Is this technically an Orioles card? No, no it's not. I don't care. This is my blog and my rules. I have no idea who defaced this card of Disco Dan Ford. I don't think that's my handwriting (plus I would have been all of 5 years old and living in Germany when this came out). Could I have defaced it at a later date? It had to have been done sometime between 1982 and 1985 since those are the years he was with the Os.
Does it bother me that a card has been "ruined" like this? No, not really. I'm pretty sure I could snap my fingers and find a replacement in near-mint condition for this 37 year-old card. That someone (possibly me) took the time to scratch it out and "update" it makes it more endearing to me. Ford was a good player, and a key platoon player during the 1983 championship run, but he was no superstar. So it's not like someone scribbled all over a '52 Mantle.
In fact, it reminds me of a simpler time of collecting (caution - old man waxing nostalgic) when I was more concerned with getting cards of players that played for the Orioles. If you had offered me Ford, an Al Bumbry card and a couple of other no-name Baltimore players for a 1981 Tim Raines rookie, I would have made the trade in a heartbeat. After all, who cares about some guy playing in Montreal?
I have no doubt that this card was once wrapped in a rubber band and thrown in a shoe box. As a kid I just liked having cards, there was no need to worry about their condition. That didn't come until much later. Cards were to be looked at, traded and thrown in a box and stuffed in a closet when it was time to go to school.
Part of me wishes we could go back to that - get away from the "mojo" hits and $1,000 eBay sales - but that's not going to happen. Heck, I'm as guilty as the next person to hoping that any pack I open has a Mike Trout short-print or insert in it that I can flip for a few bucks in the ol' PayPal account. Still, I almost get as big a thrill when I pull a Johnathan Scoop base card - just because it has the Orioles logo on it. Maybe I should find an Andrew Cashner base card and break out the ballpoint pen for old times sake.
Oh, in regards to the game - Mark Trumbo ups his trade value with two bombs and Kevin Gausman had another solid start. Way to break another losing streak, boys.
JustinG.'s Current Trade Rankings (updated!)
(in order of most likely to be traded)
1. Manny Machado
2. Mark Trumbo
3. Brad Brach
4. Danny Valencia
5. Mychal Givens
6. Jonathan Schoop
7. Zach Britton
8. Craig Gentry
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