"Top 50" Sports & Non-Sports Cards I Acquired in 2013

The hits from box busting and many of the singles paled in comparison to 2012 but that's not to say that 2013 didn't have its positives. In fact 2013 netted me the holy grail of my collection, which didn't come cheap. My collecting is a bit out of control, actually that is an understatement, especially since I dabble in all of the major sports and non-sports. I busted nearly half as many cases this year (3 - Big Bang Theory, Castle, Psych) as I had my entire life. While the hobby gives me a nice distraction from life it is probably a more expensive hobby than drugs, though healthier. At the start of 2013 I set myself a goal of cards to purchase throughout the year...I may have knocked off a handful of them...mostly because I didn't get them at the price I was willing to pay but also because of a few huge purchases that shaped my collecting for the year. While my collecting, and spending, isn't at nice or high as others I buy for preference and bust for fun with hopes of hitting that one card which would give me that jolt of excitement. The below "Top 50 of 2013" has no real set reasoning as to why they fall where they do and honestly I'm not sure that I agree with the rankings but they are here for your viewing pleasure and mine. So without further ado....


50) Don Cerrone Mat Relic - Playstation Logo /88 - Pulled from my first box of 2013 Finest UFC

49) Pop Century Gold 1/1 Jeremy Miller - Pulled from box of 2013 Pop Century

48) BenchWarmer Industry Summit Schoolgirls Swatch Auto Buffy Tyler 1/1 - Pulled from a Black Friday buy, this will be a theme throughout that most of my pulled hits came from that day.

47) 2010 Topps Sketch Card Michael Morse - Bought on ebay - Found this hilarious, Mikey Mo is as good as I am when it comes to drawing.

46) 2012 Topps Museum Collection Dual Jumbo Lumber Michael Morse Ivan Rodriguez/5 - Ebay pickup in early 2013.

45) Ron Francis Supreme Sticks /5 - Pulled from a box bought around Black Friday. HOF player and would have been higher had it 1) been more colorful and 2) he not been a Pittsburgh Penguin

44) 2012 Topps Valor Discipline Autograph /25 Ryan Tannehill - Pulled earlier this year when on my quest of pulling an RG3 auto. Room to grow, especially if the Phins make the playoffs next season.

43) 2012 Contenders Playoff Ticket Autograph Josh Gordon/99 - Pulled from a box. His few big games this season got it on the board but didn't quite do enough to make my Top 40

42) 12-13 Gold Standard Damian Lillard - Pulled over the summer

41) Big Bang Theory Seasons 3 & 4 Penny Costumes - KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK Penny!...All pulled from the case that I broke. The multi-colored pieces make them extra nice

40) Big Bang Theory Seasons 3 & 4 Sheldon Cooper Green Lantern Shirt Relic - Pulled from my case as well. Should probably be farther down on the list but my inner nerd got beat up by the sports fan in me. BAZINGA

39) Molly Holly Auto - Ebay purchase...This is one I'd been on the hunt for for quite some time. Was nice to cross it off my list

 

38) 12-13 Threads Auto Bradley Beal - Bought on ebay...This is my only Beal auto so far. Totally see him as Dwyane Wade 2.0...unfortunately with the injury history too

37) 12-13 Innovation Innovative Ink Grant Hill /25 - Pulled on Christmas. My 2nd Hill autograph

36) Upper Deck High Gloss Troy Brouwer /10 - Picked this up at a show after losing out on it on ebay and had even stopped searching. Also it had 3 P's I loved...the pic, the player and the price.

 

35) 2011 Topps Lineage Gold Autograph Michael Morse/10 - Love the pop & shine this card has, shame its a sticker auto but doesn't deter me.

  

34) 2012 Contenders Playoff Ticket Richard Sherman - Pulled from a box - Was pissed when I first pulled it as I still had memories of his mouthiness from the Seahawks/Skins playoff game earlier in the year but can't deny his talent.

33) 12-13 Fleer Retro Metal Red PMG Wayne Gretzky/100 - Pulled this from my only box of Retro and honestly thought of not letting this out of the 40s.  The quality of the card and the color line didn't help its cause but it is The Great One so that helped it rise to #34

32) 2011 Pop Century Co-Stars Auto Christopher Lloyd/Lea Thompson /5 - Finally snagged this on ebay after a long wait of making sure it was a price I wanted to pay and two full autographs. This was a must have because of the Back to the Future connection.

 

31) 12-13 Contenders Auto Anthony Davis - This was one of my best pulls on the year and was my best pull from Contender until around Black Friday. The Unibrow was one of the two or three best autos you could pull from Contenders so I was thrilled to pull it at the time. However....

30) 12-13 Totally Certified Black Trevor Booker 1/1 - Snagged this on ebay soon after the product went live. Being one of my PC guys it was nice to get it and since Panini started putting out a lot more "1/1s" with his printing plates, of which I've only been able to grab one, I was glad I got it This also goes well with his rookie Totally Certifieds that I have

29) 09-10 SPGU Tag Team Quad Juan Dixon/Caron Butler/Javaris Crittenton/JaVale McGee 10/10 - Added this one to my collection, which I believes give me 7 or 8 of the 10. Being a Dixon collector I had to keep this outside the Top 25 because he has the weakest tag. This was also going to be paired with another Wizards Quad Tag but I don't have a scan available.

 

28) 2009 UD Signature Stars Trio Ryan Zimmerman/Josh Willingham/Elijah Dukes /35 - Another Black Friday pull that rose the ranks because it was a team PC pull and features two of my favorite Nationals.

27) 12-13 ITG To the Hall Auto Peter Bondra 12/29 - Was glad to snag a Jsy #'d Bondra though I'd have preferred he be in a Caps Jersey

26)12-13 Dominion Patch Auto Colby Robak /99 - This is one of those cards that may not have a lot of monetary value but when I pulled it I was pumped since it was a piece of the Panthers claw.

25) Psych Seasons 1-4 Autographs James Roday and Dule Hill - Put the full set together when I broke a case of this stuff. These guys had to go in as a 2-for-1 because you can't have one without the other "C'mon son"

24) Bowman Inception Oscar Taveras - My first box of Inception this year was LOADED. Not only did I pull this one but there's another that will pop up later on the list and another auto /5.

 

23) 2013 Bowman Inception Silver Signings /25 - Bought this on Ebay. Love the design, in fact this may be my favorite looking design of any card in quite some time, its just a phenomenal background shot. Well done by Topps/Bowman. Would love to add the gold version

22) 09-10 National Treasures Gold Trevor Booker /25 - 2012 was the year of Booker patches but this one snuck into 2013.

21) 2013 Bowman Black Tyler Glasnow - Pulled this from a box of Bowman Chrome. Didn't know who he was but quickly found out.

20) Upper Deck Draft Edition Draft Class Triple Auto Chris Cooley/Ben Roethlisberger/Larry Fitzgerald /5 - This one, like the Lloyd/Thompson, was one I kept losing out on and wanted to get full signatures on it once I did win...my patience paid off.

19) 12-13 Prime Captain's Cloth Zach Parise 1/2 - As a Caps fan I hated pulling this but as a hockey fan and someone who rarely splurges on a product like that of Prime, I was thrilled to pull a card like this, only wish it had been signed.

18) Castle Seasons 1 & 2 Autograph Evidence Nathan Fillion - One of the few cards I didn't pull from my case of Castle but did score this on ebay for what was then, and may still be, the lowest price. As a huge fan of the show it was a must have.

17) 2012 Triple Threads Michael Morse - This isn't even all of the Morse TTT's that I have. 2012 allowed me a bunch more White Whales, I own all 8 that have shown up and one of the Wood 1/1s

1/3

2/3

 

1/1

1/1

 

1/1

1/1

1/1

16) 12-13 Prime Signatures Alex Ovechkin 8/25 - Jsy #'d so I bought it after many relistings

15) Big Bang Theory Seasons 3 & 4 Costume/Auto Mayim Bialik - When I ordered my case I commented that this would be the one costume/auto that I'd pull, I believe they're one per case. She's no Penny but she'd pay almost half the case if I sold it

14) 2013 Bowman Inception Byron Buxton Auto /99 - This would be the other card that I referred to back on the Tavares write-up. Of course all it did was lead me to buying a second box and pulling nothing of note, used up all my Inception mojo on this one box

13) 2009 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Eight Signatures 7/10 Donovan McNabb/DeSean Jackson/Peyton Manning/Reggie Wayne/Matt Cassel/Dwayne Bowe/Kurt Warner/Anquan Boldin - Snagged this early on in 2013 because who wouldn't want to have a Matt Cassel Jsy #'d card? Just kidding I bought it for the McNabb auto...well not 100%...I needed his auto for my Skins collection, I also wanted to get a Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner auto at some point. I decided to kill a whole flock of birds with one stone and all for just over $100

12) 2012 Playbook Auto Drew Brees /20 - Was so glad to pull this from a box over the summer. So much respect for Drew and I didn't have to drop a lot of coin to buy it on its own.

11) 2012 Bowman Platinum Michael Morse - Another Morse set I'm working hard to complete but that is drying up. Much like the Topps Tributes last year, I bought the majority of these as a lot.

/199

/25 w/tag

/25

5/5

1/1

1/1

10) Alex Ovechkin Supreme Sticks /5 - I  absolutely love the design on the stick, alas it wasn't meant to be. Of course had the ebay seller I bought the Ovechkin Glove card from, actually sent instead of saying it was already sold prior to the listing (likely story) then this would have been bounced from the Top 10.

9) X-Men Origins Wolverine Auto Ryan Reynolds - Put off buying this for too long, then got it for like $60. Been a fan since Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place

8) Fleer X-Men Auto Hugh Jackman - Another card I put off buying but for a longer period of time. One of my favorite actors

7) 98-99 Topps Gold Label 1/1 Peter Bondra - Was surprised when the seller accepted my offer on this one. I'm not as blown away by the card as others are but its still a beauty and a nice one to have gotten. Especially since Bondra's can sell well thanks to his overseas collectors

6) 12-13 Contenders Auto Kyrie Irving - Pulled the redemption from my Black Friday purchases and was arguably the highest valued card I had pulled all year, if not in my life. So glad that Panini got this fulfilled before the year's end and that the auto didn't run off the sticker

5) Psych Seasons 1-4 Autograph Rachael Leigh Cook - I was disappointed that Maggie Lawson didn't sign but that also meant a case with 12 boxes and only 11 signers would yield a duplicate autograph and I knew who I wanted...and I pulled it

4) 12-13 Panini Prime Color Logo/Patch/Number David Steckel - I don't know how or why David Steckel got into such a high end product. I wish Panini could have had his Capitals uniforms in the set but I was glad to see him in something new and something other than a base card. Also the Maple Leaf logo is beautiful so picking them up was a no brainer

/6

/17

/14

/14

3) James Bond 50th Anniversary Auto Halle Berry - One of the top cards I wanted to get this year and I snagged it for, once again was the best price at the time...wish I had been able to get the Smulders auto for $75 when Avengers first came out but I digress. I love Halle and while many consider Die Another Day to be the worst 007 film, she's my favorite Bond Girl.

2) 12-13 Dominion Ensigns 1/1 Jordan Eberle Shield - This rivals the Uncle Drew Contenders auto for both my best pull and of most value. Its definitely a sick card

 Now what could possibly keep a logo from being the to card? Well there's actually two cards keeping it from being the top card...I somehow miscounted  and I'm not going back and changing it now haha so I present you 

1B) 04-05 SPGU Logoman 1/1 Juan Dixon - I didn't know, or perhaps forgot, this card existed. Then again its listed as a 1/1 patch instead of logoman. Regardless that puts me one step closer to all Dixons

and what could be better than 1 logoman?





how about 3!!!

1A) 06-07 Exquisite All-NBA Access Triple Logoman 1/1 Juan Dixon/Andrea Bargnani/Jorge Garbajosa - This card gave me so much collector heartache for years. It was first pulled in Japan at RB21's shop. A friend went to check on it but was told it wasn't for sale. A few weeks later it had been sold to another collector, a Raptors team collector is all they'd say but that he NEVER sold his stuff. With each passing year I'd hold out hope that the card would pop up, that it hadn't been destroyed by a natural disaster, and numerous other things. I had agreements with a few Bargnani collectors to let me have this "if they knew what was good for them." With Dixon no longer playing, Garbajosa overseas (or is he done from his injury?) and Bargnani traded to the Knicks, the collector I guess had no use for it in his collection any longer. Much to surprise one Monday morning I receive a PM on Hobbykings and a mention on Twitter regarding the card from the newest Bargnani collector who told me it was mine if I wanted it because he wanted other ones the guy was selling. I was over the moon and thanked him. The seller told me he wouldn't end the auction early for anyone, which gave me a piece of mind and as the day grew closer I kept an eye on the auction. No one was biting at the HIGH starting bid, which was fine with me because for 7 years I had a price in mind that I'd pay and had even decided I would up the ante this year if need be. That wasn't necessary however as I was the only bidder and the card was happily added to my collection. Its the most I've EVER paid for a single card but I have no regrets about that

COLUMN by Britt McHenry: Stereotypes still exist against women across sports landscape | WJLA.com

Written by my friend Britt McHenry. Make sure you give it a read

COLUMN: Stereotypes still exist against women across sports landscape | WJLA.com

The Debate Over the 2013 NHL Hart Trophy...Was Alex Ovechkin the Most Valuable?

As word leaked on June 15, 2013 that Alex Ovechkin would win his 3rd Hart Trophy (league MVP) I knew that there would be much outcry from fans, writers, etc around the NHL. Be it the Mike Milbury types, Crosby/Penguins fans, just about any homer of any player on any team that's not the Washington Capitals or people that believe that awards in a strike shortened season shouldn't count or should carry an asterisk, there was bound to be debate.

When Crosby was announced as the Most Outstanding Player (Ted Lindsay) recipient, I felt that it was fitting. Crosby was NOT the Most Valuable Player, not to his team and not to the league. Sid the Kid was playing out of his mind before being beset by injuries however those injuries killed any chance of him being named league MVP, whether that's fair or not. The fact remains that the Penguins survived just fine with Crosby sitting in the press box. As it turned out, despite missing so much time (12 games), Crosby still finished 2nd in assists and 3rd in the league for points. While great numbers he still paled in comparison in other categories compared to the players that finished in the Top 5 (forwards) in vote getting in shooting percentage (12% - last) and game winning goals (1 - last) while collecting 17 power play points (T-2nd but second lowest in goals with 3...he did lead in assists with 14). Crosby still ended up finishing second to Ovechkin but for me he was no better than 4th.

The 4th and 6th place finishers were Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane respectively.  Being on what was the best team in hockey for most of the season certainly helped these two get their votes, not to say they weren't deserving, they just weren't necessarily as valuable as their goalie tandem, in my opinion, and in the end the two pretty much cancelled each other out for the MVP voting. Both players scored 23 goals which puts them behind John Tavares and Ovechkin for most goals scored of the top 5 (forwards) MVP vote receivers while shooting 16.1% (3rd) and 16.7% (2nd) respectively.  Toews did very little on the power play while Kane had 8 goals (3rd) and 9 assists (3rd) for 17 points (T-2nd) among the top 5. In the end they'd probably end up my 5th and 6th choices for MVP.

The remaining 3 I would have been fine with any of them receiving the MVP award because they earned it.  Tavares, along with goalie Evgeni Nabokov, propelled the Islanders into the playoffs where they were a few calls and bounces away from eliminating the Penguins. While Nabokov was a huge upgrade over Rick DiePietro, and the worst contract ever handed out in sports history, it was Tavares and his leadership that really propelled the Islanders this year. With the shortened season I expected the Islanders to fight for a chance and possibly make the playoffs and I expected Tavares to be at the forefront of the elite players in the league and he didn't disappoint.  Of the Top 5 (forwards) Tavares had the worst +/- rating at a -2, the only player finishing in the negative, and finished 5th in total points with 47. Tavares finished 3rd in the league in goals, scored 16 points on the power play, netted 5 game winning goals (tied for most among the top 5) and scored on 17% of his shots. The Islanders also saw an improvement in their record, winning half their games (24) after winning only 34 of 82 the previous season. While I would have been okay with Tavares winning the Hart, he'll get 3rd from me

The lone goalie to make the Top 6 in votes was Sergei Bobrovsky. Bob showed flashes of brilliance two years ago in Philly before being jettisoned to Columbus prior to the season. Columbus just missed the playoffs, but if it weren't for Bob they wouldn't have been close. Finishing with 21 wins (T-3rd), a 2.00 GAA (T-3rd), a .932 save percentage (2nd) and 4 shutouts (T-2nd) Bob put up similar stats to other top goalies in the league (Rask, Anderson, Crawford, Lundqvist) but one glaring difference...the Blue Jackets don't have near the talent those other goalies do. Had CBJ made the playoffs then Bob wins the MVP, they didn't and instead he ends up 2nd in my book, but again I have no problem with him finishing 1st.

That brings me to Ovechkin. There is a lot of talk that Ovi only scored against the more inferior teams, that he played in the weakest division in the NHL, the Southeast, and that most of his scoring came on the power play so he needed to have an advantage to score. While valid statements, the Capitals were complete and utter garbage early in the season as they learned on the fly under new head coach Adam Oates and Ovechkin was attempting to adjust to switching to playing right wing after playing left wing his whole career. Down the stretch the Capitals caught fire and it happened to coincide with Ovechkin getting hot. Ovi ended the season as the top goal scorer with 32 goals, half of them on the power play, and only 4 of them game winners. Overall Ovi scored 27 points on the man advantage leading in both goals and total points (tied with teammate Mike Ribiero). Ovechkin's shooting percentage was 14.5%, the 2nd highest of his career and only .01% less than his best season in 2007-08. Had Ovechkin not channeled the Ovi of old there is no way the Caps would have made the playoffs nor garnered him to be the most valuable player. The Caps needed every one of those goals to get them into the playoffs, without them or him they wouldn't have been close. Of course there was much debate throughout the season that Mike Ribiero was possibly the team's most valuable player but he was more so just the perfect fit for their #2 Center position than he was the most valuable since other players put up similar stats metrically to what Ribs put up.


So there you have it. Was Ovechkin worthy of the league MVP? Yes. Should he have won it? Probably. In the end Ovechkin wins his 3rd Hart Trophy, tying him with Mario Lemieux. That has drawn the ire of many Penguins fans and writers. While Ovi isn't in the same stature of Super Mario, don't blame him. The game was different when Mario played and had a lot more worthy candidates.

Caps Eliminated From the Playoofs. What to Take From the Season and Where Do They Go From Here.

That is not a typo! Fans are going OOF this morning after that kick in the gut and while I tried to keep my expectations low going into the season because of how the off-season went and the injuries to Laich and Backstrom early on, the team sucked me in with their play and gave me and all fans hope that this year would be something special. Unfortunately.....

A season of ups and downs came to a crashing and resounding halt last night as the Capitals inexplicably failed to show up for a series deciding Game 7 against the New York Rangers. One game removed from a heavily one-sided and poorly officiated Game 6 in New York the Caps saw the team's disappointing history once again rear its ugly head. Game 7's are not good to the Caps, now 2-7 all-time. Of course this series never should have gone 7 games. Despite the Rangers being one of the least penalized teams, and the Caps one of the most during the regular season, there was a lot of questionable calls or non-calls throughout the series that extended it to play until there was nothing left. 

Some people say "God hates Game 7's" or "God hates the Caps" by no stretch of the imagination is that remotely true, unless you believe that Gary Bettman is indeed God, which he himself does, so if that's the case then I guess it would be true. If you listen to Ovechkin after the game he said somebody wanted it to go 7 games, the NHL needed ratings, the NHL needed extra revenue, well after the first two East series ended in six or less it kinda makes sense. In fact of the "Original Six" that made the playoffs Chicago advanced quickly against Minnesota, Montreal went out quickly in an ugly series against Ottawa and the other 4 (NYR, Boston, Toronto and Detroit) all went 7 games with three of those teams winning, Toronto being the exception but they were playing Boston and blew a 4-1 lead to lose in OT.

I'm not saying there is a conspiracy and I'm am salty over what happened. Its one thing had the Capitals completely blew it themselves like they did against Montreal a few years back or Tampa Bay but this series was dictated by the refs who did a poor job in most of the game. However good teams find their way to overcome it. If there was one good thing to come of it, you have to hang your hat on the fact that the Caps penalty kill was very good against the Rangers allowing only 2 goals.

All of that said the Caps fans should be satisfied. The season could have been completely lost to the lockout. Once the season started fans had high expectations, they've become accustom to their team making the playoffs the past 8 or so years. However the season started terribly. I, as did many, chalked it up to a 3rd (or 4th) coaching staff and regimen in the past year. Once the team fully bought in to Oates' system, learned the power play, and became 100% healthy, or at least as close as they would get over the final two months of the season, the Caps rallied from being the worst team in the NHL to the 3rd seed, albeit by default to being the winner of the Southeast Division...a division which no team seemed to want to win and which if not for the NHL's set up they'd have been looking at a lower seed.

Regardless the Caps saw a resurgence from Alex Ovechkin which could end up with him being the MVP of the league, if only because Sidney Crosby ended up breaking his jaw and missing the final month or so of the season. A season that saw Mike Green healthy for the first time in 3 years recapture his offensive prowess. A season that saw a Power Play start slow and finish at 25%.  The Caps have a long way to go though. Their defense let their goaltending down far too many times. Their second tier players either struggled (Chimera, Mojo, Perreault) until late in the season or were injured (Laich) for most of it. Penalties became the team's undoing early in the season and ultimately at the end. To win you have to stay out of the penalty box or your team will be too tired to hold a lead or make a comeback at the end. The Caps main problem was the delay of game penalty though they also were a team hit with unsportsmanlike conducts for chirping the refs, mainly Mike Ribeiro. Ribeiro was also a huge positive as he was the 2nd line center the team has been seeking for years but with the lower salary cap, how much Ribs wants and his stupid penalties you have to wonder if he'll be back.

Next season won't be an easier. I've stated for years the Caps window of opportunity would be closing this season, that's not to say they don't still have a few more years it just won't be as easy. Now that the Southeast Division doesn't exist they'll be facing the Rangers, Penguins, Flyers Devils and Islanders more often and in turn it will make getting to the playoffs that much tougher. Of course gritty wins against those teams could help increase the Caps likelihood for advancement in the Playoffs as it will make them that much more tougher and hopefully smarter, even if the playoffs are a totally different ballgame. One positive, and huge lift, would be if the Caps are able to bring over Evgeny Kustensov. That kid could be better than Ovechkin and if he joins the team late in the season he could end up being a secret weapon if he adapts to the NHL game quickly and the other teams don't have a good scouting report on him or aren't used to him since they haven't played against him.

As the off-season approaches changes are bound to happen though most guys are signed for next season. In my mind the locks to return, unless the team needs to get under the cap or can acquire other pieces to build their depth with, are Ovechkin, Backstrom, Brouwer, Green, Carlson, Oleksy, Hillen, Alzner, Laich, Hendricks, Beagle, Erat, and Holtby. Players on the bubble, based on cap situation, their play this season or the fact that they could be replaced internally, include Perreault, Johansson, Riberio, Ward, Fehr, Chimera, Erskine, Crabb, Volpatti and Neuvirth. Players that won't be back are Wolski, Schultz, and Poti. And players who could fill needs internally include Wilson, Kundratek, Orlov, and Kustensov. All of this is my opinion and I'd be fine with seeing most of the roster return but I know its not overly likely. Some of my "safe" guys could be traded though I'd hate to see them go since they're vital cogs and the radio guys are already saying to trade Backstrom and Green because they have the most value and will reduce their cap number. I feel that's drastic talk out of emotion in the hours after a let down, though I'm sure on other blogs like Japer's Rink or Russian Machine Never Breaks fans have been reading that for months, definitely years, but with better analysis as to why.

Alas the season is over and for the next few days and week speculation will run rampant. You can't but feel that let down with so much left to play and with the talent this team has and has had for the past 5+ years and you can't help but wonder if or when it will be our time. As my favorite reporter (who I swear I'm in love with...if that's possible, though I'll always keep it professional between us, unless she doesn't want me to lol)  put it the way I've felt for years "a professional goal of mine to cover Stanley cup finals. Just may not happen here in DC" (say it ain't so..tho we'll chalk it up to the years of underachievement). For me the Caps are one reason I've stuck around this area, I love my team, I love going to games, there is no better atmosphere in sports. I still have the taste of success and the bitterness of defeat from the team's 1998 run that ended in a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals. I do fear that I may never see them play another game in the Finals whether I'm still in the DMV or if I decide to call some other place home. I'll always know Caps fans are the best and if you live or lived here and grew up a Caps fan, you'll always be pulling for them no matter where you are. I'd love to bring myself far enough along in my writings to be able to cover this team one day but I won't deny this is just a hobby for me, one that I don't do nearly enough. Maybe this will light that fire inside me again to take my writing to the next level. At least for the time being I know that my blood pressure can now return to normal and my sports stress has been lessened...until football season.