Pick a Card: Series 1 (Starter Pack)
Now that we're in the off-season, we enter what is usually a dead time for wiffleball talk. The goal for this year's offseason is to not let that happen. In an attempt to keep things fresh and the chatter going, we are going to continue to record podcast episodes, write articles, and brainstorm on what could make the upcoming 2018 season something special. So, I'm going to do something I haven't done since our 2013 season...making wiffleball cards. This column will feature about a half-dozen new wiffleball cards with each post and I will keep them coming throughout the entirety of the off-season. Making these cards takes time so don't expect them all at once, and if you don't see yours in this post - you will later. Now, I have limitations with this. If you were a new player this year, chances are no decent photographs of you were taken since we didn't have our photographer this year. As a result, most of the cards have been made using photographs from previous seasons. If this is a concern for you, please write your concerns down and mail it to your mother's address where I shall receive it and write back to you regarding your inquiry.
So now that the expectations have been set, let's talk baseball cards for a second. I LOVED collecting these when I was a kid. I was a huge Atlanta Braves fan growing up and I have the hatred for Kirby Puckett to prove it! I had a binder full of nothing but countless sleeves of Braves baseball cards. Beyond that I had a dozen shoeboxes full of baseball cards from various teams from the Majors (and Minors). I raided my parents closets and looked through their cards, and any other relative's collection. I woke up early on Saturday mornings to go to yard sales to see what treasures I could find. I had a rookie Chipper Jones card that I had hanging on my mirror atop my dresser. I adopted the number 10 on my jersey in Little League and played third base like my hero. Sure, I wasn't as good but I wanted to emulate his talent the best I could. It was good to have goals.
During summer vacation, I would walk to Big Lots and Kmart and look through the new collections they received in the last week since I had last visited. Donruss, Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck...they were always there. Some of them came in large boxes but I could never afford those on my allowance. Often times I bought the older cards released by Donruss from the late 80s early 90s. 36 cards were in the pack, of which there may be one card that I had been searching for. Perhaps I would finally find that Ron Gant card! Other times I resorted to buying the small packs of about a dozen cards. They were so enticing. The packaging was sometimes sheer, but always shiny, enchanting, and full of possibilities. Sadly, agonizing over which pack of baseball cards to purchase are some of the most cherished memories of my childhood. But I learned a lot about collecting and the value of things through the hobby. I hope that you find some value (however sentimental) in the cards that will be presented in this column. Perhaps I can go and get them printed somewhere and pick up where I left off so long ago...
