2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back, 5 Steps Forward

Well it has been some time since I posted.

Have been through a lot, mostly good, some not so good.

I just got more and more interested in this year's release of Strat-O-Matic's 2015 season.

The major impetus (sorry) was Brandon Crawford winning a gold glove, the hitting of Madison Bumgarner (I did not buy 2014) and related Giants items. I really thought I missed out on Kershaw's great 2014 season, and now with Arietta and Greinke along with Kershaw - the monster pitching cards seemed too good to ignore. Add a great rookie class, including the Giants Matt Duffy, a revitalized Cubs team, and of course the Royals, Mets, Blue Jays, Pirates, Cardinals etc. I just HAD to get the 2015 season.

Almost immediately, I said heck I need 2014 too. (Giants WS champs). I had gutted my collection to bare bones 1963-1979 original (minus 1974 and 1978), the oldtimers, and a few Hall of Fame sets basically. More recently, I had re-obtained 1974, 1978, 1980-1989 and ten recreated sets (had sold ALL of 37 or whatever of those!) ... 1930, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969, 1970.

Then I contemplated working out a plan to get 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Saw an auction on ebay and picked up 2012. Then sold a few items and used the money to get 1958 and 1959  (want to get all SF Giants teams eventually) and said the heck with it and ordered 2010, 2011 and 2013 from the game company. Whew.

Maybe I will contemplate getting 1990-2009 in the future, but not yet.

So with more seasons coming, I looked at my storage situation. I originally (1980s - mid 2000's) stored the teams in bank boxes - 5 seasons fit perfectly in neat 2x5 rows. Then I started sleeving the cards and they were now a tad longer and did not fit vertically, and could not fit five a row either. I switched to plastic shoe boxes, first from The Container store, then a few years later found bargain light blue shoe boxes with locking lids that were a little bigger and maybe a touch wider. Heaven.

Then I had withdrawals about 2 years ago - space issues, no time for projects, tried other game engines etc. I decided to de-sleeve all my cards (over 70,000) and this reduced their size and once again I went to the larger bank boxes, even sort of a nostalgia thing. But I find them awkward to pull done from my shelves and they often spill or crash to the floor and the lids fly off and the teams crash down, possibly bending a few cards.

Made the decision to go BACK to the locking lids shoe boxes - thank god I kept all of them (Had given away maybe 50-60 of the Container Store clear shoe boxes).

So 2 steps forward, 3 steps back and with the re-purchase of 1974, 1978, 1980-1989, 10 recreated seasons, 2 additional recreated seasons (1958 and 1959) and now 2010 - 2016 I am back full swing in the hobby.

Also craving the 1993 season and 2008-2009 particularly for Lincecum's CY seasons.

Time to roll!!!