This post brought to you by scotch and Easter candy....

I've made a lot of headway in the area of collection engineering this past weekend.  It's a constant battle to keep this hobby from getting overbearing and out-of-control.

The main thing is that I finally finished dividing up my non-Griffeys by team.  My estimate was close - It turns out I have over 16,000 cards I need to get rid of.  I have had a few takers on team bricks, but not enough to sate my thirst for mailing these cards off in exchange for Griffeys.  Come let me know your team!

I also came to some realizations about the whole job of collecting (which is all too appropriate a description of what it is to collect these little cards - a job).

First I'm gonna have to stop buying packs.  As a Griffey collector, the only things worth spending money on are Griffey card lots on the bay, specific cards on COMC, and shipping trade packages to other bloggers.  I have spent a small fortune on repack boxes and blasters and packs that don't result in more Griffeys.  I still love opening packs and will find ways of doing that on the cheap, but if I had back all the money I've spent on packs and repack boxes in the last few months I could afford to buy a '93 Finest refractor.  No kidding.

I want a Trey Griffey card.  Hoping to see more great things from the Griffey family.

I should start putting notes in with my trade packages.  I received one for which I didn't know the sender, and I felt terrible about it (it was Jaybarkerfan's Junk).


I'm going to have to start focusing on obtaining base cards for every set for which I am missing them in the '00's.  I've mentioned before that I have far fewer Griffeys from the 2000's than I'd like, and it turns out that there are several sets (2005 Topps, for example) for which I am even missing the base card.  How embarassing....  I should at least have every Topps base card (I have several of the 2005 Opening Day base card).

I missed the monthly baseball card show this past weekend, so I spend $30 on a fun array of items from COMC.  I got some great stuff I'm excited to show when it comes in.

I missed the show for good reason: The Marlins were in New Orleans playing the AAA affiliate Zephyrs right by my house.  Got to see some great ball playing.  The Z's went down 7-0, but it was a fun day.  I'll leave you with some pics.  Pleasant evening!

That's local hero Austin Nola formerly of the LSU baseball team.

See #10 in the middle there?  That's the Marlins' 1st-year hitting coach Tino Martinez.  I was starstruck.  This man played with Ken Griffey, Jr., people!  He won 4 World Series, too, but we all know which is better.

Then this was lunch.

Oh, and how about that Kershaw guy?  Great opening day.

Marlins Game Tomorrow: Who Should I Watch?

The Marlins are coming to play an exhibition game in New Orleans tomorrow (Saturday)!

Well, more accurately they are coming to Metairie, my suburb of New Orleans.  They are playing our local AAA team the New Orleans Zephyrs who are also their affiliate.  This will be the first major league baseball game in New Orleans since 1999.

14 years ago.

While we are not a baseball town, this is a huge deal.  Jefferson Parish (we say parish where you probably say county), which is my parish, has declared March 30th to be Baseball Day!



I hope someday to get March 24th named Ken Griffey, Jr. Day.  Baby steps....



It will also be the first major league game I've been to since 4 days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  And the 4th major league game I've been to in my whole life.  I'm very excited.

I'm not up on current events and players.  So I ask you: who should I be looking out for?  Any new players or recent trades I should know about?  What about the current state of the team?  I put it to you, fellow bloggers and readers, as I am most decidedly out of the loop.

Tomorrow morning I go to the post office to drop off a bunch of trade packages, then it's off to the ballpark with the family.  And just in case, I grabbed a stack of Marlins from 2013 Topps for possible autograph purposes.  Fingers crossed.....

Happy Easter/holiday/weekend!