Oddball Appreciation Rant

I don't go around showing off every eBay acquisition, but this one is special.  The auction was for a stack of forty oddballs; and while I do have a lot of oddballs, a quick glance at the pictures revealed quite a few I have never even seen let alone possess.  I knew they had to be mine, and at only 50 cents per card (cheap for new Griffeys), it wasn't long before I pulled the trigger.

Now I'm here to say: this eBay lot has single-handedly rekindled my passion for the oddball.

I rarely blow 20 bucks on a stack of Griffeys unless there are some key inserts or relics in there I couldn't live without, but I gave this one a lot of thought.  What is it that makes a collection special?  Unique?  Truly great?  It all comes down to the oddballs, my friend.

No, they're not in Beckett, but why should that stop you?  Everybody's got a million dup's of the '91 Topps All-Star, the '95 Pinnacle bubble gum card, the '94 Upper Deck Superman, but you're not like everybody else.  You know that stuff just won't cut it.

You can't be any geek off the street - you gotta be pretty handy with the cardboard if you know what I mean to earn your keep.  You've got to regulate.

It can't be all Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, even Pacific.  No, you need the weirdos.  The misfit cards.  No home, no licensing, and a questionable pedigree.

These are the cards that set your collection apart.  The cards that say "Yeah, I collect.  And I'm pretty serious about it.  Recognize."  Then comes the respect....and possibly women.

But you can't take your eyes off of that prize.  Don't settle.  Take your PC and run with it.  Be it a set, a team, or just one guy - you make that shizz yours.  Organize, catalog endlessly, make lists, blog often, creep people out on Twitter.  Do what it takes.

Only then can you become a champion.  "Oh, you like this card?  I got it in seven different colors, fool.  And this one?  I don't even know what the hell it is, but I do know one thing: I own it."  Bam - respect.

So players play, and haters step off.  Ain't no brakes in this paper chase.  The Junior Junkie came here to get Griffeys - and the gettin's good.