A Stack of Baseball Cards

The Only Baseball Cards are TOPPS Baseball Cards

My original Topps baseball cards from 1978 are long gone (read that like Ernie Harwell calling a Cecil Fielder home run). One way or another, those cards disappeared. Probably because someone didn't keep them picked up. In 1978, I was only six so I might have been to young to start a card collection.

Into the '80s

A couple of years later — 1980 — I was suddenly old enough to keep good track of my cards. Of course, I still have them, but they are old and somewhat worn out. That's because I used to look at them all the time. I suppose my baseball cards were like the Internet before the Internet existed. I used to look at my cards every time a game was on TV. Back then, the Tigers were on once or twice a week and we had the NBC Game of the Week, which I watched religiously. Even when the Tigers weren't playing.

Tiger Cards and The Others

I kept my cards in the right order, too. Tiger cards. And all the others. And I had a many Tigers cards. I would find them at flea markets and garage sales and buy only Tigers cards. I guess I thought that's what mattered more than anything.

Still At It

I continued collecting for years, with my peak year being 1987. I was 15 and bought cards all the time. I put together and traded away many sets that summer. It was one of most fun summers of collecting I ever had. The next summer, I started working for real at the Grand Traverse Resort; I've worked ever since. I've also continued to buy baseball cards every single year, usually only Topps cards. I just bought a couple of packs today.

Changing My Ways

I have gone through phases. I used to keep my cards in collectors boxes, sorted, and all that good stuff. Now, I just stack them up in my closet and hope they don't get damaged. I know that I should order a couple of boxes to store the cards in, and probably will. Today, though, I just open the pack, look through them, see if I have any Tigers (yeah, still), and then put them away. I guess that's what works for me. Plus, I have the Internet to look up the stats.

Favorite Stat This Year

The Tigers as a team stole 35 bases last year. They were led by Austin Jackson with eight. Through three weeks this season, the Tigers have stolen 16 bases and Rajai Davis has seven already. I like the change in approach but I can't believe how few runs we're scoring in 2014.