deftone20@bellsouth.net

We All Make Mistakes

No matter how old I get, 44 in less than a month; I learn something new all the time. Sometimes, I learn that something new because I made a mistake and had to adjust. Sometimes the mistake is so obvious, we should have been able to immediately identify it and avoid it. Other mistakes are less obvious on the surface and become more regrettable over time. Mistakes come in all shapes and sizes; but it’s important to remember that everyone makes them.

Let’s take, for instance, the time in 6th grade that I thought I was way more of a grown up than I actually was. I’ve written about it before but it deserves a re-visit with the topic at hand. I had learned a fresh new batch of dirty words and I got the chance to use them when I wrote a letter to a classmate that I thought had wronged another.

Eleven year old Dub wrote a gem of a letter, with all the choice words that an eleven year old should never say. It was sort of like the explosion that Ralphie had in “A Christmas Story”. That letter quickly made its way to the principal’s office and my mom quickly made her way to the school. My dad was a truck driver so I still had to wait for him to get home to get my third, and most feared, reprimand.

The worst part of getting in trouble was not my dad finding out; but my mom making me tell him instead of her telling him. I had to tell him exactly what I had done. That was tough. I learned a few things that day, including what my parents had always told me; they will always find out when I do something wrong. I also learned that particular course of action was most certainly not the appropriate one to take in the future.

Speaking of 6th grade, there was another big lesson waiting on me there. I am more embarrassed over this mistake than the previous one, but you live and learn. I had a “girlfriend” at the time but there was another girl I had my eye on. This already sounds bad, doesn’t it.

I picked the worst day in history to make that known. On Valentine’s Day, in an assembly, I passed a note to the “other girl” asking if she wanted to be my new girlfriend. It didn’t take long for the note to end up in my current girlfriend’s hands, unbeknownst to me. Because I didn’t get a response, I went ahead and gave my girlfriend her Valentine’s Teddy Bear. At recess, she put it in a mud puddle and then threw it at me, splattering mud on my shirt.

I deserved every bit of the anger and ridicule I got that day. I learned to always respect friends and partners at that very moment. I didn’t take into consideration the current girl’s feelings when I was pursuing the new girl. We were 11, so it had never really been an issue up to that point. We used to be boyfriend/girlfriend with everybody in the class throughout the school year. Some lessons are harder than others.

I’ve been with my current employer for 23 years but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. When I first started in 1998, I was a raw 21 year old just looking for a paycheck to fund my partying and whatnot. I never thought at the time that it could possibly turn into a long-term career. And it almost didn’t.

My buddies went to college at Valdosta State and I worked in Albany. That is about an hour and fifteen minutes in travel time. When I got off everyday, I would drive to Valdosta and hang with them. I would spend the night there and get up and drive back to work the next morning. To say I was coming in a bit disheveled would be an understatement. I was a zombie, going on about 3 hours sleep.

The President of my place of employment would eventually call me in to have a discussion. She praised my work. But she also gave me a stern ultimatum. I could “straighten up and fly right” or I could collect a paycheck until I made a mistake big enough to find another job. That is one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. I had to learn balance between working a job that would support me and galivanting with my buddies.

Twenty-three years later, I am still there and I have worked my way up to a very nice position within the organization. The job has provided me with so many benefits in life. I am where I am today (professionally) because of the blessings I have received from my job. My family is secure because of my job. And it can all be traced back to that moment I had that meeting with my boss. I will always appreciate her for that learning moment as well.

I have learned A TON from being a husband and a father. It is certainly too much to cover in a blog post but you make a lot of mistakes as a husband (less as a wife, of course) and even more as a parent. I am fortunate to have learned a lot from my own parents with how to be both a husband and father. I was taught by the best!

I still make new mistakes all the time. I am far from perfect. But I accept that and I see what can happen when you learn from them and move forward in life. It is ok sometimes to beat yourself up about a mistake in the moment. But you have to learn from it and take a step forward. Life is in front of us, not behind us. I still haven’t figured out how to go back to 1989. So until I do, I have to look forward with my life.

As usual, there is more to this than just me trying to push some life experience on you. This includes some card talk too! When it comes to mistakes, they do still occasionally happen in the sports card market; but they were certainly prevalent during the Junk Wax Era. Error cards were always more popular than their corrected counterparts. Some sets were worse than others; but you could always count on a good error card coming out that would make for a fun chase.

1990-91 Hoops Sam Vincent – While this isn’t exactly an “error” card, there is a very big problem that isn’t quite “in your face” as you might imagine. Anybody alive in the 80’s and 90’s knows the name Michael Jordan. And I would say 90% of the population knew what number he was, #23. But here, in this game against the Orlando Magic, MJ was wearing #12. To my knowledge, it is the only card he has ever appeared on without wearing #23 or #45.

Hoops would later issue another Sam Vincent dribbling with no other players in the background. You can imagine that the desire to have the one with MJ wearing #12 outweighs that of the later issue. So what’s up with Jordan in #12 you ask? Read about it here!

1985 Topps Gary Pettis – Here we have the 1985 Gary Pettis. To a non-collector, there is nothing to see here. Just a baseball player with a rather humorous pose for a baseball card. However, there is one big problem. That isn’t Gary Pettis. It is actually Gary’s 14 year old brother, who was at the park that day playing with other kids, dressed out in full gear. It is actually a pretty fun story and can be found here!

1991 Topps Wes Chamberlain – This is another case of mistaken identity. But this time, Topps caught it and corrected it in later print runs. The original release was a card with Louie Meadows pictured (left). Chamberlain (right) would eventually land on his own card and all would be well. I have actually talked about it with Wes on Twitter and had a good laugh.

1990 Donruss Mark McGwire All-Star – This one isn’t quite as noticeable. In fact, I was completely unaware of it until recent years. 1990 Donruss will have several entries here but the first is this Big Mac. The error can be found on the back. The All-Star Cards had one line of stats and was labeled “All-Star Game Performance”. The error card looks exactly the same, except it is labeled “Recent Major League Performance”; just as normal base cards do.

1990 Donruss Nolan Ryan Diamond Kings – This is another error that can be found on the back. If you are familiar with Diamond Kings, you know that the back of the card is just text about the player (like on this Ken Griffey Jr). This Nolan Ryan Diamond King has the back of his base card. I don’t know what happened with card backs in 1990 Donruss.

1990 Donruss John Smoltz Error – One of my favorite errors as a Braves fan. The John Smoltz MVP card came in two variations. The corrected card has Smoltz with a big smile on the front. The error had another Braves Hall of Famer on it, but not Smoltz. Tom Glavine made the front of the error and I will forever cherish these cards in my PC!

1990 Donruss Juan Gonzalez – This is the last 1990 Donruss, I promise. But it is likely the most famous. In 1990, Juan Gonzalez was a huge rookie card in sets. Juan Gone went on to have a tremendous career; crushing 434 home runs, while winning 2 MVP awards and going to 3 All-Star Games. But to my knowledge, he never hit a home run in the big leagues while batting left handed, which is what 1990 Donruss would have you believe. The reverse Juan Gonzalez remains one of the more popular Junk Wax Rookies and is one that I will always own.

1989 Fleer Billy Ripken – Speaking of famous errors, this one ranks right up there with the letter that I wrote in 6th Grade. The story is too long for this blog but you can read more about it here. But in 1989, Fleer sent a batch of baseball cards out to a bunch of kid collectors with the dreaded “F-Word” on it, written right on the barrel of Billy’s bat. They would scramble to correct it and did so in multiple ways. There is a white out version, a scribble version, and a black out version. The white out version has the reputation as being the toughest pull and most valuable but the actual card that has the F-Word on it is the most fun to own!

1989 Upper Deck Dale Murphy – This one is the most valuable error card I own. And it took me the longest to obtain. It is a $50+ card all day but those that have been graded and certified to be in good shape can go in excess of $100. Just like the Juan Gonzalez, it is a reverse-negative. Simply put, Murph is standing in a left handed posed and Braves is backwards on the jersey. I honestly don’t know the print run on the error but I have opened a ton of 1989 Upper Deck over the years (in search of Ken Griffey Jr.) and have never pulled one. So I suppose it can be considered awfully rare by Junk Wax print run standards.

I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one making big mistakes in 1989. Fleer may have me beat on that one. But in the grand scheme of collecting, error cards have always been sought after. The 1991 Topps Baseball set is so riddled with errors, my checklist is 16 pages long as I try to complete that set. Some errors are mere printing issues, but the errors above are clear visual errors that are made during production.

So while we all make mistakes along our life’s path, we can take solace that we are never alone in that arena. Cancel Culture doesn’t seem to take that into account anymore. I won’t get into that in this blog post because I just don’t have the energy. But sometimes, a mistake is a mistake, plain and simple. Learn from it – make amends – be better in the future. In the end, that is all we can do.

Dub

The Quarantine Project

I never imagined that in July of 2020, I would still be talking about the quarantine life. I have officially had my hair cut twice in the front yard, haven’t eaten at a physical restaurant since March 6, haven’t been in a physical store other than Wal-Mart since March 17, and haven’t hugged a non-family member since Eric Tucker in Lowe’s on March 13. To be honest, if I had to hold on to one non-family hug for the rest of my life, it might as well be Eric.

I think one of the most insane things that I can say about my routine is that I went 8 consecutive days during a stretch without driving a vehicle. I drove a Kubota, but not a vehicle on a paved road. And I drive every day, multiple times a day in my normal life; so it’s been strange. The extent of my entertainment the last few months has been an occasional swim with family and, most recently, a kayaking trip on a deserted creek. There were four people on the creek that day and we all were together.

It’s been a weird time. It’s abnormal but has almost become normal. I have learned to live like this and not feel like I’m missing out on something. While the world has become even more complex, day to day life has become simpler; if that makes any sense. The one thing I have missed is going to the LCS, but I have certainly made up for that on eBay, Dave & Adam’s, and Steel City Collectibles. The money I have saved on gas with all of those non-driving days has been diverted to my card purchases. I’m not proud, but I’m honest.

I started a little project during this quarantine time; and that I am proud of. I have a lot of projects going on; the Dated Rookie Autograph Project, the 1991 Topps Project, the ongoing Ron Gant Project. So, why not add another? Mail days are fun and this one includes me filling in gaps in my collection that I never imagined possible when I was a kid. But it’s coming together now and I have enough of it going to be able to show some of it off. I call it the “Great Quarantine Rookie Project of 2020”. But the title is a bit fluid at this point.

The rookie card has long been the go-to item in collecting. When I started in the 80’s, that’s what we were searching for. The veterans were always nice to add but the rookies were the Kelly Kapowski’s of the hobby. And today, they still are but there are autographs, relics, 1/1’s, parallels, prizm, SP’s, prospects, 1^st Edition’s, and everything in between. It has even become difficult to determine what a true RC is. So I went to my card Zen master for his definition.

According to Stephan Loeffler, also known as @JunkWaxTwins on Twitter, a true RC “should be a player’s first real card. That might’ve been easier to discern in the 50’s and 60’s, but nowadays with multiple releases and brands that’s not as simple an answer. This is why I love Upper Deck’s stance where there’s no cards until a player debuts on ice, whereas a future MLB player may be featured in several years prior – look at Bubba Starling! Nowadays, I think a player’s first card should be their first release in a “flagship” product. Series One Hockey, Series Two/Update Baseball, NBA Hoops/Prizm, what have you. So yes, 1985 Topps not 1987 Topps, 1952 Topps, 1996 SI For Kids Tiger over 2001 Upper Deck.”

With that being said, I have been somewhat liberal with this project. I have considered 1^st issues, Rated Rookies, Rookie Cups, Traded/Updates, and even non-licensed cards as a part of the player’s rookie set. Some players only have one because they were rookies in the 1970’s; but the later we get, the more convoluted things tend to be. So instead of just talking about this, let’s actually look at what I’ve put together to get this going. The player’s full rookie sets may not be complete yet but we have it started.

Tony Fernandez

One of the first rookies I went after was that of the late Tony Fernandez. I was a big fan of Tony Fernandez back in the day because I was a shortstop myself. That’s also why I loved Ozzie Smith – but Tony flew a bit under the radar. He was a rookie in 1984 after a 15 game cup of coffee in 1983. While “flying under the radar”, he finished his 17 year career with a .288 career avg, 2,276 hits, was a 5x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove Winner, and World Series Champ in 1993. I have added the 1984 Donruss, Fleer, and Topps to the collection, with my personal favorite being the ’84 Donruss.

Mike Greenwell

Mike “The Gator” Greenwell was cool before Big Papi and Pedro Martinez were making the Red Sox a perennial power. While being overshadowed by Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens, Greenwell played 12 productive seasons and finished his career as a .303 hitter. He hit some home runs (130), stole some bases (80), and knocked in some runs (726). He was a 2x All-Star and a Silver Slugger Winner but I think his career was much better than that would indicate. He hit over .300 seven times in those 12 years! I have added his 1987 Donruss, Donruss “The Rookies”, Fleer, Topps, and Toys R Us.

Bo Jackson

I have tons of Bo Jackson RC’s, from baseball to football. But while perusing eBay, I stumbled upon this 1986 Southern League Future Star from his days with the Memphis Chicks. This card just called my name and was one of the quickest “Buy Now’s” I’ve ever snatched up. I absolutely LOVE this card!

Dave Justice

While we are discussing minor league cards, I picked up this Dave Justice ProCards from his time with the Richmond Braves. I can’t own enough Dave Justice cards but I was actually missing this in my PC.

Willie McGee

Another “under the radar” guy was Willie McGee. Again, it’s a little difficult to fly under the radar as a 4x All-Star, League MVP (1985), and World Series Champ (1982). On top of that, he won two batting titles, though one is questioned by some. The first was strong as he finished 1985 with a .353 average. The questionable one was in 1990, when he won the National League Batting Title while finishing the season in the American League. He hit .335 with the Cards but then hit .274 with the A’s. The .335 stuck as the National League Lead. The new PC RC’s now include the 1983 Donruss, Fleer, O-Pee-Chee, and Topps. I love the ’83 Donruss!

Kevin Mitchell

In the “forgotten player” department, Kevin Mitchell shines as a former MVP (1989), 2x All-Star, and 1986 World Series Champ. While he was a masher, with seasons of 47, 35, and 30 Home Runs, he also hit for average; finishing his 13 year career with a .284 average. His most famous moment, for me, came when he caught a flyball barehanded against the St Louis Cardinals. The batter, ironically, was Ozzie Smith. I picked up his 1986 Donruss “The Rookies”, Fleer Update, Topps Traded, and 1987 Toys R Us. It is really hard to beat that Toys R Us design!

Eddie Murray

One of the more iconic RC’s of the 1970’s is the great Topps Card for Eddie Murray. Murray is my first Hall of Famer in the project and also won Rookie of the Year in 1977, hitting 27 Home Runs while batting .283. He played 21 solid years and hit 25+ Home Runs twelve times, knocked in 100+ six times, and hit .300+ seven times. This is a must have in every collection!

Dave Parker

Another must have, in my opinion, is The Cobra’s 1974 Topps. Dave Parker is a legend in baseball history and a member of the “We Are Family” Pirates of 1979. Parker played 19 years and hit 339 Home Runs, knocked in 1,493 runs, and finished up with a .290 batting avg. He was a 7x All-Star, 2x World Series Champ, the NL MVP in 1978, a 3x Gold Glove Winner, 3x Silver Slugger Winner, and 2x NL Batting Champ. The Cobra was the dude and adding this RC was sweet!

Dave Winfield

While the 1979 Ozzie Smith is my favorite Padres RC of all time, I finally added a RC of Dave Winfield from 1974. It isn’t in the greatest condition but I’m perfectly fine with that. Winfield’s accolades are tremendous. He eclipsed 3,000 hits, almost had 500 Home Runs (465), and knocked in 1,833 runs. He was a 12x All-Star, 7x Gold Glove Winner, 6x Silver Slugger Winner, and a World Series Champ in 1992. He won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1994 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001 with almost 85% of the vote (First Ballot). This one is a keeper!

John Elway

I am not just sticking to baseball with this project. And the first RC I had to add was John Elway. It is an iconic card and he’s an iconic player. The 1984 Topps is a card I have seen a million times but never actually owned it until recently. I’m not going to go on and on about Elway’s stats because I think most everyone knows just how good he was!

Mike Rozier

Here is one that may be a bit of a surprise to some but as a Falcons fan; Mike Rozier makes a lot of sense. Rozier started his pro career in the USFL with the Pittsburgh Maulers (1^st Overall), after putting up 4,780 yards and 49 touchdowns at Nebraska, where he would win the 1983 Heisman Trophy. He would only put up 4,462 yards in 7 seasons in the NFL but he was one of the few bright spots on the early 90’s Falcons teams. I love the look of USFL cards and this one is awesome!

Patrick Ewing

The last card in this post will be one of the coolest. The 1986 Star Patrick Ewing is a beauty! I know people love the 1986-87 Fleer set, but let’s be honest; this one is superior. First, it is closer to being a true rookie. Second, it is what 1991 Fleer wish it had been with that yellow. And lastly, just look at it! I love the Star set and will add cards whenever I find them at a reasonable price. I’m thrilled to add this one.

So what do you think about this Quarantine Project? It may seem a little simple but it’s really fun. I am picking up rookies of players that I don’t own. Yeah, I already had the ’87 Topps Greenwell, but the Toys R Us? Starting this project is how I ended up with the sweet Memphis Chicks Bo Jackson! I’ll continue to scour the web for unique and fun rookies of players that may not be everybody’s particular PC. I’ll pick up some legends along the way, like Elway and Winfield, but I’m really excited about finding some of the lesser known rookie cards, like Mike Rozier.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

J-Dub

Take A Couple Cards and Call Me In The Morning

There is a lot of hate in the world today. Welcome to 2020, right? I understand that some of the feelings we are seeing play out are valid and some are outlandish. So I am not really here to justify or choose sides in the many battles that are raging in society today. I’ve already made my “statement” on Facebook and Twitter so I’m not going to re-hash it all over again. That’s not the point of this post.

But let’s pretend for a moment that the Book of Revelation is playing out in front of us. I know that some of you are thinking as you read this, “Pretend??” The reason I word it that way is that I understand that there are people reading this that practice different religions and some that don’t practice at all. But Revelation is my reference point for what is happening right now. So for the purposes of this look at “what the hell is going on”, it seems fair. It feels like the end, right?

We are in the middle of a pandemic that has pitted neighbor against neighbor over things like conspiracy theories, whether you should wear a mask or not, whether numbers are being manipulated, and where it all came from. People are being labeled unjustly, attacked unprovoked, and just being overall assholes to each other. Each side is intolerant of the other and brags about being tolerant. I’ll say this – I know people personally affected by the virus and my heart breaks for them, so I am taking it seriously.

We are having 15 second video clips shoved into our eyeballs like we’re in a Tool video; while at the same time being forced to pick a side almost immediately. I’m guilty of it myself. I judge things based on optics sometimes without understanding how we got from “Point A” to “Point B”. That’s the nature of society here in 2020. And it downright sucks. And that means that I suck too. I’m not preaching to anyone. I’m venting.

We are dealing with Saharan Dust overtaking the sky. We are seeing locusts travel over entire oceans to invade Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia, and South America. Locusts = Revelation, if you catch my drift. We have had earthquakes, murder hornets, wildfires, lockdowns, market crashes, sports season cancellations, Olympic postponements, and cities being torn apart. All of this while we are scared to go the grocery store to get bread because we might bring home a deadly virus to the rest of our family. It’s only July folks.

Here is where I am going with this, and yes, there will be pictures of baseball cards in a moment. In a time when everything around us is burning; instead of reaching out to our neighbor to offer comfort, we are looking for yet another reason to “cancel” them. Instead of texting someone a funny Snapchat video to make them laugh, we are posting a video of a shopper yelling about American Rights over a medical mask.

Instead of reaching out to someone and reminding them of some positive impact they had on our lives, we are reaching out to remind them of something they said in 2005 that may or may not actually be offensive and discounting the last 15 years of their actual lives that may have been spent helping others. Mind you, wrong is wrong and right is right; but finding someone’s low point in life and measuring them by that alone is not how this is all supposed to work.

Now is the time we should be looking at ourselves and not someone else. Now is when we need to make amends for the things we may have done wrong, instead of looking for wrong in others. Now is the time to listen when we need to listen, and talk when we need to talk. We need to reach back to the part of ourselves that only knew how to love. We have an innate ability to care for people around us. Sometimes we just choose not to do that. It hurts like hell, but we keep doing it.

The reason I love baseball cards so much is because they remind me of that time of my life when the world around me was a little friendlier. Some of it was naivety, but I didn’t dwell on the negative in people. If you didn’t enjoy the things I enjoyed, I just went to another part of the playground. I found people with common interests. I wasn’t miserable because I liked shooting marbles and someone didn’t. I found someone who enjoyed it. I didn’t care what race, sex, or persuasion they were.

We didn’t have to walk around with fake smiles when we were 10-12. We were one group for the most part and we all had our own personalities that made us unique. We naturally gravitated towards others that shared common interests and we avoided those that would conflict with our happiness. We don’t do that anymore; we embrace the conflict. We sort of thrive on it.

Baseball cards provide that outlet for me to escape back to innocence. When I see a baseball card from 1990, I don’t see some overproduced, worthless piece of cardboard like some do in the hobby. More times than not, I see something well beyond the card. I see a moment in time. I see a friend that traded me the card or was a part of my life when I first stuck it in a binder. I smell a classroom where we looked at the cards. I hear a voice telling me they would trade me all of their Kevin Maas rookies for a Ken Griffey Jr. That’s a rough voice to hear.

As is a big topic of debate on the Twitters in 2020, I don’t look at baseball cards as investments. I look at them as tiny snapshots from the timeline of my life. Cards from 2020 will be a snapshot too; I just may not ever get that film developed. Yeah, I sell cards to make money to buy more but I have been in the hobby long enough to know that a card is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, right Ben? But cards are not currency for me. They are like looking at an old yearbook.

What do you see here, besides one of the greatest 1987 Topps Baseball Cards ever made? I see a card that was the first card in my binder when I was in 7th grade. And when I was in 7th grade, I had my first school dance, my first real girlfriend, and some of the best friends of my youth. One of my friends, Joel, would walk home from school the same way I would because of where our parents worked. My cousin, Adam, would walk the same way because his mom worked at the ambulance service. We would go to a store called Shiver’s (no relation) and stock up on Now-n-Later’s, Sunkist, and one of those big pickles that were kept in jars at the counter. Good times!

Here is one of the cooler cards from 1988, the great Tom Lasorda. This card reminds me of times at my Uncle Speedy’s house. My uncle was our baseball coach growing up and we would spend days practicing at his house with all the team equipment, nights at the fields (dominating), and then our off time playing RBI and RBI 3. My uncle was an old school baseball player and fan and this card always makes me think of those days.

Here is a gem. This is a .10 cent card all day long but what a memory it stokes. We used to go to Lake Eufaula almost every weekend when I was a kid. Also, when I was a kid, I didn’t necessarily mind my parents. We would stop at a Costco type grocery store and load up on groceries before the weekend and I would occasionally talk my parents into letting me have some packs of cards. This particular time, I got the cards, but was told I couldn’t open them until we got to the lake. I tried to sneak a peek by breaking the back wrapper and was caught. I lost the packs until we got back from the lake. The card I saw was this Hershiser All-Star!

Here is one of my favorite rookies from 1989. Sure, Ken Griffey Jr. was the big one but I searched for Sheff every time I opened packs. There was a kid in my school that said he was a distant cousin to Dwight Gooden. So when I found out the Sheffield was Gooden’s nephew, I held on to this dream that one day I would get them all signed. Autographed baseball cards were hard to come by back then unless you went to games frequently or paid at a card show. This would have been my first auto but it never actually happened. I still have that dream when I see this card!

1990 was a big card collecting year for me. I was also 13 years old, so a pivotal year personally as well. I didn’t know who this rookie was when I pulled this but I would find out in a big way in 1992. After the Braves made their improbable worst to first run in 1991, we made the playoffs again in 1992. Backs to the wall in Game 7, Frankie Cabrera stepped to the plate and delivered the most famous hit of my lifetime. My entire family would gather to watch the games at my house and I can still hear the screams in that living room as we erupted! I would trade just about anything to go back and watch that game. My grandmother was there, her sister, my aunts and uncles. There are three people that were there that night that are no longer with us and when I think of them, that night always comes to mind.

Speaking of my grandmother, this card is one I have talked about many times. It still deserves a mention every time I write a nostalgic post like this. Instead of the boring old candy that we would get from everybody else at Halloween, my GaGa surprised me in 1990 with a couple of packs of Fleer. You could not get much bigger than Canseco and McGwire in 1990. When I pulled this, it was a huge hit! I think it was worth about $3 in Beckett back then. You can have all the candy corn you want; leave me the McGwire! I simply can’t see this card and not think of my GaGa. I miss her so much.

1990 Leaf was one of those crazy sets that caught fire and was like chasing 2019-2020 Prizm Basketball. There were actually a couple of months where every single card had an up arrow beside it in Beckett. Two of my best friends, Jim and Russ, had the full set in a binder. Leaf always makes me think of those brothers and the good times we had. We played ball, went to the lake together, watched Mike Tyson knock out Peter McNeely in 89 seconds, and watched The Dirty Birds make it to the Super Bowl! Leaf will always take me back to those times.

The first full set I ever owned was 1990 Topps and Topps Traded. My parents got me this for Christmas that year. They were always top notch with the Christmas gifts. I got plenty of cards, a Nintendo, race tracks, and every other big Christmas toy of the time. This set will always be about me and my parents. I had it made in 1990 and I really couldn’t have asked for better parents. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was so fortunate to have loving parents that always wanted the best for me. Love you Mom and Dad!

Is there a better collection of Diamond Kings than those from 1992 and 1993? I loved Donruss so much back then. And the Big Hurt was my favorite player that didn’t play in Atlanta. My Uncle Greg was a huge Auburn fan and it made liking Frank a little difficult during football season but this card always reminds me of when I was 15 years old and my uncle was one of my heroes. He isn’t that much older than me and I was able to see him play high school baseball in the mid 80’s, travel with him to play softball in the 90’s, and spend most of the 2000’s arguing over Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. I was a Stewart guy and you know they didn’t get along real well! But me and Greg did, and this card makes me think of him.

1995 was one of the last years I actively collected before my “hiatus” that we all take during our teens. I was dating Mrs. Dub in 1995 and it was one of the best years of my life! I eventually married Mrs. Dub and we’ve been hitched for 19 years. Aside from the year, there is Griffey. He was just about everybody’s favorite player from the 90’s and I got to watch him play in person just one time; in Atlanta when he was with the Reds. Mrs. Dub and I had seats in the outfield but we moved behind the plate at the end of the game as the crowd thinned out. We got behind home plate just in time to see Griffey lace a line drive into right center field. I can still see that swing and is the only time I’ve ever cheered when an opponent got a hit in Atlanta. Yes, a baseball card reminds me of my wife. And I am proud of it!

See, in spite of all the horrors and shenanigans going on in this world, baseball cards give me a chance to get away. I forgot all about how agitated I was at the beginning. All I want is for us to treat each other kindly. All of the memories I talked about here were fun, light-hearted times that seem so hard to find these days. It’s not hard to think about some good times with old friends or family and try to smile for a minute. It is a lot more fun than bludgeoning each other on social media just to have a brief moment to say “I’m right!”

But based on today’s social media situation, you’ll either enjoy this post or you will try to “cancel” me. Hopefully, you’ll just enjoy!

J-Dub

It Can’t Happen Here

Here we are, April 2020, and it’s been the absolute craziest year of my life. I’d put this 3 plus months up against any 12 month span since the world welcomed me in 1977. That time frame covers the awful accidents as a kid, high school years, college age shenanigans, and adulthood. Nothing compares.

I’m not alone here in 2020. The events that have unfolded have been far reaching and life changing. One of the greatest basketball players of my generation lost his life in an accident. The Gambler passed away. The political landscape is a nightmare. And my city experienced flooding that forced many citizens from their homes and closed schools. All this within the first 90 days of the year.

Then we got hit with this life altering virus that has swept over the world, destroying one country after another. That all started in January but was distant to me because it was way over in China. It slowly started to spread; but I still wasn’t all that concerned because that sort of stuff “just doesn’t happen here”.

I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. I simply mean that we constantly see bad news on TV and it almost never affects us on a personal level. The news is brutal but we usually have the comfort of knowing that we will soon tuck away in our comfortable beds to rest peacefully for the next day.

This is different. We started hearing about Americans on cruise ships that were sick and being held in quarantine. There were some patients being brought back to the US to be treated. There were people doing what they always do, traveling; but unknowingly carrying a sickness that would in fact make it to our mainland.

The West Coast got hit quickly. There was a horrible outbreak at an assisted living center that shook Seattle, and sent ripples throughout the rest of the Nation. This virus was real and it was here. It was still 2,200 miles away, but it was starting to become a little more real for me.

Then, in late February, it was in Atlanta. Only 2 1/2 hours north of my home, we had our first case. In fact, I was in Atlanta that very week. But, in a weird way, Atlanta has always felt a million miles away when it comes to worldly problems. It’s a huge city, with a huge airport, and a huge population; that is in no way a comparison to South Georgia Small Town living.

On top of this being a couple of cases a world away in Atlanta, it was just that; a couple cases. Some people traveled from Italy and had the virus, which is where it was very prevalent at the time. What did I have to inherently be worried about? I’ve been west of Mississippi twice and north of South Carolina twice. And none of those trips were to another country.

I live in Lee County, Georgia, with a population of about 29,000 people and a claim to fame that includes Buster Posey and Luke Bryan. I’ve spent the last 23 years there. I spent my first 20 years in Camilla, with a population of about 5,000. So I’m used to small town living.

It takes me 5 minutes to get to work, I see the same people at the grocery store every week, and I’ve worked at the same job since I was 21. Life has been pretty routine for me, and I like it that way. With that said, in my mind, this virus was going to have to travel all the way from China, through the big international cities, and to small little Lee County, Ga.

The first case for my metro area of 153,000 came in early March. Albany, Ga is the hub of that metro area and where I work. I’m closer to Albany than I am to my own County Seat, Leesburg. But it covers Terrell, Worth, and Baker County as well.

Pretty quickly, we went from 1 case to 6. I remember Monday, March 16, when the case number of 6 was a big deal. Then, by the end of that week, we were knocking on 80 cases. We are talking about 80 cases in the first week! Information was surfacing that the majority of cases were coming from two large funerals that took place in late February.

By Monday of the next week, I was working from home and our total positive count was 125 with 8 deaths. By Tuesday, the number was 150 with 11 deaths. This virus had picked up steam and I was afraid to leave the confines of my own home. We still didn’t really understand the symptoms, how you got it, and how to protect ourselves.

By the beginning of the third week of this pandemic, my small metro area of 153,000 was appearing on charts with China, Italy, and New York. By the end of that week, we had moved ahead of New York based on positive cases per capita, with a whopping 4.1 per 1,000 citizens, which was almost double New York. We were actual proof of the number of cases doubling every 4 days.

Now, on April 4, 2020, a mere 19 days since the local outbreak, we are at 1,197 positives, or 7.8 per 1,000 citizens, almost double that of Wuhan, China; where the outbreak started. Some people may see our 1,197 positive cases and try to compare that to the 56,000 cases in New York and scoff. But remember, New York’s metro area is 20 million people. Albany is 153,000.

This is not to diminish any cases whatsoever. The cases in New York, Seattle, Memphis, Idaho, anywhere….are awful. This virus is brutal. But an area that has been decimated since 2017 with 2 catastrophic tornados, a hurricane, and a flood, is now facing a pandemic with one of the largest infection rates per capita in the entire world.

I don’t know many people who are resting tonight, peacefully or otherwise. This invisible monster, COVID-19, has most of us shaking in our boots. What started as something that “just never happens here” has become something that is destroying “here”.

Life has changed; possibly forever. I’m still working from home. School is out for the rest of the year. You can’t go grocery shopping without a mask and gloves. You can’t pump gas safely. You can’t even open mail without letting it sit in the sun for hours or spraying it down with Lysol and throwing the box or envelope away immediately.

We are stuck in our homes, scared to leave. We don’t have human contact anymore, outside of the loved ones in the home with us. I haven’t seen my mom or dad in a month, which is a long time. I haven’t seen co-workers in 2 weeks. I haven’t hung out with friends since early March. Heck, I haven’t been to Target to buy baseball cards in 3 weeks!

And I don’t see the end in sight, as of tonight. The cases are growing. We are losing people we know personally now. I have family and friends in the nursing field that have to face this daily. Every time I do venture out to get necessities, the streets are a little less crowded. I’m washing my hands so much that my knuckles are cracked and bleeding. And I still don’t know if I’m doing enough.

I’m lucky. I have my immediate family around me. While I haven’t seen my parents, we’ve spoken often. I’m lucky to be able to work from home and still have a steady paycheck. I’m lucky that my kids can play outside where we are. I have everything I need for this situation. But it’s scary. It’s scary for everyone.

People are playing games on Facebook to keep the tension at bay. We are sharing photos from our camera roll, making lists of things we like and dislike, and talking baseball cards on Twitter. But, deep down, we all have this feeling of uncertainty. We all wonder when our lives will get back to normal. We all wonder how much worse it will get before then. And we all hold our breath for the next day’s numbers to be released.

That is what it’s like where things like this “just don’t happen here”. And it’s like that for the foreseeable future. No sports, no concerts, no public events, no eating in restaurants, no going to church, and no Saturday morning trips to Pearly’s. The closest I’ll get to my friends is through the screen on my phone. As the line in “Salt and Shadow” from Thrice says, “we’re never alone but we’re each in our own little cage”. Our friends are “here but half a world away”.

I feel certain that we’re going to get through this. What I’m not sure about is what things will be like when we do. How will the landscape of our nation, and our small town, have changed? How will our economy rebound? How will this scary time affect my children years down the road? How will it affect me years down the road?

While we wait this out, hoping it isn’t the beginning of some apocalyptic time we’ve been warned so much about in film over the years, I’m doing the best to live my life. I’m working, I’m spending time with family, I’m helping herd cattle, I’m living with goats. I’m spending more time on a Kubota than in an actual vehicle. And I’m trying to stay creative with my writing and card collecting.

I had to put all of this down on paper (electronic) because one day I’ll come back and read this to my grandchildren and tell them about the “Pandemic of 2020”. This is truly a once in a lifetime thing. It’s life changing and uncharted waters. It’s all the cliches you can think of but the bottom line is; it’s real. It has hit home. It has shaken foundations. And it’s going to take us all becoming a more caring and considerate community of people to survive it together. If we don’t change as a country after this, we won’t ever change.

Stay Safe!

J-Dub

Retro Review – The 80’s Playground

I had to take my oldest daughter to school earlier this week because my youngest was sick. I don’t go to the school much anymore because Mrs. Dub takes her in the morning. But as I was passing one of the Primary Schools, for some reason I really noticed the bright plastic playground this time. This is a school that she had gone to before and I’ve been there a hundred times, but this time, it stuck out. I noticed how “safe” the playground looked and it made me think about my old playgrounds from the 80’s. Not that I want my kids playing in a minefield; it just took me back to the days of my childhood playgrounds and all the wild times I had.

Let’s be perfectly clear; I am an advocate for playground safety. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I go a little overboard when it comes to trying to protect my kids from getting hurt. But I think we (70’s-80’s kids) would have gotten bored pretty quickly with the playgrounds of today. Kids today have pocket video games, movies on iPads, and so many other ways to keep them entertained. In 1983, my entertainment came from trying to survive playground equipment made from steel and welded metal that would make Lord Humungus from “The Road Warrior” proud.

Let’s start with everybody’s favorite, the Metal Slide! There are several red flags here, so I will just rattle these off in no particular order. First, these slides were higher and steeper than any slide you will find today. They were also made out of a shiny material that could reach just below a melting point on a warm South Georgia afternoon (keep in mind that shorts were pretty short back then). So first, you had to climb this behemoth. Then, you had to mentally prepare yourself for the possible second degree burns you would receive on the back of your thighs. Perhaps the only saving grace for the heat of the slide was the otherworldly speed you could attain on this slick beast. If you were wearing the right fabric, you could be down the slide faster than if you actually fell off it. This created its own set of hazards; such as a proper landing, which was akin to a running stop if you could manage to land on your feet.

If heights weren’t your thing, you could challenge the old rusty Merry-Go-Round. I’ve never been a huge Merry-Go-Round guy because of the nausea it would cause when I would spin in a circle too fast. I do remember sitting in the middle of this death trap a few times while several of my friends would spin it as fast as possible to see who could stay on the longest. If you left the safety of the center because your stomach couldn’t take it, you risked getting pounded by the metal poles that were used to properly hang on. And once you were ping ponged through those, you were looking at a pretty nasty landing on the ground. Finally, you had to stay in the prone position where you landed to let the earth stop moving so your mangled equilibrium didn’t force you right back into this spinning contraption!

Some playgrounds had “The Rocket”, or some version of it. We didn’t have this exact model but it was similar. Look at the kids on this and you can surmise that this was about 30 feet tall, with the ability to climb almost all the way to the top of it on a steel ladder. While the height and potential for falling and smacking several floors of metal were enough to make this a disaster in waiting, they had the nerve to add on something we discussed in the beginning; the metal slide, but with a much higher landing platform.

Now we are starting to get into some of the stuff that was really rough. This version of the Monkey Bars was pretty tame to what I will close with but it still had a lot of potential for injury. If kids just climbed the ladder and tried to swing from one end to the other, this wasn’t so bad. But when we were in 6^th grade, we would climb to the very top and try to sit and walk on the bars, above where it was actually intended to be enjoyed. In fact, I was sitting on the top of one of these on that fateful Valentine’s Day that my girlfriend (ex) threw a teddy bear in a mud puddle and rifled it at me in a fit of rage. But we have discussed this on the blog somewhere before so I won’t dredge up the details of that for this post.

Even the basic Swing Set could be quite an unforgiving device under the right circumstances. First off, just like the metal slide, this was much higher than the swings you’ll find today. We had the ability to reach tremendous heights with these swings. The seats were a hard rubber that would flex and were connected with a thick metal chain. If you were taller, you could roll the seat over a few times and it would shorten the chain so your feet wouldn’t drag the ground and slow you down. This swing set was all about the dismount though. Who could fly the highest and farthest? And there was also a high stakes game of “dodge’em” that we played that was epic. We would fill the full 8 person set with people swinging at various intervals. Then, one unlucky kid would attempt to run from one center pole to the other without being creamed, all while trying to be the fastest time. There were some NASCAR style collisions in this game!

Finally, the most deadly apparatus of them all, the Jungle Gym style Monkey Bars. Who in the world thought up this apparatus and how many years in prison did they eventually get? We had a version that looked exactly like this on the 3^rd grade playground and I saw more than my fair share of kids who fell off of it. The height was one thing to overcome as an 8 year old but if you fell in the middle, you ran the risk of clanking every rung on the way down. It gives a real meaning to “fell out of the tree and hit every limb on the way down”. In hindsight, nothing good could’ve come from us playing on this. There was nothing to gain from conquering this monster but there was a lot to lose;including teeth, blood, and dignity.

I was overjoyed when I was introduced to this piece of playground equipment. There was still a risk of injury but it was easily the most fun I had ever had at school. The heat didn’t bother us, bugs were an afterthought, and you could always find chicks standing around watching so it was the perfect place to try to impress somebody. We would eventually move on to fancier goals and equipment over time but I still remember the old rusty goal on the 5^th grade playground where I honed my jump shot. The worst days were the days after a good rain because the court was just a big puddle and we had to resort to other activities. I have a lot of fond memories of playing basketball in school when I was a kid.

As a part of those fond memories, I also harken back to certain basketball sets of my youth. I’m talking about sets that had some of the greatest players in the history of the game; 1989 Fleer, 1990 Hoops, 1991 Skybox, and of course, 90’s Topps. These were some of my favorite sets because I was only 9 when 1986 Fleer was out and by the time I had reached an age where I could fully appreciate the hobby, that particular set had really blossomed into a higher end set for rich kids. I still don’t own a 1986 Michael Jordan RC but I will one day, mark it down! I do own some 1990 Fleer Jordan’s and that is what we are reviewing today.

1990 Fleer had a really clean design, much like 1990 Baseball. While the Baseball set is not looked back on too fondly, the same can’t be said for the basketball release. It is still very popular among collectors.

The backs of Fleer in the 80’s and early 90’s were very recognizable with the alternating bland colors. I don’t mind these backs though because they provide a lot of information.

Another extreme positive of this set is that it is loaded with players that were included in the NBA’s Top 50 Players that was unveiled in 1996 at the All-Star Game.

Reggie Lewis did not get to fulfill the career that he began in such superstar fashion. I was a big fan and he will always be one of those “where were you when” type of players. When he passed away in 1993, I was at a church summer camp, playing basketball myself. I really wish we could have seen Reggie play a full career.

Another one of “my guys” back in the 90’s was Manute Bol. I still remember the game where he drained SIX 3-pointers in one half! In 1993, as a member of the 76’ers, Manute went 6-12 on his 3-pointers and was a fan favorite for me from then on.

A lot of modern collectors may not remember this Rodman. Before he was tatted up, wearing wedding dresses, and dating Carmen Electra; he was a fairly normal dude with his appearance. He still liked to mix it up quite a bit, but who didn’t in Detroit?!

This card captured the patented Patrick Ewing one hand dunk. He did this dunk so many times. He was really a stud but his teams always ran into a buzz saw from Chicago in the playoffs. Then one year, they had an amazing chance at a Championship berth but Ewing blew a very makeable layup against the Pacers in 1995. I felt horrible for Ewing at the end of that game!

A lot of modern fans think of Charles Barkley as the outspoken, hefty, announcer on TNT these days. In fact, Draymond Green doesn’t even give him the respect he deserves. In the 90’s, Barkley was a tremendous athlete who dominated the boards and has a highlight reel that Draymond Green can only wish he had!

One of my all-time favorite players was Akeem Olajuwon, who would later become Hakeem Olajuwon. The “Dream Shake” was one of the deadliest moves for a big man during that era. If you enjoyed good basketball and liked players who did the talking with their abilities, there was no way you couldn’t like The Dream!

Another super athletic center that did his talking on the court was David Robinson, “The Admiral”. Another favorite of mine, The Admiral was a tremendous scorer and defender and was later complimented by Tim Duncan, as they became Champs.

One of the reasons the Bulls went on the historical run of two separate 3-peats in the 90’s was Scottie Pippen. Pippen could score, and was a great compliment to Jordan; but he was most impressive on the defensive end of the court. He was long and was a turnover creating machine.

The All-Star Inserts remain popular in 1990 Fleer. The Jordan is the most sought after but the list includes Isiah, Magic, Barkley, Robinson, Olajuwon, and many other greats.

The crown jewel of any late 80’s through 90’s set is His Airness, Michael Jordan! Any card with Michael Jordan on it belongs in sleeves and top loaders. I won’t get into the whole “who is better discussion” but I will just say that there has never been another Jordan in my opinion. This card alone makes the box worthwhile.

The score for 1990 Fleer on the Dub-O-Meter is one of the biggest no-brainers since the inception of the blog. This set gets an easy “5”! The design is great, the checklist is unbelievable, and the All-Star chase is very memorable from the era. When you throw Michael Jordan in the mix, there is not much more you can say about the set. It’s phenomenal and I recommend taking a shot on a box whenever you can find one at a reasonable price.

J-Dub

Where It All Began

My birthday was this past week and I had a moment as I walked out of the front door on the way to work that I didn’t expect. Because I spend so much time on eBay and trading on Twitter, I have come to expect a fair share of mail days. Most days it’s a Braves lot or an occasional Junk Wax Auto that I add to my “Dated Rookies” (copyright pending) collection.

But on this day, I had a momentary memory of receiving birthday cards from my grandmother “GaGa”, who passed away just a few years ago. I could expect a card on February 13th, like clockwork. It was always a “grandmother” type of card with flowers and heartfelt wishes for a great day; no jokes or cracks on my age. It hit me on this day that I wouldn’t be getting one; and I had a moment.

I say all of this to set up this next piece with a disclaimer. A lot of times, I write for myself. Actually, when it comes to my blog, I’d say it’s about 95% of the time. I am floored that so many others like to take this journey with me. But this blog serves a greater purpose; to document some of the best moments of my life. I love to incorporate cards because that is my passion, but I always tie some event from my life to the cards. It’s what works for me.

My GaGa spent the last several years of her life suffering from Dementia/Alzheimer’s. While it was heartbreaking to witness, I know that it was brutal for my mom and her two sisters. Anyone who has ever experienced it with a loved one knows what I mean.

So that is why documenting my memories is so important to me. I remember various points in my life vividly but others fade in and out depending on where I’m at, what I’m doing, etc. Selfishly, I write my blog to put myself back into those memories. In reality, I know that is not going to change anything for me if I were to ever suffer from the illness my GaGa did; but I’ll always have something to come back to and read. I’ll be able to go back and experience them over and over again. At least that is what I’m telling myself. The blog has a purpose.

So where am I going with all of this? I’m going back to 5th Grade; 1987. This is where the hobby began for me. It began with one card that made a lasting memory. But that is for later in the post. First, I want to lay out 5th Grade for Dub. Again, partially for you, the reader, but mainly to document the journey for me.

I recently went back to my old Middle School, which is no longer open as a school. The building serves as the Board of Education offices and most of the school appears to be empty. The only part of the school that felt like it was separated from the main campus was the 5th Grade Wing. It was a long outdoor hall that stretched away from the main building. And my class was the last class on the wing.

When I think of 5th Grade, the first thing I think of is not my first baseball card, unfortunately. I immediately think of the fluoride mouth rinse we had to do once a week. Each student received a small plastic cup and the teacher would come around and pump a couple squirts of this strange pink liquid for us to swish around in our mouths and then spit out. I don’t really know what the purpose of this was, other than to make students gag and want to puke. Some conspiracy theorists believe it was some sort of government testing. Whatever t was, it was awful.

There were some good parts to 5th Grade that offset the awful fluoride memory though. I remember the book fair and taking my “Troll” Book Flyer home with multiple books circled. It would later be replaced by “Scholastic”; but it was “Troll” when I was in middle school. I would usually wind up having to narrow my list way down but I always came away with something nice.

I also remember note passing becoming the main form of communication during class. Some people had really fancy ways of folding notes but paper footballs were the extent of my paper folding skills. All my notes got the standard folding treatment. Kids text in class now but “back in my day”, if you wanted to get communication to your friend across the classroom, you had to pass a note and risk the teacher catching you and reading it out loud in front of the class. Very few things were more embarrassing than that punishment.

I remember 5th Grade being the last year of actual recess. Every year after that allowed for an afternoon break but it was spent standing around gossiping and scheming up ways to ask a girl to go steady. In 5th Grade; we raced, played marbles, threw footballs, played tag, climbed playground equipment, and traded toys. And this is where the card comes in.

Up until that point, I had a stray card or two laying around from a box of cereal or a package of Purina that landed at the house. But I wasn’t a collector and didn’t seek out cards when we went to the store. I was still building my Transformer and WWF (now WWE) Action Figure collections at the time. But one of those WWF Action Figures would parlay into a now 33 year sports card hobby.

One of my favorite wrestlers in WWF during the 80’s was Junkyard Dog. I liked him on the cartoons and I liked his gimmick in the ring. I had a a few action figures but I’ll always remember that JYD. It was the centerpiece in a trade for my first baseball card. I don’t remember who I traded with but it was definitely one of my inner circle friends. I don’t know what made me pull the trigger other than the card being of a player I really liked.

This is the card that the JYD landed me. A 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith RC in less than mint condition. Condition didn’t really matter because JYD had taken his share of tumbles from the top rope by that time as well. The only thing that mattered to me was that the card seemed “really old” and was of one of my favorite players. As for “really old”, it is 41 years old now but was only 8 years old in 1987. It would be the equivalent of trading for a card from 2012 today. The mind of a 5th Grader works in strange ways.

But this very card led to a 1987 Topps Jose Canseco, 1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr., 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas; and now, 33 years later, a guy named Zion Williamson, who wasn’t even born yet. No matter what I ever pull, this card will be the most special card in my collection. It is where my journey through the hobby began and I couldn’t have asked for a better beginning than a Wizard RC.

We all have stories to tell; this one happens to begin in a little brick classroom in 1987. We all have memories, good and bad. They help shape who we are when we grow up; whether you cling to the memories and try to forever hold on to them or whether you take the memories and change the course of where you are heading. I don’t know if I’ll remember all of this when I’m 70, but I remember it now so I’m going to keep putting the memories in writing so I’ll have a way to remind myself of the tiny moments that made my life full. So as you read my posts, you may wonder from time to time why I’m including pieces of information that aren’t central to the story and seem out of place. But everything I write is calculated in some way. And sometimes it’s just for me.

Thank you for reading this blog and interacting with me on social media. We all share similar memories and they help create a bond among strangers that we may never meet face to face. But it reminds us that we have so much in common with our fellow collectors.

“We all live with the objective of being happy. Our lives are all different and yet the same.” Anne Frank

J-Dub

Forty-Three

There were times in my life that I thought I’d be lucky to make it to 40 years old. It’s not that I live a rough life or have a dangerous job. But I’ve spent way too many moments wondering how I would make it another year, or week, or day. This isn’t a “whoa is me” post but it is a little glimpse into the life of a man who sometimes feels broken.

I’m pretty hard on myself; this is a fact I live with every day. I didn’t used to be this way. There was a time when I was in my late teens and early 20’s where I thought I had the world by the tail. I was living the dream and nobody could tell me any different. The only thing that mattered was the next 5 minutes. Anything beyond that could be dealt with when the time arrived.

Somewhere around 27-28, things started to change. I was thinking about turning 30 and wondering if I was where I was supposed to be in life. I was married to my high school sweetheart, had a good job, owned my own home, and was following the relatively standard path of growing up. But the growing up part was starting to bother me.

While I was married to my high school sweetheart, that meant that I had someone I had to protect and provide for. I didn’t only have myself to worry about anymore. That good job I had meant that I had to be extremely responsible, a good co-worker, and a trusted advisor. And those qualities would determine whether or not I would keep making the money to provide for the woman at the beginning of this paragraph.

Up until this point, I saw my life playing out much like Dante or Randall in the movie “Clerks”. And I don’t even mean that in a bad way. I thought that would be pretty cool! Just hanging out at a job, clocking in and clocking out, but having fun at every turn. I still dream of owning the worlds last remaining video store; and actually making it successful. I was stuck in that early 20’s mindset, even though I was knocking on my 30’s.

At the age of 30, I had my first child, and a husband morphed into a father. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the feelings that came along with that. A tremendous blessing brought with it a crippling sense of inadequacy. I was an overgrown teenager, flying by the seat of my pants, still staying up late playing video games. Yet, I was now responsible for raising and protecting a tiny human being that I helped create. Whoa….

That was a “straighten up and fly right” moment for me. I was the definition of a “helicopter dad” and it was exhausting. I thought about ALL the things I had done as a kid and remembered every warning I had ever heard. “Don’t put that in your mouth”, “Don’t climb on that”, “Don’t go near those stairs”, “Don’t touch that bug”, “Don’t go out of my sight”, “Is she buckled up”, “Does she have a fever”, “What is that rash”, “WHERE IS SHE?” Like I said, exhausting.

You see, I was no longer your average guy who had a kid. I had slowly been developing an anxiety disorder before she was born. But when she was born, it really blossomed. For the first time in my life, not only was I unsure; I was scared of my own shadow. I just knew that there was no way I could be a successful husband, father, employee, and productive member of society all at the same time. I had lost the confidence I carried around 10 years earlier when I thought I was bulletproof.

I now have 2 children and it’s true that the second child is a little easier because of the experience you gained from the first. But you never lose that pressure of being responsible for a mini version of yourself. I have 3 people in my house that I’m ultimately responsible for. Their safety, the roof over their head, the food on their plate; it’s a direct result of whether I succeed or fail at being who I need to be. I know, it’s dramatic; but it’s something I carry daily.

The contradiction to all of this pressure and self doubt is that I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. My wife is still my high school sweetheart. My oldest daughter is still the first baby I held in my arms that was an extension of me. I’ll never forget the connection I felt. And my youngest daughter is the biggest “Daddy’s Girl” in the world and thinks that I am the King of the World! I couldn’t ask for a more perfect life.

But I can’t slow down enough to enjoy it the way I should. There was a quote on “The Office” finale by Andy Bernard, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” That can be attributed to many aspects of life but I know that I’ll one day wake up and realize that I spent the “good old days” of my kids growing up being an anxious, obsessive, basket case. They are growing up. I am stricken with fear.

I keep thinking that I’ll eventually snap out of it. And some days seem like daydreams of happiness. Yet, some days I feel like I’m on the verge of breaking down because I can’t handle the pressure. But no matter what, I can’t let my guard down. I can’t cave to the pressure. I can’t fight it either; but I can’t let it get the best of me.

In the end, I know that I just need to be rescued from myself. The fears are somewhat natural but I take them and spin them into reality when I don’t have to. It’s like worrying about a storm, but instead of just worrying, you start making plans for what to do after the tornado hits; like it’s a foregone conclusion. Instead of letting life play out, I just prepare for worst case scenarios.

In reality, I know that if I don’t wake up tomorrow, I have done an admirable job raising my kids. They have everything they need and most everything they want. They know that their dad loves them. They know that I would do anything for them. I’ve expressed my feelings with them. They know where I stand. They know that no matter what storms come, I’m there for them to take cover.

I just hope that is enough; whether I make it to 43 next week or live well into my 90’s. I hope that all of this worrying and staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night was for a greater good. I have to believe that I’m doing what’s right. It’s not easy, but if it makes even 1% difference in life, it’s worth it.

J-Dub

The 30th Annual

I was very fortunate when I was growing up that I had several cousins that were around my same age. In fact, two of them were the exact same age; Corey and Jared. We were in the same grade, played on the same ball teams, and enjoyed most of the same hobbies. We all have to have friends growing up, but when those friends are also family, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Even though we were huge friends, we were ultra-competitive with each other as well. That was never more apparent than on Christmas night, after we opened presents at my grandmother’s house. For the hour or so that followed the gift exchange, we became bitter rivals on a small 15 yard piece of real estate and battled in what would now be the 30th Annual Football Clash, if we were still playing.

That 15 yard long field was only about 10 yards wide, but when we were 12, it felt like a much bigger plot. A 6 play drive when we were kids could now be covered in one short screen pass in 2019. I looked out across that field just a couple of days ago and realized that if 6 or 7 people walked there now, it would look like a mad rush at Wal-Mart on Black Friday. It is tiny.

Corey and Jared were always teammates. They were step-brothers, though much more like real brothers. So even though we were all close, they actually lived together and were two peas in a pod for the most part. My teammate was their older brother (by 2 years or so), my cousin Dusty. Dusty and I had to overcome the familiarity Corey and Jared had with each other to try and outmatch them every year.

Corey and Jared would start practicing plays around Thanksgiving, and the rumor was that they would even practice right before they came over to Granny’s on Christmas. That rumor was propagated by Dusty, who also lived with them. But it never translated into victories. If they ever beat us, I don’t remember it. The running theme as we got older was that Dusty and I were undefeated and to this day, that is the story as I tell it on Christmas.

We are too old to play these days and we all have jobs and family we have to take care of. I don’t think I’m ready to explain an absence at work because Jared tackled me in a wiregrass bush and I threw my back out. Or that I tackled Corey on top of the water meter cover and bruised his shoulder. We are too big not to get hurt these days.

But our competitions stretched far beyond that small field on Christmas night. One of the most memorable times of my childhood was playing RBI Baseball “tournaments” at their house. My Uncle Speedy was an RBI legend and made a point of not taking it easy on us when we played. For some reason, I remember him always playing with the Angels. I don’t know why but I just remember Tony Armas and Doug DeCinces beating me all the time.

Then there were the ping pong tournaments we held during sleepovers. Corey’s mom had a ping pong table set up in her dining room and there was barely enough room to walk around each side when it was set up. We would play almost until morning. Imagine trying to sleep in a house with 14 year olds playing ping pong all night. The sound of the ball hitting the paddles was maddening enough; but because we had no room, we constantly smacked our paddles on the wall of that dining room trying to get to balls that were just out of our reach.

Because Uncle Speedy was our baseball coach, we always had access to the team bat bag and would play baseball in their yard all the time. Jared was the catcher and had all of his equipment; and our pitcher, Jason Lee, lived across the highway from them. We would gather up and Jason would pitch to us while Jared would catch. It was sort of frightening because Jason was the hardest pitcher in our county at that age. I should have been a much better hitter when I got older just because I faced him all summer when we were kids. But it wasn’t so.

There were Tecmo Bowl tournaments, basketball games, bicycle races, make-shift baseball games in my aunt’s living room, and wrestling matches on the trampoline. Everything was a competition. I think that it made me tougher and more of a competitor over the years. And for that I’m thankful. But in general, I am just thankful for those years of growing up with those guys. I am fortunate that my family (on both sides) has always been close and we all grew up hanging out.

Of course, now that the competition is gone, there is still something that I do every day that we all did as kids; collect sports cards. We used to sit in our rooms together and just sort cards and look at pictures and names that we thought were funny. We would rarely trade but we did help each other out sometimes when we had extras. We all had binders of modern (Junk Wax) cards but they always had some vintage laying around because of Uncle Speedy.

I was always in awe of the vintage cards because they were “so old” and rare. They were sometimes in rough condition but it was really cool to see them. My uncle still collects today and we talk often about the hobby and new pick-ups we make. Though I started picking up cards thanks to my mom and dad helping me get started, I also owe a lot to the times when I would hang out with them and further my knowledge on cards. It was truly a family affair.

There are some cards that I still see today that make me think about those days. It is weird that certain cards can take me back to completely different places in my youth. These cards in particular take me back to hanging out with Corey, Jared, and Uncle Speedy.

One of the first cards that comes to mind for me when I think about the old days with Corey and Jared is this Dick Hughes. For some reason, we thought the glasses were hilarious. We were dumb kids but we thought this card was something else.

Then there was this Clay Carroll. I remember thinking that if this was a major league pitcher, maybe I had a chance too!

The first time I ever saw the Mattingly rookie was in their collection. I didn’t own one until I grew up but as a kid, this card always stuck out to me as one of the big ones they owned.

This card was actually mine. This was the first card on the first page of my binder in 7th grade. I remember this card because we would always sit in the floor and reorganize the binder based on how valuable the cards were in Beckett. No matter what, this one always stayed at #1 for me. I didn’t own the ’86 Donruss so this was the next best thing.

This George Brett reminds me of Jared reenacting the “Home Run for George Brett” pine tar incident. He would do the announcers voice perfectly and we would always laugh!

This was the only Tony Armas card I ever remember owning and it makes me think of RBI Baseball every time I see it. Those dadgum Angels!

Uncle Speedy was always a Pete Rose guy if my memory is correct. He always talked to us about hustle as our coach and nobody was a better representative than “Charlie Hustle”. Because of that, we all wanted to get dirty and slide at every base, whether it was needed or not. If we went home with a dirty uniform, we could say we played hard.

Finally, we all idolized Nolan Ryan. I can’t imagine any 12 year old in 1989 who was a baseball fan not being a Nolan Ryan guy. The only one of us who ever came close to Nolan Ryan was Jason Lee but we all still loved him. Nobody would ever be able to pitch like him again in our lifetime. That may still be true!

There are a lot of cards that bring back memories for me. If you have ever read any other blog post on this website, you will know that to be true. But these are memories that always come flooding back at Christmas time. We all gather at my Granny’s and talk about the “30th Annual” and ultimately, that leads to more memories of growing up.

This picture (minus Dusty) was taken in the same exact location as the first photo some 25+ years ago.

The very best part of collecting sports cards is that each small 2.5×3.5 piece of cardboard has a memory that can be unlocked when I see it. They keep me from forgetting the past. We all have those prompts in our lives. For me, it is a picture of a baseball player from 1987 that takes me back to watching Creepshow 2 at my Uncle Speedy’s house. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

J-Dub

Memories in Pictures

I think part of why I enjoy writing so much is because I am a “visual” guy. When I am writing, or even reading, I can usually get a better mental image of something than when I am listening to it on the radio or hearing someone talk. Along those same lines, sometimes an image from a particular point in my life will stick with me and I can write about those memories using only that image in my head. And really that is my favorite thing to writing about; memories. Does that make any sense?

For example, when I think about Pizza Hut today, these images pop in my head almost immediately. When I was a kid, our “going out to eat” restaurant in our small town was a Pizza Hut. I remember going as a family and playing the table top arcade games while we waited for our order to be ready. I was close in age with my cousin (Adam) and we were huge video game guys. The rotation at our Pizza Hut was Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Joust. I hated Joust! And who can forget the cups and those lights?

Taking it a step further, Pizza Hut also used to do collectible glasses and I bought my wife a Care Bears Glass last year for Christmas just because it was so nostalgic. All of that comes to my mind when I just see that glass or an icy looking red cup. The key for me is that the images link me to a particular set of memories that were fun. As an adult, we sometimes have to hold on to memories from our youth because they take us to a time when responsibility and adult burdens weren’t a part of life.

Anytime I see ANY image that relates to a video store, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It could be a random post on Twitter of a membership card or an old Movie Gallery case in my VHS collection from when the store closed. I worked at two video stores when I was a teenager and if it had been a better paying gig, and the industry would’ve remained viable, I would love to still be doing it today. There was something powerful about having any movie at your fingertips. My friends and I watched every new release, every old cheesy horror movie, and every irreverent comedy that trafficked in and out of those stores back in those days. 2019 Dub hasn’t seen a NEW movie in ages. The last movie that I watched from beginning to end was the original Karate Kid about a month ago.

Even though this image comes from another restaurant from my youth, it actually represents some of my first memories of baseball. I started playing T-Ball when I was 4 and have played some form of hard ball every season for the last 38 years. One of my first memories was being sponsored by our local Dairy Queen and getting these helmet sundaes after the game. I think about the field at Centennial Stadium, the dugouts, the concession stand, the teammates, and the coaches. You see a helmet; I see years of summer joy! And because these are a part of the start of my love for baseball, these helmets are partially responsible for my love of baseball cards.

When it comes to basketball, there is no other image that grabs my attention than the original Dream Team. Sure, I was a basketball fan back in the late 80’s when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were battling on my Nintendo. I worshipped basketball during the “Inside Stuff” and “NBA on NBC” days and I am the guy that will argue with you all day about the game being better then than it is now. But the Dream Team was the pinnacle. This was the first time that so many superstars were compiled on the same team to play for the Red, White, & Blue. The guys in this picture were unbelievable and were transcendent in their sport.

When I see the old imagery of the 90’s Dream Team, it takes me back to playing pick-up games at my buddy’s house (The Parramore Pavilion), in my back yard under a utility light, and in dingy gyms all over my area. I spent my youth trying to shoot like Bird, pass like Stockton, rebound like Barkley, and play defense like Pippen. I never really mastered any of those but I made a ton of memories trying!

Perhaps no image conjures up more nostalgia than this Buffalo Bills helmet from Tecmo Super Bowl. I spent 3 years getting to know the Buffalo Bills because of this game. Their Super Bowls helped too but while I was always tempted to play seasons with Bo, Barry Sanders, and QB Eagles during sleepovers with my friends, the Bills offered the full package. The defense was loaded with Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, and Nate Odomes. And on offense, you could run with Thurman, go deep to Andre Reed, or just move the chains with Don Beebe.

But the bigger part of the Tecmo Super Bowl memory was the sleepover part. We played a ton of Tecmo but we also watched corny horror movies, made prank phone calls, and made drink concoctions with mustard, ketchup, syrup, soy sauce, and whatever else we could find and dared each other to drink it. I know, that’s all immature but that’s exactly what we were; immature. We never really got into any trouble or bothered anybody, but we sure did some dumb things to entertain ourselves. But those are all memories and are all tied to these and other images over the years.

The same thing works with baseball cards for me. There are certain cards that make me stop and reminisce when I run across them in my collection; not because they are particularly good looking cards, though many of them are, but because they are associated with some moment in my life that makes me feel good. Take this 1990 Fleer Mark McGwire. I’ve written about this one before. It immediately takes me back to Halloween Night when my grandmother brought me packs of cards instead of candy. I remember sitting on my living room floor opening these while eating the candy I got from other places. What a night!

Then there is this 1990 KMart Jose Canseco. I remember how I would always try to talk my parents into buying me cards at department stores. Before Hobby and Retail were a thing, you could pick up just about anything at a department store, including store specific sets. Seeing this card immediately takes me back to being a kid in those stores. I would hide in clothes racks, moan about trying on clothes, and put on my sincerest charm when it came to getting some packs.

Here is a card of one of the most underrated players among collectors today. Eric Davis was a true superstar during the 80’s-90’s. But this particular card reminds me of when I used to play RBI 3 on the NES with friends. I always liked to used the World Series Champs from 1990, the Reds. Davis, Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo, Jose Rijo, and The Nasty Boys were awesome! I even remember some of the role players like Billy Hatcher, Ron Oester, Hal Morris, and Paul O’Neill. I think RBI 3 is the second greatest sports video game of all time.

I’ve been to many Braves games during my lifetime, even though I live 3 hours away. I went to a lot more as a kid than I do now that I have kids of my own but I still watch them all of TV. At one of those games as a kid in 1992, they gave out these cards. What I specifically remember about the game that year was a Fred McGriff homer as a member of the Padres. I remember thinking that it would be pretty cool if McGriff played for the Braves. He would wind up in Atlanta a couple years later and I was right, it was pretty dang cool!

A lot of people have their favorite Ken Griffey Jr. cards. But I’m willing to bet that I’m rather unique in my choice. I do love the 1989 Upper Deck rookie and I spent most of my life chasing it in packs. But this 1990 Topps was special to me. The first complete set I ever owned was 1990 Topps as a gift from my parents. I was 13 and immediately took all the stars out and put them in my binder. Probably a rookie mistake but I always loved this Jr. and it reminds me of when I used to sit in my bedroom floor putting those cards in my binder. There were some great cards in that set for a 13 year old; Jr., Frank Thomas, Juan Gonzalez, Nolan Ryan, Canseco, McGwire, and so on.

I missed the boat on 1989 Upper Deck when it came out because there wasn’t a local card shop in my small town. I was able to pick up 1990 Upper Deck the following year on a church choir trip. There was a little card shop in the North Georgia Mountains where we spent a week during that summer. The shop was quite a treat for me and while they had all the new stuff from 1990, they also had a couple 1989 packs. A friend of mine grabbed some ‘89 and I went straight for the new packs. He pulled the Jr. and I pulled this Olerud….I’ll never forget that but I was still pretty happy with the Olerud at the time.

This one is a classic for me. I really loved the inserts in the 90’s and this Dream Team set was one of the best. While a Kirby Puckett card would normally be taboo for a Braves fan, I actually really liked him. I remember making a few trades with a buddy to add this Kirby and a few others to my collection. We sat at the lunch table at school and he couldn’t believe I wanted some Twins player. Still glad I have this one!

You won’t find many collectors that like to keep 1991 Fleer sitting around. I have several cards that are memorable from that set for me. But I grew up, like many others, watching the Cubs on WGN. It was a time when you only got to watch your local team and occasional prime time games. The other option was the Cubs. I watched them in the afternoon while I did my homework (wink, wink) and was a big fan of Sandberg and The Hawk. This card was cool when I pulled it and still reminds me of watching those games. I will always remember getting to hear Harry Carey announce baseball games.

There were two things I really loved in the early 90’s; Frank Thomas and art cards. I was always The Big Hurt when we had homerun derby’s in the front yard while everybody else fought over being Canseco, Griffey, and McGwire. When I see this card, I vividly remember those days in my front yard, trying to smash tennis balls over the boxwood bushes that separated our house from the neighbors. It felt like we had to hit the ball a mile back then to clear those shrubs.

While none of these cards carry any real monetary value, that’s not why I still have them. They have real meaning to me. I see more than the small pictures on cardboard. I see hanging out with friends, making trades at school, sitting alone in my room sorting cards, and learning about the game itself. That is worth more to me than what they sell for on eBay. There is certainly a section of the hobby for me that is dedicated to chasing big hits but when I really want to bring order back to my collecting world, I sort through “the good stuff”. And lately, I’ve needed to get back to the basics thanks to the numerous releases we are seeing week after week. No matter what anybody ever says, I’m a firm believer that Junk Wax soothes the soul!

J-Dub

A Holly Jolly Baseball Card!

The beginning of November signifies a few important things around my house. It is really my favorite time of year. Unfortunately, it signifies the end of Baseball Season and Halloween, which are two of my favorite things as well. But those negatives are offset by a lot of the positives that November brings. And Baseball will be back in a few months, right?

First, being from South Georgia, this is the time of year when the weather finally starts to feel like Fall. The temperature on Halloween night was finally low enough to wear a sweatshirt and toboggan. Around here, a toboggan is a ski cap and not a sled. We almost never have a need for a sled around these parts. But I absolutely love the weather when it is hovering in that lower 50 region.

November also means that football season is getting serious. The College Football Playoff rankings are finally released and teams are in the thick of conference play. Nothing beats conference play when it comes to college football. Georgia played Florida on November 2 and has Missouri on the 9th, Auburn on the 16th, Texas A&M on the 23rd, and then closes the season with a non-conference rival, Georgia Tech on the 30th. What a month of football!

As for the NFL, the games really start to matter because the playoff race is shaping up. The teams that are going to compete have separated themselves from the teams that will be vying for the #1 Pick in the upcoming draft; with the exception of those few teams that are hovering around .500 and trying to make some second half magic. But football isn’t football until you reach November. That is truly when the temperatures drop and the match-ups heat up!

For me, I don’t need much else besides cool weather and football to put a spring in my step. But this time of year also means that the Holiday Season is upon us. We are just a couple of weeks away from Thanksgiving, which is a dream holiday for a fellow that likes to eat the way I do. We go to a couple of different houses on Thanksgiving and we eat and watch football all day long!

Then, after Thanksgiving, my family’s favorite holiday is front and center; Christmas! Christmas brings back so many fun memories of childhood for me and I try to relive those with my kids every year. We watch Christmas classics like “A Christmas Story” and “Christmas Vacation”, we go see Christmas lights in surrounding neighborhoods, and we decorate our home while Christmas music plays in the background. And, we watch FOOTBALL!

Even though November signifies the end of the Baseball season, Topps takes the opportunity to release one of the more anticipated releases for my two daughters each year; Topps Holiday Boxes. Both of them enjoy opening packs throughout the year but they get excited with big hits like dad does. They want a card that “a player wrote on” and cards with pieces of a jersey in them. But when it comes to Topps Holiday Boxes, they love every card they pull. And this year, they loved them even more!

Topps Holiday Boxes are found at Wal-Mart and I have seen them at both $19.99 and $22.48. The boxes come with 10 packs of 10 cards each and contain 1 autograph or relic card. There are also Silver Metallic cards that are found 1:2 packs on average, so expect about 5 of those as well.

The set contains 200 cards and this year, there are some new short prints (SP), super short prints (SSP), and super rare super short prints (SSSP) to be found in the set. The SP’s are found 1:7 packs, SSP’s are 1:20, and the SSSP’s are 1:161 on average. Thankfully, as he normally does, Ryan Cracknell has provided collectors with a handy-dandy checklist with photos and codes so your search can be made a little easier. That article can be found HERE.

The set includes all of the top rookies from this year and the variations make some of them pretty valuable. If you are lucky enough to pull a hot rookie super rare variation that is a silver metallic, well, you need to go buy a lottery ticket! Also included in 2019 boxes is the chance to pull Santa Hat player worn relics and even a Santa Claus autograph! Paging 1990 Pro Set!!

The design is what makes this year’s version stand out for me over previous years. I have always been a “border guy” when it comes to sports cards. And 2019 Holiday does not disappoint. Last year, there were just snowflakes around the edges. This year, they brought a nice green border over half of the card that was infused with holly. The rest of the card edge has a snowy finish with more infused holly. Some people may think it’s corny, but I love it and so do the Lil Dub’s!

The variations are where things get super fun for the Lil Dub’s. I had them go through the cards and try to find the hidden objects. Some were pretty easy to find but some are more difficult. Fortunately, I pulled the base Shohei Ohtani here so they spotted the filled stocking pretty quickly.

As for the relics, some of these are still just plain one color swatches; but I still like the “Christmas Present” design they come with. Base relics fall at an average of 1:11 packs. The fun Holiday Relics are tougher and land at 1:638 packs. And while I have never been a “manufactured relic” guy, I think I would be fine with pulling one from this checklist that includes the likes of Ebenezer Scrooge, Santa Claus, and Frosty the Snowman. Those are REALLY difficult with stated odds of 1 in every 4,782 packs.

There are base autographs (1:334 packs), Relics Autographs (1:3,619 packs), and Holiday Relics Autographs (1:6,619 packs), and the autograph pulls are difficulty to say the least. With 10 packs per box, just a base autograph would fall 1 in every 33 boxes. That makes an autograph a really nice pull!

The set “is what it is” for most hardcore collectors; a novelty. But for $20, it is a great way to incorporate pack ripping with the rest of the family during the most festive time of the year. It has a way of making you forget about chasing some super-refractor of a player we’ve never seen play and just helps you focus on the cards. And that is really what made all of us start collecting, isn’t it? I give the 2019 Topps Holiday Box a “5” on the Dub-O-Meter and it is really pretty easy this year. The design is really fun for me in the setting that I am opening with my kids. And anytime you can combine cold weather, Christmas, fun with the family, and baseball cards, what else could you ask for?

J-Dub

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