It's About The Firsts

When I read Night Owl Cards blog post When the firsts were mostly fun, I thought what a fun Blog Bat Around subject that the article would make.

I am not sure if that was his intention, but I have seen a couple bloggers now use it, so I said why not join in as well and have a cup of coffee while I am at it.

*takes a sip*

The point of the post was mentioning some firsts both in hobby and in life. We will avoid some "firsts" topics on this blog however ;) 

Nobody wants to read about that. I promise you.

*takes another sip*

For my post on this, I copied Greg's layout but will have to tweak a few parts as my version of some of his topics didn't quite match. You will see this as you read on.

And that begins with the First Blaster. 

 

I don't remember what my first blaster was, but I do remember my first hobby box which was a box of 1997 Pinnacle Inscriptions football back in 1997. A brand-new box of it came in and my father reserved it at the gas station for us. If you are questioning why I said gas station, it's probably because you haven't read any of my stories in the past, our gas station was like a hobby shop with tons of boxes/packs in the 90's.

This product was a lot of fun with trying to chase down the acetate Inscriptions Autographs. It was also an expensive one, so even though we reserved the full hobby box, we could only grab a couple "packs", like the one pictured, at a time.

First what I considered old card in my collection 

 

was the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr rookie. This iconic card was my first older card and that's not even close to being the type of older cards I expect to see others post about.

I would call myself the "young" blogger, but I certainly don't feel it.

First parallel I knew was one of the first packs I opened. This one cover two topics.

1994 Topps Football Special Effects. These were very eye pleasing.

First baseball cards I purchased through mail-order . 

 

I never ordered any cards through any mail in offer. I did order these 1992 Kellogg's PVC Darkwing Duck figures though.

First sitcom I saw was....probably..

Home Improvement. I watched soooooooo many sitcoms in the 90's it's really hard to narrow them down to which one I watched first, I do know Home Improvement was definitely up there and was the most watched one.

First "big kid" book I read

Was this. Absolute classic. It was followed up with a couple "sequels", but they weren't as good as the original.

First cartoon that freaked me out, none did I grew up watching horror movies. Instead, my first favorite voice actor that followed my entire childhood.

Everyone should know this legend, Jim Cummings.

First article I wrote as a professional writer.....

Do I consider myself a professional writer, no. But I got to write for a professional magazine and had my first article published in it. Something I will never forget.

First championship I experienced for a favorite team

 

I saw plenty of NY Yankee championships, none of those really hit home as much as the NY Giants beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42. I wasn't a football fan when the Giants won their first two Super Bowls so instead, I got to watch a lot of misery and a blowout Super Bowl loss to the Ravens. Winning this one against one my most despised teams that was undefeated at the time gave me a thrill like no other.

And I guess we can't finish this up without discussing my first cup of coffee. I don't have a date on that, I just know it was with my mother playing the game of war with playing cards sometime in the 90's.

There you have it, a lot of firsts.

Thanks to Night Owl Cards for the idea.

I could have gone on with more posts and more firsts, but I just wanted to keep it related to his theme to fit the Blog Bat Around. Maybe I will do a spinoff or sequel to this someday. For now, I will need a sequel to this cup of coffee.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Blog Bat Around: Post From A Phone

*on the road with the mrs driving, she doesn’t like my driving  so figured I might as well do a post from my phone and sip on some coffee. takes a sip, continues to type*

How many of us bloggers actually do a blog post from our phones? I bet not many. I know I loathe doing so as it’s much harder to type and use all of the options I need to do a post. 

Especially if you are using photos.

So even though I am cheating today and not using photos for my post, I am challenging the rest of you bloggers to do a post from your phone and use photos. Let’s see how this turns out and how many errors or blips along the way occur while doing so. 

Also how long it takes you to do it.

*takes a sip, almost spills coffee, and she worries about my driving….*

Other than discussing doing a post from a phone and doing this one that way, I did have a point to this post as well. I wanted to share the link to my second article on Beckett so you guys can give it a read and maybe a comment.

Check out 1996 Zenith Z-Team football here:https://www.beckett.com/news/second-look-1996-zenith-football-z-team/

Sorry for such a short post, but that’s all I got for you today.

*takes a sip as we reach the grocery shopping trip destination*

Looking forward to seeing your posts from a phone. This was mine and it wasn’t easy. It took roughly the hour and a half to do even though it’s short.

Have a great Saturday and pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Second Look

Hey guys! I have my coffee and I am getting ready to read a new article and series posted on Beckett.com called Second Look.

The Article is HERE

*takes a sip*

After clicking the link I had to do a second look! At the top of the article was my name! Wait… that must mean…Guess what??!! I wrote it!

*takes a sip*

I am happy to announce I am writing on Beckett’s website a series called Second Look.

Second Look is a series that will take you back to the nostalgic days of the 90s. I know the first article in the series features 1989 Upper Deck baseball, but the rest of the series will feature other sets in the 90s across all sports and non sports that really needed a second look. Whether they were underrated sets, iconic in some way or simply important to me. 

They will get a second look. 

It’s almost like the look you gave out of the corner of your eye to the girl you saw across the room while your wife watched you. Except you won’t have to sleep on the couch to read my series.

But, if you wanted to read my series on the couch that’s fine with me.

So I hope all of you enjoy my new adventure. I am not sure how long it will be for, but it will be a few months at least. With some reading or comments from you guys on my articles, my dream to continue writing for Beckett could go longer.

As for this blog, don’t fret, there is still more coffee and cards to come! There may be some gaps in posting, but the blog will brew on!!

*takes a sip before finishing up todays post*

Before I close, I just wanted to thank you guys again for reading this blog. I never would have stepped outside my comfort zone as much as I have this year and even approached Beckett without your guys reading, comments and encouragement. 

Thank you.

In comments today, I would welcome any suggestions from any sport or non-sport on a set you think needs a second look. I have a list started and who knows…maybe one you choose will make it or has already!

(Side note, writing blog posts are not ideal on a cell phone, just saying)

*Coffee Card Blogger  Out*

My Biggest Accomplishment

 

*burns tongue on first sip of coffee. Didn't expect that but will move forward with this post feeling a little numb on the tongue. It's not like I am using talk to text for thissssssss ssssorrry*

2020 has been a year full of..........I will let you fill in that blank. So I decided early on this year when life hands you lemons...you don't take them you go chase your own lemons to make lemonade. In other words, despite what is being thrown at you, beat those challenges and chase your dreams.

And that's what I did.

*takes a sip this time not feeling whether it burned my tongue or not and gets ready for the big reveal*

My life story can be put into writing or you could say I have been writing for my entire life story. From graded school stories of horror, to high school comedies to later-in-life blogging about pictures of men on cardboard (that doesn't sound right), I have never put down the pen or keyboard. I love to tell stories, see reactions from those stories and practice the art of writing on a continual basis.

One of my biggest dreams in life is to be published. For many years that dream has been to write a non fiction book, but as life has gone on its shown I just don't have the to sit down just yet for that. However, that doesn't mean that dream is dead, it's just taking a nap. 

Does that mean my dream of being published couldn't become a reality? No. Not at all.

With so much going on this year, I worked really hard to achieve my dream quicker. I came to realize not only am I not getting any younger to keep pushing off my main goal, but with a pandemic going on, who knows what life or how life will move forward. If I didn't try now, I may never or may never have the chance to.

That's what led me to wanting to write an article for Beckett. It would get me published and I get to write about sport cards. Can it get any better?

After making a few contacts with Beckett, I finally found the guy I needed to speak to. I proposed a few ideas that were shot down quickly but I didn't give up. Finally I sent an idea that was approved to move forward with, the idea was based on rules, similar to those of Gibbs from NCIS, of not leaving the last pack behind. 

The next step was to sit down and work on my craft. In order for it to be my best work, I knew I would have to write like I do on here. In the back of my mind also; I knew because the idea was accepted, that it didn't mean it would be printed if the piece didn't come out perfect. I would have to get extra help to accompany me to my dream.

So I had my good long time friend, fellow NY Giants fan, teacher, and Author himself, @StephenJFurlong take a look over my article and send me suggestions and corrections to the piece. Without his suggestions on some parts of the article, I am not sure if it would have made publication or not.

With that now being said, you know it got accepted and was printed.

After a long grueling 6 months of corrections and waiting time to hear when it would be published, here is my article in the December Beckett Sport Card Monthly,

(though blacked out name because it's on a blog, I promise you it's me!)

 

I am in awe. Those are my words printed in a nation wide magazine. I still cannot believe it. So much so I bought extra copies of course.

*takes a gulp of coffee, thinks that the morning has moved on enough now for some breakfast. What would be a great celebratory breakfast with so many options out there?*

The only disappointing part of the article, which was the ending and my favorite part, was edited out without notice, which I will share on here for you guys,

"Just don't make the biggest mistake and break the unwritten rule of the hobby. Don't be the Fernando Tatis Jr of the hobby. You know, taking a trip to target and buying three blasters of the latest-hottest product only to forget that you were supposed to pick up that last supper ingredient for your wife who is waiting for you at the door when you get home. That could lead to some real police work or, at least the very least, a Gibbs slap to the head"

Please let me know what you guys think of this alternate ending when you have a chance to grab your issue of December Beckett Sports Card Monthly to read it or try to read it through this blog.

Thanks to Stephen again for the assist on editing.

*takes another happy sip with toaster strudel toasting*

If there is a dream you are chasing, don't let it elude you any longer.

 

The sun is up on another day, today is the day you will chase it and accomplish that dream. 2020 can't stop you, only you can stop you. Go grab those lemons and make some sweet-sweet lemonade. I know I am sipping on it, well that and coffee of course.