Why I Blog

Recently there's been a bat blog around spreading everywhere where you discuss what your current collecting projects are/what you collect. Well here on this blog, we opt for blog arounds that were created long before this blog was even around (or even before the writer behind this blog even cared about baseball cards) and get around to current blog bat around topics a good nine years after they're published.

So today I figure I'd tackle an old Bat Blog Around Night Owl did back in 2009, about why one blogs. I'd recommend you read Night Owl's post for yourself as it's very good (NO does write for a living after all).

I suppose for me I should begin with why I started to blog back on the very last day of 2013.

Before my blog was launched, I was an anonymous collector who was just known for sending people Sega Card Gens. I had just come back to the states and I had yet to really decide what kind of collector I was. Obviously I had a thing for prospects but the Yankees farmsystem back then wasn't teeming with fun prospects like it is today. So instead I was opting for entire teams like the Staten Island Yankees and I was actually trying to go the super-vintage (downright ancient actually) route too by building the T-206 NY Highlanders team set at one point.

I figured that I'd go after a reclamation project with a high ceiling (Dellin Betances) and an injury prone catcher (Francisco Cervelli) in the hopes of building very solid player collections. By the time I had decided to pull the trigger and press the "Publish" button, I was also thinking that I could set up this blog to serve as a log for my potential super collection of a certain up-and-coming Yankees stud I met in the minors who could really be the first prospect I go all in on as a supercollector.

Eric Jagielo.

Obviously none of that ever happened.

Even though Jagielo was the subject of my first ever blogpost, that PC never went anywhere and by the end of the 2014 I dropped him along with Betances who blossomed into a star after his bullpen transition proved successful, and Cervelli who eventually got traded to Pittsburgh.

Instead this blog turned into a hub for what eventually did turn into the supercollection that I would build for years to come...

...mi Luis Torrens colectión!

And I've never looked back since.

Along the way I've adopted new players and teams that I collect. Some have been dropped (remember Takuya Kinoshita? lol), while others just remain dormant due to the sheer lack of cards (#SummerOfThairo), but through it all I've had a solid core of people at the center of it.

This blog has also kept track of my TTM's, IP's and whatever I decide to do on a whim (my Clone Breaks, New York Rangers, occasional forays into Yu-Gi-Oh!, etc...). Which is an added bonus.

So that's why I started blogging and why I keep blogging. To serve as a log of where I've been as a collector and where I'm going.

I also keep blogging because this blog really connects me to all of the collecting friends I've made over the years. My blogroll here is where I catch up on all of the posts I've missed out during the day. Sure a lot of you can find me and contact me on Twitter or email but it's not quite the same.

I'm gonna go on a tangent here but I've found that there is an added benefit of blogging where people will think of you/your blog based on who you bring up the most, and you in turn also think of players that you know other bloggers like. Admit it, you all thought of a certain someone when you saw that card above. I know I sure did.

Even if the bloggers aren't outright super player collectors, they still can find themselves being represented by who they've said on record to be their favorite. The more obscure the better. Off the top of my head I can recall the following...

P-Town Tom - Dan Vogelbach
Night Owl Cards - Ron Cey
The Lost Collector - Tino Martinez
Bob Walk The Plank - Jason Bay
San Jose Fuji - Kurt Suzuki
JayBarkerFan- Josh Willingham
Collecting Cutch - Andrew McCutchen
Drew - Luis Severino
Once A Cub - Tony Campana
Dan - Paul Goldschmidt
Ryan G. - Buck Farmer
Brian - Kennys Vargas
The Junior Junkie - Ken Griffey Jr.
Off Hiatus Tony - Robin Yount
Dutch Card Guy - Bert Blyleven
Play At The Plate - Ivan Rodriguez
My Cardboard Habit - Matt Harrison
Metallattorney - Jason Varitek
Raz - R.A. Dickey
Tim Wallach Collector - Tim Wallach
Johnny - John Elway
Kin - Russ Davis
$30 A Week - Joe Sakic
DefGav - Hoyt Wilhelm
Nick The Dime Box King - Hoyt Wilhelm (CHC era)
JediJeff - Hoyt Wilhelm (CWS era)
ARPSmith - Hoyt Wilhelm (NYG era)
Snorting Bull - Hoyt Wilhelm (STL era)
Tony Burbs - Hoyt Wilhelm (CHC era)
Stealing Home - Hoyt Wilhelm (LAD era)
Angels In Order - Hoyt Wilhelm (LAA era)
The Card Papoy - Hoyt Wilhelm
Nachos Grande - Hoyt Wilhelm
Mark Hoyle - Hoyt Wilhelm
Most other bloggers - Hoyt Wilhelm

This is helpful and can add a bit of a boost to our collecting lives for when we come across cards of these players.

Do the collectors need it? "Probably not but it's cheap/I already own it so I can fill up their next trade package!" This has often saved many a bargain bin dive or pack for me where normally it'd just be a waste of time/money but it offered me filler cards I can send to whoever I know is a fan of the person on it.

Dupes are a first world problem in the hobby for sure but when it's your favorite player then it's also one of those "good problems to have" where you're going to appreciate every copy that you receive for free. If you won't take my word for it, ask any of the bloggers I mentioned above. Even the ones who say they're not hardcore player collectors.

This face of the blogchise effect has helped me more than I could've ever imagined.

This purple On Fire diecut auto came to me from Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown. Get this, the card is limited to 25 copies (don't worry it's not he X-Mas card or else it'd be back in Gav's hands). Still, 25!

This On Fire printing plate came to me from The Card Papoy. From France! A plate! A 1/1!

This black On Fire diecut auto came to me from Bob Walk The Plank. This one is numbered to five. FIVE!

An Update printing plate from Wes aka JayBarkerFan from Willinghammer Rising. Another 1/1!

And the very first Luis Torrens autograph card I had ever obtained, courtesy of Raz of the Raz Card File. Little did either of us know that this blog would be changed forever shortly after this became mine.

Along with countless other cool items I've received over the years. Torrens or otherwise.

I don't blog to get stuff, but this community is as nice as it is cozy and with a surprisingly wide net cast all over the country world, there's a good chance someone is going to find something and offer a big helping hand. In turn I also try to do the best I could to make an impact on everyone else's collections. Even though I usually end up failing miserably in the process.

So a quick and long overdue thanks to all of you you've made blogging and collecting in general a much funner experience than I could've hoped for. One way or another, you're all a reason why I keep blogging.

It's been a fun four years to date, here's to many more in the future.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).