Well, to say that these entries were not entertaining would be a lie. There were many submissions and questions that were funny or original, but we managed to narrow down all of them to our two winners. Congratulations to Joey from
with second place. Runner-up was Steve from
We will start with Joey's questions which are in an interview format, which we both enjoyed. Here we go.....
We have with us today two popular baseball card collectors that bring a
passion for collecting and a writing style that has fostered a large fan
base on the internet. Marie and Sooz, welcome to this special feature for
TWIB Notes.
For those that are not familiar with your popular baseball card blog, A
Cardboard Problem what role has the blog played in enhancing or changing
your collecting habits?
Marie: I think writing this blog has definitely enhanced my player collections from meeting so many people and trading with many of you. It has also pushed me more to narrow down my focus from buying all Yankees cards to sticking to what I really like, and picking up other stuff here and there.
Sooz: I buy less hobby boxes because I can check out the cards on other people blogs. I spend less money because other people spend it for me. :)
In the last few years there has been an explosion of collectors blogging
about their experience in the hobby. Do you feel that this has had a
positive or negative impact on the hobby as a whole?
Marie: As a whole I would like to think that the collectors had and have a positive impact on the hobby with sharing our reviews, box breaks, and opinions. I just wish that the card companies paid a little more attention to what we all have to say as far as bringing back the same things over and over when everyone is tired of it.
Sooz: I love it. I read the blogs all day whether I agree with opinions or not. I love having so many different voices. I don't think this could hurt the hobby because makes for a great debates. When people stop caring and stop writing is when there is a problem.
Thinking about your own experiences collecting cards what do you think you
would miss most if you ceased to participate in the hobby?
Marie: It would really be a coin toss between a box break or winning an eBay auction for a card I had been wanting or waiting for.
Sooz: Being able to get one more card that I could fit into a sleeve. I love the feeling of getting a card for my personal collection.
What would be your biggest regret in your experience? A bad trade, lost
card, damaged card ect.
Marie: I can't really think of something I would regret really, but maybe that Adam Lind 2009 Topps black /58 that got ripped and destroyed in transit. I had been waiting for that since we broke our case in February.
Sooz: Ask my credit card company. They don't have any.
If Topps were to call you up and ask you to design a baseball card release
for 2010 and give you complete creative control, describe what your set
would look like and consist of.
Marie: It would probably look like one of the old Dream Team sets, or the 92-93 Fleer basketball art cards mentioned in a previous post. It would consist of base cards, SP's, maybe 25 serial numbered cards, auto's, and there would be variations of borders on the more popular players which would also be serial numbered. There would also be NO retired players, Red Sox, or Chipper Jones cards in the set. (I am sick of getting Red Sox and Chipper cards in my packs.)
Sooz: Oh, you don't wanna see it. I'm a terrible designer and it wouldn't be that much. I would call up Goose Joak, beardy and topher (maybe a few others) and get them to throw something together. And, then I would supervise. I would made a great supervisor.
There have been many changes in the cardboard that we collect over the
years. If you had a magic eraser, what would you delete from the history
of baseball cards?
Marie: Wow, where can I start? UD X, Ticket to Stardom, Allen & Ginter (I don't care who likes this, the set annoys me). I would also erase the entire day where Donruss lost their license because they were the ones I loved. You could get a whole box of Donruss complete with GU, Autos, SP's and Serial numbered cards and all the cards were nice looking.
Sooz: Nothing. I'll take the good with the bad. Making mistakes leads to greater things.
There is huge amount of junk wax, boxes and commons from the late 80's and
90's. I have known people that would literally throw an unopened box of
1988 Topps in the trash or take a 5,000 count box of commons and use them
for target practice. What do you think would be the best use of all of
these leftovers?
Marie: I have about 6 900 count card boxes in my basement filled with late 80's Topps junk, and just recently filled a monster 5,000 count box with more. Honestly, aside from asking other people if they want it and giving it away I'm not sure what one could do with it. I always swore I would never throw a baseball card in the garbage despite wanting to recycle all of the previously mentioned boxes.
Sooz: Target practice, really? I never considered that. However, I'd rather donate them to a hospital and let children figure out what to do with them.
Looking back to the beginning of your attraction to baseball cards can you
share with us what drew you into the hobby?
Marie: Initially as a kid I just liked getting new Yankees to put into my album. Didn't matter if it was Steve Balboni, Don Mattingly, Mike Stanton, or Mickey Mantle, as long as it was a guy in pinstripes.
Sooz: I remember my older brother and cousin going through baseball cards. I used to love watching them trying to trade. I would stop by the local deli and pick up a pack or two and loved whenever I pulled a Yankee.
Now looking into the future do you think there will come a time when you
stop collecting and possibly sell off or otherwise dispose of your
collection?
Marie: I will NEVER get rid of my collection and I can't say that I can see myself no longer collecting. I would sooner stop collecting die-cast than cardboard.
Sooz: I would never get rid of the entire thing unless there were some crazy circumstances where I needed money for an emergency situation. However, I'm in the process of streamlining right now.
Before we close with the final question I want to thank both of you for
your contribution to the hobby of baseball card collecting. As we close
this week's edition of TWIB Notes, what are your collecting goals for
2010?
Marie: My goals are to finish gathering all non-autographed Pujols RC's, work on my player collections and YSL, and try and stick to buying more singles and less packs and boxes. So far it is working out quite well as you will see in the upcoming days and weeks.
Sooz: The same thing I do every year ... try to take over the world. ;-)
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Thank you to Joey for a great submission, we will e-mail you a list of the black borders that we have here for you to pick from.
We will post Patricia's entry tomorrow for your entertainment while you are at work. This way you can laugh at your desk and look silly.
