Here's a question: How many shots did it take for Al Oliver to settle on this bat?
Also, if he ran out of bats, would he have posed holding a metal folding chair?
You may have been wondering: what happened to Ben, and why doesn't he post as much as he used to? Well, a lot is going on. I work two jobs, I teach blogging at MIT on weekends, and I'm winding down as a baseball card blogger.
I know I've made a number of different assertions as to the future of The Baseball Card Blog, but here's the truth:
I will stop writing The Baseball Card Blog as of January 1, 2009, if not sooner. The blog itself will stay up as a fully tagged and searchable archive of everything I've written over the past three years.
I've thought long and hard about this, and I've decided that The Baseball Card Blog needs to end. In my opinion, the best card blogs are those with a finite topic. For example, the stellar 1988 Topps Blog, where Andy K posts something about each and every card in the 1988 Topps and Topps Traded sets. When the sets end, the blog ends. It makes sense. But an open-ended blog about one collector reminiscing and finding his way back into the hobby he once loved? Three years is enough of that for me.
I'm not really interested in writing about the latest hobby trends, or new cards that I can't afford. When I really think about it, those are the very things that caused my interest to wan in the first place. I will still collect, and will remain open to trading. I will remain as the admin contact at A Pack A Day, as well as our brand new vlog spin-off APADtv.
Finally, I know I've made it a point to stick to the script on baseball cards, but I thought I'd make an exception. If you are vegan or enjoy vegan food and live in the San Francisco Bay Area, do yourself a favor and take a look at this new blog: Vegansaurus!. And if you've never tried vegan food, it's better than you think!
:(
ReplyDeleteBlogging at MIT, very cool! Is it related to the writing or journalism programs, or does it take a more personalized tack?
ReplyDeletesorry to see the blog go. but here's a premature thank you for the 3 years. finding this blog helped me get back into the hobby that i so loved for years, but gave up on for reasons unknown. thanks again, and for the few remaining months
ReplyDeleteBen--you should walk away with your head held high for several reasons:
ReplyDelete1) You were one of the pioneers of the baseball card blog, which we now see everywhere.
2) The success of most other bbc blogs can be tied back to yours and 1 or 2 others.
3) In any profession, it's hard for an all-star to walk away at the top of his game. Realizing that you're finished with this chapter and want to move on to other endeavors deserves major kudos. (We'll start calling you Barry Sanders.)
Your inspiration, great writing, humor, and insight have all been greatly appreciated. I'm sure I speak for no fewer than hundreds of people when I say "thank you" for all that you've given us.
Ben,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the great work on The Baseball Card Blog. Your blog, along with a couple of others, are the primary reasons I got back into collecting.
I'm sad to hear that the 1948-1979 countdown will go unfinished, I was really looking forward to the end of that.
Best of luck to you!
-Shane
Thanks for the vegan shout out. I am not in SF, nor am I affiliated with the above mentioned blog. I'm just a big fan of knowing that our eating choices have ethical ramifications.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great blog!
ReplyDelete