The Idiot Box on Cardboard?

Back during the last snowy season, Corky of Pack War asked on one of his Monday Question Days about pop culture. That sounds right up my alley.

His question:

Is there a television show that you watch and would like to see a trading card set built on?

He mentions Futurama, which is one of my favorite TV shows. I could definitely latch on to that idea! There are so many concepts to turn into subsets or inserts, too. In addition to 140 episodes and the movies, there are at least 60 characters and plenty of themes. Fashion, technology, planets, spaceships, food, language, inside jokes, and opening credit gags. Plus the comics and video games. Autographs and sketch cards would round out the release.

There are plenty of old Nickelodeon shows I'd love to see on cardboard. Some of them may have made appearances in other sets before. But how about Clarissa Explains It All, The Secret World of Alex Mack, You Can't Do That On Television, Hey Dude, Salute Your Shorts, All That, The Amanda Show, Double Dare, the Nicktoons that don't have comprehensive sets already...

There are also some really obscure Comedy Central shows, like The Sarah Silverman Show, Ugly Americans, and Drawn Together.

Community might make for a fun card set. Robot Chicken? Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World.  Kids in the Hall. What I think would be really great would be a series of card sets featuring all of the greatest TV shows from each decade. Perhaps a nine-card set for each show. Some sets just don't work as a full release, but this would be a great chance to bring back Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster, Mister Ed, and all the other shows of the past. I'm not sure how possible relic cards would be, but there are lots of autograph opportunities.

And that same concept would be great for movies and music... but today's post is about TV.

Until next time...

30 for 30: One Year Late on a Blog Bat Around

Another day, another blog bat around. Gotta catch up somehow, huh?

I saw this one on several blogs early this year, but the first one I saw was over at Too Many Grandersons, so he gets the credit. The concept: the player who first comes to mind when thinking of each team.

How I made this list: I simply found a list of MLB teams, and as I typed each team's name, I added in the name of the player who first came to mind. Then, I went back and filled in the logic. And then, the images.

1. Atlanta Braves - Greg Maddux - my favorite player during the Braves dynasty, Maddux just defines the team for me.
2. Miami Marlins - Ichiro - while Ichiro will be most remembered as a Mariner, the Marlins are on the list first, and his name came to mind the fastest. And after all this, nobody else has come to mind... ahh, Miguel Cabrera. And Giancarlo Stanton. There we go. Perhaps I should have said Charlie Hough? Why did his name not come to mind for so long?
3. New York Mets - Nolan Ryan - this list has several players with the "wrong" team... but that might say more about the team than the player. After Ryan, Casey Stengel came to mind. Um... David Wright?
4. Philadelphia Phillies - Roy Halladay - I hated the Phillies in the 1990s: John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, etc. But Halladay wasn't a part of that nasty team in my mind. 
5. Washington Nationals - Bryce Harper - Why? I hate this guy. But he was the biggest player in the District of Columbia until he decided he wanted a cheesesteak. Stephen Strasburg...
6. Chicago Cubs - Anthony Rizzo - he's such a fun player to watch, and it's probably only a matter of time before I add him to my player collections. I'm sure the Cubs have had other good, memorable players, right?
7. Cincinnati Reds - Pete Rose - I dislike Pete Rose the man, but I respect Pete Rose the player. Barry Larkin was pretty cool, but Rob Dibble can choke on a baseball.
8. Milwaukee Brewers - Hank Aaron - because Maddux. Wow, I can't think of another Brewer. Oh, Yount. He played in Milwaukee, right?
9. Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutchen - just an amazing player, and someone else who might end up a PC. There's also Clemente, of course.
10. St. Louis Cardinals - Mark McGwire - Since he finished his career here and had his most PED'd season here, it makes sense, I guess. Stan Musial is next in my head.
11. Arizona Diamondbacks - Luis Gonzalez - because Randy Johnson just didn't come to mind first.
    
12. Colarado Rockies - Larry Walker - I was in high school when the Rockies came into existence, so this makes a lot of sense. Really, many of the 1980s/1990s names should be very obvious. Nolan Arenado is the second name that pops into my head.
13. Los Angeles Dodgers - Sandy Koufax - I can't think of a more iconic player on the LA Dodgers. If this had said Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, naturally. Then there's Clayton Kershaw.
14. San Diego Padres - Tony Gwynn - one of my favorite players since I was a child.
15. San Francisco Giants - Barry Bonds - the guy who overshadows any other modern player in San Francisco. Thinking back to my childhood, Dave Dravecky, Kevin Mitchell, and Will Clark. And there's Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda...
    
16. Baltimore Orioles - Cal Ripken Jr. - I would argue that Ripken is the most famous Oriole regular ever. Brooks Robinson is also in my mind. Manny Machado? Boy, I hate that guy. Great glove, horrible personality.
17. Boston Red Sox - Babe Ruth - The Sox came before the Yankees, and Ruth came to mind first. Amazing. Johnny Damon. Curt Schilling. Pedro Martinez. Fenway Park.
18. New York Yankees - Joe DiMaggio - it's only after returning here, and running through all the other 17 teams, that Mickey Mantle comes to mind. I could probably ramble off 30 different historical Yankees players. Ah, Jeter. A-Rod. Whitey Ford. Reggie Jackson. Dave Winfield. I should stop here.
19. Tampa Bay Rays - Wade Boggs - probably because I had the Red Sox just two teams before, Boggs came to mind for the Rays. I remember seeing him in a Rays jersey and how weird those colors looked on him. I guess Evan Longoria?
    
20. Toronto Blue Jays - Joe Carter - the Blue Jays beat the Braves in the '93 World Series. The Jays also have that jerk Bautista. Ugh. Next team.
21. Chicago White Sox - Frank Thomas - The Big Hurt was a superstar when I was most into collecting. Who else played in Chicago? Um... umm... wow. That's bad. Uhh. Shoeless Joe Jackson.
22. Cleveland Indians - Joe Carter - I just realized that he came up twice. Jim Thome actually popped into my head earlier, but when I was writing this list Carter was the first name in my mind. Bob Feller?
23. Detroit Tigers - Buck Farmer - while Lou Whitaker, Justin Verlander, Cecil Fielder, and Miguel Cabrera are much bigger names, Buck was my student when he was in high school, so he'll probably always be the first to come to mind when I think of the Tigers now.
    
24. Kansas City Royals - George Brett - Yount and Brett got their 3000th hits in 1992, and while I can't think of another Royal right now (ouch) Brett will probably be the most iconic Royal in my mind for a long time. Hal McRae was a Royal, right? Paul Molitor!
25. Minnesota Twins - Kirby Puckett - If I didn't think of Puckett with the Twins, that would probably be a sin. How many times did I hear about Puckett playing the ball off of the hefty bag in right field of the Metrodome? Harmon Killebrew also comes to mind.
26. Houston Astros - Jose Altuve - another one of my favorite players, I can't think of the Astros without thinking of him. Beyond that, Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, and of course Nolan Ryan.
    
27. Los Angeles Angels - Albert Pujols - it is odd to me that I didn't think of Pujols playing with the Cardinals, but by the time I got to LA he was the first name out of my memory bank. Dave Winfield played for the Angels, too, right? Gene Autry was an Angel... sort of. And Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson. Mike Trout?! That took a long time to remember.
28. Oakland Athletics - Jose Canseco - my first favorite player, where he was playing when I first got into baseball. Dave Stewart, Dennis Eckersley, and does anyone else remember Terry Steinbach? Walt Weiss! Wow, the 1990ish A's dynasty.
29. Seattle Mariners - Ken Griffey Jr. - are you surprised? There's also Felix Hernandez, A-Rod, Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner.
    
30. Texas Rangers - Nolan Ryan - he's the second guy to end up on this list twice, and this time it wasn't subconciously. Ryan was just so dominating, even in his twilight seasons. Juan Gonzalez is the second name to come to mind... and from there we're about done.

And with that, this list is complete!

Until next time...

The Disappearance of Ryan/Reviving A Blog Bat Around

Once again, the blog went on hiatus. My last post was back at the end of March, and my absence certainly wasn't planned. A lot has been going on, some good and some bad. I was fighting some infections and had a bunch of doctoral visits, basically every week (sometimes every day) for about about five to six months. My first MRI, my first CT scan, my first IV... No worries, though. I'm fine now, and I don't think it was ever very serious. Just a very big inconvenience with some pain.

And I did get a couple weeks of vacation in there, seeing some baseball games in the BCL independent league (I'll eventually do a post on that) and taking a trip to Shanghai. I have been collecting this whole time, and lots of post ideas have come and gone in my head. I've been working on the road all year, which I love, but that makes it much harder to manage my collection.

I also was playing Pokemon Go. Boy that game can take up a lot of time. Sure, I got a lot of exercise walking around, but it ate up more time than I'd like to admit. But that's gone - I quit cold turkey a couple months ago and haven't gone back since. So what have I been doing with my new-found time? Catching up. I've been knocking tasks off my goals for the year and working on some other projects I've had in mind as well. And there's still much more to do - I have five years of pictures from travels to go through and possibly start posting back on my other blog. And there's a lot of things at home I need to do to finish getting my collection back in order and some clutter to clear out. 

But for now, I'm back! And while I've been absent from the blog, a few "bat arounds" and other post inspirations have popped up. (Yes, I have been silently lurking in the shadows, reading your blogs.) So perhaps I'll tackle those first.

Today, I'll answer the question posed by Dan over at It's like having my own Card Shop... back in July of.. last year.

He asks: If you could only keep 5 of your collections or projects, what would you keep?

And then he lists 13 of his collections. It's a tough question, and I could cheat as such:

1. My player collection
2. My set collection
3. My type collection
4. My theme collection
5. My non-sport set collection

Yup. That just about covers it... and covers everything!

But that's cheating. So let's look at all that overall and pare it down to some more manageable descriptions.

1. My Type Collection.

When I returned to collecting after college, the first collection I started was my type collection, and I consider it the base of my entire collection. It's massive - if it was complete (which it is far from being) it would be about 65,000 cards, including MLB, MiLB, and foreign cards. It's the best way for me to try to collect everything, and not have to collect everything.

2. My Single Cards Collection.

It's now over 500 cards, and it has mostly relics and/or autographs from my favorite players and celebrities. It, on its own, is the most appropriate tribute to the pop culture side of my life. It's not comprehensive, because many of my favorite celebrities don't have attainable relics or autographs. But it is my collection of my favorite cards. There isn't that much value there, though - many of the hits are the cheapest I could find. Add in the Japanese singles to get me near 1000 cards, though many of those aren't hits. 

3. My Players Collection.

Now up to 36 players, it's fairly simplistic. Just the main Topps flagship cards for each player, each year - no subset cards other than rookie combo cards - plus one bat relic, one jersey relic, an autograph, and one figure or bobblehead. There are a few exceptions to this rule; a few super collections or semi-super collections are mixed in for various reasons.

Some people who replied to this question specified certain players. While I consider all of the players part of one collection, if each player counted as one collection, I'd have to keep my Buck Farmer collection. He was my former student, after all. The other players' hits could be folded in to the Single Cards Collection with the others.

4. Sets.

I think if I had to focus on one type of set, it would be the themes. While the first sets I collected when I returned were ones that I thought looked cool, I've come to realize that having 20 cards of that design isn't much better than the one already in the type collection. And I enjoy my collection of flagship sets and the designs of the throwback sets I have. But again, the art sets and sets with topics are much more interesting to flip through. How many sets would this be? I don't know - there are a bunch of smaller insert sets and subsets to go along with the "full-size" Diamond Kings and Topps Gallery issues.

5. Non-Sport Sets.

My non-sport checklist hasn't been properly updated in several years. While I didn't collect baseball cards for about five years, I did chase non-sport sets during that time frame, and I continued the collection while I was living in the US. Thanks to good timing and stingy shopping, I've amassed some 600+ sets. Some are more important to me than others, and to say that everything in that collection must be kept is probably insane. Sure, I want to keep everything. But I don't have to. So with just a few exceptions, I would probably part with all of the single-subject sets, like the TV series and movie sets. Instead, I'd keep compilation sets - Americana, Disney Treasures, James Bond Connoisseur. And possibly some individual cards from other sets.

Honestly, if absolutely necessary, I could get rid of all of my sets - baseball and non-baseball. I've enjoyed collecting them, but they are the biggest space-hoarder in my collection. And something I've been playing around with is making my own custom card sets - I could have fun making my own topical sets for baseball and non-sports subjects alike.

If you paid any attention to my original list, you might have noticed that my themed collections didn't even make the cut above. Some are superfluous, while others could be replaced with custom cards to make them more personal.

So when push comes to shove, my type collection, player collection, and singles collection are the most important. That doesn't mean I'm giving up the rest!

Until next time...

Blog Bat Around: Oh, Oh, Oh, It's Magic (Infinity Wars BBA)

Long time, no post. I've been busy, as usually seems to be the case. Personal stuff, work stuff. Blah blah blah, same as always. I want to post regularly, of course, but life gets in the way. However, I think I'll have some more time most weeks through June, so I should be back in a routine soon.

Meanwhile, it's time to tackle a new Blog Bat Around. Via Fuji, this idea comes from Matt at Diamond Jesters. As Fuji explains, the idea comes from Avengers: Infinity War... a movie I've yet to see. But see it or not, you'll get the idea:

The first question has some interesting side effects. Given my collection, I'd have to assume that all of my sets would now be half-complete. Or, would it be that half of my complete sets would disappear? If my sets were to become half-finished, that would essentially mean I'd have to just start over with all of them. (What's cheaper and easier, buying a full 1991 Fleer set or buying 400 commons of 1991 Fleer?) If half of my complete sets vanished, then I'd just have to replace them. For insert sets, either option would be about equal, as I've built them card by card. But for all of those base sets, this makes a big difference.

As for the type collection, I'd lose a ton of cards. No particular card in that collection is very sentimental to me, but I'd lose over 5000 cards. Only 1000 of those would be base cards, leaving 4000 parallels, inserts, hits, and oddballs to hunt for again.

I do have a few other collections that would require a lot of hunting to re-complete or at least rebuild to current levels. Those cards aren't sentimental in general, just a lot of cards and a lot of work.

But what would really hurt would be my personal and player collections. Or, specifically, those hits found in those collections. Many of them are replaceable, but it won't be cheap, or easy. Some of the non-sport cards rarely show up in auctions.

And then, all my Japanese cards and non-sport sets would be at risk. And what happens to all of the 1/1 cards in my collection? Do they completely cease to exist, being stricken from existence? Does someone else have them? Or much like cards damaged in a fire, remain on checklists but become forever unattainable?

Would I do it? Much like Fuji said, it would have to be a mint T-206 master set with all of the errors and variations (front and back). But it wouldn't be (just) for the nostalgia or rarity. It would be to sell it off. Heck, selling a Wagner alone would provide more than enough cash to replace everything lost and then some.

And with plenty of spending money from the other cards, I could really work hard to have a real type collection (as if 28% of all known cards in existence isn't real), and the other collections would be easily tackled. And retire. And spend the rest of my life traveling the world, sightseeing, watching baseball games, and riding roller coasters. Ah, wouldn't that be the life.

Okay, I'm greedy.

As for the second question. I only get one particular card, and a single (other) player's cards and memorabilia are erased from existence. Hmm.

The player is Al Verdel. He played for one single game for the Phillies back in 1944. One inning of relief - three batters faced, with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 0.000 WHIP. And he wouldn't hurt anybody's collection - other than a Wikipedia page and a line in the 1944 statistics books, he's basically forgotten. I would even bet that his family doesn't have his old glove or anything. (It would be nice to think they do, but I chose Verdel because I want to be a nice guy.)

Now, if you think that's cheating, give me any of these players who can't handle their attitudes. Bryce Harper, Rougned Odor, Jose Bautista, just to name a few. Yeah, they have big fan bases because they were hyped or had one clutch moment, but these guys should not be role models. They really aren't that good to begin with (Harper's leading the three with an average around .280... hardly superstar material). They're undeserved divas.

But what card? Again, greed comes into play. Give me every Honus Wagner T206. Or Ty Cobb T206. Or Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps. I'll sell them off and use that money to build my collection and, again, retire early, spending time traveling and enjoying life. I'm not going to hoard them, but just take advantage of the situation.

I also considered adding a truly unique card to my collection. I remember Upper Deck offering a custom cut-signature card about 10-15 years ago, and that would be cool. That gives me an idea for a future post... or even another blog bat around! But that'll have to wait.

Until next time!

Blog Bat Around: The "TCIC" Autograph Team

Mr. Zappy put forth his first Blog Bat Around recently, and it's a good one: to put together your "best" team using only players you have autographs of.

Challenge accepted.

But I have a small dilemma: all of my autographs are not here. I'd say 99% of them are in the US, and the rest are a couple hours away at home. I've been working on the road again, you see.

Thankfully, I do have my lists, and I can put together a pretty good run. Most of the pictures below will not be mine - I'll try to find images of the cards I own.

The challenge includes all nine position players, a DH, two relievers, and a closer. A full roster of 25 players is welcome, too. Let's see what I get.

Starting Lineup:
Starting Pitcher: Nolan Ryan (2005 UD Hall of Fame Seasons Autographs Silver)

I got this card at a card show way back in 2005. At the time, it was my biggest single-card purchase ever, at $50. I've passed that now.

Catcher: Buster Posey (2009 TriStar ProJections Autographs)

I snagged my copy off eBay for my player collection. I should have bought Posey back when he was taking his year off. But his minor league cards still remain affordable. Note the logos on this one!

First Base: Albert Pujols (2004 Fleer Patchworks Autoworks)

My card came from Yahoo Japan Auctions, so actually my copy is only a couple hours from here. Why is Pujols' autograph easier (cheaper) to get than Barry Bonds?

Second Base: Jose Altuve (2012 Topps Triple Threads Unity Autographed Relics)

I'd like to have more Altuve autographs. This one I got for my player collection before he really shot through the roof.

Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr. (2005 Donruss Signature Silver Signatures)

Zippy Zappy himself was present when I bought this Ripken autograph in Shinjuku a few years ago.

Third Base: Chipper Jones (2016 Topps Strata Autographs)

Is Chipper the best switch-hitting third baseman ever? His autographs aren't cheap!

Left Field: Rickey Henderson (2012 Sportkings Series E Autographs Silver)

I got this Henderson autograph for a steal off COMC. While Rickey isn't one of my player collections, he is a part of my 1989 A's team autograph set.

Center Field: Ken Griffey Jr. (2003 SP Authentic Chirography)

This is another card show grab from my Atlanta days, and another steal if you ask me.

Right Field: Tony Gwynn (2003 Sweet Spot Classic Classic Greats Autographs)

I have several Gwynn autographs, but Sweet Spot signatures are always the best!

Relief Pitcher: Buck Farmer (2015 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Blue)

I could have put one of several different Buck Farmer autographed cards here. But no, I chose this one. Deal with it.

Relief Pitcher: Tim Lincecum (2007 Ultimate Collection)

I have two autographs. For some reason, Lincecum stopped signing after 2007. He doesn't have much of a signature, though.

Closer: John Smoltz (2016 Topps Tek Autographs)

John Smoltz has a much better signature. And while I prefer him as a starter (the 1995 Braves team is one of my favorites), he was a very effective closer.

Bench:
SP: Greg Maddux (2000 SP Authentic Autographed Buybacks 1999 SP)

The other key on the mound during the 1995 season.

SP: Clayton Kershaw (2011 Topps Tier One Dual Autographs w/Josh Johnson)

I'm not a fan of dual autographs, but it was the only way I could afford getting a Kershaw signature in my collection. Multiple autographs are okay if there's a truly obvious connection like family members or teammates, or members of the 40-40 club.

SP: Justin Verlander (2006 Upper Deck Inkredible)

When it comes to pitchers, I definitely have a lot of great autographs! After the last season, Verlander has also gained popularity, so I'm glad I grabbed this card when I could.

SP: Felix Hernandez (2005 Topps Gallery Penmanship Autographs)

Another card for my player collection, but I like that uniform King Felix is sporting!

RP: Kenta Maeda (2016 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs)

My Maeda autograph was a redemption, and Topps was kind enough to send my card to Japan. But it's on the other side of Tokyo, so here's the COMC image. And I must say that it was well worth the (very short) wait - this "rookie" autograph is much more costly now.

RP: Charlie Hough (2005 Topps Retired Signature Autographs)

Why hasn't Charlie Hough appeared in movies? I think he would have been perfect in a bunch of baseball-related roles. He might still be good. How about a movie about a 60-year-old knuckleballer who makes it to the pros?

RP: Geoff Geary (2004 Upper Deck Diamond Pro Sigs)

Geoff Geary's only autograph is surprisingly hard to come by. And I've never seen either of the parallel versions of this card. In fact, I had to search through my hard drive to find a scan, because there just aren't any online. That's a great autograph, by the way.

RP: Mariano Rivera (2007 Finest Rookie Finest Moments Autographs Dual)
C: Jorge Posada (2007 Finest Rookie Finest Moments Autographs Dual)

There's no denying Mariano Rivera is the most successful closer of all time. But there is a lot of controversy regarding the details of his statistics. That said, this dual autograph might be my best pull ever, even better than the 1/1 autographed relic I have from 2005 Absolute Memorabilia.

IF: Frank Thomas (2013 Leaf Sports Heroes Autographs)

It seems to me that The Big Hurt has a lot of autographed cards. But he remains extremely popular, so his signature doesn't come cheap. This is another autograph I'm very happy to have picked up for the price I paid.

IF: Pete Rose (2012 Leaf Pete Rose Autographs)

I have to wonder if Pete Rose holds the record for most autographs ever signed. Thousands were inserted into Leaf products, but Rose also signed anywhere and everywhere. I paid about 1000 yen, which is the going rate for a Pete Rose autographed card. Did you know he now signs for Panini, too?

If you call yourself an autograph collector, and you don't have a Pete Rose autograph, you just aren't an autograph collector.

OF: Jose Canseco (2015 Topps High Tek Autographs)

No fan of the 1989 Athletics team can go without Mr. 40-40. This isn't my only Canseco autograph, but it is the one I have in my Canseco player collection. I believe I have at least four autographs, but I could be pushing half a dozen.

OF: Julio Franco (1996 Leaf Signature Series Bronze Autographs)

As far as I can tell, this veteran has autographs in only two sets: the one above, and 2004 Donruss Timelines. While I know him most during his time with Atlanta, beggars can't be choosers, and the Indians it is.

Bonus:
All-Want Autograph Team:
A list of players I don't have autographs for, but would like to add to my collection. If you didn't notice above, I don't have a lot of relief pitcher autographs. So I'm just combining all four pitcher spots into generic hurlers.

Pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka (player collection)
Pitcher: Kenny Rogers (perfect game)
Pitcher: Randy Johnson (perfect game)
Pitcher: Sandy Koufax (perfect game)
Catcher: Yogi Berra (legend)
First Base: Mark McGwire (1989 A's team)
Second Base: John Valentin (unassisted triple play)
Shortstop: Adrian Beltre (possible player collection)
Third Base: Miguel Cabrera (possible player collection)
Outfield: Ichiro (player collection)
Outfield: Barry Bonds (player collection)
Outfield: Hideki Matsui (2011 A's team)
DH: David Ortiz (possible player collection)
Pinch Hitter: Eric Bruntlett (unassisted triple play)

Blog Bat Aroundish: My Various Projects

I want this card.

Today's post comes from another question/discussion posted on another blog. Night Owl wrote about his various projects a week ago, and others have chimed in. So while I spent yesterday hinting at the multitude of boxes that fill up storage, my mother's house, and my apartment, let's look at the baseball card side of things.

While Night Owl speaks of less than a dozen projects, my collection isn't that easy.

Are you ready?

• Type collection (focus: base cards, insert cards, and oddballs)
• MLB
• MiLB
• NPB
• KBO
• CPBL
• whatever else!

• Base set runs (focus right now: Donruss and Score, plus current sets)

• Topps
• Donruss
• Fleer
• Score
• Upper Deck
• Stadium Club
• Ultra
• Allen And Ginter
• Goodwin Champions
• Gypsy Queen
• Diamond Kings

The base set collection is so extensive that I rarely focus on building single sets. That said, I will eventually start a new old Topps set.

• Thematic sets
• Olympics
• Team USA
• World Baseball Classic
• Women In Sports
• Any other sets
• Diamond Kings and other art sets
• Upper Deck's Baseball Heroes
• other sets that pique my interest

There are over 100 sets in my want list right now, which are the sets I focus on card-by-card. A large percentage of those are from the Diamond Kings series, though there are plenty of other insert sets scattered throughout.

• Thematic collections
• Award Winners and Clubs
• In-Game Collection (one card for every appearance of a player in a game I've attended)
• Archives Collection (one card for every player ever)
• Tobacco Mini Frankenset
• Player Collections (mostly needing figures here)

My Award Winners and Clubs collection stays pretty much complete, though there are always a few holdouts from the prior year, and many older players with only one or two obscure cards or no cards at all. The In-Game (~2300) and Archives (~19,000) collections are massive undertakings, and I don't put much effort into the minis, due to availability here.

• Non-Sport collections
• Movie and TV sets
• Hits for celebrities and non-baseball athletes that interest me

I don't do much with the movie and TV sets, though there are many I'd like to get. It's too expensive with shipping right now, but occasionally something shows up at the right price. But I'm always on the lookout for certain memorabilia and autograph cards.

• Other Japanese collections

• Hits for certain athletes
• NPB Players (Motonobu Tanishige and Alex Ramirez)
• Pokemon (gotta catch 'em all!)
• Japanese MLBers
• Foreigners in Japan
• BBM and Calbee set runs
• I'm working on a few Calbee sets card-by-card right now, as I mentioned in a recent post
• A bunch of sets, for baseball, other sports, non-sport, and idols

Okay, that's seven collections, with a bunch of pieces, many with sets of their own lists. Baseball card collection inception: a list in a list in a list in a list. And then Freddy comes to get the Shepherd out of your dream because you've been hoarding old toothbrushes and maggot-covered sandwiches in your locker and then your father becomes a butterfly... oh, sorry. I had a South Park moment.

My thing is extreme flexibility. One collection might have come to a standstill, but the others could have some open areas. Many of the MLB insert sets I'm collecting are too expensive at the moment (COMC, Sportlots, and eBay are generally my only options), but I can find some new Jose Altuve cards or poke around for a cheap base set. And once the stock on COMC gets replenished, I could find some good bargains. 

Having many collections means having lots of lists, and hopefully someday I'll whittle most of them down to being really simple, short want lists, but I do like having options!