Promoting Contests Post

All About Cards is having a whale of a contest.  Here's what you could win.

All About Cards - Grand Prize

That is one sweet bunch of cards, so I'm trying to pick up a few extra entries.  I'm most excited about the possibilities of winning the Hockey, the PressPass racing and the Chicle.

Another contest that I became aware of is over at The Bullpen Cardboard.  He's having a hockey/football junkwax contest.  It is a new blog (just started this year) and has some promise.  Go for the contest, stay for the content.

Diamond Matchbook - fictitious creation

1935 Diamond Matchbook
FDR - 1935
(fictitious)

While looking for some old baseball newsy items, I came across a panel of nine photos of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  They were taken while he attended the opening game for the Washington Senators in 1935.  Seeing the little square photos made me think of the Diamond Matchbook covers of the 1930s.

Sarasota Herald - April 22, 1935

This was just a quick exercise.  I'd like to find a way to justify the text on the back of the cover.

I was going to make a set of all nine, but I couldn't quite see the reason.  I'll use the extra time to make another sombrero card.

Milestones

This is my 500th post. And I have been blogging here for 2 years and 2 days.

Much has changed, and much has stayed the same. I'm not flashy, I don't buy boxes or blasters. It remains my foray into sports card collecting. Yeah, it mostly centers around baseball cards, but not always. I haven't purchased many cards this last year, but I still have managed to post 216 times. I slowed down. Life got busy. I set some things aside.

But this is a new year. One to embrace with open arms. What are my goals for this coming year? I haven't really thought about it.

I'd like to more clearly know what cards I have. Zistle is back on track with some site upgrades so I'm back to working with Josh and Ashley on that.

I rejoined SABR, so there's always research to do.

I'm working a few trades with fellow card collectors.  Yes, I need to send out some packages.

I'm discovering more blogs to follow.  Most recently The Cardboard Dugout and The Card Investor.

I'll be keeping up with my Old Knoxville Baseball blog.

That's about it.  I'm simple in that regards. I do want to thank each and everyone that has stopped by, left a comment, traded with me, emailed, etc.  Really.  Thanks.


I'll leave you with a Jumbo Swatch of one of the players that I collect.

2005 Absolute Memorabilia
Tools of the Trade Swatch Single Jumbo
Orel Hershiser (card # TT-159)

That's it. No contest. Just thanks.  Run along now.

More Baseball Books

For Christmas I was given some store credit to one of our local used book stores.  I was able to find some books that I thought would be fun to read.

For some time I've been interested in the early days of baseball, even joining SABR's 19th century mailing / discussion list.  I haven't read this but I'm looking forward to it.  $3 made it a nice pick up.

This paperback was priced right.  $2.  I have found that putting events into historical perspective helps me understand the bigger picture.  In doing family history research I have found that many family members left upstate New York to head to southern New Hampshire in the 1880s or so.  It took me the longest time to realize that the mills were operating in New England and not a whole lot was going on in Clinton county, NY.  Perspective, people.  Perspective.

Not quite a coffee table book, but oversized.  It is the kind of book that one can open up any page and dive in.  The author gives the statistical data about lots of ball parks.  Occupants.  Dimensions.  Seating capacity.  Phenomena.  The last is the best part.  Special home runs.  Obstacles in play.  Special stories. 

Reading an overview of the parks has made me want to research some of them in greater detail.  Not a bad purchase for $3.

Overall, I'm very pleased with these books.  They might very possibly turn into book review fodder when I've read them.  A thanks to my folks for providing the store credit.

Baseball Card Books

I was looking online for the title of a book about tobacco cards and I searched for Baseball Card Books.  This is one of the links that I found.  They are handmade books, with the covers being baseball cards.  In this case, 1953 Topps.

The artist that created them goes by the name Erinzam.  She has a blog that describes how she did it.

She sells them from her etsy shop.

What we cherish she has put to use as interesting, and bold, art.  I like them.

images lifted from Erizam's etsy shop site

Congrats, Bert

1984 Fun Foods pins
Bert Blyleven (# 106)

And that other guy, Roberto something...

Fantasy Football Trophy From Card

I've been playing organized fantasy sports for the last 23 years or so. Started out with Fantasy Baseball in the late 1980s. Then on to Fantasy Football. A bunch of guys from church got together and we drafted, and then every Monday and Tuesday we would get the USA Today and figure out scores. Several phone calls and faxes later, we got the scores. And the next Sunday we'd turn in our lineups to the commissioner.

A few years passed and we got high-tech. We purchased a software package (KFFL) and each week we'd download the latest stats and run them through the program.  I was the assistant commissioner by then.  Some people from work wanted in, so another league was formed. 

Then I moved to Tennessee.  I was apart from my fellow fantasy managers.  But I made new friends and then the Internet took off.  I could play in a public league on Yahoo!.  And I did.

The next season I invited several friends from my old league, from work and from church to join a 12 team private league.  Thus was born the Red Headed League.  Bonus points if you know the reference.

That went well enough, until more people wanted to join.  I think that after 12 teams are in, it gets rather cumbersome.  It can be done, but it isn't too much fun.  I started another league, the Super Secret League.  The two leagues worked in concert.  Too many times a manager will throw in the towel about week 7 or 8 because his team has tanked.  Haven't won a game in forever, can't trade with anyone.  Not fun for him, or the other managers when he decides that it just isn't worth it to even make an effort.  You've all been there.  Heck, you might have even been that manager.  So, with two leagues, managers move up and down each season.  The top four teams from the Super Secret League move up to the Red Headed League the next season, and the bottom four teams from the RHL shuffle off to the basement.  It gives the managers something to play for.  Sure, you might not win the championship, but at least you aren't going to the Super Secret League.

I created this trophy from a 1998 Topps Action Flats Ryan Leaf card.  I say card, but it was actually a card and a figurine crafted from the photo on the card.

It is supposed to be passed to the winner of the Red Headed League each year, for prominent display at their home or office.  Many of the wives desire it to be displayed at the office.

I was the commissioner in both leagues for several years.  Then, I hit a slump.  I finished last in both leagues.  Yes, I tried to win, but couldn't.  It wasn't fair for me to hang on to the title of commissioner and deny someone moving up, so I stepped down from the RHL.  I stay in contact with the commissioner of that league, Steve S.  Steve was the first to invite me to play Fantasy Football and he and his family are very dear to my family.

1998 Topps Action Flats - Kickoff Edition
Ryan Leaf (card # K6)

image lifted from amazon.com

This year I finished first in the 'regular' season of the SSL.  And fourth in the playoffs.  At this time I'm planning on sticking around in the basement, if for no other reason than to keep --David company.

Here are some of the team names I've used in Fantasy Football:

• The Red Grange Halls
• Cardiff Giants
• The Phantom Creeps
• Pocket Protectors
• Hitchcock's Shadow
• Humongous Melonheads
• The Humbert Humberts
• A Bunch of WaWas
• Taekwan Dodos
• Croutonic Knights
• Sweet C's
• The Anglo Files
• Oneaders
• The Rogue Nessies
• The Terror Dacktals

At least I'm doing better than Ryan Leaf.

Another time I'll chronicle some my other fantasy sports exploits.