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July 25, 2006
A productive childhood
I remember when I was nine years old -- the highlight of my week was the trip my mom, sister, and I would take down to Venture (a Midwest retail chain slain in the late 90s with great and merciless violence by Walmart). While the girls shopped I would camp out in the baseball card aisle. The early 90s (when I collected) was the height of the late baseball card craze. I remember browsing dozens of brands, some glossy (Fleer), some classic (Topps), some downright ugly (Donruss). I preferred Upper Deck's Collector's Choice. The cards contained the most stats and cost only .99 until around 1996 - perfect for my $1.00 weekly allowance (Mom would often cover the tax). Most afternoons after school I'd spend cataloging my collection (by team) and browsing the stats on the back. My favorite cards would go into hard plastic sheaves or the 3x3 protective sheets I'd put in my notebooks. Somewhere I still have my favorite notebook, with rookies of Ken Griffey Jr, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Frank Thomas, and my personal favorite, Robin Ventura.
Josh and Dan will buy a pack occasionally, but have nowhere near the obsession this young nerd had. They spend time reading classic fiction - go figure. I still remember Robin Ventura's stat line from 1991 (.284 23 100). They must be missing out.
Posted by Davey at July 25, 2006 10:29 AM
Comments
I never traded that Mike Piazza rookie card with you...mwahahaha!
Posted by: Kara at July 25, 2006 02:19 PM
Davey, how can you forget the magic that was Upper Deck? Those cards were pure entertainment. I seem to remember them leading the charge into the world of inserts, game-used materials, etc. What trend-setters.
Hey, how about that pair of wins over the Sox? Yeah baby!
Posted by: Joshua Clark at July 25, 2006 05:19 PM
Oops! Sorry Davey. I didn't think you wanted those cards anymore and I tossed them out just last month while cleaning out the attic... (long pause) just kidding!
Posted by: Dad at July 26, 2006 07:42 AM
Upper deck was actually just fine. More expensive than Collector's Choice, and I believe they only had the last three years of stats. I was a very obsessive 9 y/o purist: I wanted the career stats. :)
Posted by: Davey at July 26, 2006 10:53 AM
I had the exact same experience in the late Nineties, which were the height of the HOCKEY card craze in Canada. Collector's Choice forever! If my parent's hadn't held me back I'd be swimming in the things.
Cards with no stats are stupid, yet they're always the most expensive.
Posted by: Fraser at August 1, 2006 04:39 PM
Hmmmm. While I have never collected or traded cards (of any kind of sports), I do have fond memories of going to Venture.
Posted by: Christopher Kou at August 10, 2006 07:30 PM
You sound like my brother in California. He has a mountain of a collection of cards.
Posted by: claudia at August 14, 2006 08:33 PM
So.... how was Trinity Fest? I swear I'm coming to visit. Soon.
Posted by: Ali the Sailor at August 15, 2006 03:12 PM
I think you had a very productive childhood because I was part of it. We had you singing and dancing to kid music videos, taking piano lessons in your girl cousin's bedroom, finetuning the art of ding-dong-ditch while becoming quite a fine poet with those Christmas Angel poems you used to leave at our door...and what about the start of your acting career on Christmas Eve, Joseph? Or then again, you were the narrator as you got older. Ahh--memories, of the way we were...
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