Theme Week: Better Know a Blogger (John from Johnny's Trading Spot)

Welcome back to my long running theme week!  Today is the penultimate post - this is the final blogger submission that I have...which means barring someone else sending in a reply in the near future, I will have one more edition of my Better Know a Blogger theme week (my personal responses) and then I will officially close the theme week!  For now though, let's enjoy one last blogger's responses!

1. Your name (or alias):  John Miller
2. Your blog website:  Johnny's Trading Spot
3. What kind of collector do you consider yourself (team collector, player collector, set collector, etc.). Why do you collect that way?

I am a team collector, a player collector, a "mini collector" and a set collector. Way back when, I had close to 2 million baseball cards and for reasons dwindled them down to next to nothing and there they sat a few monster boxes doing nothing for eight years, then about 18 months ago I decided to restart the rather large John Elway Collection (made up 2 of those monsters boxes by themselves. Joined a few sites and/or groups, but found it very difficult to get cards I needed. BTW, my elway blog is "tradingelway.blogspot.com". So I decided to go after the one and only MLB team that I have always followed, the Braves, having a bond as Atlanta Braves and I were born in 1966 in Atlanta (That is also the first year of the Atlanta Falcons). Still finding it difficult to add to the only player collection I had going, I decided to add HOFers about 6 months ago, along with those players that I felt were Hall Worthy at some point in their career. Now some of those guys, I don't feel that way about anymore, but I still collect their cards because there are some good memories of collecting their cards back before any scandals. then about 3 months ago, decided that I wanted to have complete sets. Now I know where that landed me before, so in an effort to accommodate the set collections I decided to shed my mini collections (not the minis for say, but you know) which has been non stop adding since I started collecting again roughly 18 months ago.

4. In your opinion, what could the major card companies (Topps, Panini, etc.) do to make your style of collecting better for you?

Limit the parallel's to 2 or 3, limit the number of insert sets and the size of them, and make the relics better (more interesting).

5. What is your favorite part of your collection?  This could be one specific item, or a binder of cards, etc.

LOL! My Braves collection.

6. Most of us have a favorite song that we like for no good reason – heck, it might even be embarrassing.  Do you have a favorite baseball card that might fit that bill?  

No, I do not have a favorite card. I do however like completing a team set, especially the base sets. I haven't been fortunate enough to complete a parallel set. But, I am working on it.

7. If you were forced to part with your entire collection except for one card, which card would you keep?

I really couldn't say for sure, but most likely my beat up 57 Mantle. If I could go back 18 months, it would definitely have been my 51 Bowman Mantle.

8. Many of the blogs (including my own at times) seem to decry Topps’ lack of vision and creativity.  Can you think of something creative that could be done for an upcoming card set?

Just like most of us collector's I have a ton of ideas, but foremost excluding the Topps Heritage set and Upper Deck's Vintage set, I would definitely not re-use old card designs. I would want to keep it fresh.  

9. What is your profession?  How did you end up there?  If you are in school, what do you plan to major in and/or what job do you hope to get after graduating?  

I am an independent Insurance Agent (Life, health, and Retirement). In 2001 the company I worked at for 13 years went belly up, and Insurance is what I winded up choosing not only as my next career, but the last job I would ever have. I'd been blessed in the business, otherwise I wouldn't have made it through these last 2 1/2 years. First my back had me all messed up for 15 months (the boredom of not being able to do much is why I started looking at my cards again), and just as I was literally getting back on my feet, my mothers' health worsened and I've been taking care of her for almost a year now. This career will bless me again in time.

10. What is your favorite place that you’ve ever visited?  Why?  

I've traveled quite a bit, but no one place stands out. There are two places that I want to spend significant time in or even live in and they are San Diego, I hear it is absolutely beautiful, and the other being Hawaii. I love the sun, dislike the cold, if I can be where it is in the 70s year round, that's for me.

11. Many of us have favorite foods or customs that are somewhat local to where we live.  Do you have any such things that you particularly love?  A website link to specific products would be spectacular.  

Here in Central Florida, we have folks from all over this country and abroad living or "snow-birding" here, so you can find just about any type of food you want. In fact, take away the restaurants and 50% of the businesses would be gone. 

12. Do you have any other hobbies besides card collecting?  

 I collect just about anything. I have stuff I've picked up placed into boxes just waiting to get out, but the cards seem to keep me well occupied.

13. Tell me something interesting about yourself (that we haven’t covered in the first twelve questions).

I see the craziest things in the shadows on baseball cards!

Before I get to any of John's answers, I must first say that my thoughts and prayers are (and have been) with John as he lost his mother on the day before Easter 2015.  I actually wrote this post on Easter Sunday and only saw John's short note on his blog when I went to link to his blog.  Out of respect to John and his family, I made the decision to delay the post for over a week because a baseball card blog is ultimately meaningless when compared to family and loved ones.

---

Turning our attention to some of John's answers - I have to say that his two places that he mentioned to possible live in (San Diego and Hawaii) are great choices.  I'm stuck in northcentral PA so I can understand the yearning for sunshine...we don't get any from about November through April (or so it seems).

In terms of John's baseball card answers, I think he hit the proverbial nail on the head with his answer for what baseball card companies could do to improve:

Limit the parallel's to 2 or 3, limit the number of insert sets and the size of them, and make the relics better (more interesting).

I don't think I could say it better.  I don't mind a parallel set or two but having five or six parallel sets is disgusting overkill.  I also agree with limiting the size of insert sets - and I've been harping on the more interesting relic idea as well!  

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions John.  I hope to post my own answers before too long and then we'll officially say adios to my Better Know a Blogger series!