Baseball, Candy, and Stickers

There's been a lot of heaviness in the Burbs household over the past few weeks.  As I discussed yesterday, work has been insanely busy in the lead up to summer break and my iPhone also recently went for a nice, long swim.  Furthermore, as if that wasn't enough to put a damper on my mood, some family drama has been frothing for several days now and finally boiled over the edge of the pot.  I'm not going to discuss these private matters on the blog, but I will say that next month's big family vacation to Tennessee is now going to be extra "interesting."  

Thankfully, there are three things that will always make my day better - baseball cards/memorabilia, candy, and stickers.  What can I say?  I'm a perpetual child... although I'm willing to bet that most of you out there reading my ramblings would probably agree with me here.  Therefore, you wouldn't be surprised to find out that my dark mood was almost instantaneously lifted on Friday afternoon when I found an envelope that blended all three of those joyful things. 

Baseball ephemera, candy, and stickers all in one package... what could possibly accomplish such a fun-tastical blend?

As detailed in a earlier post on Wrigley Roster Jenga, Long Ball Licorice is a new player in the confectionery industry.  Andre Chiavelli worked for many years at Yankee Stadium and as bans and ordinances against chewing tobacco worked their way up from the local ballparks and into MLB stadiums across the country, he saw an opportunity to pursue an idea which had been kicking around in the back of his head for a long time: plug-style licorice.  Then, he went out and secured the likeness of the one and only Babe Ruth for his new passion project and Long Ball Licorice was officially born.

I don't know how you feel about licorice, but it's absolutely one of my favorite candies... especially black licorice.  Although, the black variation elicits some of the strongest reactions from people that I've ever seen when discussing candy - it seems as though it's one of those things you either love or you hate.  How do you feel about black licorice?  I should note that Long Ball also comes in a red raspberry flavor, if you fall into the latter portion of society.

Meanwhile, I fall squarely into the former category and, when I won a free sampling of Andre's product through a Twitter contest back in January, I was particularly giddy.  In fact, my wife and I actually fought over the soft licorice plug.  Thank goodness LBL's distribution continues to spread and it's now available in Cracker Barrels and ballparks across the country - no more coming to blows over sweets!

Look for these pouches at your local CB restaurant or baseball diamond!

At any rate, seeing as how much I enjoyed this high quality, tasty confection, I have since been monitoring their social media channels quite closely.  Thus, I jumped at the chance when their official Twitter account offered up free Long Ball Licorice stickers to anyone who tagged a friend in the thread.  Seeing as my wife was nearly willing to slug me in the stomach for an extra bit of the licorice, I thought she'd be okay if I let her in on the secret to get some free swag.

Baseball, candy, stickers... that checks all the boxes for a desperately needed pick-me-up.  Plus, free is my all-time favorite price!

Just a few days later, an envelope filled with not one, not two, but FIVE free stickers showed up in my mailbox:

Here's a closer look at the decals themselves.  They are about the size of your standard business card and condense the packaging art down to that 3.5"x 2" frame.  In fact, Andre appears to have taken the layout/design for his LBL business cards and had them printed as stickers.  That's not a complaint, as that's just good marketing and I absolutely love this graphic design work. Meanwhile, the backs - of course - are blank; they are stickers, after all.

I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up with five of these little decals.  Now, I have one to keep for my oddball card collection (fun fact, that's also where the original business card resides) and I don't have to feel guilty about sticking the rest of them in strange places!  Again, my inner child is showing.

Like I said, I kept one for my baseball card collection and I gave one to my wife, since she was party to my sticker quest and arguably loves Long Ball Licorice even more than I do.

Apparently, she loves it so much that she thought it was worthy of being framed on her desk.  That's some awfully high praise!  However, she assures me that this is just staging and she'll be sticking Babe somewhere fun in the near future.

After handing one over to my better half, my next stop was to my portable record player.  This relic from the local school district had been mothballed in storage for decades before I rescued it a few years back.  Now, after years of neglect, it plays double duty as both the source of music in my spare bedroom and as a holder of stickers:

As you can see, Babe represents the first baseball-related autocollant to make it into the club, although it's not the first bit of sports ephemera.  Apparently, motorsports and stickers go together like peanut butter and ladies (a reference any NASCAR fan should understand).

That's three of the five stickers accounted for... now, what should I do with the other two?  I'm going to have to find somewhere in the area to adhere them, somewhere that will get Andre, Babe Ruth, and Long Ball Licorice maximum exposure.  Hmmmmmm.....  suggestions are welcome!

Thank you to Andre, Long Ball Licorice, and their Twitter account operator for providing me with these awesome freebies - it was a generous offer and they truly helped to brighten a dark week for the Burbs household.  See - there's nothing in this world that baseball, candy, and stickers cannot fix!

Those stickers are effective too... my taste buds are totally craving some Long Ball Licorice right now.

Trading Cards in Disguise

All Hallows' Eve, a night during which the world dons masks, face paint, and costumes for a night of candy, mischief, debauchery, and ghoulish fun, all in the name of Samhain.  It's a night filled with costume parties, trick or treating, pumpkin carving, pranks, haunted houses, and scary movie marathons.  All in all, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, and my birthday are all well and good; however, only one holiday taps into my creative side and allows me to craft and show off my own costumes.  Ever since I can remember, the art of creating a proper Halloween disguise has been my favorite holiday tradition, thus making October 31st my most favored annual celebration.  Well... unless MLB Opening Day counts as a holiday... but, I digress.

Over the years, I've put together some top-notch costumes - Speed Racer, the Green Power Ranger, and the Headless Horseman rank among my proudest.  Along with my wife, our craft has even won awards at local costume contests - Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, and, my personal favorite, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe.  After all, these years, I still get a thrill out of spending a night in disguise.

However, I am certainly not alone in my love for Halloween dress-up; after all, those pop-up costume shops indicate that it is a million dollar industry.  But, it's not just people that like to get in on the act of costuming.  Trading cards, that's right, trading cards can often be found in disguise... and all year-round at that!

They come disguised as...

 ...stickers...

...decals....

...magnets...

 ...phone cards...

...stamps....

 ...tattoos...

...coupons...

...advertisements...

...game pieces...

...posters...

...postcards...

...greeting cards....

...Valentine cards....

...digital photographs....

 

...traditional photographs...

...mini books...

...and even business cards, credit cards, coins, rub downs, ticket stubs, tags, schedules, blankets, and paper fans.  Trading cards are like paper/plastic versions of Lon Chaney, "The Man of a Thousand Faces."

But, despite their clever disguises, these collectibles can't confuse use obsessive collectors - they're trading cards, at heart.  There ain't no "tricking" us on these "treats!"  We obsessive folks will collect them in whatever form they chose to hide out in.

Or maybe I'm the only one that "out of my gourd..." 

At any rate, Happy Halloween to everyone reading this overextended,  metaphorical excuse for a blog post.  I hope your night's festivities are "bewitching!"  In the meantime, if you happen to run into a Han Solo and Chewbacca combination in your neighborhood this evening, you might just be running into this fanatical trading card collector and his lovely wife.  Keep your eyes peeled!

.......

**EDIT** - Due to popular demand, here's a selection of costumes for which I have easily accessible pictures (by that, I mean they were on Facebook):

Stickers 4 Less

You know the feeling - you open the refrigerator to answer the call of a growling stomach, hoping to prepare a turkey sandwich or maybe grab a quick snack (like a cheese stick or a tupperware full of last night's leftovers) only to find a chilly emptiness within your suddenly hollow appliance.  With a groan and a sudden realization that you're going to have to go grocery shopping eventually.  Your aching belly makes it clear that if you keep denying it gratification any longer, there are going to be severe gastric problems in the near future.  With all of that rattling among your frustrated thoughts, you sullenly lace up your sneakers, snatch your keys off of the hook, avoid the temptation of dozens of fast food options along the away, and make your way to a local grocer.  The deed must be done.

Perhaps I'm being a touch overly hyperbolic, but I truly detest grocery shopping.  If food could suddenly apparate (Harry Potter-style) into my fridge and pantry, I'd be a happy man - where's that technology, 21st century?  Huh?

It was the very situation that I described above that led me to the local Food 4 Less, endeavoring to pick up some odds and ends to replenish my neglected food stocks.  Groceries to be sought out included properly ripened bananas, pre-packaged lunch meat, Kraft singles (my wife's preferred "cheese"), and some turkey hot dogs.  Luckily for my perturbed digestive system, I found all of these items without much difficulty and fairly quickly.  However, there was one extra item that wasn't on my hastily scribbled shopping list, but still caught my attention; this item was going to keep my impatient belly waiting, despite it's increasingly aggressive growls becoming more like a roar.

I've habitually checked the ubiquitous quarter vending machines, located in the foyer of most chain stores, as I complete my trip to hell... I mean, the grocery store.  It's a tick that I developed many moons ago, likely the result of the beloved 50 cent machine which distributed 1996 Fleer baseball singles at the local ice cream shop, when I was a young lad.  Times are different now and the hobby is nowhere near as over-arching as it was in the mid-90's; however, I still glance over at the red, metal vendors on my way out, just in case.  Lo and behold, today was the "case."

Nestled among the Finding Dory and Trolls stickers, memes, and temporary tattoos, I was surprised to discover an apparent set of licensed NFL stickers.  Better yet, from the picture on the outside, the design of these bad boys appeared to simulate that of a traditional trading card.  Sorry stomach, this was an opportunity that I had to seize.

For fifty cents a pop, one could have their very own sticker of  Phillip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, etc.  I'd never seen nor heard of these oddballs before and my curiosity was piqued; so, I quickly dug around in my pocket and was relieved to discover that I had a dollar in quarters rattling around in my blue jeans.  In exchange for my four silver Washingtons, the "Stickerama" machine spat out a pair of plain, white, cardboard envelopes, which contained my goodies.  With that, I quickly made my way out of the Food 4 Less, lest someone see this full-grown adult messing with and taking pictures the kids novelty items.

Plus, by this point, I was hungry enough to unhinge my jaw and eat anyone who might have noticed.  That just wouldn't have been good for anyone.

After speeding home, I re-loaded my lonely fridge, made myself a wholesome snack (definitely wasn't half a box of fudge stripe cookies) and sat down to reveal the contents of my surprise, cardboard envelopes.

I didn't (and still don't) know if there were any Chicago Bears in this set; but, the fact that I came across these football stickers on the very same day as their first preseason tilt had to be a good omen, right?  Drum-roll, please:

Who's contained within envelope number one?:

Ahhhh, that's a touch "deflating."  Not that I actually have a problem with Tom Brady - I truly feel like he gets a lot more flack than he deserves and he has my respect as a once in a generation talent - he just doesn't really move the needle for me.

But, that's okay - that's why I purchased two stickers.  Fingers crossed that first is the worst and second is the best.  Cue those drums again, Giphy:

Who's hiding in sleeve number two??:

Well then.

via GIPHY

Again, I guess I don't personally have any strong feelings about Tony Romo; however, being that my Delaware-born wife is a enthusiastic Eagles fan, she absolutely detests Mr. Romo and his Cowboys.  In the course of our time together, I seem to have developed some secondhand distaste, in a show of solidarity.  Of course, she also hates the Bears too - I suppose I should just be happy that my wife enjoys football.

While the player selection here turned out to be underwhelming, I'm still thrilled to have made this unexpected discovery at Food 4 Less.  Let's take a moment to examine these oddballs a little bit more in depth.

The "cards" are a little bit over-sized... I would guess they are about the size of your average index card, but I don't have a ruler handy to back that up.  The stickers themselves (the part which is actually removed) are a tad smaller and make use of rounded corners - perfect for lockers, trapper keepers, or notebook covers.  As for their design, they are very basic, with a team logo and color-coordinating "lower-third" name bar at the bottom.  For the most part, the pictures do the talking.  All in all, appropriately enough, it kind of reminds me of a Topps or Panini sticker release.

As for the backside:

While I honestly expected to find them blank on the back, we get a remind of the player name, the team logo, "card" number, and all of the respective legal information.  On that latter bit, we discover that the vending machine set was copyrighted in 2012; obviously, this is several years before the NFL went exclusive with Panini.  I can't imagine that the trading card company, which originally made it's mark with sports stickers, would be thrilled about these hitting the market today.  That said, at the time, these stickers were fully-licensed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association and were produced by Maryland-based A&A Global Industries, Inc.

Believe it or not, this isn't my first encounter with A&A, which is a giant in the vending machine industry:

Last fall, again while on a mission for food, I came across a machine stocked with MLB team stickers at the nearby Mr. Submarine location. Nowadays, A&A still partners with the NFL, but due to license exclusivity, they can only deal in team logo merchandise, including stickers, super balls, tiny stuffed animals, etc. Their reach goes far beyond the NFL and the MLB though, as they are "the premier distributor of toys, novelties, candy, plush and merchandiser kits for the bulk vending, amusement and family entertainment industries," according to their website. They've been at it since 1938, as well.

Basically, if you've ever dropped a quarter into one of these machines, A&A were probably responsible for the prize you received.

Oh boy - I need to find these vending machines for my rubber duck collecting wife!

At any rate, while they may not get to make them any more, I was thrilled to come across their player stickers and I wish they could still be a thing. I've said it many times on here, but stupid license exclusivity. Although, at least at this grocery store, the stickers don't appear to have been a huge hit, seeing as the machine still sat stocked a full five years after their release. Oh well, more joy for me.

If you collect the Patriots/Tom Brady/Cowboys/Tony Romo and would like to claim the oddballs above for your own collection, just let me know and they are all yours - they just don't really fit into my "ultra-focused on the Bears" football collection. There might be more of these coming too, as I have a feeling that I'm going to be "grocery shopping" a tad bit more often now, in search of Monsters of the Midway.

Thank you, A&A, for making my grocery shopping experience a lot more tolerable!

A Cardboard Date

Ah c'mon - that's not the kind of cardboard date that I'm talking about.

I know you're probably all sick and tired of hearing about it my now, but my wife and I just got married a little over a week ago.  Time and time again I'm reminded that it's a damn good thing I locked her down because she is probably the coolest life partner that a guy could ask for.  After all, on one of our few and precious weekends where we are both off work and are otherwise unencumbered, not only did she allow me to sneak over to the card shop, she actually wanted to come with me. So, we had ourselves a little cardboard date.  This is the kind of thing that I dreamed about, as a kid.

Ever the documentarian, thanks to her, I now know exactly how I look when I peruse my favorite storefront:

Behold,  me with my awkward T-Rex arm, opening the portal to the land of treasures - Baseball Dreams and Memories in Crestwood, IL.  Of course, I allowed my wife to enter this cave of wonders first - chivalry ain't completely dead, after all.

Here I am, in deep and total concentration, as I gaze into each glass case in search of new cardboard rectangles to add to my various collections.  Also, apparently my wallet is about to burst out of my back pocket; I can say for certain that is not because it is fat with stacks of cash.  Rather, I think it's time for me to start breaking in a new pair of blue jeans.

At this point, my personal paparrazo ceased her following and put her camera phone away to do some questing of her own.  You see, she too collects cards - which is something you might know if you've been reading Wrigley Roster Jenga for a while - just not the same way that I do.  More on that later.  First, I'd like to show off what I discovered during our little card shop date:

The first round pick out of the 2014 draft has been something of a disappointment in his first year of NHL action - in 32 games played, the center has just 7 points an a +/- rating of -3.  He's even been demoted to the AHL for a bit.  However, you have to consider that the 20 year old was skating with the University of North Dakota last season; he's got plenty of time to develop.  In fact, it wouldn't be hard to argue that he was brought up a touch too early.

Regardless, I still needed a card of the rookie for my All-Time Blackhawks collection and this single from the Walmart exclusive 16-17 Parkurst release will fill Nick's slot quite nicely.  Now, I also need to track down the Tyler Motte rookie, for the very same purposes.

The only other card that I was able to track down during our little adventure was this 2016-17 O-Pee-Chee card of short-term Hawk, Tomas Fleischmann.  The left winger was acquired prior to the trading deadline last season,  along with Dale Weise, as reinforcement for their playoff run. Unfortunately, that trade didn't work out particularly well, as Tomas contributed just 5 points, along the way, before becoming a free agent.  As of yet, he has yet to see further professional action.

I can say, with certainty, that this is (and will be) his only Chicago Blackhawks card.  Honestly, I'm fairly surprised that he got one at all, but here we are.  The OPC will be replacing the following card in my Blackhawks binder:

This Upper Deck single makes use of a phenomenal goal shot from Tomas' time with the Florida Panthers; nevertheless, Indian head sweaters will always take priority in my collection.  Plus, I prefer to use cards where you can actually see the player's face.  

Meanwhile, I made mention earlier in this post about how my wife spent a good amount of time sifting through cards, herself; you see, she too collects.  While I focus on the Cubs, Blackhawks, Bears, Bulls and NASCAR, she focuses all of her collecting energy on Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids:

It makes sense - she's a huge fan of biting social commentary and plain, old fashioned, juvenile humor.  What other trading card products blend those two qualities as well as GPK and the Wackies? We both agree that the answer is none.

We also both agree that the "Frisk Me" airport security sticker on the left was the best of the bunch; even if it has taken on a whole new meaning. this weekend.  Meanwhile, the "Franken Bury" isn't particularly clever, but the strawberry, monster cereal is her very favorite breakfast treat.

Some "Punkin' Donuts" to start your day off right - I especially enjoy the white pastry in the right front, sporting the Misfits' devilock, doing it's best Jerry Only impression.  I think I can also spot of Joey Ramone look-a-like in there.

Anywho, with as often as she runs to the real place for her morning coffee, I'm not surprised that she was attracted to this Dunkin parody.

Apparently, my sister-in-law has a compulsive issue when it comes to washing her hands and is a borderline germaphobe. In all of the years I've known her, this is something that I was not aware of.  But, my companion says it's true and that she bought the Wacky Pack on the left, just for her.  I wonder if I have to learn about the rest of my in-laws' quirks from old stickers?

Lastly, we have the only Garbage Pail Kid of the bunch, Mr. Tommy Gun, which is fairly self-explanatory.  I guess it's only appropriate for a Chicago resident to have a card featuring a Capone era gangster.

With that, we had finished exhausted our interests in the purveyors stock, so we payed the kind man and went about the rest of our day.  Of course, we had to pose for a picture with our spoils, in the parking lot, before we could do anything else.  Pics or it didn't happen, right?

In short, let me just say that I can't believe how lucky I am that I found a partner in crime who not only supports my, admittedly, somewhat childish hobby, but openly partakes in it herself.  Of course, that is just one in her long list of countless qualities that make her my favorite person in the world, but it's one that cannot be underestimated.  Is anyone else out there lucky enough to share this hobby with their significant other?

All I know that any day spent with my wife is a good day - add in a trip to the card shop and it instantly becomes a fantastically great, super awesome, fun day.