Wednesday, April 12, 2023

A Hodgepodge of Thoughts

 You'd think that with only 7 posts to date (8 if you count the one I've started yet never finished), I wouldn't be struggling with something to write about. I mean, my wife tells me all the time that I can talk to a wall and get it to talk back to me. Part of the problem is I read all of these other blogs and watch all of these different YouTube videos with all of these followers and think, what do I have to say that anyone would want to read about? I have to remember that its not just about the readership, but about me having the opportunity to talk about something that I'm passionate about...baseball and baseball card collecting. 

Today, it will be a hodgepodge kind of post. 

Topps Retail packs

                                    
                                                   

There are tons of people trashing Topps retail because of the scarcity of the numbered inserts found in them. If you don't like it, don't buy it! Just because you don't like something means you should trash it. There's a bunch of us out there that don't have easy access to a local card store and Target and Walmart is our best bet. Walmart and Target have helped me get my card fix and helped me get two of my nephews into collecting baseball cards. I don't understand why there are so many negative people out there who feel as if they need to trash everything that they don't like!

Inventorying my collection


When you sit down to start trying to figure out a way to order and catalogue your collection, it can be overwhelming. It is overwhelming. The picture above isn't mine, but that's what it feels like. I decided to give TCDB a try to catalogue my collection. I was able to put a few completed sets on there really easy, once I figured it out. Then I started putting my player collection cards on there. Small amount of cards, still pretty easy. Then I got ambitious and started putting some duplicates on there. Took some time, but figured it out. Then I hit my first roadblock. TCDB listed the cards on top of the sets, which is exactly what I expected it to do, but when I tried to move the dupes to the Trade/Sale list, it wants to move all of the cards, even the one for the set. I know that I can move them one at time, but that will be a pain. Is there an easy way to do this or do I need to upload a different way? So, any TCDB experts out there who happen on this blog, help a brother out!!!

Player Collection

With all of the young stars these days that I really like and thinking about of those players I really enjoyed watching growing up, I decided to start some player collections. Now that there are literally thousands of cards each year for each player and the fact that I'm someone that likes complete sets, I've decided to limit my player collections, for now, to just the base cards each year. My one exception is the rookie cards in the update sets. That's how I'm going to start this anyway. I'm saving a spot for the one rookie card I don't have that I'm always on the hunt for, but can't afford and that's Mike Trout's 2011 Topps Update #US175.


One day, I'll have one of these. One day. 

I did pick up a rookie card of one of those players I saw play in the day that I'm going to collect.


 1976 Topps Ron Guidry. Now, when he was playing, my biggest problem with him was that he was a Yankee. The Yankees owned the Rangers forever. As much as I didn't like him for his team, I always thought he was an awesome pitcher. I believe he is one of the most underrated pitchers from that era. Three different times he won more than 20 games. When I think of pitchers from the '70s and '80s he's always on the list. 

New Baseball Rules 

Well, its been a couple of weeks with the new rules. Here's where I'm at on them.

        Pitch clock

I think I'm a fan of the pitch clock. I do think it should be tweaked. Maybe, even increase it by 5 seconds to give the batter a little more time. I know if someone was throwing a 100mph fastball at me and put me in the dirt, I'd need more than 8 seconds to get back in the box. Someone suggested that the clock be turned off in the 9th inning if the hitter can win the game. I think that's a pretty good idea. The pace of the game is better.

        Pick-off attempts and larger bases

I'm not a fan of limiting pick-off attempts. MLB already made the bases larger to help the runners, you don't need to limit pick-offs too. I like stolen bases in games. I became a huge Rickey Henderson fan because of stolen bases, but let's not go from one extreme to the other. I think the Rangers led the Majors in stolen bases last year and I felt like they ran a lot. My guess is that analytics has taken stolen bases out of the equation. Too many non-baseball people making baseball decisions. 

All in all, the new rules, so far, I have to say have been positive. I really didn't think I'd ever say that, but it seems to be true. 

Hope everyone has a blessed day!

Peace, 

Michael 
Isaiah 40:31



7 comments:

  1. I haven't had much success moving cards around like you are trying to do. Ran into the same problems. I think focusing on base cards for the player collections is a good idea. Some people even just do the Topps base cards if they have a lot of player collections, so as to avoid chasing of random sets that pop up here and there.

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  2. I don't watch any youtube collecting videos. I'm generalizing but it seems to cater to the more high-roller collecting types, who trash base cards and the like. ... I like most of the new rules, I don't think the pitch clock needs tinkering at all. If they want to tack on 5 seconds I guess I'm OK with that. Certainly don't think they should suspend the rule in the 9th.

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  3. A. Although I don't think I've talked trash about this year's Topps retail... I'm sure I've voiced my complaints over the years. Sometimes people just want to get their opinions off of their chests... but I agree 100% with you on the statement... "if you don't like it, don't buy it". I've said it before on my blog... buy what you wanna buy... and I'll buy what I wanna buy.

    B. I'd like to one day own a Trout Update rookie too. But unless it tanks big time, it's not likely to happen.

    C. I really liked Guidry growing up too and I agree... the only downside was he wore Yankee Pinstripes. The numbers he put up in 1978 were crazy.

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  4. I agree with your assessment about people complaining too much. Newer sets aren't for me, so I don't buy them, nor do I bother to form any sort of opinion about them. It's not a hard thing to do.

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  5. Enjoyed this years retail. Done a few and my son really likes the Aces inserts quite a bit.

    I started cataloging my collection on TCDB but have not tried moving. Logged over 16000 since Christmas. Still need to finish my 1991 Fleer and all my Score then will be all caught up!

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  6. Hey man! Good to read a new blog. Found out about you through Night Owl. Not sure if we have ever traded on TCDB (I'm walkingshadow) but I love that site and use it to track everything. Sometimes there are no shortcuts, so it's a labor of love.

    I usually get cards from my local card shop (just north of Ann Arbor MI) or the one up in Lansing; only on rare occasions do I buy a blaster from Walmart. Facebook collecting groups are good too; you can usually find a guy who has a bunch of commons or unwanted stuff for a good price. Yard sales sometimes are good to pick up older sets. TCDB is great for smaller trades also.

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    1. I can tell you that we've never traded before because, I haven't traded with anyone...yet. I'm willing to give it try, but I'm not real sure how to go about it, don't want to insult someone on what to offer and I'm still a ways off from listing enough stuff on TCDB for others to see what I have to trade.

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Ramblings of an old collector

 Just my thoughts on some random topics about cards and baseball. - Huge shout out to The Diamond King !  He sent me this 2015 Panini USA Ba...