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Lots of bloggers, Facebook friends, and others are compiling lists of things they either like or don't like as compared to "the masses." Since there aren't any sports going on any time soon, I figured this might be a fun diversion for myself and so I've jumped on the bandwagon to create my own lists.
That's right, I said lists (plural). I'll give you 10 Things that I Like but (many of) You Don't in the future but for right now let's go with 10 Things You (probably) Like but I Don't. This should be fun!
Things You Like but I Don't:
1. Topps Now
Since this is a baseball card blog first and foremost, I tried to keep many of the elements on my list baseball card related (though not all of them, as you'll see in a moment). Anyhow, for Topps Now I simply have no interest in the concept or the various cards. The concept seems like its made for scalpers, resellers, and gamblers and I personally hate the price of a single card. Even worse, unless you follow Topps' social media/website on a daily basis you'll likely miss out on cards you might be interested in. Oh, and if you are a set collector (like me) then it's abundantly clear that this is simply not the "set" for you.
2. Legends in Allen & Ginter
Look, I love Allen & Ginter in general but I could do without the legends* in the set. Simply put, I don't think A&G needs legends to sell the set...and it definitely is to the point where getting yet another Babe Ruth or Sandy Koufax card feels "ho hum." That's certainly not what one should feel when one pulls a big name like that. Give the legends a break, Topps!
*I do still collect all of the Barry Larkin cards in A&G but that's because player collectors have no bounds!
3. Big name baseball teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers)
I'm a small market, underdog kind of guy through and through and I freely admit that. Thus, the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, and other big market clubs are super easy for me to root against. I can't see how rooting for a team with nearly unlimited funds is fun when they can just buy their way to the playoffs every year (even if the Dodgers can't actually buy a World Series ring they certainly have bought their way to the playoffs for the last number of years).
4. Watching spring training games on TV
Sure, spring training means spring is approaching (in northcentral PA where I live we are still getting snow - in fact, we got a couple of inches the white stuff last night)...spring is always delayed coming here. That said, I do like the fact that spring training means that I can at least dream of winter being over. But actually sitting down and watching spring training games on TV? No thanks. It's two innings of guys you might have heard of and then 7 innings of guys you (and the announcers) know nothing about. Spring training baseball games on tv are the equivalent of Bowman baseball (also something that's not for me)!
5. Coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate
Generally speaking, I tend to run warm meaning I rarely feel like a hot drink. When I was a kid I used to like Hot Chocolate once or twice a winter but now that I'm an adult I couldn't tell you the last time I had a mug of that stuff. I've never liked hot tea, nor can I stand the taste of coffee. Blech.
6. Chocolate (and sweets in general)
I love to cook (check out my food instagram if that's something of interest to you) but I don't really eat much in the way of sweets (especially chocolate). If I am going to have a food craving, it'll definitely be for something salty like chips or chex mix.
7. Texting
As a kid, I was born early enough to have had to use a phone to make actual phone calls to my friends. This meant I also had to learn how to talk to the adult parents of my friends since they were the ones who would invariably answer the phone. To this day, if I really need to talk to someone then a phone call is still the quickest, most efficient way to do so. Also, I find texting to go on and on and frankly, I'm not social enough to want to talk to most people for a long length of time.
8. Video games: Call of Duty or other FPS
I actually love games of most types but the popular first person shooter genre is one that's never appealed to me. Part of that is probably that I'm trash at most games of that type, but the reality is that I've never had any sort of drive or desire to even attempt to get better. Now, I basically ignore all FPS games as they are released.
9. Storing baseball card sets in boxes
I get why people do this - money, storage space issues, etc. but if I'm going to collect a set then I want to be able to look at that set. Otherwise, in my mind at least, what's the point of collecting the set in the first place? I'm not in the baseball card collecting hobby for business purposes so anything I go after should be because I actually like it. And if I like it, then I want to be able to see it!
10. TCMA sets and Bowman sets
I don't get the appeal of the TCMA sets nor do I have any interest in most Bowman releases. Give me guys I know about and give me cards with text on the front (preferably with player's name, team, and team logo - sorry Panini).
And that's my list of ten. Of course, there were plenty of other options that I considered including:
Donald Trump, snow, cats, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Buck, Derek Jeter, the New England Patriots, Ohio State, MegaBlocks, Tiger King, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, running/jogging, olives, swiss cheese, and mornings just to name a few but I think that ten is enough!
That's right, I said lists (plural). I'll give you 10 Things that I Like but (many of) You Don't in the future but for right now let's go with 10 Things You (probably) Like but I Don't. This should be fun!
Things You Like but I Don't:
1. Topps Now
Since this is a baseball card blog first and foremost, I tried to keep many of the elements on my list baseball card related (though not all of them, as you'll see in a moment). Anyhow, for Topps Now I simply have no interest in the concept or the various cards. The concept seems like its made for scalpers, resellers, and gamblers and I personally hate the price of a single card. Even worse, unless you follow Topps' social media/website on a daily basis you'll likely miss out on cards you might be interested in. Oh, and if you are a set collector (like me) then it's abundantly clear that this is simply not the "set" for you.
2. Legends in Allen & Ginter
Look, I love Allen & Ginter in general but I could do without the legends* in the set. Simply put, I don't think A&G needs legends to sell the set...and it definitely is to the point where getting yet another Babe Ruth or Sandy Koufax card feels "ho hum." That's certainly not what one should feel when one pulls a big name like that. Give the legends a break, Topps!
*I do still collect all of the Barry Larkin cards in A&G but that's because player collectors have no bounds!
3. Big name baseball teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers)
I'm a small market, underdog kind of guy through and through and I freely admit that. Thus, the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, and other big market clubs are super easy for me to root against. I can't see how rooting for a team with nearly unlimited funds is fun when they can just buy their way to the playoffs every year (even if the Dodgers can't actually buy a World Series ring they certainly have bought their way to the playoffs for the last number of years).
4. Watching spring training games on TV
Sure, spring training means spring is approaching (in northcentral PA where I live we are still getting snow - in fact, we got a couple of inches the white stuff last night)...spring is always delayed coming here. That said, I do like the fact that spring training means that I can at least dream of winter being over. But actually sitting down and watching spring training games on TV? No thanks. It's two innings of guys you might have heard of and then 7 innings of guys you (and the announcers) know nothing about. Spring training baseball games on tv are the equivalent of Bowman baseball (also something that's not for me)!
5. Coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate
Generally speaking, I tend to run warm meaning I rarely feel like a hot drink. When I was a kid I used to like Hot Chocolate once or twice a winter but now that I'm an adult I couldn't tell you the last time I had a mug of that stuff. I've never liked hot tea, nor can I stand the taste of coffee. Blech.
6. Chocolate (and sweets in general)
I love to cook (check out my food instagram if that's something of interest to you) but I don't really eat much in the way of sweets (especially chocolate). If I am going to have a food craving, it'll definitely be for something salty like chips or chex mix.
7. Texting
As a kid, I was born early enough to have had to use a phone to make actual phone calls to my friends. This meant I also had to learn how to talk to the adult parents of my friends since they were the ones who would invariably answer the phone. To this day, if I really need to talk to someone then a phone call is still the quickest, most efficient way to do so. Also, I find texting to go on and on and frankly, I'm not social enough to want to talk to most people for a long length of time.
8. Video games: Call of Duty or other FPS
I actually love games of most types but the popular first person shooter genre is one that's never appealed to me. Part of that is probably that I'm trash at most games of that type, but the reality is that I've never had any sort of drive or desire to even attempt to get better. Now, I basically ignore all FPS games as they are released.
9. Storing baseball card sets in boxes
I get why people do this - money, storage space issues, etc. but if I'm going to collect a set then I want to be able to look at that set. Otherwise, in my mind at least, what's the point of collecting the set in the first place? I'm not in the baseball card collecting hobby for business purposes so anything I go after should be because I actually like it. And if I like it, then I want to be able to see it!
10. TCMA sets and Bowman sets
I don't get the appeal of the TCMA sets nor do I have any interest in most Bowman releases. Give me guys I know about and give me cards with text on the front (preferably with player's name, team, and team logo - sorry Panini).
And that's my list of ten. Of course, there were plenty of other options that I considered including:
Donald Trump, snow, cats, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Buck, Derek Jeter, the New England Patriots, Ohio State, MegaBlocks, Tiger King, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, running/jogging, olives, swiss cheese, and mornings just to name a few but I think that ten is enough!
I agree with a lot of what you said in your Top Ten, but then the last paragraph... oh boy, we have our differences. Cats? Harry Potter? Running/Jogging? Swiss Cheese? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI'm a dog guy and mildly allergic cats (so that's two strikes against cats). Swiss cheese is gross and ruins everything it touches (same as olives). I actually wish I was a better runner but I can't seem to force myself to do it. Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, etc....I just don't have time, energy, or interest to sit down and watch long epics. I kind of thought that last paragraph would get some people ;)
DeleteI'm right with you on coffee and tea, but I loves me the hot chocolate--much more than I did when I was a kid, actually. Also, as a non-drinker, if I'm out with people who are drinking and I order soda, people often think I'm a wimp, but if I order hot chocolate, I'm intriguing.
ReplyDeleteCan't agree about Game of Thrones (although the ended left a lot to be desired) or Swiss cheese, but I have to like that final list just because of the first item!
I think there are only three things on this list that I actually like (not counting the paragraph at the end) My cards are sorted in boxes and binders and I wont bore you with how I decided what gets sorted in each. I don't always crave chocolate/sweets but if they are in my house I will devour them. The big market team thing - I agree with you in spirit, but not in practice. I became a Red Sox fan because I couldn't stand the big, bad Yankees anymore. But Boston has sort of become them (except NY would never trade a superstar like Mookie Betts in his prime.) I was very excited to see what Cincy would do in the '20 season and I hope we get to see that rebuilt Reds team at some point.
ReplyDeleteAlso I do not like warm beverages or first person shooter games at all, though I'll drink a hundred hot teas before I play Call of Duty or whatever.
Fully agree with Topps Now! and your point about following the social media is very true. This and a few of your honorable mentions inspires me to write a post about Things That People Like That I Have No Clue About.
ReplyDeleteI like legends in card sets way more than rookies...
I get so sick of the ESPN and league network coverage of only the big name teams too. Those are the only games on except for the local teams, and that's all they talk about. Yankees/Red Sox/Dodgers/Cardinals/Astros and Patriots/Cowboys/Giants/Steelers. If any of them are losing, it's like a crisis. God forbid someone else makes it to the post season. They always do stories about if it "hurts the league" that those teams don't make it.
Your view of Spring Training games is accurate. Usually, only half of the actual starters are even at the game. And they talk about the team records there - why?
If I drink a Coke too fast, I get half a buzz. I don't f&*( with coffee. I do have to have something sugary after I eat lunch and dinner though.
Texting is more efficient than calling. I'm always encouraging my Mom to just text me instead of making a whole phone call for ten minutes just to figure out where we want to meet for dinner.
Point-of-view video games make me nauseous. And I've never learned the controllers beyond a joystick and two buttons. Never been a gamer for those reasons and that I'd never get away from a screen. (Not that I do now).
I have to store the bulk of my sets in boxes. Otherwise I'd have twelve bookshelves instead of two. I just put the vintage and the pretty ones in binders.
Some of the TCMA sets are nice. But Bowman is useless to me. Don't care about the rookies and there are eight products combined into three among Bowman, Chrome and Draft. Ecch.
to comment on three of the ten - A&G Legends. These are the only cards I liked from the set. I'm not an Ginter fan anyway but there's usually one insert set I pickup. Recently it was 2017 What A Day, 2018 Indigenous Heroes and of course, Legends. Love cats and coffee...
ReplyDeleteLove these lists. I love them more when they actually contain items I like. In this case, I love...
ReplyDelete5. Coffee - Okay... maybe I don't love it... but I need it when I'm teaching.
6. Chocolate - Nothing like some creamy milk chocolate every now and then.
8. First Person Shooters - They're my favorite kind of game. I like 3rd person shooters too.
9. Storing Sets In Boxes - In a perfect world, I'd have a huge man cave with a huge wall to house every single set I own in a binder with pages. But since that isn't the case, I store 98% of my sets in boxes and I'm okay with that. It just makes me appreciate the ones that have been selected to be displayed in sets... that much more.
10. Bowman - I like TCMA, but I love early 50's Bowman. Beautiful cards.
There are a bunch more in your additional list... but at least we can agree on cats and Trump.
I'm right there with you on #'s 4, 5, 6, and 7! Looking forward to your other lists.
ReplyDeleteHave I mentioned if I did this, the list would be 50 items long? I have. That's why I did the other one.
ReplyDeleteCommentary:
1. Legends in A&G would be fine if they didn't repeat the same players all the time. Where is Robin Roberts? Mickey Cochrane? Paul and Lloyd Waner (Big Poison/Little Poison)? People are going: WHO? And I say, exactly. It's the nonstop drumbeat of Gwynn, Koufax, Clemente that is ruining things.
2. I can't help that I like a big-market team. The Dodgers have an enviable history that virtually no team can match, certainly not a team like the Padres or Marlins. That's what attracted me to them at a very young age, not the fact that they win a lot. I'd rather be a fan of a team like that then some inept team that can operate efficiently for decades and decades.
3. I've always disliked hot drinks. I drink cold, black coffee now, which grosses people out, but it's so much better than burning your lips every morning.
4. I don't trust people who don't like chocolate.
5. Texting: All I'll say is "wait til your kid gets older." You'll change.
6. I'm much more old school than even you on video games. I played them a lot during the Space Invaders-PacMan-DigDug era but stopped when Game Boys first became a thing and haven't looked back. To me, a video game is Donkey Kong, not realistic blow-them-away games.
7. I like binders better than boxes, I only store cards in boxes because there aren't enough binders or space. Boxes come in hand for that.
8. TCMA sets rule. There is some baseball history on cards you can find only with TCMA. I don't want to miss out on that.
Re your catch-all list at the bottom: lot of references to what the masses like there. And you know what they say about the masses. However, I'm Italian and it's required that I like olives.