R.I.P. 2017: We'll Miss You

Last year in an attempt to reach a goal of more posts than the previous year, I made a long list of celebrities who passed away during the year.  It was planned to be a 1 or 2 post deal, but there was an abundant amount of deaths it seemed and I ended up with 4 posts.  In doing those I left out quite a few names and even the 100 plus I did choose I never really got to comment much on how or why it impacted me.  I could have done the same this year, but I thought I would go a different direction this year.  First off, I didn't worry about doing this for a post count, so it freed me up.  Second there was a lot of people that died that I could probably spend the next month discussing them, but I figured I would do the 5 that really hurt me or made me stop in my tracks.  So while there are many who could be discussed here, including probably an entire post about Tom Petty, the five I chose are ones that I just feel like talking about because some way or another, they made an impact on me.

Miguel Ferrer (January 19)

On January 19th, I found out that Miguel Ferrer passed away.  Most recently I enjoyed his work on the series NCIS: Los Angeles.  However I've been a fan for a long time.  I remember first seeing him in the classic 1987 film Robocop.  He was a very good actor and a few years later he played a good villain in the film Blank Check (1994, I was 12, it was a good film at the time).  In fact when I watched movies back then and even today, I note how good actors are and even note how good they are as bad guys.  I believe I once noted that he was one of the best "bad guy" actors.  A few years later he would become a good guy when he starred in the TV show Crossing Jordan.  After it went off the air I hadn't heard much from him until he appeared on NCIS.  Before I knew that he had cancer, I noticed how he was starting to look sick and I was fearing when the time came that he passed away and how NCIS would incorporate it into the series.  They did him justice, but felt they could have done more.  What I liked about him was that he never changed his acting style.  He was very low toned and laid back and it made him stand out.  As movies and TV shows have progressed, it seems like a lot of actors try to fill in excess dialogue, but Miguel never did.  He was exact and on point and didn't need an extra amount of words to say or show his feelings.  I think younger people may not understand how much of a loss this is.  He will be missed so much.

Yordano Ventura (January 22)

At the time this happened, this one stung deep.  Don't get me wrong, it still does, but I didn't feel anyone else who would pass away in 2017 would hurt me as much as this one did at the time.  I only knew of Yordano Ventura for a few short years, but in that time he became one of my favorites.  I don't think he ever found his niche but I just felt he brought a youth and exuberance to the Kansas City Royals that was much needed.  A lot of people thought he was hot headed, but I saw it as competitiveness and eagerness.  I think a lot of time he spent trying to be like others and could have spent more time being himself, but I think in the next year or two he would have realized that and fit in just right.  The day I found out about his death, my sister actually broke the news as it was the day we celebrated Christmas (we celebrate around my mom's birthday), and I spent the morning away from TV and Internet, so I was in disbelief.  A week later and I was still in shock.  His passion for his teammates and his breakout performance in the 2014 and 2015 World Series are things I'll miss about him.  I also admit I am a bit greedy in just thinking about how much better the Royals could have been this year with him, and how much easier their transition to a rebuild would be with him as well.  Or maybe they would have traded him for some crucial pieces for the future.  Either way I would have been a fan of his whatever team he continued to play for.  I wrote a post earlier this year about my thoughts around the time it happened which goes into better details about my feelings at the time.

Chris Cornell (May 18)

This one, Chris Cornell, just gutted me.  I mean besides family and friends who have passed away, I can't think of a time I felt so lost after someone died.  After it happened I really spent about a week without saying much or even doing much.  TV didn't mean anything, Internet didn't matter.  Just sitting and thinking about him in a quiet room is what I remember doing for a few days.  I can't take quiet.  I need some type of noise, either a TV just playing something random, or radio on a station that plays music I can tolerate.  For a few days, silence was golden.  When I finally snapped out of it, I started listening to music, and naturally it was Chris Cornell music.  It was Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his solo stuff too.  In a way, as was said in Office Space, "I celebrate his entire catalog".  Even as I write this I still can't believe that he's gone.  I did a blog on it as well, and I only really did it so it would occupy my mind and move on, and also to educate those who may not knew of his work.  I played his music to my mom and I think she enjoyed it.  I think she understood why I felt so much pain about his death.  A few weeks later Chester Bennington died as well, I believe on Cornell's birthday, but while I enjoyed his work as well, it didn't have as much impact as Chris' death did.  Later on in the year, Tom Petty died, and again I didn't feel the hurt like I did about Cornell.  Much like Petty, Cornell was a voice of a generation.  The thing about all three, were none were "former musicians", all were still touring and making music.  The way Cornell and Bennington died though made it so much worse.  It showed that you could have it all and still be unhappy.  It was a wake up call.  It made people question if someone they know seriously considers suicide an option, and allowed them a chance to talk to them.  Cornell's came much more out of left field making those who even knew him best wonder how it could have happened.  Part of me is upset with myself for being greedy in being sad that I won't hear anymore new music from Cornell.  While all three will be missed, Chris Cornell will still be in my head for a long time to come.

Bobby Heenan (September 17)

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan had been sick for quite a while.  In fact in the last few years he didn't even look like himself, but he never lost his way with words.  If you never watched wrestling you missed out on The Brain.  He played the ultimate heel (bad guy). You can't call it a smugness, but he was so confident in himself and his abilities that it just clicked.  He had a way with words and even when you knew he hated his job (the later years in WCW) he still did his job as a professional and made his character the life of the party.  By the 90s he was a full time announcer (in the later part that is, in the first couple years he did manage Ric Flair for a while), and that is what I remember him best as.  For everyone that says wrestling is scripted, Heenan made you forget and often wonder if he actually read the script.  One of my favorite moments was when he spoiled Hulk Hogan's heel turn in 1996.  As Hogan made his way to the ring, and Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone were excited team WCW was getting help to finish the nWo, Heenan blurted out (since he was a heel announcer after all), "YEAH BUT WHOSE SIDE IS HE ON?"  A simple phrase that stopped Dusty in his tracks.... "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"  A few moments later, Hogan turned heel and told the fans to stick it.  That's what made Bobby Heenan.  He played the heel to perfection.  In another instance Heenan, who had a bad neck, thought a fan was grabbing him from behind while he was announcing.  While on live cable TV, he blurted out an F bomb, and got up and walked up the aisle as the match continued.  This wasn't a gimmick, he felt threatened.  It turned out, it wasn't a fan, but it was Brian Pillman who was in the match at the time against Eddy Guerrero.  Pillman was doing a loose cannon gimmick and it caught Heenan off guard.  It wasn't planned and Heenan got about halfway up the ramp, stopped and regained his composure and walked back to ringside and put his headset back on and apologized.  It was about the only time he wasn't doing a persona, but being himself.

One other thing I loved about him, is that he never called himself a commentator or an announcer.  He called himself a "broadcast journalist".  A term I used for many years likely all because Heenan introduced me to the term.  It made him seem more sophisticated and like he should be taken more seriously, which in the end made him that much better as a heel.

Robert Guillaume (October 24)

Many years ago, likely around 2002 or 2003 I was watching the movie Lean On Me for the umpteenth time.  As I watched it, I was watching the passion and fury of a scene featuring Robert Guillaume and said out loud, "It will be a sad day when he passes away".  That isn't something I just randomly say about people, in fact I've maybe only said it for a couple people.  Well, on October 24th, it was a sad day.  I had seen Robert's work for many years before 2002, and each time I was impressed with his range. In a similar vein as Miguel Ferrer, he never changed his acting style as shows and movies progressed.  It was something I liked about both men.  Even on a dialogue heavy show like Sports Night, he didn't need long paragraphs to convey his character.  He was a man who had seen it all and lived through it all, and simple responses was all that was needed to show who he was.  Having said that, two favorite scenes of him from the series was when he scolded Danny (Josh Charles) about comparing himself to Rosa Parks, and the other was a scene doing commentary about the "Six Southern Gentlemen Of Tennessee".  His quick wit in his characters defined him throughout his career.  Even before Sports Night, I enjoyed him in Lean On Me.  I remember seeing episodes of Benson, though I can't remember much of the series.  I was too young for Soap, but from clips I've seen I wasn't impressed with the show, but his scenes were good.  Overall though it could be easy for people my age to never seen any of these shows or movies.  However, one movie he did that many my age did see may stand out from others even with his limited screen time.  He did the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King.  It's my favorite Disney movie, and it was sad to watch a couple weeks ago, the first time since his death.  He was a brilliant actor and played almost every role to perfection.

So these 5 people are the celebrities I will miss the most from 2017.  I know its not a contest, but these guys meant more to me than the world may ever know.  Since this is a card blogging site, I thought I'd see if I could find cards for each of these individuals,  I know 2 have cards, sure another one does, a 4th does (but doesn't show his face), and I'm not sure on the 5th.  Let's look at Trading Card Database.

So I obviously knew Ventura and Heenan had cards.  I knew that there were Rafiki cards but still never found one of Robert with his face showing.  I remembered that Soundgarden had a card in the 1991 Music set, but its been a while since I've seen it.  As for the Ferrer, I was totally unaware he had a card.  I thought maybe a Robocop trading card, but they didn't make one for the first movie, so that was a dead end.  Then I looked for Blank Check, because hey, 1994, they made cards for everything.  Everything except that movie it appears.  So then I looked at his filmography, and on a pure guess looked up Twin Peaks.  A show I never watched, but 1991, again, what didn't they make cards for then.  Sure enough he appears in the set.  As for all these cards, I have none of them.  I do have plenty of Ventura's as I'm team building Royals sets so I have quite a few.  I also have a few Bobby Heenan cards, but not many of the newer ones.  Most of mine are from around 1990 and I think one from the 1998 WCW set.

So with that I'll wrap it up.  Every year at this time we look back at those who passed away in the past year and it brings tears to eyes.  The year isn't over yet and there might be one or two more to make that list sadly.  Hopefully next year won't seem so painful.  Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you all have a great New Year.  My next year should bring more posts, and that to me will be a great way to make it through the next year.

Sorting and Wrestling

As Christmas arrives, my friend already dropped off some great gifts, which I will be showing soon, but I thought I would discuss how much progress I've done with updating my collection in just the last few days.  I decided to shift my focus right now on updating all my Royals cards.  Its what my main collecting focus is on anyways, and would make things much smoother getting it out of the way.  I figured I would work backwards starting with 2017 as I'm more of a right to left type guy anyways.  It has taken a while, but I soon be working on the 2013 cards I have and continue down the line.  It hasn't been too difficult so far, the biggest issues is the numbering of Bowman cards and how Bowman Chrome belong in the Bowman set, and Chrome Prospects go in both, and they make retail versions which are the same cards but different numbers.  I usually do those last so I can take a break afterwords.  Besides that, everything is running smoothly.  As I sort through them in the box, I also update my want lists and what I have.  If you happen to check out my want list (which again is mainly for my use and not a solicitation for cards), you'll notice a lot of blue.  For the 2014-2017 sets, the charts are all blue except where it shows what cards I want.  So basically those years are all updated.  As I write this, 2013 is in all blue, which mean it hasn't been updated and I'm working on it.  As I go down the line, as I work on each year, I will do the same making it easier to know what is updated.  Once finished, I might switch it back to all white, but this will give me an idea on what I've done especially in case I do get cards while I am still updating.  I haven't done the same for completed team sets, but I have started to add spaces between years to make it easier to read.  As usual, if you notice sets that aren't mentioned in either list, it means I have no cards from that set and won't add them until I get at least one card.  It makes it easier for me to see.

Once I reach 2010, the rest of the 2000's should fly right by since it was while I was out of the hobby.  Once I get things organized, it will be a point of focus in the next couple years.  After that, the 90's will take some time as that is where the bulk of my cards are from (as well as the late 80's).  It will be fun to go through them again.  In fact once I get a lot of things out of the way, I'll consider building a few of those sets.  They were childhood sets, and will be great to build again.

So with that update, I figured I'd show some cards.  A few months back I bought a pack of wrestling cards on clearance at Walmart, and now's a good time to show them.

 I didn't put too much of a thought into these when I grabbed them, I was just in need of a fix.  When I opened them, I realized it was a set from a few years ago that I was not so open about building.  I have no real desire to finish it, but I was happy it wasn't a terrible looking set.  As for the cards, who could be mad getting Rick Rude, Terry Funk, and Dusty Rhodes cards?  Or Vader?  This was a pretty good pack.  I need to see what cards I have, but I'll do that once I finish working on these Royals cards.

 If you said the Mr. Perfect card is my favorite wrestler in this batch you'd be mostly right.  Only Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko makes a good run for his money.  I think if you got into wrestling after 2005, Dean Malenko might be the best wrestler you've never seen before.  Luckily you can see a lot of his matches on WWE Network.  As for these other guys, Mark Henry is another one I like.  I'm not really disappointed in any of the cards I pulled to be honest.  I keep forgetting to look for more each time I go back, but I might next time.

So overall a good pack and I can't complain about them.

Well that wraps it up for today, I need to knock another year or two of Royals cards out so I can get some desk space again.  Thanks everyone for reading and have a great day!

So It Begins...

I may or may not have mentioned it on here on recent posts, but I decided to transport all my cards from binders to boxes.  I figured I would save space doing it and would be easier sorting the cards instead of moving a bunch around in pages each time I tried to put them in order.  So a couple months ago I decided to look on Ebay for some boxes.  I was helped in this because I got an email for either 8 or 10% Ebay bucks for purchases, so I figured I could make some of it back.  I also found out that Ebay decided to get rid of the $5 rule so even though I might get 2-3 Ebay bucks a period, now it doesn't matter.  So with all that I started looking at some 3200 count boxes.  After looking for a while I saw a 5000 count box for sale.  I thought it might be overkill but then I thought about it.  My Royals collection is starting to overfill the 3200 count box I have now, so I could upgrade to a 5000 count box.  Then I decided to check how many cards I had in my binders.  Maybe 1 5000 count box would work for all of them.  After coming up with a rough estimate I realized I have probably over 6000 cards in binders so I decided I would look into the 5000 count boxes more.  No real deals stood out, but then I found one for 5 boxes, so 25000 cards which would be great for me.  It would allow me to organize a little better cards I hope to someday give out to some bloggers.  So after little deliberation I decided to order them.

Recent Savvy Shopping

While I've fallen somewhat behind on showing items I've bought at my favorite local second hand store, I can't say I've bought a lot of stuff as of late.  However I have a couple posts to show of items I've gotten.  This one will focus on my most recent visit about 2-3 weeks ago.  So let's dig in.

Let's start with something I was going to use for a project.  As some of you may or may not know, I was once a really big fan of the Miami Hurricanes football team.  This was for most of the 90's into the mid 2000's.  I started to lose interest around that time because I was partially burnt out from sports and because I started becoming a fan of Mizzou football.  However, I would still root for Miami if I saw them on TV.  It's been a few years but I've been able to watch most of their games on TV this year and became a fan again.  One thing they have is called the Turnover Chain.  When someone gets a turnover (INT or fumble or whatever) once the play is over, they usually race to the sidelines where someone or they themselves put on this heavy Mr. T like chain around their neck and pose for the crowd.  It's hugely popular and I decided I wanted to make one.  However I'm cheap and don't have the cash for a gold chain so I thought about how to make one.  Then I thought I could use beads.  This store has a ton of these that they basically are two steps away from tossing, so I got 10 orange beads with a casino logo piece on each (which I already took off) for a nickel.  After I got home I couldn't figure out how I wanted to actually make this chain work, and then Miami started losing and I basically lost interest in it.  I still might do something with it though.  I thought about making a Mizzou chain of some sort and dipping these in black and gold paint but I'm not sure.  I just remembered though that the store also had red and green beads so I might make a trip and stock up on some.  They could work well with something else I bought that I'll show in a bit.

When I was a kid, we had something similar to this that we use to put our mail in.  When I spotted this, I figured it was worth getting for nothing else but to remember my childhood.  However the one we had was real heavy, and this is really light made of Aluminum I guess.  Still I'll find some use for it.

My mom likes puzzles and so this was on the 10 cent table and figured why not.  I forgot what the date was for this puzzle, but I don't think it was a historic one.  Either way a puzzle for 10 cents isn't bad.

Time for books.  Even though I'll likely never read them.  However when my mom and I go, she usually finds about 5 or 6 and I find a few as well.  It's usually 10 for a quarter or a quarter each so 10 books it is.  This was a last second grab so we could get to 10, but I have to admit I did like the movie of Bagger Vance so maybe one day I'll give this a shot.

When I saw this book, it was worth grabbing.  I've heard about this book and so I couldn't pass it up.  I might even read it soon.  I was reminded of it just a couple days ago when I saw that it was Darryl Kile's birthday.  His death is mentioned in this book and while I can't remember all the details of what this book is about, I still think it will be a good read.

Jose Canseco?  Roger Clemens?  Hottest New Stars?  You know this book is old.  Its still in pretty good shape too I have to admit.  I thumbed through it when I got it but haven't read it just yet.  I don't think there would be too much information about these guys in this book I wouldn't know already, but it could be fun to check out.  I don't think they make books like these anymore but if they did I wonder who they would include.  My guesses would be Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and a few more that in a few years we'd laugh at when someone called them a "star".  Not to take anything away from them, but it was always fun revisiting these books to see the hits and misses they made on their selections.

The whole reason I got books at all on this trip was because of this one.  A 1988 St. Louis Cardinals Media Guide.  This book is awesome.  I love the information included in any media guide, but coming off a World Series, I like to see what they include.  I'll never pass up a Media Guide for under a quarter, and this was no exception.  Now if I could find a few more like these.

I got another book but didn't photo it.  It was a kids book that had a bunch of lists and information.  It was pretty cool and I did read that cover to cover already as it had many interesting tidbits in it.  So that was my trip and I think I came out pretty good.

I have a couple more pics to show, this is from a trip I made to Dollar Tree yesterday.  Since they seem to have abandoned sports cards at my local store, I have to find other stuff.  Thanks to a recent blog post on Dino Drac, I found something I had to get.

I seriously bought a Christmas Tree for a buck at Dollar Tree.  It is 18 inches high, but to be honest, we don't have guests over much, so this is the perfect size tree.  It included the base as well, and its pretty much ready to go out of the box.

Some may think its a cheap way to celebrate the holidays, but I don't care.  In fact, it sits perfectly on top of my desk and its in front of the window as well.  Now I may have to go back to Savvy Seconds to see if they have any green or red beads and I can decorate this up quite nicely.  I had other reasons to go to Dollar Tree and I made a trip to Walmart so its not like I went out of my way just for this, but I'm glad I got it.

So that wraps things up for today.  I have another Savvy post that I might have up this week that is from a few months ago and features all cards.  It should be fun to look back at since I have slightly forgotten what all I did get on that trip.  We'll see I guess.  Anyways thanks for reading and have a great week.  If your area is getting hit with this cold spell, I hope you're all safe.  I know I'll be safe inside, staying warm by the Christmas tree.  Too bad Dollar Tree doesn't sell fireplaces.  Oh well.

P.S.  Since getting my new computer and starting to organize a bit, you might see a few minor changes to my site.  Nothing big but I might consolidate some of the categories up top to make it easier to navigate.  I thought about doing a redesign, but that might be months away.  For now these are just small things to help me and you see what I have and don't.

Musical Stares

My posts have been few and far between, and when I have posted they have been a lot of musical posts.  Sorry about that, but today is another musical edition.  I took a bit of a break from blogging and collecting as of late, but I had my reasons.  However, things are starting to look up and I might get back into all of it soon.  Nothing bad has happened, I was just in a funk.  Though I was having computer issues, but I managed to find a good laptop on Black Friday so I was able to upgrade.  Since then I've had to move all my stuff to the new computer and figure out my favorite sites again, and figure out where the new computer put all the apps and programs I use.  Luckily, most of what I use is still working, and I even managed to finish some custom cards I will show later.  With my computer issues out of the way, my next step is a big one.

Beginning soon I will once again wipe out my collection on here and Trading Card Database.  The reason is two fold.  First because this year I really fell behind on what I have and I need to figure it out.  The second reason is because in order to do that, I needed more organize better.  My plan was to get a couple 3200 count boxes or maybe a couple 5000 count boxes so I could expand my Royals collection, then also get rid of my binders to save space.  After a rough estimate, I figured I'd need almost 2 boxes just for the binders alone.  So since Ebay was nice to give me bonus Ebay bucks a couple days lately, I managed to snag 5 boxes holding a total of 25000 cards.  More than enough for the binders and my Royals collection, as well as my Mizzou collection and even my Related To Missouri collection and completed sets.  Then I can more easily sort my excess cards and figure out what to do with them.  I'm waiting to figure out the best way to separate the cards in the boxes (I used index cards but didn't like them), and once I figure it out, I should start soon.  I'm thinking using craft stick would be good as dividers and much cheaper than other alternatives.

When I start doing that, I will wipe out my two accounts on Trading Card Database.  One will be used only for set building and complete sets (my second account), and my main account will be for Royals, Mizzou and whatever randomness I collect.  It will make it easier to sort since some cards I know I have but not sure if they are in my sets or in my collections.  Now if I get doubles I can include them in both.  I'm hoping to start this massive project by the first of the year.

Having said all that, I have been hesitant to sorting any new cards I've gotten lately, but today I did decided to scan some cards.  I scanned a lot of stuff this year I never got around to, so maybe next year I will show it.  Today's cards though all have a theme of music.  So let's get into it.

Really?  I bought New Kids On The Block stickers?  The answer is yes.  Though I had my reasons, unfortunately I ordered the wrong ones.  Now you may ask "How does one order the wrong NKOTB stickers, and is there really a RIGHT NKOTB sticker set?"  The answer is yes to having the right ones, and I didn't do due diligence on ordering the right ones.  While I've been away, in the back of my mind has been a sticker project I wanted to work on.  I don't want to give too much away right now since its still in the planning phase, but I needed a couple New Kids stickers.  I didn't need the whole set, just one of the group, I think one of Donnie, and most importantly, one of Joey.  I really thought the last one shown is the one I needed. When I got these, I realized it was the wrong one.  There are two sticker sets, and it appears I need the yellow version instead of the red version.  Now the question is do I want to go through the hassle or just say screw it, this one will do.  I haven't decided yet.

The good news though is that this is a complete sticker set and it was cheap.  I even got bonus ebay bucks for them, so I didn't lose much on it.  Once I feature this project I mentioned, I'll decide if I will break this set up or go ahead and get the right cards.

I had a specific reason for these stickers, but even if I didn't, its still pretty cool to have some trading cards of boy bands.  New Kids got cards.  Backstreet Boys got cards.  I think One Direction got cards.  But you know who DIDN'T get cards?

The Lyte Funkie Ones!  That's right LFO never got trading cards.  So for the first (and likely only time ever) I created LFO trading cards.  I had my reasons for it which I will mention in a moment, but look at the rest of the 5 card set I created.  I should mention I haven't created cards in over 6 months to a year and these seemed kind of rushed, so once I get back in the habit, the quality should improve.

Summer Girls is one of my favorite songs ever.  I know its not a songwriters masterpiece, but it was a teenage pop song that hit when I was a teenager.  It bordered on novelty and for those who didn't take it serious appreciated it more.  The lead singer of LFO was Rich Cronin.  I love how on the first card he is wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt.  You'll get it if you listened to the song Summer Girls.  Sadly, a few years ago Rich Cronin died from a stroke as a result of leukemia at the age of 36.  It was really a shame as I had hoped one day they would return for at least one more album.

Rich and Brad were original members of the band.  Brian Gillis was also in the band, but left just before they hit it big.  After the death of Rich, Brad and Devin decided on a couple occasions to go on tour together.  Today Brad among other things is a pro-life activist.

*Side note, this card is really bad, but I liked this photo so I used it.  Since its not a real card, I don't care all that much.

Devin Lima joined the band just before they hit it big and has been the driving force behind the band after Rich's illness and death.

The reason I made these cards is because of Devin.  After a short tour this summer, Devin announced he has stage 4 adrenal cancer.  He turned 40 years old this year, and it really struck me upon hearing this news.  Two thirds of the band have/had a form of cancer way too early in life.  My sister had stage 4 cancer, and a friend I know also has it, and it really rattles you.  All cancer sucks, but basically if you have stage 4 there isn't a lot you can do but pray and get everything in order.  I hate to sound grim like that, but it is like that.  I hope for peace for Devin and all his family and friends and fans.

So I'm sorry I brought everyone down, I hope I can lift you back up.  Maybe I should get Silly.

BARFEY?  MORONNA?  NSTINK?  These are some Silly CDs!  Not just that but stickers.  I've seen the cards for this set a lot and got a few off Listia, but I've never seen the stickers.  So when I was still on Ebay, I figured I'd go ahead and get the complete card set and the sticker set was included.  They are basically the same as the cards, but at least I don't have to worry about building it now.

They also made puzzle sets for some of the cards.  I am missing one piece to finish the Santana one, and need 5 of the 6 of the Dixie Chicks.  While I'd like to get the Santana piece, I don't care about the Dixie Chicks one.  If I were to build another puzzle set, it would be the Britney Spears set.

Even classic artists were parodied.  Though these are made as a joke, I think releasing a set of music cards just showing album covers would be a fun set.  The front could be the album cover and the back could be either a bio of the artist or talk about the album.  Maybe both.  This was an easy 35 card set, but it was fun to finish.  While I didn't do much with cards this last half of the year, it did make me enjoy these new cards to my set.

So with that I will wrap it up.  I have a lot to do, but I thought it would be fun to post.  Maybe my next post won't be about music, but who knows.  Maybe I should do a musical post EVERY OTHER TIME...

The good news about all this is I had fun writing this and lately I've come up with ides for blog posts, so it looks like I'm not quite gone from the blogosphere just yet.  Thanks to all for the kind words and I hope everyone has a great holiday season.  Have a great weekend!

Where My Head Is At

I'm sure a few of you have missed me.  It all started because I was a little busy.  Then I just didn't feel like writing, then I didn't know what to write.  However I felt at worst it was time for an update.  I have plenty to show off and write about, I just don't really want to.  The other day I realized a bit why that is.  I've said on here a few times that I'm not a big fan of the Fall season because a lot of people I know and love have passed away in the months of September, October, and November.  I know death happens all year around, but it seems to escalate in the Fall to me.  In September, someone I met only once died but she really brought a lot of joy in that one time we met.  She died of cancer 11 years ago.  It was a tough pill to swallow, but I got over it.  However, exactly 2 weeks later, my dad passed away.  Two deaths in 2 weeks really takes a toll on you.  Sometimes I wonder if I really recovered from either.  Fast forward a few years later and the first week of October and a good friend since high school committed suicide, on another friends birthday no less.  This friend that died I worked with for a few years after we graduated and it was just a gut punch to me.  I hadn't talked to him in a year or two, but it came out of left field.

October also has some bittersweet happiness though.  One of my sister's birthday was over a week ago.  She would have been 40 this year if she didn't pass away from cervical cancer.  She was the glue that held the family together after my dad died, and because of that I don't think I ever recovered from that either.  She was diagnosed around the same time I suffered a severe back injury that in turn I never was cleared to return to work and I left my job.  Neither are related to each other, but the timing really seemed odd and it kind of brings me to where I am now.  I'll get to that in a bit though.

November really did a trick on me in high school.  When I was a Senior in high school my grandpa passed away on Thanksgiving.  I blamed myself for a long time for not visiting him one last time, but I have gotten past that.  But at the time I connected it to Thanksgiving, and I never cared for the holiday much since.  A few years later, a close family friend, and one of my dad's best friends died on the day after Thanksgiving.  He died a few hours after we talked to him that morning on a farm he owned of a heart attack.  He meant a lot to me because at one point he gave me a job.  I was once a paper boy, and I quit because I needed real money.  I applied to roughly 70 jobs, and nobody would hire me.  He needed some help with some odd jobs, and so I helped him out for a few months and it meant the world to me.  I think he just wanted someone to be with him while he did most the work, but I did get my hands dirty a few times.  When I finally got my job at Wendy's I felt bad that I couldn't help him as much anymore, but I still did a few more times.  I still keep an eye out for some concrete steps thinking back to the countless hours and weeks we spent trying to get some for a trailer he owned.

I have a point to most of this though.  I thought a lot and the other day it hit me why I'm just not motivated like I had been in recent years.  When my dad died, I got all his cards he had.  I had sold off my collection about 2-3 years earlier and was mostly out of the game, but when I got his collection, it gave me a bit of a spark.  At first my plan was to just sell it off, but it was fun collecting cardboard again.  I did for a few years but as the years went by it started to become an afterthought.  Fast forward to my back injury and I had more time to spend on cards, and I sorted them nonstop.  Once again it became fun again.  Once my sister needed someone to go with her to St. Louis for cancer treatments though, again, it became an afterthought, because it wasn't important.  After she died, I was just stuck.  I had nothing to do, and plenty of time.  I started to sort initially just so I could sell all the cards off and be done with it.  Then I found a website called Trading Card Database.  It was what I needed.  I could sort all my cards and archive what I had, making it a lot easier to know what I had and could sell.  However, I needed more to take my mind off my sister, and I started buying cards again.... A LOT!  It kept my mind off things, and it kept me happy.  I got involved in the card collecting world again with new eyes and new ideas.  It eventually lead up to starting this blog.  The blog was just to show off stuff, but something amazing happened the around the time I started.  My favorite team, the Royals who were cellar dwellers for 2 decades suddenly caught fire.  THEY MADE THE PLAYOFFS!  It gave me a fire to blog more.  They made it to the World Series!  I was stoked!  It gave me more fire!  Then they lost but it gave me hope in my team but also into collecting.  I fell in love with a sport again I didn't know I fell out of love with.

The next year it kept going, this time though the Royals won the World Series!  I was a full blown card addict again.  Two short years later something happened though that has really pinched my fandom in collecting and sports.  Some could blame the Royals and Mizzou's off year, but I think its more than that.  I think after all these years I finally lifted a burden.  I needed something to keep my mind off my dad and sister so much.  It was my fix, and it worked.  However I have started to find new ways and things to occupy my time and collecting cards isn't my #1 escape anymore.  I still collect, and I still plan to get cards, but its not like a drug that it used to be.  This blog isn't the drug it used to be.  I don't plan on abandoning either one, but if you treat a hobby like its a drug, sometimes you just need to go to rehab and take a break.  I think I've done that recently.  So with that, I won't say I'm done blogging or collecting, but I won't be compelled to write or collect because I MUST.  However, while I still have a few things I want to get done before I get back into both more regularly, I think when I do come back soon, I will have plenty to discuss and show off.  This time maybe with a new set of eyes.  Ones that aren't treating this hobby as a distraction, but more of a part time passion.

Thank you for reading such a long post, but I thought I'd get everyone up to speed on my whereabouts lately.  I have quite a few tasks I want to complete before I'm back more regularly, but I feel when I do come back I will be more refreshed.  Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Savvy Shopping: Deep Discounts

A few days ago I made a trip to my local second hand store, Savvy Seconds.  Its been over a month since I last visited and they had a ton of merchandise.  I assume it was a lot of garage sale leftovers, so much so that their usual year-round Christmas section was missing.  Having said that, there was a lot of stuff that didn't catch my eye.  I mean I wasn't in the market for cassette tapes even though I heard they might be making a comeback.  Probably a couple hundred total, and I didn't even look for a price, but I did browse.  Nothing aside from a Gaither cassette caught my eye so I moved on.  Books didn't look interesting either, and the more than usual glassware wasn't for me either.  With all that being said, I didn't leave empty handed.  In fact, I was quite pleased with my haul, one of my better ones this year.  So let's take a look at what I got.  We'll start with CD's as that's what I usually look at first.

I admit I don't listen to as much Christian music as I use to, but I couldn't pass up this CD from Sonicflood.  It has some of their best songs, and to be honest, I don't think I ever owned this album.  I haven't listened to it yet, but I noticed it does have Heart of Worship, which is one song that does pop into my head quite often.

I love Lisa Loeb.  I have always been a fan, so when I saw this, I got it.  I think I might have bought this already now that I think about it, but I'm not too worried about it.  Lately I've been listening to music a lot on my Roku, but I might break out my hard drive and listen to my collection.

I'll never say I'm the biggest Foo Fighters fan, though I did like their earlier stuff.  These days I just can't get into their music.  Though when I found this still sealed CD I couldn't pass it up.  I think I've head These Days and Walk, but they aren't ringing a bell.  I think I'll try to locate these songs on Youtube before I decide to open this up.  If its still I can live without, I'll keep it sealed, for no other reason then because not only does it have that sweet Grammy sticker on it, but also still has the Best Buy barcode sticker on it.  I love nostalgia, and since its been close to a decade since I've inside a Best Buy, this will make me remember the handful of times I have.

I think these were 50 cents each.  It is the going rate, but the final price seemed off so I may have got them cheaper.  A lot of sections had half off stickers so maybe I got lucky.

Next I'll show the most expensive item I got, which cost two dollars.

If I never watched that Ben Affleck movie, I'd never been a fan of Daredevil.  However I did, and I liked it, so now I look for Daredevil comics when I see comics for sale, which isn't too often.  I know nothing about comics and how to grade them or pricing, so I'm not sure if I got a good deal.  What I do know is there were probably 50 or so comics for sale, a lot of new ones like Scooby Doo, but a lot of older ones like these and Fantastic Four and such.  None really caught my eye and the oldest one I found was 1978 (as the copyright on the back page ad showed), I found a total of 5 or 6 Daredevil comics, but I knew I only wanted to get one for the 2 dollar price tag (I'm cheap, but also didn't think any had a lot of value).  I picked this one for two reasons, first because it looked like it told part of Daredevil's story that was mentioned in the aforementioned movie, and second, because besides the cool cover, it was also one of the oldest issues they had.

I found out when I got home that this seems like it was somewhat of a good issue to have.  It tells the story of Daredevil's father (as I figured), as well as the journalist finding out who Daredevil really is.  In addition, it was the final work for Marvel by Wally Wood.  He helped with the cover of this issue.  He died in 1981.  I don't know if that will add value to it, but again, I don't think it holds much value due to the condition.  It appears to be all there, but the pages seem to be discolored but if it was in better shape I'd probably find a backer board and bag it.  If they lower the prices on the other comics, I might buy some more.  I hope to read this issue soon though.  I might even scan some of it for a future blog.

The rest of the items were on clearance.  I don't know if they just wanted to get rid of stuff or what, but a lot of items were a nickel or dime, prices I've hardly ever see them sell stuff for.  I think its a smart move because it was really cluttered so they needed to move a lot of stuff out.  At any rate, I'm not complaining.

Did I need it?  No, but for 10 cents (maybe it was 5), I surely can put something inside it.  If nothing else, I can print out a list of all the Mizzou athletes I've gotten autographs of.  Or maybe a list of players I have cards or.  Since I can put something on both sides of this document holder, I could print out both lists and have one on each side.  Or I could put in in my closet and forget about it, which is most likely what I'll do.

I don't drink coffee, but I can't pass up local media advertising.  This KMIZ mug if I remember the logo is from the mid-90's.  With a price tag of a dime, it was hard to pass up.

They had another mug for the same price, but to be honest, I didn't have a need for two of them, but who knows, maybe next time if its still there I'll get it and have a matching pair.

So these last three items are clothing that I will never wear, but not only dirt cheap, but were exciting for me to find.

A girl's softball jersey isn't a normal find, but it was the sponsor that caught my eye.  When I showed it to a friend he commented "it must must be a slow pitch league to match their Internet service".  I-Land is our local Internet service and while I'm currently upset with the issues they seem to be having, I have to admit their pricing isn't bad, but I will likely need to move up a package to get a little faster service (my main issues have come up since streaming more on my Roku).  As for this jersey, I'll never wear it, but I like advertising, so this being 10 cents was well worth it to me.  Maybe one day if I ever get a house, I can display all these odd jerseys I have.

My town isn't known for very much.  Aside from school activities, our failed grocery stores, our Christmas Parade, our Co-Op getting sued by Monsanto, and a town cop who would make Barney Fife and Chief Wiggum look like the smartest men alive, above all else, we are known for our Rodeo.  "It's always the 3rd Weekend in July" isn't just a slogan, in recent years its basically become our motto when asked what happens around here for fun.  I, myself, haven't been in probably 15-20 years, but most people like it.  When I say most people, I mean most people who want an excuse to go out into a field and drink all night.  Since its outside city limits, Deputy Fife can't do much.  Though each year people forget he and the county Sheriff usually have the roads covered and drive home drunk.

As you can tell, I'm not a big advocate for the Rodeo, as its just an excuse to drink for most.  Its a shame for those who really want to enjoy a rodeo, and the performers.  Not all is bad though, as the usual rodeo clown (at least as far as I know he still is) became a celebrity a few years ago.  If you remember the clown that got fired from the Missouri State Fair for wearing the Obama mask, then that's the same guy. 

So if I'm so against it, why did I get the shirt?  Well, it was a dime, and I for some reason still have town pride.  It was too cheap to pass up.  Plus the fact that maybe one day I'll lighten up and decide to go to the rodeo again (its usually two nights) and find out that its not as bad as I make it out to be.

So there is one item left, the coffee mug was my third favorite purchase.  The Daredevil comic was my second favorite.  This last item is my most favorite item, and it cost a whopping 10 cents.  If they had 100 of them, I would have bought them all.

Holy cow, BATMAN!  That's a stadium giveaway jersey from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals!  For those keeping track at home, they are the Kansas City Royals Double A affiliate.  This is the second NWA items I've found at Savvy Seconds in the last two years.  The other item was a team history book.  This leads me to believe not only is there a local Royals fan that donates to the store, but the make frequent stops to Springdale, Arkansas.  I have a couple theories.  First they are really a Cardinals fan that goes to a lot of Springfield Cardinals games and on occasion since Springdale isn't too far across the state lines, watches the minor league Cardinals play games at the home of the Naturals, and just happen to get team giveaways they have no use for.  The other theory is since Springdale isn't too far from Bentonville, one of the local Walmart management makes trips to headquarters down in Arkansas and happens to go to these games.  Either way, whoever it is and whatever the situation is, I hope they keep it up.

Here is the back of the jersey for those curious.  This jersey is similar to the old Royals powder blue jerseys I love so much.  This is truly a find.  When I got home I tried to find out more info about it, and I believe it was a giveaway from last July.  There is one selling on Ebay still in its bag for 10 bucks.  Not a bad price really, but I don't need to spend that since I have one now.

While I will likely never wear this, I think its an extra large, so if I did lose some weight it is possible for me to try it on.  Maybe that should be my motivation.  Maybe set a goal of losing enough weight to wear it next year... on the third weekend of July.... at the local Rodeo, just to see the Cardinals fans sneer.  There are a lot of them.  But lets not talk about the Cardinals since that stupid rally Cat appeared and they hit Grand Slams against my Royals on back to back nights and swept them in a four game series.  Oh well, at least we still have 1985.

In total, including a few items my mom bought (mostly books), the total came in under 5 bucks.  To be honest, I would have possibly paid 5 bucks just for the Naturals jersey, so everything else was essentially free.

That wraps it up for tonight,  I'm hoping to watch the Chiefs first preseason game tonight, and preparing for football season.  I haven't given up on the Royals yet, but until I can see more of their games, I haven't kept up like I usually do.  As for this blog, well, I still have a lot of stuff scanned, maybe I'll find time and motivation to write soon and showcase the stuff.  Thank you all for reading and hope everyone has a great weekend.

Ranting & Raving: O.J. Simpson, Linkin Park, and More

Sometimes I just want to convey my thoughts, and right now is one of those times, so its time for me to do a semi-regular commentary.

Let's start with the sad and unfortunate news of the passing of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.  He hung himself earlier today, on what would have been Chris Cornell's birthday.  I wasn't aware of this until I read it, but Chester and Chris were real good friends, and Bennington had thoughts of suicide previously.  While this hasn't hit me as hard as Cornell's death, its still tragic and needs to serve as a wake up call to everyone who knows someone who is depressed or has suicidal thoughts to check up on them.  I don't know what was going through Mr. Bennington's head since the passing of his friend Chris, but I heard he did leave a wife and six kids behind, and was loved by many more fans.

Linkin Park started to make noise around the time I was graduating high school, and I was reminded today that their song One Step Closer is almost 20 years old.  It's hard to fathom that in a few more years that the music I graduated to will be considered classic rock (it already has been by some).  I enjoyed a lot of Linkin Park's music, but I don't think I ever owned one of their albums.  In the next few days I will probably find a playlist of a lot of their songs on Youtube and check them out again.  I really haven't heard much from them in recent years, but they always seemed like a band that could come out with a hit song at any time.  R.I.P. Chester Bennington.

On any other day, that would probably be the top story nationally, but it will be overshadowed by something else.  In fact I found out about this while waiting for the big story to develop.  The bigger story is of course O.J. Simpson.

On the surface, it really shouldn't be a big deal.  For those unaware, today was the parole hearing for O.J.  If things went well, he would be released from prison.  As it turns out, he was granted parole, but he won't be released until October 1st.  So, in a sense, it doesn't really matter what happens today, but October 1st.  I don't get why it takes 2 and a half months for him to get released, but you can breathe a sigh of relief if you R.S.V.P.'ed to go to the Pumpkin Carving Party at O.J.'s this year.

I'm really not that conflicted on this to be honest.  In years past, I would have said, FRY HIM.... okay, maybe not, but I would have been fine if he was denied parole.  However I have mellowed a bit in recent years.  Here's the thing a lot of people forget, he's not in jail for murder.  So in a sense, I don't get the lynch mob that wants him to serve 33 years for trying to get back his stuff.  Of course there's much more to it than that, but still.  The hearing itself didn't really look good for O.J. to be honest.  He actually in my opinion almost talked himself back in prison, and his attorney didn't really help his cause.  However the guy that he committed these crimes against DID HELP O.J.  He actually testified on behalf of O.J. and made some valid points.  As the victim, he's been a longtime friend of O.J.'s and has forgiven him of the crime.  In addition, he even requested O.J. only serve 1-3 years for the crimes to begin with, and he doesn't really blame O.J. for what went down, but blames the other people with O.J. that night.

What I can't get past in this crime is if we are to believe the victim and O.J., Simpson never used a gun that night.  So why should he be charged for weapons charge?  Well, in some places, since O.J. was the "mastermind" he is essentially liable for all the other people in his party.  I guess that makes sense, but by all accounts, O.J. just wanted his stuff and the other people kind of went rogue and in business for themselves, so he shouldn't be held accountable for them.  The other point is all the other people have been given parole or released already so why is he the only one still in jail?  I guess if he is the ringleader then he should serve longer than the rest, but I still think it was a bit excessive.

Where I do have some trouble with all of this though is for what he isn't serving time for.  Yes, I'm talking about the double homicide.  After it happened and likely many years after I said O.J. didn't do it.  I was a kid, so I had no evidence, but I also couldn't believe a big time sports star and celebrity could do it, and hey, he wasn't convicted.  As the years went by and the more I read and saw, I can't say I 100% agree with it now.  My belief now is that he was involved, but I'm still not sure he actually did the killing.  I can believe he hired someone, or something else may have happened where he knows what happened.  If it came out tomorrow that he admits he did it though, I wouldn't be surprised.

With all that being said, that wasn't the reason he was in jail, so I don't think keeping him there for the murders is justified.  If he did do it, than year it sucks he isn't in jail for life, but its also unfair to pin him in jail to correct a mistake the court system made the first time.

Here's something else I have to think about though as a collector.  Do I want any O.J. memorabilia?  Should I be honoring a man that I think had a hand in a double homicide?  It's a question I often wonder as think of other athletes who I may collect.  I collect a lot of Mizzou athletes, but should I?  Aldon Smith and Sheldon Richardson seem to get in trouble with the law on a consistent basis.  Should I be honoring them by collecting their cards?  I've already purged cards of former Chiefs Running Back Larry Johnson (I groan even as I type his name), and if former Mizzou Running Back Derrick Washington had cards, I wouldn't likely be trying to get my hands on them.  At what point is it okay to collect cards of a person who has done something less than honorable?  Also, would I be collecting because of their criminal fame, or the athletic ability?  Would/Should it even matter?  These are things I have to ponder.

I don't own any O.J. Simpson cards, but I'm not sure if I ever would if I found one at a good price.  I admit I looked on COMC last night just to see what some are going for, but I had no intention to buy one.  However as collector's are we also collecting history?  Sometimes I show my nephews or other people some of my cards, and I tell them stories about those players or something that reminds me of them.  I am preserving the past, wouldn't have a card of Simpson keep that part of history alive?  I mean if you are buying a card second hand from COMC or ebay or a card show, its not like O.J. will be making money on that card.  On the flip side though, if his cards starts selling, wouldn't Topps or Panini want to offer him a contract to sign some cards to release?  Its a vicious circle that I have to decide if I want to be a part of.  In the end, if I end up with one of his cards, I won't be upset, but I'm also not seeking them out either.  It could be a good talking point for future generations.

How soon will O.J. start attending card signing after he's released?  Would you go to any of them?  I mean in his shoes, I would book as many of those as I can, though as a collector, I'm not sure I'd want to attend one.  Also would that look good on the dealer to book O.J. Simpson for a signing?  Again, I can see both sides, but not sure I'd want to be involved.  Though again, he was found not guilty so if he really didn't do it, why should he be punished for it?

So let's switch gears a little bit.  Last week I got an email I was hoping for, it was from Netflix.  It was for a one month free trial, and I took it.  I've been waiting so I could watch the new season of Orange is the New Black.  After I signed up, I binge watched it, and let me say, I'm pretty disappointed.  I'll try not to spoil much, but the time span of the season is three or four days and it involves a prison riot.  Without saying much more, I thought a lot of the season dragged, and instead of 13 episodes, it could have been done in 5.  It's almost like they forgot about some of the characters for 2-3 episodes then remembered to use them again.  Some just disappeared then showed back up, and well, I don't know.  I hope next year is much better.

Since I finished up that show, I am waiting for Ozark to be released with Jason Bateman.  I'm not sure what to expect, but I hope its good.  After that there isn't a whole lot for me to watch but reruns of shows I like such as Burn Notice, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, Leverage, and Limitless.  I added a few others I may check out too and will try to watch as much Crossing Jordan as possible in the next couple weeks as I can.  I got caught up on The Ranch, and while I really liked the first 10 episodes, I feel like they've started to stray from the original idea a bit.  It's still good, but its not must watch anymore.  I will say this though, after trying out Hulu earlier this year, I think it is much better than Netflix, and I could see myself using it a lot more.

Yesterday I was on twitter and I saw Shane McMahon's name trending.  At first I didn't think much of it because it was the day after Smackdown aired, and sometimes WWE stuff trends a while longer.  However, I was curious so I clicked on it.  To my surprise I read he survived a helicopter crash in the Atlantic Ocean.  I didn't appear to be too bad, but it still was really interesting.  I've always liked Shane, and due to his daredevil ring style, many were quick to make jokes about it.  "Of course he survives a plane crash".... "Shane's bumps are starting to get out of hand"...

The truth is, I almost missed out on the entire story for a couple reasons.  First, if I didn't click on it, I wouldn't have heard about it.  There seemed to be no press coverage of it outside of the New York market where it happened.  At first I thought, so what, he survived, no big deal.  But then I thought more and one of the reports made me realize something.  Not only is he the son of WWE owner Vince McMahon, his mom Linda is one of Donald Trump's cabinet members.  I would think it would merit a little more coverage than it got, but oh well.

The other reason I almost missed out was because after the WWE Money In The Bank PPV in June, I've more or less cut off wrestling.  I watched maybe 20 minutes of it since, and check out my favorite wrestling site maybe twice a week, down for maybe 5-10 times a day.  For years I've said I needed a reason to stop watching, and now is the time.  The PPV was the last day I had a free trial to the WWE Network, and combine that with storylines I don't care about, it was the best chance for a clean break.  I'm not saying I'm never watching again, but maybe a few months off is what I need.  When I had the network I only watched the old WCW stuff anyways, so its not like I watched much modern stuff (aside from 205 Live).  Without the Network, I could watch Raw, Smackdown, and ROH, but I just don't feel like it.  Its to a point that my interest in checking out the new Netflix series GLOW is waning each day.  Its on my list, but I just can't get motivated to watch it.

Well, I think I've ranted and raved long enough.  Sorry it was so long, I just wanted to clear my head again.  It felt good, and also makes me excited to write two days in a row.  I've been working on sorting some cards, and have a lot to scan, and even more to post, so hopefully I'll be blogging more soon.  Before I go, one more thing on O.J.  He said when he gets out he could find all kinds of stuff to do, one of which is he could start blogging.  I so want that to happen.  Just think if he wrote about collecting.  That would be awesome, he would kill at it.... um.. wrong choice of words.

Anyways thanks for reading and have a great night.

Savvy Shopping and a Surprise

Its been a while since I've been to my local second hand store, Savvy Seconds.  I am hoping to go sometime soon, but I realized I haven't posted my last few trips there.  Part of the reason is because I've struck out a lot, and the other is because I haven't blogged much.  I thought today I would post my most recent trip, probably a month or so ago.  Before I do I thought I'd show a card my good friend gave me a while back.

Yeah today's post is all photos so maybe I should have waited to scan them but oh well.  My friend collects every Mizzou football player he can, and had an extra Charles Harris rookie, so he gave it to me.  I've neglected my Mizzou collection lately, but this is a fine addition.  Once I declutter a bit I hope to work on adding more.  Harris could be a big name in the NFL, and I think he's very underrated.  He might have been the only Mizzou player to get a card this year, but I have my eye on a couple other players who played in the state, one of them is Garret Fugate.  I'm watching his autographed card on COMC as we speak, and might pull the trigger soon.

So with that out of the way, what did I find at Savvy's?  Good question, let's take a gander.

Book deals are there every time I go, and usually you find a lot of worthwhile finds, at least my mom does, but we usually fall a book or two short, so I grab a couple random ones that I have a slight interest in.  This was one of those books.  Since I've gotten it, I've actually passed it off to my cousin who was a big fan of the show, so I figured she'd have more use from it than I would.

This CD I've also passed on, this time to my friend who gave me the Charles Harris card.  Hey, it can't be worse than those Kids Bop CD's right?  Well.... country-fied version of kids songs isn't up my alley, so I can't say, but he has a couple small kids, and he owns a John Deere, so I think its better suited for them.  He says the kids like it, so there's that.  Now if Sears made a Craftsman CD then I'd be all over that.  However, I think at most it would be an EP and two of those songs would be about bankruptcy or selling the Craftsman name to a rival, so I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy that.

So let's get into items I DID KEEP!

One thing being a Royals fan is how much I hate the Detroit Tigers.  I hate them so much because they have so many guys that I like or have liked in the past.  Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson (at least he became a Royal), Jack Morris, to even more current guys like Max Scherzer (now in DC), and this guy... Justin Verlander.  I've been a Verlander fan since day one, even though he has KC's number.  He appears to be slowing down a bit, but he's still a guy I'd love for the Royals to get if it came at the right price.  However, this plastic sign/poster did come at the right price, so I snagged it up.  Sure I don't really have a place to display it now, but maybe one day I'll have a spot.  Oh plus I'm a bit jealous of him because he's with Kate Upton.... there's that too.

This came out of left field.  I have no idea how many card collector's there are in the area, but even if there are a few, I'm surprised to find a Beckett book from 2011, especially from Football.  If it was from the 90's or something, I would understand, but if there are many collector's around here, they appear to be in hiding.  I also am a bit surprised because if I saw this, I was hoping to at least find some cards for sale nearby too, but there were none.  I haven't really looked at the book yet, but I hope to sometime soon.  I'm a bit curious to see some of the prices in here.

I also have a question for those who visit Trading Card Database.  Should this book be included in the Publications section?  I have really only seen the monthly price guides on there, so I'm not sure an actual book should be on there.  While I'm at it, should the old Red Foley books be in that section too?  I mean cards were inserted, but it wasn't really a price guide.  Maybe I should ask that question on the Database.

Ok, last picture, and its a two-fer.

I was quite happy to find these two CD's while looking around last time.  I always say I should start listening to Christian music again, but never do.  These are a couple CD's that I've always wanted to check out, but never have.  I remember the old Time Life commercials for the Songs 4 Life series that came on TV in the late 90's.  It has one of my favorite Christian songs ever on it- El Shaddai from Amy Grant.  It is a 2 CD set, and it still was only 50 cents.  As for the Rich Mullins CD, I was happy to find it after watching the movie Ragamuffin a year or two ago and became more interested in his story.  Rich wrote one of the biggest Christian songs ever, Awesome God, and had a very interesting life.  He died way too early, and sometimes I'm curious what would have happened if he didn't.  However, I listened to this CD some, and wasn't quite entertained by it.  It also came with a DVD, but I haven't checked it out yet.

So overall I have to say it was a fun trip to Savvy Seconds, and I hope to go again soon, and find more deals.  That will wrap it up for today, thanks for reading and have a great night.  If its hot like it is here, stay cool this week, as I'm hearing triple digit temperatures around here for a few days, and I will find ways to stay cool.  Thankfully I have Netflix, and Ozark is about to be released soon on there, so I'll stay busy.