January 01, 2010

How I Spent 2009
(or, Why I Had to Take a Year Off)

I started The Baseball Card Blog, funny enough, to blog about baseball cards. Collecting baseball cards, trading baseball cards, buying baseball cards. Dealing—tongue firmly in cheek—with the addiction of baseball cards. Openly questioning the sanity of my own fawning over sports stars and their small cardboard representations.

But The Baseball Card Blog became other things as well, though I tried very hard to keep it on topic. This was not to be about my life, unless my life somehow had something to do with baseball cards. This was not to be a forum for ragging on private individuals; I made a point of keeping angry thoughts private.

I poured a lot of time into this blog. I spent a lot of energy writing the stuff I wanted to write: dissertations I felt were needed on sparsely represented topics (hello, 1987 Topps); artistic interpretations to epic odes of futility (Casey at the Bat); giving away cards I liked (The Great Goudey Trade-away); highlighting funny things about utilitymen, bit players, managers, and bona fide stars. I enjoyed this kind of thing.

And then I didn't. I explored selling the blog. I explored bringing in new writers. Ultimately, none of these were ideas I saw to completion. The Baseball Card Blog was retired. I added a link to the Wikipedia page for Casey at the Bat and nobody took it down. I stopped writing.

But I didn't stop collecting. Or reading others' blogs. I kept up with Cardboard Junkie (still my favorite). I started collecting the T118 (World's Greatest Explorers) and T218 (Mecca/Hassan Athletic Champions) sets. I am just about 50% complete on the 1962 Post Cereal set. I started collecting 1956 Topps, 1967 Who Am I?, and lots of miscuts, printing errors and blank fronts and backs. I even got in touch with The Baseball Reliquary in Monrovia, California, about donating a hard copy of the baseball-card Casey at the Bat, but still haven't got my act together to send it along to them.

And all of these things slowly made me want to start writing about it all again. Not religiously blogging three or four times a day so that it gets in the way of me living the rest of my life. But simply writing about baseball cards when I have the time.

I had to take a year off. Now it's time to dust off the cobwebs, tinker with the setup, and see how long it will take me to put together a set by simply buying packs.

BH
January 1, 2010

14 comments:

Motherscratcher said...

Far our, man.

Good to have you back. Looking forward to reading your blog again.

deal said...

Welcome back - it feels like a Beatles Reunion.

GBV said...

Great to hear this, Ben. Looking forward to whatever direction this blog may take.

Mark Aubrey said...

Ben, thanks for returning.

madding said...

Glad to have you back. You've inspired many.

John said...

Welcome back!

--David said...

It is great to have you back again! Take it easy and keep havin' fun!

PunkRockPaint said...

So glad to have you back! Thank you.

beardy said...

Welcome back! I didn't even find your blog until after it was retired, but that doesn't make me any less glad that it's back.

Anthony K. said...

I sadly missed out on your blog, but did check it out while you were away and I am glad to have another good blogger back in the swing of things.

Can't wait to see more good content!!

Steve Gierman said...

I'm very happy to see your blog active again!

Unknown said...

Welcome back! Looking forward to reading your work again.

Victory Trading Cards said...

Welcome back Ben! Looking forward to reading your posts in 2010! Now if only firejoemorgan.com would start up again...

NickL said...

Wow I didn't know about this until just now, Feb. 22. Great news. Far our, man!