Still Impossible, Very Expensive

Still have the itch to open a pack/box of cards. Lack of funds are making this hard to do. However, if I did have money, I'd buy these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2001-GREATS-GAME-AUTO-LOT-38-CEPEDA-MOLITOR-FISK-/280678195821?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item4159b9626d#ht_500wt_1156

Would help my goal by about 38 cards.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370509364984&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

Just hope I can go to a LCS and pick some of them up for cheaper. Although opening packs would be A+.

Blown Chance

Work until 6. See my Mom after for an hour or so. Go home, make a quick bid on Ebay and then go help a friend move. It's Sunday, I want to do none of those things, except see Mom of course.

So I end up placing the bid via phone and that is super confusing. Some real slow browser that I assume I'm hitting the buttons but the screen doesn't change. So I hit again, this time shoots me ahead 2 pages and I'm about to confirm a bid for $6,500 instead of $65.00. Shit, costly mistake.

Luckily I was able to sort the phone out and placed a bid. I changed it at the last second. $66, Mario Lemieux. Get home later, check Ebay.

$68 final. Fuck. Crushed..I had been watching this auction for a week debating should I BIN for $75 (I didn't). At least I saved about $75. No idea what I want to put that towards. And what was I bidding on....

1,500 new Showdown cards.

SWAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

How Long is too Long?

NOTE: This post is going to be about MLB Showdown, sort of.

With the start of MLB under full swing and me being bored, I've started searching for MLB Showdown again. I never understand why I still do it. Outside of maybe 10 games played against ghost co-blogger James, I barely touched my cards. I have easily over 10,000. Add to the fact I moved in November and all my cards are still at my parents house.

Anyways, my goal is to find and personally own every printed MLB Showdown card. Promotionals included. Some of the 2000 promos are hard to find. 2001 somewhat harder. 2002-2005, simple. Except for the 2002 DCI promos. Occasionally Sammy Sosa or Kerry Wood pops up on Ebay. A few are for sale on Beckett Marketplace. The most ultra rare is the Ichiro. Beckett Marketplace had one for sale for $30.00 a few years back. I balked. Something about spending $30 for a single card (especially Showdown) didn't seem right.

Not only that but if I were to buy that card I felt my whole search (which at the time had spanned 4 years) would be cheapened by such a simple click of a mouse. I guess I really enjoy the chase. Once you find and get your item of desire, what happens next? Ichiro would just become an afterthought collecting dust in a binder at my parents?

I didn't buy the card. My search, now nearly 7 years in the making is still going on. I'm searching for the shark that ate my best friend. Steve Zissou style. He found his shark eventually, I should too.

I guess my question for anyone who comes across the blog or still reads this is, what do you do when you find your white whale (Jaguar Shark)? Do you move onto something else?

I'm honestly not sure what the next step would be.



This is the card in question, except it isn't a foil. There's a silver DCI stamp on it.

....I also lied, this is totally about MLB Showdown. And I guess my weird collecting/search habits. OCD I suppose.

Sports Cards, Boring.

You know when card collecting becomes truly fun? It's not really about pulling that huge hit, 1/1 super refractor, Hottest Prospect X, none of that stuff is more than a pissing contest. Who gets that first scoop on the newest product...Beckett or Blogs? Who fucking cares. Cards now are filled with such bullshit it's insane. Hype, flash, re-sell value, new reprocessed vintage set...big deal. Why did you or I get into cards?

I got into it thanks to my dad. I have fond memories of him taking me to card shops/shows/fests when I was real young...shit was surreal. Trading, buying, selling...of baseball players? I wanted some of my own.

Which is why when I played MLB Showdown I got that same feeling. A card game featuring baseball players...bye Pokemon. Tons of trading, all the time, and everywhere too. Online, in person, tournaments, friends. Thoughts of should I trade my Pedro for Ivan Rodriguez and Randy Velarde? These were my worries back in 2000. ...Wait, time out...I'm not sure who'd get the better part of that deal...like honestly that's a pretty solid deal.

I really miss this that the most. People just trading and enjoying it. Cards weren't worth much and we all knew it. And what reminds of that is an email I received recently. I wish more people were out there trading, I'd really love to get that 2003 Mark Grace Super Season.

Bring Back MLB Showdown.

Playoff Hockey

I always forget how much the onset of warm weather and playoff hockey goes hand in hand. I barely watch a regular season game yet I will watch every single playoff game. Hands down, the best playoffs in north american sports.