What happens when your high school "hero" is on Twitter

I've never been a fan boy. I do have my favorite teams and players, but I'm not a person who follows his team or player rabidly, commenting on every game or play and following the every move of all of my favorites.

First, I don't have that kind of time. Second, I just can't get that into flawed human beings who I don't know. You'll never see me soliciting an autograph at a game, standing in line for a signing, or calling up a sports talk radio site.

As a teenager, I refused to call my favorite players "heroes." They weren't my heroes. They were my favorites. The two players who received that "favorite" designation at the time were Ron Cey -- of course -- and, when Cey was foolishly traded away, Pedro Guerrero.

Guerrero was a burgeoning superstar from the moment I saw him in the back of my Dodger yearbook as one of those 1978 prospects. The amount of hope and promise that Guerrero brought to the early '80s Dodgers helped me forget the heartbreak of Cey's departure.

I've mentioned before that Guerrero was such a favorite that I wanted friends to nickname me "Pedro." It didn't work out so well. Probably because people knew I wasn't that kind of rabid hero-worshiping fan.

Guerrero had plenty of faults, both on the field and off the field, but he certainly provided memorable moments for Dodgers fans. His epic June of 1985 when he sent the league mark for home runs in that month and his 1981 MVP World Series performance are two highlights.

This week I found out that Guerrero was on Twitter. Or at least I think he's on Twitter. (When the account is not verified, you always have your doubts). I decided to give him a follow, although I follow very few athlete accounts, because like I said, I don't really care THAT MUCH.

So far it's been sporadically amusing. But that's about all.

I'd rather focus on his cards.

I received this terrific item from Jaybarkerfan's Junk in one of his many giveaways (so many that I forget which one this was -- by the way, I hope Wes received my last package).

I know I claimed this card when it was featured. As you know, relics don't interest me much anymore. But when it's a relic of your high school favorite, you jump at it instinctively.

I wish the card mentioned on the back why Guerrero is featured in a set called "postseason performers." But in typical Upper Deck "never mind the facts, ma'am" fashion, it does not.

Trust me, his '81 World Series display was phenomenal.

I also signed up for this card of flopped catching prospect Angel Pena. I think it's an interesting card. It's a unique design and it's an on-card autograph. I would have given Angel permission to scribble over the illustration, but I appreciate that he didn't.

Cool card.

Ah, J.D. Drew.

This was a throw-in, as J.D. Drew cards should be.

But not to sound ungrateful (too late), any freebie relic card is a nice gesture and appreciated.

Thanks, Wes, and another vintage package will be on its way to you in a week or two or three.

And if any of you want to check out my 1980s high school "hero," his Twitter page is right here.

Awesome night card, pt. 174

While looking at this card a few days ago and noting how bizarre it was for the photographer to zoom in on Brian Giles' helmet ear hole, I wondered what I could write about it.

Most of what I know about Giles can be summed up in the fact that he once played baseball in my town as a member of the Watertown Indians, that he enjoyed a terrific four years for the Pirates between 1999-2002 that went completely unnoticed, and that he was involved in a bizarre relationship with a former dancer that led to all kinds of ugliness.

So I turned the card over and looked at the back.

This is what I read:

OK, this might be mildly interesting. Why a major league player these days would feel the need to be anything after they retire with ungodly sums of money is a question worth considering.

So I looked around for a minute and it turns out that he said that during one of those wild-and-wacky Dan Patrick Q&A interviews.

I have to say I didn't come away with any more of a favorable opinion of Mr. Giles after reading that. Among the things that admits to doing in the interview is: getting his hair frosted, having a tanning program, and liking Cher.

I almost didn't get to the meteorology part because I thought I was going to throw up.

It turns out -- who would have thought in a Dan Patrick interview, huh? -- that Giles was just spitballing. Players know they can say wacky stuff in Patrick's interviews and -- guess what? -- ESPN actually goes and prints it. So Giles said he wanted to be a chef at a chain restaurant or stand in front of a green screen and talk warm fronts. And we're supposed to believe it.

And that's about all I thought of to write off this Brian Giles card.

I guess it's better than, "why's the ear hole the focus of the picture?"

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Night Card Binder candidate: Brian Giles, 2004 Fleer Platinum, #9
Does it make the binder?: Hell, no. First, my most favorite night card is #9. Second, no one watching Divas Live From Vegas gets in the binder.

The other side of despair

OK, the last post was a little depressing, what with all the wanting and not having. A little too filled with despair, eh?

I don't feel bad about writing the post, because I think people need to see the other side. But I also realize that showing cards that I have received inspire readers.

One of the genuinely shocking things that has happened to me since I started this blog is the number of people who have sent me emails that have said that my posts are inspirational, that the cards I show are a pleasant diversion, a vicarious thrill, or even spur them to get back into collecting. This was never an intent when I started this blog.

But I know it now and it's why I'll continue to write HEY, LOOK WHAT I GOT posts until the point this blog ceases to exist, and, yes, even if those kinds of posts bore me sometimes.

But this one isn't going to bore me. And I hope it doesn't bore you either.

There are players in the history of the Dodgers who played so long ago that the possibility of owning a card from their playing days is anywhere from "unlikely" to "impossible." Jake Daubert, Zach Wheat, Dazzy Vance, Van Mungo, Burleigh Grimes, etc., etc., etc., etc, dammit, why can't I like the Mariners?

Fortunately, there are enough card sets that pay tribute to past greats that I do have cards for all of them. They were just issued long after the players' careers ended.

But there is one player who so fascinates me that even a card of him issued long after his career wasn't good enough. It's Pete Reiser. I'd look at my Legendary Cuts Pete Reiser card from a few years ago or that LA Fire Department card from 1989 and think, "sure wish I had one from when Reiser was playing."

Reiser, if you don't know, was one of the most colorful, dramatic players in the game.

"Pistol Pete" led the National League in hitting his rookie year in 1941. He led the league in several categories and helped the Dodgers to their first pennant in 21 years. The next year, he started the season just like the previous one -- blazing. Then he ran full tilt into a concrete wall.

Reiser became known for running into walls. He broke his skull. He temporarily paralyzed himself. I'm pretty sure he still leads the majors in the following stat:

Most times carried off field on stretcher, career, 11.

Once they gave him last rites out on the field.

Needless to say, he didn't end up being the player that everyone thought he was going to be in 1941 (but he still stole home seven times in 1946). But with a story like that, you can see why a Dodger collector like me would pine for card from his playing days.

And without further ado, I will now say:

HEY LOOK WHAT I GOT!

That is a 1948 Swell Sport Thrills card, issued in the last year that Reiser played for the Dodgers.

It was sent to me by David, who really sends some cool stuff (you'll see some more of it another time ... so, you know, you can live vicariously).

The '48 Swell Sport Thrills set, I am finding out, was a 20-card set issued by the Philadelphia Gum Company and featured memorable baseball events in history. Johnny VanderMeer's back-to-back no-hitters, Carl Hubbell's 5 straight Ks in the All-Star Game, etc.

Reiser's card actually celebrates his hitting during spring training in 1939 at age 20 and throws the part about him winning the batting title toward the end. But you have to appreciate a write-up that uses "ballyhoo".

The Sport Thrills set also has cards of Jackie Robinson, Al Gionfriddo, Pee Wee Reese and Carl Furillo. At the prices that I see placed on those cards, I'll have some work to do.

But I've already got a head start, thanks to this card. A card from Reiser's playing days that I thought I'd never have.

That's the other side of the previous post. That's the other side of despair.

Hope.

That's what I'd like collectors to get out of these "look what I got" posts, too.

Making omelettes for girls

When I was in college, I worked various part-time food service gigs at the school. From greasy burgers and fries on Thursday nights to grilled hot dogs on summer afternoons to salads at lunch, I dished out a ton of grub.

But the station where I made my mark was at the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. grill. There, we distributed bacon-and-egg sandwiches, grilled tuna and cheese, and other stamped-with-a-spatula fare. But my specialty was omelettes.

I became pretty good at making them, an activity with which I reacquainted myself when I changed my diet a year ago. Suddenly, yet another skill I learned in college came in handy again, in the form of a feta cheese omelette (don't let the prevailing wisdom fool you, health-watchers. Eggs are good for you).

When I started making eggs again, my college days at the grill started coming back to me, too. And then I remembered what the best part of grilling was back then.

College girls like their eggs.

I did such a decent job with eggs that I became the designated omelette-maker for certain girls at college. They would single me out, from the three or four people we had working at a time, as the one to make their omelettes. Some were very particular about how they wanted their eggs made, but if you did it to their specifications, they really liked it. Who knew that the line for eggs would be the place to flirt in college? (I suppose any place on campus is a place to flirt when you're in college).

I assure you that all I was talking about in that last paragraph is honest-to-goodness cooking of food. But the sexual overtones weren't lost on me.

For a few years afterward, when the topic of what I did in college would come up with certain people, I thought it was cute to say, "I made omelettes for girls." The implication being, of course, that I was constantly asking bed partners how they liked their eggs in the morning.

Stupid stuff, yes. But it's contributing to a blog post tonight and that's what matters these days.

The phrase, "making omelettes for girls," could be a euphemism for making things sound more impressive or better than they are, like I did when someone asked me what I did in college.

Believe it or not, we make things sound better than they are a lot on the card blogs.

Think of all the "look what I got!" stuff you see on the blogs. Do you ever think, "where's the 'look what I didn't get' part?"

I do. Maybe it's just me. Maybe everybody else just wants to see the happy and none of the sad or the mundane. But nonstop "GOT IT!" gets tiring to me sometimes. We all know that even though we constantly write about all the great cards we've obtained that there are loads of cards that we still want and loads of cards that we don't have. While I'm writing about the cool card I landed, part of me is also thinking about what I missed out on, and sometimes even feeling a little guilty about not mentioning it.

Sometimes I make my collection sound better than it is. What I'm doing is "making omelettes for girls," whether that's a good thing or not.

So this time, for once, I'm not showing what I have.

I'm showing what I don't have and probably never will have.

Here are some cards that I really, really, really want, but likely won't get.

In other words:

LOOK WHAT I DIDN'T GET!

Duke Snider's 1949 Bowman rookie. Would love to have it. Probably not going to get it.

Jackie Robinson's 1956 Topps card. I'm somewhat confident that this will be mine someday. In much more miserable shape, of course. But the point is, I don't have it right now. Great card. That's not mine.

Pee Wee Reese, 1953 Bowman. One of the top 10 greatest cards of all-time. Ain't no way I'm going to own it (don't tell my brain though). That fact annoys me so much that if you do have this card, I don't want to hear about it.

Andy Pafko's 1952 Topps. Or the first card on the "first" Topps set (we all know it's not the first). I think I'll obtain this card someday and since it's appeared in reprint form a bazillion times, it lessens the sting a little. But, still, it's freakin' Andy Pafko. I should have it by now.

On the opposite side, I can probably add some of the crazy-priced high number Dodgers in this set -- like Dick Williams, Billy Herman and Ben Wade -- to the "I won't ever have" list.

1963 Topps Ken McMullen rookie. Yeah, you heard me, MCMULLEN ROOKIE. As a team collector, this card hurts terribly.

Anyway, those are the cards that spring to mind instantly as cards that I both really, really want and are unobtainable for the foreseeable future.

Of course, there are many other cards I will never acquire, the bazillion 1//1 cards that are out there. The crazy '90s one-off parallels from some set no one remembers. Obscure tobacco era cards and Venezuelan '60s cards.

I freely recognize that I will never own some of those cards, right here on this blog. That's right, everyone. There are great big gaping holes in my collection.

That doesn't mean I'm giving up hope.

I'll never give up hope of landing Pee Wee's '53 Bowman or any other card that coaxes drool from my mouth.

But to say I will own one of those cards some day?

That's just making omelettes for girls.

Managers are people, too

I've come across a card collector or two in my time who don't like manager cards. They don't want them in the set, they get annoyed when they pull them. I've even come across one or two who collect an entire set except the manager cards. And after seeing Mattingly manage the first 3 Dodger games, that doesn't seem like a bad idea.

But actually, I'm completely the opposite. I want manager cards. I was delighted the first time I saw them, which was in the 1978 set. I am sad when I find out the base set doesn't contain them. And I am annoyed when Heritage selects some managers to appear in the set but not all of them.

Manager cards for me are fun. A manager is a key part of the game, you see him during a game just as much as any player. They're the face of the team in many cases. Why eliminate them from a set? Managers are people, too.

The best way to get that across is that all managers were once players. They were players card collectors collected. In many cases, those managers had major league cards in past sets and we collected them then. So why not now?

So  I thought it would be fun to dig up the player cards of this year's major league managers. I selected cards from early in each manager's career. But I limited it to only managers who had cards with big-league teams. So, apologies to Terry Collins, Fredi Gonzalez, Joe Maddon, Jim Leyland and Buck Showalter, you don't get to play this game.

I'm going to show the managers' player cards with the photos cropped down so you can't see their name or the design. Try to guess the name that goes with each picture. Most of them will probably be easy. Some might not be.

I'll list the answers at the end of the post.

So, here you are, this year's 2013 managers, when they were major league players:

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Q.

R.

S.

T.

U.

V.

W.

X.

Y.

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Answers: A. John Gibbons, Blue Jays; B. Bo Porter, Astros; C. Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks; D. Mike Matheny, Cardinals; E. Bud Black, Padres; F. Dusty Baker, Reds; G. Davey Johnson, Nationals; H. Ron Roenicke, Brewers; I. Charlie Manuel, Phillies; J. Mike Redmond, Marlins; K. Bruce Bochy, Giants; L. Dale Sveum, Cubs; M. Eric Wedge, Mariners; N. Terry Francona, Indians; O. Ron Washington, Rangers; P. Bob Melvin, A's; Q. Mike Scioscia, Angels; R. Ned Yost, Royals; S. Robin Ventura, White Sox; T. Ron Gardenhire, Twins; U. John Farrell, Red Sox; V. Walt Weiss, Rockies; W. Joe Girardi, Yankees; X. Clint Hurdle, Pirates; Y. Don Mattingly, Dodgers

I don't have all of these cards anymore, but you're going to see them anyway

A few weeks ago, I participated in a card draft put on by Scott Crawford on Cards. I love card drafts. If I wasn't so broke, I'd try to get in as many as I could. But to date, I think I've participated in maybe three. I'll have to work on that.

What made this draft so cool was the wide, wide, wide array of cards available. All sports. And nonsports, too. And if baseball is your thing, there was vintage, current cards, parallels and hit mojo booyah, too.

Another cool part was that it was held in a Google + live chat room thing so you could talk about cards while you're drafting them. Unfortunately, the draft was held at the same time as one of the busier Sundays in my work world, so I couldn't be there to talk or even pick. Scott acted as my proxy selector. And he did a damn fine job of it.

The draft was 20 rounds. But good guy that he is, Scott added on a few more rounds. And then when he sent out the cards, he tacked on a few more rounds, too. So I counted 30 rounds altogether. That's a great deal for 20 bucks.

Also included in the package he sent were some cards from a trade we were working on, so this envelope was packed with cardboard flavor ... or whatever the young kids are saying.

I'm going to make you suffer through all 30 of my picks, mostly because a fair number of these cards have been involved/will be involved in transactions. Some of these cards I don't even have anymore.

Also, like dayf did when he was in Scott's first card draft, I'm doing it in reverse order. Because that is how lists should be presented, worst to first. Always.

Get ready for a wide array of goodies:

30. Jeff Kent, 2008 Upper Deck Premier: I've never seen a UD Premier card before, so I can't tell you anything about it. It's numbered 13/15, which seems pretty exclusive to me. How exclusive? Don't know. Don't care.

29. Jim Wynn, 1970 Topps: I cannot pass up a pre-Dodger card of one of the coolest players of the '60s/'70s. It's possible this card may be dealt to one of the 465 Astros fans I know though. (Yes, 465).

28. Travis Snider, 2011 Topps Heritage green refractor: Travis does not appear too impressed with his card shininess. But I'm impressed enough for the both of us.

27. Lowell Palmer, 1970 Topps: An absolutely legendary card of the legendary Lowell Palmer. I have his 1971 card already, but this one was the first example of the best shades in carddom. The diamond-cut quality just adds to the quirky nature of the card.

26. Paul Blair, 1969 Topps: I can't tell you why I picked this card. It's a vintage card of a player I like. No more, no less.

25. Andrew Bailey, 2011 Topps, hope diamond parallel: The hope diamond parallels of 2011 are the pink/camo parallels of 2013. I pulled a grand total of one hope diamond card two years ago. It's since been dealt. I'd like to have at least one in my collection.

24. Herb Washington, 1975 Topps: Yes, I have this card already. But this one is going toward my first TTM try in a couple of years. It better come back with scribbles.

23. Colby Rasmus, 2013 Topps emerald parallel: Rasmus cards are just horrifying. So you know that I don't own this card anymore.

22. Brian McCann, 2006 Topps A&G mini: McCann was selected for the mini frankenset quest. I'm proud to say it is bumping '08 Francisco Rodriguez from his perch.

21. Walter Alston, 1970 Topps: You can never have enough Smokey cards. Especially with the number of Dodger card bloggers around.

20. Larry Sherry, Mike Lowell, Then & Now, 2008 Heritage: I absolutely freaked when I saw this card available, because for some odd reason I never knew it existed. It took all my will-power not to select it first. I kept telling my brain, "You idiot, nobody is going to know who Larry Sherry is." And my brain kept hyperventilating, "But you DON'T HAVE IT." I was able to talk brain down to pick 20.

19. Delwyn Young, 2007 Topps gold parallel: The dearth of 2006-08 Dodger gold parallels in my binder is disturbing on a daily basis.

18. Mike Napoli, 2012 Topps Finest xrefractor: Shiny Mike is crossing the country right now to new living quarters.

17. Mark Fidrych, 1994 Ted Williams Company: Any chance I have to land a Fidrych I don't have I have at.

16. Jacoby Ellsbury, 2012 Topps Finest gold refractor: It's been awhile since I sent the blogosphere's Ellsbury collector a package.

15. Kyle Drabek, 2011 Topps Gypsy queen black mini: Black borders even make a set like GQ appear collectible.

14. Mike Cuellar, 1967 Topps: There is this really stupid part of my brain that thinks I'm going to collect the 1967 set someday. So I humored it.

13. Brett Lawrie, 2012 Topps Finest, Finest Moments: I'm a little surprised that a shiny diecut of Mr. Excitable lasted so long. Glad it did.

12. Russell Martin, 2008 Upper Deck Premier: You can't see it, but this card is numbered 1/99. Another ebay 1/1!!!!! (Commence mojo dance of triumph). I believe this card is #/99 and the Kent card earlier is #/15 because one is gold foil and one is silver. Which is absolutely ridiculous.

11. Vida Blue, 1979 Kellogg's: This is actually the end of my run on '79 Kellogg's cards in the draft. I saved the Giant for last. He was much preferable when he worked across the bay.

10. Dwight Evans, 1979 Kellogg's: Dewey Red Sox cards are notorious for being difficult to obtain. The late, great Chris Stufflestreet and I agreed on that. This one was remarkably easy to obtain.

9. J.R. Richard, 1979 Kellogg's: A collector I know is after this card. I don't know if I want to give it up.

8. George Foster, 1979 Kellogg's: George is toasty on the edges, but just as bad-ass.

7. Adam Lind, 2012 Bowman Chrome blue refractor: Blue shiny is the best shiny.

6. Cole Hamels, 2012 Topps Finest, finest moments: Another card that I selected entirely too soon. I think I was involved in a possible transaction with a Phillies fan at the time. I don't know if it's still going. I need to consult my notes.

5. Kenley Jansen, 2012 Topps gold parallel: You can barely see the serial-numbering on the back. It's almost a crime. But golds we must have.

4. Jacoby Ellsbury, 2013 Topps purple parallel: Another one for the Ellsbury cause. I actually don't like the look of these purple parallels at all. But that's mostly the color's fault.

3. Eddie Murray, 1979 Topps: A second-year Murray for the now-public chase of the 1979 Topps set. Want list on the way.

2. Ted Williams, 2013 Topps Cut to the Chase insert: I grabbed this because Williams is my dad's favorite player. He doesn't care about cards at all (although he collected as a kid). But I might show this to him just to get his reaction on what they're doing to cards these days. I expect a rant to follow.

1. Josh Wall, 2005 Topps Chrome Updates & Highlights black refractor: Wall was still in the Dodgers bullpen plans when I selected this card first. He's been sent down to Triple A to start the season, but I'm hoping he returns soon. I've been waiting for him to do something.

Besides, this amused me:

The draft was really a good time, even though I wasn't there. There was lots of good stuff left over, too, and I think Scott is going to do another one. I'd recommend joining.

After all of that, though, I'm out of energy to write about the cards Scott sent me in the trade, so I'll just show them here (included is the Ramon Martinez electric diamond card way at the top):

OK, I'll talk about the last card a little bit.

I previously received a '54 Bowman Preacher Roe card from AdamE of Thoughts and Sox. It was kind of a loaner, a great gesture from one collector to another, as Adam has a connection to Roe and collects him.

If I was ever to come across another '54 Bowman Roe, I promised to return the card to Adam.

Well, Scott had one and I worked out a deal and the other Roe was sent back to Adam. Everybody's happy.

And that seems like a good place to end this.