My (All-New) LCS / Meet The Parkers

Months ago, before the move to Indiana, I documented my Local Card Shop experience at a joint in suburban Chicago called Matt's something or other. "Matt's Cards?" "Matt's Sports Cards?" Beats me. All I know is the terse fella who owned the place wasn't named Matt.

The gist of the experience: uncomfortable. * stretches collar a la Rodney Dangerfield *

So, once in Indiana, I wasted no time heading to an LCS in a nearby small town. My first visit was just swell. The gentleman behind the counter is apparently the co-owner and a font of information about cards. We chatted for a solid 45 minutes about card shows, the types of cards they carry and nefarious dealers. It was, well, nice.

The shop mostly carries boxes of newer product as well as a fleet of relic cards and autos and Jarrod Parker cards galore. If you missed my previous post, it explains this shop's Jarrod Parker fixation. Sidebar: If you missed my previous post ... Where were you!? Are you not following me!? How dare you good sirs (and two ladies)!

Anyway, this new-to-me LCS is a small shop and, sadly, has no dime or quarter boxes. But, I'll surely stop in now and then to talk cardboard and baseball, snag a relic and perhaps even buy a hobby box.

I'm not a big relic collector - at least not high on the one-color whites and grays - but I do love the striped jersey or the one-colored swatch that screams a certain team. That's what I took home from my first visit.

To wit:

Not related to the aforementioned Jarrod Parker.

I really love this relic - the large cut of cloth, the unmistakable Pirates' color, how it pops against the black and white.

To cap it off, Dave "The Cobra" Parker was one of my favorite players growing up, long before playing for my beloved Reds. The "We Are Family" 1979 Pirates left a big impression with me at age 11. In fact, I've been a closeted fan of the Pirates ever since. I should rank my favorite teams, being the list maker that I am. I believe they'd rank #5 or #6.

Parker, a two-time batting champ, not only has a World Series ring, but was the 1978 NL MVP and the 1978 All-Star Game MVP. I won't mention his usage of cocaine (which he confirmed in testimony against a drug dealer). But you just did mention it! Oops.

A seven-time All Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, he finished his career thusly: .290 batting average, 2,712 hits, 339 home runs and 1, 493 RBIs. But Parker never received more than 24% of votes on Hall of Fame ballots and his 15-year Baseball Writers Association of America eligibility expired on the 2011 ballot.

Parker, now 60, owns several Popeye's Chicken franchises in Cincinnati and has two fake knees. But in his day, at 6'5" and at a playing weight of 230 to 240, he was an intimidating physical presence.

He's also the only known baseball player to wear a hockey goalie mask to the plate, which he did while pinch-hitting in his first game back from a fractured jaw and cheekbone.

Dave Parker, without question, a man to be reckoned with.

My LCS Experience II: The Finale

My loyal readers (the two of you) may recall that my trip last month to my local card shop did not go well. Here's a handy link where you can find details on that experience.

Yet, I went back. I can't help myself. I just like being surrounded by cards I don't have. I like window shopping a bit. I like thumbing through whatever is on display. I always walk out with something new that's old.

So I enter the store and say hello. I got a quick glance and "hey" from the owner. I see several piles of various cards on the counter. In the past, I've seen his customers picking up such piles and looking through them and so I asked if he minded me doing the same. I said I was looking to pick up a few Gypsy Queens or new Bowmans, perhaps. Gruff as always, he said he didn't have any Bowmans - that they sold out fast - but "go ahead and look through the stacks for queens if that's your thing."

(I'd like to interject here that I've gone far out of my way to be nothing but polite and kind to this man in my handful of visits. I have little choice - he reminds me of the Soup Nazi - sans the laughs.)

So, I sat down and looked through the stacks. Ten minutes later, I had found five bronze- and green-paper frame Gypsy Queens. I also found plenty of Bowmans but nothing I really wanted except a Brandon Belt Chrome.

So here are the prices he quotes:

Brandon Belt Chrome: $30. "Really, I had no idea," I say. He offers, "These are hot. Bryce Harper's going for $150 on ebay." I say, "OK, what are these Belts going for?" He says, "About $50."

He then quotes me $8 each for three random green-paper frame Gypsy Queens and $5 each for three bronze-paper frames. I offered that I was surprised. That I had no idea they would be that high. I feigned ignorance, a bit. He says that the greens are very rare - much more than the bronzes.

Huh? Am I missing something? (Seriously, I'd like to know because maybe I am.)

I took a pass and picked up just these three instead. No more big spending vintage for me at this LCS.

I didn't really think I cared too much for these inserts but I couldn't resist two members of my favorite players collection - and pretty much any Jackie Robinson card works for me. (Side note: I also have the Carlos Gonzalez and Roy Campanella versions for trade.)

But back to the store story: In any case, we're moving four hours away in about two weeks so this is likely it for me and this particular LCS. Or, will I be lured in one last time and finally unleash my sarcastic streak that I've heretofore kept a lid on? Stay tuned.

Here's hoping my new LCS will actually feel like selling cards to customers.

My LCS Experience

I had some free time Thursday afternoon and had the itch to pick up something vintage. Last weekend I had a great conversation with my 88-year-old grandpa about his favorite team - the Cubs - and his memories listening to them in the '40s and watching them in the '50s. I'll blog about that later.

With tales of Ernie Banks and Hank Sauer top of mind, I added Banks to my PC and headed to the nearest Local Card Shop.

I've been there before and have picked up some nice vintage needs. Frankly, I've spent a fair chunk of change there since returning to this hobby in February.

As it turns out, my couple of visits coincided with the owner's rare absence. His second-in-command has proven to be a nice sort - eager to talk cards or baseball, helpful about pulling cards from under the window counter to check prices, willing to work out a small deal on bulk purchases (a handful of cards, in my case).

The owner, however, doesn't share that demeanor. When I walked in, I was greeted with silence as he intently watched the Cubs rain delay on his TV. I had hoped to get some pricing on some '60s-era Ernie Banks and Billy Williams I had seen before - but immediately felt like I was in his way.

Quietly, I asked, "Would you mind telling me the price on a couple of the cards under the counter?" He doesn't make eye contact, casually rises and saunters around the counter. He looks up. "What do you want?"

"Um, well, if you don't mind, I'd like to see the three Ernie Banks' and the three Billy Williams' cards."

He pulls them out and drops them on the counter. Doesn't give me the price on any. I turn them over to see two numbers on each - with a range of $20 to $30 between the two numbers. I generally know - or can guess - what they mean but why should I have to ask? Yet, I do so.

He tells me the high number is the Beckett price and says nothing more.

At this point I should have walked out but I really wanted to buy something and the good feelings from my previous experiences at the shop kept me around a bit longer. Maybe he was just having a bad day.

So, like pulling teeth, I ask about his price. He sighs and finally quotes me a total price on a couple of them and a couple of vintage commons I had selected. I ask - before holding my breath and cringing - if he would come down a couple of dollars.

"No."

Not, "I'm really not able to do that, sorry about that" or some such politeness.

I put back a couple of the cards and walk away to look at something else. I remember I also wanted to pick up a storage box so I ask about that. He gets up and grabs the three parts to make such a box and puts them on the counter - then sits back down to watch - and I'm serious - mindless TV announcer banter during a rain delay.

I - perhaps foolishly - went ahead and gave him my business. First, I continued to attempt making polite conversation about whether it takes a rocket scientist to assemble the box - to which he replies, "Not really." Even though he can probably assemble one in 30 seconds, he doesn't so much as offer. I would have said, "That's OK, I can do it" but an offer would have been a nice touch.

In any case, as soon as I left the shop, the surprising experience hit me a little more and I immediately was mad at myself for not scrapping the whole idea and going to Ebay instead - or waiting for the next show or simply traveling a fair distance to another LCS.

I love my purchases, don't get me wrong, and I'll post them in a day or so, but the experience means I won't go back to this shop.

Typically, if I'm treated with such borderline rudeness (and certainly indifference) I'm one to call the offender out with a "Did I say something to offend you?" or "Is this not a good time for you?" but for some reason I held back this time and let it go.

I believe I'm correctly describing the exchanges so I guess my questions to anyone reading this are: Did I overreact? (Clearly not to him - but in my mind.) How would you have handled it? (Both in store and going forward.)

Meanwhile, unrelated to all of this, here's a cool card I pulled last week in a Heritage pack. I never get lucky like this. So close to Ted Williams, yet so far.