2010 New Year Resolutions - A Look Back

It's almost time to close the door on the year 2010 - and open a new door for 2011.  In many ways, 2010 will go down as a rather sucky year, and yet, in other ways it was quite wonderful to me (I'm guessing that's how most years are when one truly reflects back).  That said, back in January of 2010, I made some New Year Sport Resolutions.  I made mid-year follow-up post.  And now, it's time to see what I managed to accomplish (or not accomplish as the case may be).

My 2010 Sports Resolutions:

1. Visit a MLB Stadium that I haven't yet been to.
Complete?  No.
I did, however, visit a minor league park (Scranton) this year to watch Aroldis Chapman pitch.  I also managed to see the Reds and Phillies play right before the All-Star break in Philadelphia (which was a stadium I had already been to a number of times).
2. Finish at least three of the sets on my current want list.
Complete?  Yes.
 I managed to complete a whole bunch of sets (both base and insert) this year!  That was a bit surprising, because other than Allen & Ginter and Topps Series I and II, I didn't buy much of anything new this year.3. Continue blog trading.
Complete?  Yes.
A resounding yes here!  In fact, as of this writing, I have completed 120 different trades this year!4. Attend at least one Cincinnati Reds game.
Complete?  Yes.
See #1 above.
5. Make a blogger happy as a surprise.
Complete?  Yes.
I've sent a couple of "surprise" packages out, plus I added some surprise cards to group break packages of teams that didn't otherwise get any hits.  Both have resulted in some happy fellow bloggers judging by email and blog comments.
6. Continue growing my Barry Larkin Collection.  (And as an addendum, continue scanning and posting my Barry Larkin cards that I already have.)
Complete?  Yes.
My Barry Larkin Collection has grown considerably, and while I'm still wayyyyy behind on doing write-ups for all the Larkin cards I have, my online Larkin Collection is moving along nicely as well.  As of now, I have 73 different Barry Larkin cards scanned and posted.  Back in June, I thought I'd be up to 100 Larkin posts completed before it was time to sing Auld Lang Syne but that part is looking mighty unlikely right now.
7. Be more a more visible blog presence.
Complete?  Yes.
I think I can say yes here.  I've gotten better at commenting more often (though still not enough) - and I've managed to post at least one blog entry a day for almost every day this year!
8. Come up with a contest.
Complete?  Yes.
I did a couple of contests throughout the year - though I never had the time or energy to come up with a fitting contest for my extra Allen & Ginter set.  Any ideas?9. Finish my MLB Team Rank blog series before the regular baseball season begins.
Complete?  No.
This one fell by the wayside...it was a lot more work than I had originally thought - and a lot less interesting to read too...10. Add more variety to the blog.
Complete?  Yes.
I'm going to say that I've completed this resolution, but I still think I could have a bit more variety on the blog.  I have added new things such as occasional contests, plenty of trade posts, snarky commentary, and a couple of group breaks.  I've also done a few photo blogs, some origami, and a cooking post or two.


Overall, not too shabby!  I ended up completing eight out of my ten resolutions - and while they weren't the most challenging resolutions ever, that's still impressive for me!