales towards the "then" as the list rolls along.

I couldn't help it.

As an avid fan of baseball history, it's just my nature.

However, tonight's countdown begins on the "now" side of things.

#70 -- 2000 Fleer Tradition Update #U7 Brent Mayne SH

Surprisingly, Mr. Mayne was the only Colorado Rockie to make my list.

Before Wilson Valdez did so with the Phillies in 2011, Brent Mayne was the list position player to earn a victory in a big-league game, doing so in a 2000 contest against the Braves.

A former "impulse buy" of mine, this is one of just two cards I own of non-pitchers on the mound. The fact that this is a "night card" certainly earned it some additional points in my book.

Not surprisingly, the other "position player pitching" card made the countdown as well. It's a part of the top 20, in fact.

Until then, you'll just have to try and guess what it is.

#69 -- 2007 UD Masterpieces #19 Ozzie Smith

Even with all the dazzling plays he made during his career, Ozzie Smith may be best known for the famous backflips he used to do while taking the field.

Because of that, I think it's pretty obvious why this one made the countdown.

From what I've read, it seems like Masterpieces is one of the few universally accepted sets in existence. I have yet to hear a dissenting voice about it.

Cards like this one of "The Wizard" can probably attest to that.

You just can't argue with the greatness of Masterpieces.

#68 -- 1994 Origins of Baseball #59 1889 World Tour

I was seriously considering inducting a few more subjects from the "Origins of Baseball" set into my countdown.

In the end, though, this was the only one that made it. This particular issue chronicles the "world tour" of the Chicago White Stockings in 1889.

As you see above, Egypt was one of the stops along the way. The back of this card notes that the players "rode camels and played several games in the shadow of the pyramids" during their time there.

That's definitely one of the most epic sentences I've ever read off the back of a baseball card.

Apparently, the White Stockings players also found time to visit the famous Sphinx statue in Egypt as well.

This is another one of those cards that I may have underrated on my list. Perhaps it should've been a bit higher.

After all, how often do you see the Sphinx and baseball united on a piece of cardboard?

#67 -- 1994 Conlon Collection #1260 Fred Merkle

I vividly remember acquiring this card.

It came out of a 12/$1 bin at the local flea market.

I was all smiles after I added it to the day's group of "finds". No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop gushing over it. I kept pulling it out of my binders to get another look.

This card has been in my collection for about three years now.

Even so, the Merkle still elicits all those same emotions to this day.

I'm not sure what it is. Fred Merkle is definitely one of the most interesting players in baseball history, but it's not like this is the only card of his I own. A few others reside in my Giants binder.

Maybe it's those weird checkered uniforms the Dodgers used to wear. Maybe it's just the overall aura of an "old-timey" baseball shot.

Whatever it is, it was more than enough to net Mr. Merkle a spot in my countdown.

#66 -- 1993 Conlon Collection "Color Inserts" #19 Dizzy Dean

My slight bias towards the "old stuff" certainly shows with Conlon Collection.

Because of the gigantic size and overall awesomeness of the set, I probably could've created a "Top 100" list with just Conlons alone.

I'm especially a sucker for the jaw-dropping color inserts issued during the later years of its existence.

Between the amazing blue borders and the vivid green grass, the colors on these are second-to-none. Not to mention that this one features one of my all-time favorites with Dizzy Dean.

I'm not sure about you, but I don't think it gets much better than colorized baseball photography.

#65 -- 2007 Upper Deck #225 Gary Matthews Jr.

Let's dive right back into the "new stuff".

For the record, I don't think I've ever seen a better catch than the now-famous Gary Matthews Jr. grab. The timing, jumping, and sheer athleticism of it all is something I haven't seen since.

From the looks of it, Upper Deck thought so as well.

As far as "action shots" go, this is easily one of the best in cardboard history.

Without a doubt.

#64 -- 2004 Upper Deck #246 Adam Dunn

As I've mentioned before, this card marked a major turning point in my collecting ways. 

It inspired me to look past the names on the fronts of baseball cards. 

Sure, player collections are all fun and good, but sometimes the picture alone is worth it. 

At least as far as his time with the Reds goes, I don't collect Adam Dunn. However, after seeing it week after week in a flea market vendor's dime box, I decided enough was enough.

This was a card that absolutely needed to be in my collection.

About a year after the fact, I'm proud to say that I've come home with dozens of cards of guys I don't collect. Even if they don't necessarily fit within the parameters of my collection, I'm happy to buy every single interesting or simply "cool" shot I can find.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

If the Dunn is any indication, that's certainly true when it comes to baseball cards.

#63 -- 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #9 Reggie Jackson OW

There sure are a lot of Dodger fans in the blogosphere.

And I'm guessing that this one wouldn't even sniff any of their "favorites" lists.

Still, this is an iconic image from the annals of baseball history, one that is featured on a handful of cards in my collection.

There's a specific reason I chose this one, though.

It manages to capture the entire scene in one frame.

None of the other ones I own feature Charlie Hough or catcher Steve Yeager. From the looks of it, Mr. Hough knows exactly where that ball is headed.

Most of all, "Reggie" knows where it's headed.

And he's about to savor every moment of it.

My apologies, Dodger fans.

This one was just too cool to leave out of the countdown.

Hopefully, this next one will cheer you up.

#62 -- 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #72 Don Newcombe

My countdown doesn't lie.

As much as I've talked about them during my time as a blogger, this is indeed my favorite "pitcher at the plate" card. It's the highest-ranking one in my "Top 100".

You just don't see older photos of hurlers at the plate all that often. Putting Babe Ruth aside, this is the oldest "pitcher at the plate" shot in my collection.

Upper Deck's photo choice here wasn't an accident, either.

The back makes it a point to note Newcombe's .271 career average. He also hit 15 homers during his time in the bigs, including seven in 1955 alone.

All in all, it's safe to say that Upper Deck selected a true masterpiece with this one. 

#61 -- 1984 Donruss #41 Joe Carter RC

Tonight's countdown ends with the first "white whale" I ever speared.

As a kid, I was quite aware of Joe Carter's brief 23-game stint with the Cubs in '83. Even then, I was a huge fan of "unfamiliar uniform" cards, something that made Carter as a Cub a pressing need for my still-budding collection.

For a long time, I didn't think any existed. Up to that point, my searches had come up empty.

Then, at one fateful card show, I decided to take a peek through a little bin of discounted rookie cards. Before I knew it, I found the card I'd wanted for so long.

Joe Carter as a Chicago Cub! 

To my knowledge, it's the only one of the sort. Donruss was the only company to snap a shot of Carter in the Cubbie blue.

It's a good reminder of how little my collecting ways have changed over time. This card has probably been in my Cubs binder for a good seven or eight years now.

It still means just as much to me to this day.

If not more.

That's all I could really ask for out of a baseball card.

Isn't it?

You might be a cardboard addict if...

I enjoy digging through some of my older posts on this blog.

Whether it's to read through a few older comments, to see just how much my writing style has changed, or to simply make sure I'm not repeating myself, I do it quite often.

Sometimes, reading my older material can get those creative juices flowing again.

Earlier this week, I came across an earlier post of mine, one that chronicled my unexplainable willingness to collect players I don't even like.

One notable omission from that list was Carlos Zambrano. Although he has admittedly had some pretty neat cards over the years, I could never explain exactly why I continue to buy cards of his. Of all the Cubs I've watched over the years, "Big Z" might well be my least favorite.

Fittingly, I entitled that post "Living with An Addiction". I'm not sure what else I could've called the phenomenon.

When I refer to this hobby as an "addiction", I'm really only half-kidding.

Why?

There were quite a few things I failed to mention in that post, reasons that go a whole lot further than simply collecting guys like Zambrano or Melky Cabrera.

This is one of those topics that I could go on and on about. This hobby is indeed an "addiction" on a number of levels.

However, I've managed to whittle the list down as much as possible.

Taking from my personal experience, you might be a cardboard addict if...

...you start buying things for no apparent reason.

From what I've shown and written on this blog, I'm sure a lot of what I collect appears to be for "no apparent reason".

In my head, almost all of it makes sense. If I had to, I'm sure I could create a set list of who and what I collect.

It would take a long, long time, though.

Still, I can't come up with a good reason why I decided to purchase a Timo Perez card from a dime box at last month's show. I don't even collect him.

When it surfaced among the day's finds, I thought, "Why the heck did I buy this one?"

Your guess is as good as mine.

You might be a cardboard addict if you start buying cards you already have.

As vast as my collection might be, I feel that I have a pretty good grasp of it. My fairly keen photographic memory is certainly beneficial to that.

Even with my good memory and easy-to-remember organizational process, I find myself coming home with a few accidental doubles after every show.

Unbeknownst to me, this Ryan Church card was already in my collection when I snagged it from a dime box last month.

It's a common tale.

You might also be a cardboard addict if you find yourself devoting large chunks of time to seemingly mundane organizing tasks.

In keeping with the card show theme, many collectors know how much work can go into one's collection during and after a successful show. (Not to mention the amount of money we spend sometimes.)

At the show, it's quite the experience. Walking, sitting down, digging through some cards, hoping the day's finds don't spill out of your bag. Repeat.

The "after-show" is even more challenging.

Sorting, filing, organizing.

I just got done filing away my "finds" from two weeks ago into my alphabetical system of binders.

Putting away that last Yankee card this afternoon seemed a long way from where I started off two weeks ago, back with Nolan Ryan and the Angels.

I've spent lots and lots of time into organizing all my cards over the years.

Like with any "addiction", I try to rationalize it.

"I've put as much time into my cards than anyone else my age does into video games."

That makes me feel a little better.

I mean, what else am I going to do with my free time?

You might be a cardboard addict if the "little things" start to bother you.

For years, this Rollie Fingers Archives reprint has stared up at me from my Brewers binder.

Although I'm certainly happy to own it, I've never been able to track down the actual version. The omission is a gaping hole in my "sunset" collection.

I have almost every card I need from the '86 set.

Not this one, though. Not this one.

As a result, my entire Brewers binder just doesn't seem right with this glaring gap.

I'm still waiting for that fateful day.

The day when my Rollie Fingers "sunset" collection becomes complete.

You might be a cardboard addict if you have useless bits of information about your collection rolling around in your head.

"I need four more cards to complete my 2007 SP Legendary Cuts 'Legendary Americana' insert set."

"I should really find something from 1951 Bowman for my collection."

"I have nine different cards of Eddie Collins in a White Sox uniform."

It's all there.

And it won't go away.

No matter how hard I try.

You might be a cardboard addict if you start planning your calendar around major card-related events.

I have finals this week.

I also have a card show coming up on the 15th.

Which one do I find myself thinking about more?

That's right. The card show.

Don't get me wrong. I never put cards ahead of school or anything else of the sort. I've done my fair share of studying these last few days.

It's just that I've been having a certain train of thought lately.

"I can't wait until these damn finals are over. Then, I can finally start focusing on this great card show coming up."

Maybe I'll finally track down that elusive 1972 Topps Bill Lee I need. It'd look great next to the '75 "Spaceman" in my Red Sox binder...

Wait. I shouldn't be thinking about that now.

I have a psychology final tomorrow.

Finally, you might be a cardboard addict if you find yourself writing about them on a regular basis.

In a way, all of us in the blogosphere are indeed "cardboard addicts".

I know I am.

If something happens and I don't get to blog on a certain day, everything just feels out of whack. Blogging has become a physical need for me.

I need to get these thoughts out on a daily basis.

Whether it's writing about card-related memories from my childhood, reviewing a new set, or simply noting the dizzying angle of this Dave Stewart card, blogging is now a part of me.

Before, I was Nick, collector of baseball cards.

Now, I am Nick, collector of baseball cards and proud blogger.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of other reasons you might be a cardboard addict.

A lot.

If you find yourself suffering from any of these symptoms, call your local medical...

Actually, don't worry.

It's normal for us collectors. Be proud of it.

Ah, what the heck.

I'll say it.

I am a cardboard addict.

Zero-Year Cards, Pt. 40

1998 Topps #348 Cory Lidle RC (Diamondbacks)

I'm a little surprised at myself.

When it came time to "semi-retire" this theme, I attributed it to the fact that I'd already shown all the zero-year cards I'd wanted to showcase on this blog.

Perhaps I'd post about a few of the "minor" ones in my collection from time to time after the "semi-retirement". Or maybe someone would send me a new one to write about. 

But surely I'd already shown all my "biggies" of the zero-year department.

Nope.

I recently realized that I'd never inducted Cory Lidle into the "club". Somehow, I'd managed to omit one of my favorite zero-year cards from this blog.

Thankfully, I'll be changing that this afternoon in a brand-new installment of "Zero-Year Cards".

Obviously, Cory Lidle is one of the more tragic figures of my lifetime as a baseball fan, perishing in a plane crash in October of 2006. 

For better or worse, I'll always remember the moment I first heard about his unfortunate passing.

As I have with others such as Gary Carter and Roberto Clemente, I decided to start collecting Lidle as a little way to honor his legacy through my baseball cards.

It didn't take long for me to find out that he was featured on a zero-year card in 1998 Topps, one that showcases his selection by the D'Backs in the 1997 expansion draft.

From my experience, zero-year cards aren't all that rare when it comes to expansion picks. There's a ton of Rockies and Marlins zero-year issues in 1993 Topps.

However, Lidle's is a bit different from most others in my collection.

The "zero-year/rookie card" combo is fairly common in this hobby. I've shown numerous examples of those in my past zero-year posts.

However, in today's prospect-crazed hobby, it's not all that common to see a guy who actually played in the majors before receiving his first-ever baseball card.

Much less a guy that won seven games prior to his first cardboard appearance with an entirely different team.

Yet that's exactly what we have with Mr. Lidle.

After eight years in the minors, he made his big-league debut with the Mets in 1997, posting a 7-2 record and a 3.53 ERA in 54 games that year.

Still, it took an expansion pick by the D'Backs to net Lidle his true "rookie card".

Before he'd ever had the chance to pitch with Arizona, the fellow expansion Devil Rays selected him off waivers in October of '98.

I'm not sure, but I'd guess that Lidle was the first player to be a part of both the D'Backs and D'Rays franchises. That'd certainly be an interesting little tidbit if it were true.

Although he'd pitch for two seasons in Tampa, he never received a card as a Devil Ray to my knowledge.

He never pitched a single game for the Diamondbacks, yet he got a card with them.

I guess zero-year cards are just funny that way.

A barrel of fun

Ugh.

It's Mr. Bradley again.

I know what you're thinking right about now.

"Nick, if you hate Milton Bradley so much, why do you keep showing cards of his on your blog?"

This time, I have a good reason. I promise.

Although I might not want to admit it, I really, really like this particular card. It's one of my favorites from the 2009 OPC set.

Even though it features a player I absolutely despise, I still felt the need to track down the black-bordered parallel, the one I featured in last night's post.

Until this afternoon, I simply chalked it up to another case of "good photography".

After taking a good look at it for a while, though, a thought popped into my head.

"I wonder how many other of these 'bat barrel' cards are out there?"

I desperately wanted to find out. Soon enough, I plunged deep into the waters of my collection.

Within minutes, I had almost a dozen binders spread out across my room, hunting for more "bat barrel" specimens. Thankfully, my search netted quite a few.

After all was said and done, I couldn't believe how these could've passed me by all this time.

How the heck could I have missed it?

I'd never realized...

just...

how...

freaking...

awesome...

these...

kind...

of...

cards...

were.

I think the "O-Dog" is the greatest of them all. Zimmerman is a close second.

The best part?

With the seemingly endless bounds of my baseball cards, I'm sure there's a lot more of these in my binders as we speak. More than that, I'm sure there's loads of them sitting in dime boxes right now, just waiting to be discovered.

In fact, I might have a new little "mini-collection" on my hands here. They'd fit in perfectly with all my other miscellaneous endeavors, like my "pitchers at the plate" or "sunset" groupings.

These are that cool.

And it's all thanks to Milton Bradley. He was my inspiration.

Wow.

Did I really just say that?

A collection of agony

In a lot of ways, my blog is a bit of an "oddball", for lack of a better term.

Yes, I do like to show "oddballs" themselves quite a bit, but that's not what I'm getting at here.

For the most part, almost all of the bloggers I follow have ties to specific teams within their collections, something that comes across in most of the blogs I read. Whether it's the Rangers, Rockies, or Orioles, there sure are a lot of team-centric blogs here in the blogosphere.

Don't get me wrong, though. I absolutely love reading about the collections of fellow Blue Jays or Dodgers fans. It's allowed me to keep up with certain parts of the game that I never would've cared about otherwise.

That sense of diversity is a large part of what keeps me coming back to the blogs, day after day.

I've just never felt the need to do anything like that with my writings. I collect a lot of things from a lot of different teams. I do my best to equally represent all 30 teams in the bigs.

Still, I'd be lying if I said my Cubs binders were no more important than, say, my Nationals binder. Or my Royals binder.

For better or worse, I am a proud Cubs fan.

Scoring a shiny new Ron Santo or Tony Campana card for my collection gets an extra little "plus" in my book than a new Rickey Henderson.

After all, "Rickey" was never a Cub.

As most fans know, being a Cubs fan in today's game isn't very peachy. Despite what Antonio Alfonseca would have you believe, there isn't a lot of high-fiving and celebrating on the Cubs front. (Which begs the question: Would an Alfonseca high-five be considered a "high-six"?)

Barely any of my cards could be classified under "painful". Somewhere around 0.01 percent of my cards are in that category.

As you might guess, the few that are members of that dubious "club" have some type of tie to the Cubs franchise.

For example...

I come from a long line of baseball fans.

Sour moments such as the ill-fated Brock-for-Broglio swap or the infamous collapse in 1969 are certainly blemishes on the Cubs' lackluster history.

However, I've never received any first-hand accounts of them from family who actually grew up during the time period. So, while I would've loved to see Lou Brock spend his Hall of Fame career in the Windy City, the cards of him as a Cub aren't as painful as others.

Like this one of Mr. Garvey.

I've heard plenty about that '84 NLCS from people who lived through it. And plenty about Steve Garvey's game-winning homer in Game 4, which is chronicled on the front of this UD Piece of History insert.

"Mr. Clean" is the focus of one of my more enjoyable player collections.

But I'll never be able to appreciate this one.

No matter what.

In recent years, the Cubs have actually fared decently in the trade market.

One notable blemish, however, is the swap they made with the White Sox on July 29, 1998.

Jon Garland for Matt Karchner.

I've never heard of Karchner. Garland repeatedly posted double-digit win totals for the South Siders during his tenure with there, as well as being a key piece of their 2005 championship club.

I think it's obvious who got the better end of the deal there.

Which makes my eight "zero-year" cards of Garland among the most painful in my collection.

Don't think I've forgotten about you, Mr. Gonzalez.

Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS was the most painful baseball game I've ever watched.

It's not even close.

That surefire double play Gonzalez butchered in Game 6 of the '03 NLCS paved the way for the monumental collapse. Had the Cubs been able to "turn two" on that play, no one would even remember the name "Steve Bartman". (I've never felt more sorry for a human being than I did for Bartman in the aftermath of that series.)

Had things gone just a little differently...

...it might've been a Cub applying the tag for the final out in the 2003 World Series.

But, no. It was Josh Beckett. 

A Florida Marlin.

Although this is one seriously awesome card, I can't help but remember the disappointment of the Cubs' 2003 season whenever I see it.

It's funny how much emotion a single baseball card can carry.

As far as recent Cub woes go, look no further than Milton Bradley.

Actually, forget it.

I really don't want to talk about him right now.

That look pretty much sums it up.

And it gets even worse.

Things aren't looking all that great for the North Siders in the future. I'd be surprised if they finished anywhere but last in the NL Central next year.

It's going to be a while before the Cubs bear any resemblance to a "contender" again.

Through it all, though, I'll be watching.

Although they have certainly tested my limits in the past, I can truly say that I am and will continue to be a lifelong Cubs fan.

I've often thought about what will happen in the city of Chicago when the Cubbies finally end their drought.

Honestly, I don't think the imagination goes that far.

It would be sheer pandemonium.

One of my deepest wishes is to see the Cubs hoist that championship trophy during my lifetime. It would erase so many bad memories.

No more ill-fated trades. No more booted double play balls. And certainly no more Milton Bradleys.

After 104 years of waiting, I think Cub fans deserve it.