Underdog

*it wouldn't be cards over coffee without having both cards and coffee, so here we go*

Being an underdog means being someone or something that is thought to have little to no chance at winning something. 

Or it may also mean you are watching a cartoon dog from the 60's fight crime. 

I prefer the latter of the two. That was a great cartoon.

But underdog will soon be the role I will be playing again....once again, not the cartoon dog. I wished.

*takes a sip*

I have had another one of "those years" but haven't really posted anything about it on here like last year.

For today's post, I will recap the year up to this point and fill in parts I haven't touched on yet and maybe some I have a little.

1. Back in March, I was diagnosed with Diabetes. It's something that runs on both sides of my family and I figured at some point it would catch up with me, and it did. My A1C at that time was 6.8 and a three month check in after diagnosis and a weekly shot brought me back down to 5.5.

2. Back in May, my sister-in-law and nephew came for a visit, and we played some wiffle ball. Being the sports guy I am, I couldn't let this fly ball just float and hit the ground, instead I did a long reach to try and catch it and felt a "pop". So, after a couple months of PT and pain, I was told to have an MRI and I went today. The results fortunately weren't as bad as I thought they could be, I do have shoulder bursitis and tendonitis. I will know my treatment plan next week.

3. I have been having some bowel issues the last couple of months and my heartburn has returned so I spoke with my Gastro doctor who suggested I get a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy done. I will be having that done in November. I heard colonoscopy's are a blast (yes pun intended)

4. On top of this, I am getting my hernia repaired at the end of September just to make sure that isn't part of the problem for my stomach. I will be out from lifting for 4-6 weeks. This is the hernia I had last year that I should have already had fixed.

5.Other issues have kept arriving as well such as broken cars, dead washing machine and a fridge a week later which has made it tough both on finances and the hobby.

6. I have started writing again for Bags Unlimited after a ten-year hiatus. I will be doing one article a month.

And finally, the latest news. If you follow me on Twitter, you will already know what I am going to say.

After almost 25 years away from school and at the age of 42....I am going back to get a degree and hope to graduate by 2028 with an associate's degree in Design and Media Studies.

I have never gone to college in any form so all of this will be new to me.

The easiest comparison is to Billy Madison or Rodney Dangerfield in Back To School. That's how I feel. I will be online and go, "hey kids" with my hat on backwards, holding a skateboard wearing the "cool clothes".

*takes a sip with a cane nearby, well not really, it's a pencil*

All courses I will be taking will be online and there will be a lot for me to figure out as an "old man".

I will certainly be an underdog in this situation overall between health problems and figuring out my direction.

I could be Kurt Warner level underdog with everything against me.

2001 Pacific Crown Royale Cramers Choice Jumbo Award Game Used Relic

But this latest mail day, featuring Kurt Warner, reminds me that no matter the odds against you, the underdogs can come out on top.

Kurt Warner's personal story of triumph is something I should follow. He had the odds against him, but yet, he triumphed his way to the top being led by faith. If you don't know Kurt's story from grocery store employee to Super Bowl MVP, go Google it. It's a worthy read.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

As you read this you may also be asking, why go back to school now. Well, I want to be the first in my family to graduate college or even go and I want to prove I can overcome my underdog story.

What this also means is that this could be my last post for a while which is why I have been absent. I need to finish signing up for classes, getting that article done and classes begin for me on September 2nd.

Hopefully I will find time to post in-between classes but life, classes and coaching 3rd-4th girls' basketball this fall/winter comes first. Then posting blog articles. I am also deep into a HUGE sorting and purging project in my collection. More details on that in my next post...whenever that may be.

Also, before I officially close out today's post, I need to thank Johnny's Trading Spot for a recent mail day. They post will be coming up next as well. Once again, there will be a delay, but I hope to hit Johnny back with a mail day of his own before that happens.

*takes a final sip for a while*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Don't forget you can start to nominate cards for the 2025 Coffee Card Hall Of Fame!! Cards don't have to be autographs, patch cards, super star cards. It can be whatever you think is Hall Worthy! Find details and current nominations HERE.

Oren's Christmas Gifts

*tummy rumbling, can't begin the typing process without some breakfast by side.*

*gets up, waits for a bagel to be toasted and buttered*

*done. sits back down to computer, breakfast and of course coffee*

*takes a sip, gets ready for post*

Anytime I get a PWE, a package or a good sized box from friend and reader of this blog Oren, I never know what he has found or will be sending. Even if we are doing a trade.

Which always makes the mystery fun.

This time Oren sent a mystery box of Christmas goodies including the 2007 Topps Santa Claus set I opened this post with.

And the Christmas cards were not done from there.

 

In the box also was the complete 1994 In The Pursuit Of Justice OJ Simpson card set that had its own Christmas card.

 

There was also a Christmas Sweater (the multi color ones are the best ones)

Then came some packages to open, stay tuned for that in a new segment. Fingers crossed on a Danny Tanner from Laffs to replace the one in my set!

A couple of cards for my non-sport PC.

Kurt Warner /99

And Terrell Davis /25 Player Of The Day parallel cards. I have never seen these before, pretty cool side collection adds.

This will always be one of my favorite Wave Of The Future designs with the liquid in the card. I didn't know they made these for baseball, maybe a new chase?

Alias Relic. First one of these in my non-sports PC.

This was pretty cool, Bill Erwin was all across TV and Movies. Including The Drew Carey show, Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason and even Seinfeld to name a few. This fits perfectly in my Seinfeld PC. This marks my second autograph of a character from the show.

I don't know who Ryan Stasik is, but I may check into his music after Googling him.

Relic, not worn by comedic Genius Mel Brooks, but is a World War II relic worn by someone. I think Spaceballs is probably among one of the best parody movies out there. Though I give Robin Hood Men In Tights the slight edge. Another Brooks parody.

This is a unique addition to the collection, a Max Patkin autograph. Known as the "Clown Prince Of Baseball", he put on 4,000 appearances in his comedic career.

And this wasn't my complete mail day from Oren either. You will have to check out my NY Giants additions over at Big Blue Cardboard. If you haven't yet, go follow that blog and add it to your blogroll.

Thanks again to Oren for the unique Christmas gift.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

This is only the beginning of my Christmas mail day reveals. I have many more left to show off.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Coffee Card Hall Of Fame

*coffee is hot and ready and I am ready for a new #CardsOverCoffee*

Hall Of Fame. It's where the best of the best go.

In my recent email to blog reader Oren I made reference towards the Kurt Warner autograph he sent me for my birthday was going into my Card Hall Of Fame. Do I actually have one? No. I just used the phrase as it is one of my better cards and that I will have to place it in a careful spot.

I told Oren in my return email that I didn't have one, but he hinted at this could be a good idea to post about. Upon using my brain and a few cups of coffee, I have come up with a fun concept for this.

So here's the deal and here is what I need from you guys, the readers.

I am creating a box where I will be storing my Coffee Card Hall Of Fame collection. I don't have the box or the layout of it complete just yet, but when I do, I will post it. In this box, every year from here on out until I can't brew anymore coffee, I will be placing FIVE cards a year voted on by you to go into the Coffee Card Hall Of Fame. However, I will need some card nominees all year for you to vote on. This is where you guys come into play again. Every post on CARDS OVER COFFEE after today until the December 1st end date, you can nominate a card or cards from any post-including box breaks-in comments of that post you think should be in the Hall for the 2022 year. These will be the nominees.

Those cards will be POSTED HERE all year long. Remember, this is a Hall Of Fame nomination. Not every card has to be a patch, autograph or low numbered, but Hall worthy. I will close nominations on December 1st and will let you guys begin the voting process (how I will do this will be determined later on) on which five cards you would choose to make it into the Hall. The cards with the most votes, get in.

Because I had already referenced this card as Hall worthy,

 

This Kurt Warner autograph will be the first nomination and will appear on that link I showed above.

I hope this sounds like a lot of fun for you guys as I think it will be.

Thanks again to Oren for jumpstarting this idea.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I am curious on your guys thoughts about this in comments today.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Fill your mugs up with joy today.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Another Year

*sits down, gets ready for a new post on #CardsOverCoffee. cards sit next to the laptop for today's post and coffee is on the other side. it's going to be a great start to the day*

Today, I turn 39 years old. I can't believe I will be spending my last year in my 30's. Felt like I just turned 30 yesterday. Time flies by for those of you who are younger and for those of you who are older, you already know this.

I don't have any plans today other than waiting for my mother-in-law to bring out my banana cream pie I discussed earlier this week. Of course with pie, more coffee is expected which alone is a good birthday.

Normally, I don't get a lot of gifts for my birthdays. As you get older, you don't expect nor get much. It's just how it goes and that's okay. It took me awhile to get used to that, but now just being alive for your birthday is the big gift.

*takes a sip to celebrate another day of life*

This year though, I got a really impressive surprise birthday gift from blog reader Oren, who I have been trading with for a year now. I think the first post/trade with Oren shows up on here on March 6th 2021.

He sent along a nice note with birthday wishes and a mail day I wasn't expecting. Especially the card in the package.

The first part of the mail day was two packs of 2004 Topps Star Wars Clone Wars.

Which I opened hoping to land an insert,

 

And I finally did land an insert in the second pack. This Yoda is a Sticker Card that falls 1:3 odds. I was hoping for one of the battle motion cards. Those look pretty cool.

Behind the two packs of cards was this STUNNER......

2001 Upper Deck Sp Sign Of The Times autograph of Hall Of Famer Kurt Warner.

It took me awhile to shake my excitement as I almost dropped the card on the floor. Of course, I tried to calm down because as you get older you worry about having a heart attack from too much excitement.

 

This marks the second Warner in my autograph collection, but this one by far takes the cake as the better card. My other one I always question it's authenticity.

I don't even really know the words to use to say thanks to Oren for this marvelous birthday gift, but I guess a thank you will have to do for now. Unless I take some time to find other words I could use on Google.

*goes to Google after taking a sip and finds, many thanks · thanks very much · thanks a lot · thank you kindly · much obliged · much appreciated · bless you to use for this birthday mail day*

*takes another sip before finishing up today's post. sees mother-in-law coming with the pie*

*takes pie, slices a small piece, sits down with coffee and takes a bite. happy birthday to me*

I am very thankful for having another day here on earth and the start of my 39th year here.  I am never sure what challenges another year brings to my life, especially with all of my health issues on and off, but I will persevere and will post again next year.

I am also thankful I actually responded to Oren's email as most emails I get from strangers trying to do card deals with me, I don't. Something told me that day to do so and I am glad I did. I look forward to trading more with Oren this year as well and if you see an email from him, I suggest you respond and trade as well.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

*Coffee Card Birthday Blogger Out*

Write Your Story

*takes a sip, sets down mug next to laptop. grabs a handful of cards off from the counter and gets ready for a new Cards Over Coffee*

Some people tell me I have lived an incredible story from those knowing where I came from and what I had to deal with and where I am today. It's something I take pride in as I continue to write my story and move forward every day. 

I am sure my story doesn't even come close to what some others may have gone through, could go through or are going through right now. Everybody's story is different.

Just like the story of today's athlete who went from a nobody to a Super Bowl champ and Hall Of Famer. Let me introduce you to, Mr. Kurt Warner.

*takes a sip before moving onto the card portion of today's post.*

*stomach starts to growl sounding like cookie monster when he is munching on a handful of cookies*

*gets up, grabs a handful of trail mix to make the tummy happy until breakfast is cooked*

 

*sits back down, continues on with the post*

Kurt Warner dreamed of being an NFL QB but his journey wasn't easy. He had to write his own story of never giving up. He went from practice squad releasee with the Packers to working at a grocery store then played in the AFL, signed a futures contract with the Rams and played in the NFL Europe league, and was given his once in a lifetime opportunity due to an injury to the Rams starting QB Trent Green in 1999. Now Kurt knew it was showtime and he put on a show that season. He actually put on the Greatest Show...On Turf. He was league MVP, led the Rams to a Super Bowl win and was the Super Bowl MVP. Kurt wrote his own story and his perseverance and God led life brought him this moment.

Of course, Kurt's story didn't end there. It was just the beginning.

Kurt had a rough 2000 season before leading the Rams back to the Super Bowl in 2001 vs the Patriots where Tom Brady's Super Bowl winning ways began.

2002 and 2003 were terrible seasons for Kurt and he was even replaced as the Rams starting QB and was cut in 2004 where two days later, he became a member of the NY Giants. Kurt started the season as the team's starting QB and led the team to a 5-2 start. After losing the next two games, Kurt was replaced by some guy named Eli Manning and there began his career while Kurts was about to take another turn.

Warner signed with the Cardinals in 2005, led them to the post season twice with up and down performances but helped them reach the Super Bowl where they lost to the Steelers.

Despite the ups and downs, Kurt never gave up. He wrote his NFL story all the way to the Hall Of Fame. He also showed his faith in God along the way as well.

I have always been a fan of Kurt's story and recently added some cards from Burbank Sportcards Marketplace of him.

*takes a sip before showing off the cards*

*grabs another handful of trail mix before cookie monster continues to grumble*

My Giants collection has always been a little lacking in the Kurt Warner department so I found some to add.

Career Colors showcasing Kurt across his multiple teams

A couple Upper Deck cards.

It says Cardinals on the card, but clearly he is wearing blue.

A couple more

Can't go wrong with Ultra photography and a Gold Medallion parallel

Shiny!

And my favorite add, this Spectra

Don't forget you too can score cards from Burbank Sportcards Marketplace and save 10% by using code 15BURBANK at checkout to do so! Also spend $50 and you will get free shipping. Link is in this paragraph.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

We are the only ones that can write our own story. If our story is not going the way we want it to, make a change, say a prayer and write it the way you want it. 

By the way, the story of Kurt's life can be seen on the big screen with the movie, American Underdog.

In comments, say something about your story, or about Kurt Warner or today's cards.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Opening One Of Those Walgreen Things

*sits down with a cup of coffee, reaches over the table to grab a package of cards that had been set there the day before. it's one of those Walgreen things as I call it.*

In 2020 with the height of everyone buying everything up, anytime I found anything interesting to rip, I bought if I had the funds. This includes those Fairfield repacks you find at Walgreens, which even sold out most of the time.

But I was fortunate with my timing and was able to pick up four repacks, two baseball and two football and have been sitting on them for a rainy day.

Guess what...it's a cold snowy one...so let's rip one of the football ones.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

In every one of these packs/boxes, there are 75 cards and one manufactured pack. These boxes are about $5 and 1:4 of them come with a hit. The last time I opened one before the card gold rush, I pulled a no-name autograph.

I didn't want to post all 75 cards from the box, that would be a lot of pictures especially using the light box to do them. So I pulled out the key/my favorite ones.

The pack I found in my box was a 2015 Score retail pack. Too bad 2015 didn't have a better rookie class. I battled with myself on whether to open it or not, but I decided for now to keep it sealed for another rainy or snowy day.

The cards are an assortment from new to old which is all apart of the fun of opening one of these. There isn't usually a lot of junk in these or at least by my standards.

Joe Montana on the iconic Pro Set design and Jim Brown card from Topps Magic.

Fred Barnett towards my 1997 Skybox Premium set chase and a PC card in J.T. Turner of the Giants.

Another PC card in Cedric Jones, though I do have probably ten copies already. The Pro Line Jerry Glanville made me chuckle. I truly appreciate those cards and their photography. There hasn't been anything like it in the hobby since.

Two Hall Of Famers. I have always been a fan of Warner.

Frank Gore (looks so off in any uniform that isn't the 49ers) and Theismann. He still has his perfect leg in this photo but I am sure still has nightmares of LT,

 

Finally, we close it up with my two favorite card finds. Topps Gold Label was a beautiful product and I liked Taylor so this was an excellent find. Then you can't ever complain about finding a Bo no matter the sport.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

This was a fun break for the price. I thought I did pretty decent with the Hall of Famer names in the box and some cards that I didn't show for my late 90's PC. I think the only other way to improve one of these is to include an insert or two. That would intrigue me even more.

I see myself opening up a baseball one the next time I open one of these.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday. God Bless!

Thoughts on my break are welcomed in comments.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Black Friday

*takes a sip of non black coffee, one thing I haven't ever enjoyed about coffee was it being completely black. Not that I drown mine in creamer to make it all creamer either. It is a little lightened that way I get more coffee than creamer flavor. I think a great cup needs a great balance and today's cup hits that spot*

Black Friday is known to most as a day of shopping, whether that means online or in a store people go crazy for the crazy deals. Sometimes even trampling others to get to them.

Black Friday to me is tomorrow and isn't anything close to shopping or landing a crazy deal. Tomorrow I will be going into surgery to get my kidney stone removed. Well, hopefully removed. The past two surgeries I have had to remove a kidney stone, I have had to go through two surgeries to get the job done. The first surgery usually tells the tale of whether the urologist can reach the stone or not. If they go in and can't get to it because of my "narrow tubes", I apologize for the TMI, I will get a stent put in place and will need a second surgery to remove the stent and stone.

It's all the party that it sounds to be.

*takes a sip of coffee, hopes it can calm down the nerves and stress of tomorrow. Then realizes he can't drink coffee in the morning since can't eat or drink after midnight. Starts drinking this cup faster to get more in today*

One positive at least this week is I found a pack of 2019 Panini Black Friday kicking around so figured to fit the theme of today's post, I would show off the results. I will promise in advance that I won't show off the results of tomorrow's Black Friday though ;)

There are two cards per pack of Panini's promo Black Friday packs. It was actually quite sad this year not to see this fun promotion continue. There are some really nice cards that can be found in these packs. I know the odds are against me since the pack is skinny and it's just one pack but I was still hopeful for a possible parallel or autograph.

First card, Hall Of Famer Kurt Warner. Kurt was a Super Bowl champ and MVP when he led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. What an ending to that game with the Titans falling just one yard short of trying to tie the game up. One of those Super Bowl memories I will have.

I am also a fan of Kurt's. He was a NY Giant for one year (I try to chase down cards of him in Big Blue but not too many out there), he is an underdog and who doesn't root for them, and he is a devout Christian which I am all for.

Back of the Warner card.

Next card, Josh Jacobs and it's a rookie. I would have rather found Daniel Jones but not going to complain too much about one of the top players of last year's draft.

Jacobs is having a great sophomore year and proving he wasn't just a one year wonder for the Raiders last year. Their offense definitely builds themselves around how he does.

Back of his card which is slightly different than the Warner.

Not too bad of a pack break with a Hall Of Famer and a possible Hall Of Famer.

*takes another sip to finish up the first cup, will pour a second very soon*

I am hopeful they will find a way just to get the stone out with one surgery and hoping not for a second. I know I will be a bit out of it for the rest of the day tomorrow so watch for updates in the near future on here or on Twitter if you follow me there.

Maybe while I am knocked out in anesthesia tomorrow, I will dream about actually landing more of these Black Friday packs or that big screen TV I always ask my wife for. Which will be great until I wake in realization of how my Black Friday actually went.