Just spent a week in Southern California and I have a rant to share....

My in laws live in LA and have a second home in San Miguel. They do not have any issues with driving -- I mean spending hours and hours in a car. I, on the other hand, hate driving and hate being in a car. 

I was concerned when they booked us a hotel room in Pasadena, about an hour away from our first destination -- Disneyland. I wanted to stay near Disneyland so I wouldn't have to sit in LA traffic. I did not complain about the booking because my in laws are wonderful people, very generous and very kind but it really was unpleasant being so far away from Disneyland and then Hollywood, where my son wanted to go on our second day.

Then on the third day, we drove three hours north to San Miguel. Ugh! Then my in laws drove us around seemingly for hours and hours every day but Thanksgiving. I really feel like I spent the whole trip in a car. Did I say that I hate being in a car? Ugh!

I really love these people and enjoy spending time with them, I just have to figure out a nice way tell them that I do not want to spend hours of each day in a car. 

Has anybody ever driven around southern California? What is the deal with drivers out there? I don't know how many times we were nearly driven off the road. Is it a crime to drive the speed limit in the slow lane on the highways in California? Then there were the motorcycles that flew in between cars while everyone was driving 70 to 80 MPH. WTF? Then when we entered into the mountains north of LA, we were stuck behind trucks barely moving up the steep inclines. Ugh!

So not only do I hate being in a car, I now especially hate being in a car in southern California. Ugh!

The time we spent out of the car was really nice, though. First stop, straight from the airport, was In-N-Out Burger, the first item on my son's bucket list. Speaking of cars, I have never seen a drive-thru line so long! Why would anyone wait in such a huge line for a fast-food burger? We parked, went inside where there was NOBODY! We ordered right away and had our food in minutes. Pretty good burger for fast food. See below.

​​I last went to Disneyland in 1971. I still have my Mickey Mouse watch from that trip. I wore it to school every day until the strap broke.

Wow, Disneyland sure has changed since 1971. There wasn't anything I could hang my hat on, everything seemed different. We hit some classic rides like the haunted house, the pirate ride and Peter Pan ride. The lines were long and the rides had changed since I was last there. We hit some newer Star Wars rides that were virtual and much more fun than the older rides. I could do without the lines. The food was much better than I remember. I think we spent seven or eight hours at Disneyland and I was beat afterwards. Whatever happened to the trams from the parking lot? The walks from the parking to the park and back were killer. Still, it was a fun day and I highly recommend Disneyland. I was glad my kids finally got to go, they have been asking to go for years.

Pictured below is the wife and I waiting in line for the Peter Pan ride.

​The next day we hit Hollywood. I was last there in the 1990's. It seemed a lot grimier and seedier than I recall. We hit Grauman's Chinese Theater which is always cool to see. Then we went to the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Guinness Book of World Records Museum. There used to be a Guiness museum in Chicago when I was a kid. It had exhibits based on all the records. The Hollywood version was interactive and much more fun.

I just may have had some fun at the Hollywood Wax Museum.....

Then there was the Guinness Museum which was awesome! See goofy photos below.

​​As much as I complained about being so far away from Disneyland and Hollywood, I really enjoyed Pasadena. What a neat town. Lots of cool old buildings, nice and expensive shops and many excellent restaurants. We ate very well.

I never actually saw the town of San Miguel, my in laws live nine miles away in a remote neighborhood stashed amongst dozens of vineyards. See photo below. We drank a lot of local wine. I liked the wine from a winery called Daou the best. I prefer wine that is sweet and not very acidic which Daou expertly provided. 

While I have attended wine tastings at taverns and restaurants, I have never attended one at a vineyard. We tasted seemingly endless wines at the Villa San Juliette Winery, located just down the road from my in laws' home. What a beautiful place! It was like an oasis with lush vegetation in an otherwise desert landscape.

I got snockered. Then we ate some amazing food. The wines were actually too acidic for my taste (but that did not stop me), but the food, oh the food! I would go there just to eat and ditch the wine. Only problem is the prices! My, oh, my!! You need to pawn off the family jewels to eat at this place but it is actually worth it.

We also went to an olive orchard and attended an olive oil tasting in the town of Paso Robles. Another new experience and a lot of fun. 

​The in laws took us to the Pacific Ocean, about an hour away and we saw some seals sleeping on the beach. See photo below. The whole time, I was just thinking about the old California Golden Seals NHL team.

Near the ocean, we saw the Hearst Castle on the other side of the highway, way up on a hill. My brother-in-law said the road to the mansion was washed out in a storm and you can't go there. I'd love to see that place sometime.

​So despite all the driving, we did have a pretty great trip but I am glad to be home. I saw on the Beckett Show Calendar that there was a show in some place called Fairfield while I was out in California but I was quickly shot down by my family. 

It is nice to be home where I can resume my addiction to vintage sports cards and not spend much time in a car.

Lots of people have been calling, texting and messaging while I was gone. Please be patient with me, I will try and get back to everyone as soon as I can.

Back to the car, I have a short drive this Saturday, December 4, 2021, to my show in Oak Creek, WI. Bob Long was supposed to sign autographs but canceled. There will be a full house of dealers as usual. I've got some new dealers as well.

The Salvation Army has another event in the chapel during our show so the front doors will be closed to card show traffic. Please enter and exit through the gym doors. I also won't have any dealers set up in the hallway. All dealers will be in the gym, Fellowship Hall and the Game Room. It will be packed a little tighter than usual. Once again, come find me in the Game Room for a free pack of cards. I hope to see everybody Saturday at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, Oak Creek, WI.

I have a crazy busy week of work and have to prep for the show Saturday, so if you could please wait to talk to me at the show on Saturday and not call, text, and message prior, I would appreciate it! Dealer tables are sold out! No need to call, I have no space available.

Sunday, November 16, 2021, Buenavista Banquets, Milwaukee, WI

There should be some sort of penalty or fine for weather outlets that issue forecasts that are so incredibly off base. I read weather reports the night before the show stating there would be up to two inches of snow. Yeah, right!

Except for college in Tucson and London, I've lived my whole life on the shores of Lake Michigan and had my doubts that there would be any snow at all because it was much too warm for snow. The weather reports were wrong, I was right. 

No snow on my drive to the show. I observed a rain and snow mix during the show but nothing stuck to the ground. The weather was clear for my drive home as well.

Unfortunately, I think these bogus weather reports kept some folks away from the show. Attendance was down from last month.

Thankfully, we were not locked out in the morning, like last month, but apparently the restaurant is having staffing issues so no food or drinks. I was so bummed. I was looking forward to those steak tacos.

Keith reported that he had a bunch of last-minute dealer cancellations. I've railed about this in the past. Dealers that cancel at the last minute without a legit excuse just suck. Don't reserve the space if you are not going to show up!

So this show starts at 9:30 a.m. I arrived at 8:30 a.m. and there were already customers in the room which makes it very difficult to load in and set up, especially at Buenavista where space is really tight. I, for one, would appreciate it if folks arrived at 9:30 a.m. like they are supposed to. Give the dealers a chance to load in and set up!

I'm pretty sure Larry and Carol broke into the joint and camped out the night before. Oh, Carol was in a mood this morning, giving old Larr some guff. I had an extra table because of a no-show and was really spread out. Larry set up Carol behind one of my tables. I was at the opposite end and I observed Carol chatting with everyone who stopped to look at the binders in front of her. I wish I could have heard what she said. She seemed to be enjoying herself and lightened up.

Tom was telling me that he saw them have blow-up fights at the old Gonzaga Show. I don't recall them ever fighting. I've known them for decades. They are usually in great spirits and very pleasant but characters, none the less, and I enjoy our card-show characters.

Larry started off my sales which were steady all day. Robert has about cleaned me out of 1954 Topps baseball. I have many, many more to load in there. Any one looking for '54s, be patient, I will eventually reload that binder. A new customer about cleared me out of 1975 minis. I also have a ton of back stock of the minis and added a near set to my supply last week with a nice purchase at my Oak Creek Show.

I seemed to have had a run on my 1964 Topps baseball at this show. I sold quite a few. I filled my three display cases with Exhibits and graded 1955 Bowman football. I sold just one Exhibit and none of the football. I might throw those football cards on eBay. I never know what to place in my display cases. After the show, I priced a bunch more display case stuff, so I'll have a bunch of new items out next time I bring out the cases.

Near the end of the show my pockets were weighing heavy with cash from excellent sales. Then Terry arrived and reminded me I owed him a pile of cash for the 53's and 54's I purchased from him last month. Oh well, easy come, easy go.

I did not buy anything which is unusual. There is this one guy who comes to the show very early every month and tries to sell me cards while I am setting up. I was just kind of annoyed with him this morning as I was hustling to set up and shooed him away. I probably would have bought some cards from him if he approached me after I completed my set up. Folks really need to arrive at the show at 9:30, not 8:30 while I am setting up.

I am set up regularly next to Tom Jahn at this show. I really enjoy chatting with Tom and look forward to hanging out with him at all of the Buenavista shows.

The next Buenavista show is December 12. I decided I am going to skip the December 12 show in favor of Orland which is also on December 12, largely because I have to miss the November Orland show and hate to miss two Orland shows in a row. I'll be back at the January Buenavista show. Keith has not released the 2022 dates yet. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

I know this is not quite Gonzaga Hall but my sales are consistently good. I like this show and hope to make them all next year. I'm thankful Keith brought the show back during this COVID mess. I really missed it and am looking forward to 2022 at Buenavista.

A lot of folks have been asking me if I am setting up at the Fanatics Show (old Sun-Times show) in Rosemont, IL, next weekend. Unfortunately, I can't make it. I'd like to set up at the March show, if it works for my schedule. I hope everyone has a good time at the show!

I am taking a few weeks off and will return to my weekend warrior ways on December 4 at my Oak Creek Show. We have former Packer Bob Long signing autos from 10 a.m. to noon. Hope to see everyone in Oak Creek. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 13, 2021, Rock Church, Rockford, IL

I had a long day of work on Friday, the day before the Rockford show, where I attended a real estate closing in Downtown Chicago. I have been attending court regularly in Downtown via Zoom. I don't think I have actually set foot in the Loop in two years. So I was not certain as to how long it would take to drive down there and whether my regular discounted parking garage is still discounted. Back in the day, I would simply take public transportation to get Downtown but with this Pandemic thing, I do not feel comfortable taking public transport.

I made it Downtown in just under an hour which is really good time. I arrived at the closing before my clients. Sometimes real estate closings can be complicated especially with certain lenders who just seem to want to make a simple process very difficult. This turned out to be one of my easiest closings in a long time.

Getting home, however, was very difficult. It took me an hour to drive from the parking garage to the highway, normally, a five-minute drive. I literally sat on the ramp to the Kennedy Expressway for an hour. Pictured below is my lovely view of the ramp. Luckily, my discounted parking garage was still discounted.

Then on Saturday morning, I​​ thought I hit my snooze at 6 a.m. but accidentally shut off the alarm. Thankfully, I woke up at 6:45 a.m. I had all these morning plans like stop at Mickey D's for food, stop at my office and print flyers for my show, but noooo, I had to hustle, shower, load the car and get on the road to Rockford, which is about an hour drive.

Kind of an ugly drive with scattered bursts of snow but I did not get lost like last month. I arrived at the Rock Church at approximately 8:45 a.m. It was nice to see other late arrivals.

John the promoter let me pick out my tables and I chose two 8-footers next to my pals Phil and Skip, which is the best part of this show setting up next to these guys and reminiscing about all the past shows we've done together and all the characters we've seen come and go.

The young dealer set up next to me, on the other side, had pinched some of my space, lame move. There was a little space between me and Skip so I moved my tables over so lame guy's stuff would hang off his table and not cover my table.

I observed that John rearranged the layout of the room in an effort to fit more tables. There was a packed house of dealers. I'm not sure how many but at least 30, if not 40. One thing I noticed about a large number of these dealers is that they leave themselves open to theft. The young couple set up across from me had a stack of cards near the end of their table priced at $60 each. I was amazed nobody walked off with them. Then I observed that the majority of dealers across the room left the lids of their display cases up, which makes it very easy for someone to reach in there and walk away with a card. I was surprised at how lax these guys were.  Unfortunately, I think a lot of them will learn the hard way.

Most of the dealers in the room were selling modern cards. I was the only dealer that was solely vintage. My pal Reed was set up with a display case or two of some vintage beauties but I did not see much else.

Last month I brought out display cases and filled them largely with vintage football. Sales were a little slow. This month I decided to bring out all of my binders. I was a little worried before the show because last month it did not seem there were many vintage buyers in the room.

Man, was a wrong! I was busy all day long with many vintage set builders. I think I discovered something for this show, I need to just bring out my binders and leave the display cases at home. I more than doubled my sales over last month.

There was as really nice crowd as well. Many more people than last month. Kudos to John for doing such an excellent job at promoting this show!

On the buying front, Phil and Skip had a bunch of stuff for me including some graded and raw Exhibit cards. Thanks guys!

I also met Phil and Skip's friend Gunther who is quite a character. He is building some early 1980's sets. I kind of regret telling him that I would help him fill his sets. I have the cards but they are buried in the card bunker. It will be a pain to find them and pull the cards. 

Overall, I was really pleased with my day and am looking forward to being a regular dealer at this show. The next one is December 11 and I am bringing out the binders again. I'm hoping to have 1977 football and 1959 baseball binders reloaded by then.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who purchased cards from me in Rockford! That sure was fun!

​Below are a couple more photos from the Rockford show.

Sunday, November 7, 2021, Hyatt Woodfield, Schaumburg, IL

My memory is failing but I think I was last set up at this show in October of 2020. I stopped doing it because it is always scheduled on the day after my Oak Creek show and I'm usually pooped out. However, I now need to justify all the money I have been spending buying cards so I have been setting up at as many shows as I can until I get a handle on my inventory. You would not believe how much stuff I have accumulated! It is getting ridiculous. 

At the Oak Creek show, the day before Schaumburg, I came home with far more cards than I arrived with. I need some serious help!

Back in the fall, I recall that the Hyatt Woodfield Hotel was quiet because of COVID. On this Sunday morning, the hotel was jam packed. I was disappointed at seeing the long line at the Starbucks inside the lobby.

Anyway, I was able to load in on one cart. I went with a display case set up. Nine cases and one bin of cards. The day before in Oak Creek, I went with a display case set up as well and put out baseball cards from 1909 through 1964. The next day in Schaumburg, I put out my baseball cards from 1965 to 1983 along with my football, basketball and hockey. That way, anyone who saw my display in Oak Creek the day before would see a completely different display in Schaumburg.

One of the benefits of a huge inventory is being able to switch it up from show to show. Next week I am setting up in Rockford and am leaning toward a binder set up as I did display cases there last month.

Funny, I saw the guys that accused me of being racist while I was setting up. The one guy was nice and shook my hand. I probably did the right thing by letting them back in the show.

It was so nice just being a dealer and not the promoter. I much prefer setting up as a dealer than promoting shows. A lot less stress and more opportunities to have fun. Joe is the Hyatt show promoter and he placed me out in the hall by the front door of the show along with Eric, Dell and Tom. We were all busy all day.

I had a surprisingly great day. Back in the fall, my sales were slow at this show. It just did not seem like there were many vintage collectors. On this day, however, there were a lot of vintage collectors and I sold a ton of cards, all sports. 

I saw a couple old friends in T.J. and Randy who purchased cards. Thanks guys! Great to see you! I think I recognized a bunch of the other guys who purchased cards but it was tough to tell since they were all wearing face masks.

I sold a bunch of Hank Aarons, Ernie Banks, Sid Luckmans and Kareem Abdul Jabbars It was a really nice day.

On the buying front, I picked up a tough 1956 Topps baseball checklist, the tough 1957 Topps baseball advertising card, along with a pile of other stuff, including a 1958 Harlem Globetrotters program.

I waited out the crowd at the Starbucks and got some coffee and snacks. Overall, it was a great day! So great that I will set up again on December 5.

Up next for me is the Rock Church on Saturday and Buenavista Banquets on Sunday. I am a little road weary, so these will be my last shows until my next Oak Creek show on December 4. Hope to see you this weekend!

Saturday, November 6, 2021, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

RANT ALERT!

So, if you have never been to this show that I operate every month, here is the low down. I have four rooms of dealers, 100 tables total and 65 to 70 dealers. It is one of the larger shows around. Managing all these people along with hundreds of inquiries a month from interested new dealers and questions from customers, is incredibly time-consuming.

One of the problems is that I charge too little for tables and may bump it up next year. We also get a large crowd every month and folks want to talk to me about the show, about their collections, about the dealers, about the weather, about everything.

It is a little much. I am stressed out.

My biggest problem are the dealers that reserve a table and then do not show up -- the "no-shows." Thankfully, at the November show there was not a big run of dealer cancelations like last month. It is a show promoter's worst nightmare when dealers cancel right before the show. I had a handful of cancelations before this show. One dealer showed up, paid me for his table, then said he had to go to work. Fine, I guess I can't get pissed off at him. I had only one actual no-show at the November show which might be a record.

But I have a conundrum. I have this huge waiting list that I have been desperately trying to bring down over the past year. I opened up that fourth room at a great expense to me, really no benefit to me, I am losing money on the room. I just opened it to get more dealers into the show and try and reduce the amount of people bugging me for tables.

Along those lines, I am trying to weed out the guys who reserve tables then don't bother to show up -- which is causing a conflict. I am standing firm on this one, though. If a dealer reserves a spot and does not show up, I don't ever want that dealer to set up at my show ever again. It is not fair to me, it is not fair to the show and it is not fair to the 50-plus guys waiting to get space in the show.

Quite a few guys are pissed off at me because I won't let them back into the show after they no-showed me. Which is fine, comes with the territory. Then there are two guys who no-showed me over the summer. They texted me later that night, after the show, and said something came up. Well, I did not want to let them back into the show. They kept asking and I kept ghosting them. My mistake was I should have been up front and told them I did not want them back in because they no-showed me.

So they confronted me at the show on Saturday and accused me of being racist. Really?Now I am a racist because I won't let no-shows back in? Is that something in the Klan Instruction Manual? Because I am not a racist and in order to become one, I would need an instruction manual. I would think that banning guys who skip out on the show would not be considered racist... but what do I know, because, apparently, I am a racist.

To be fair, I should not have ghosted them but they reserved space at that previous show and did not show up. Why would I give them space again? I'm no damn racist, just trying to operate a show and deal with one knucklehead after another.

Besides, I do not even know their race. Apparently they are Latino because they complained there were no other Latino dealers at the show -- NOT TRUE. A lot of false allegations here, mainly, I want to get across that am NOT a racist. I could care less what anyone's race is -- it has never mattered to me and never will.

As far as the dealers go, I don't see a race but I do see two different types of dealers. The first are the good responsible dealers -- which is by far the vast majority of dealers that set up at my show. The second are the bad irresponsible dealers -- a minority at my show. To the bad irresponsible dealers, wake the hell up! If you don't show up when you reserve a table, I consider you a bad irresponsible dealer and I don't want you at the show. It has nothing to do with your freakin' race! Get over yourself!! Did you ever hear the story about the boy who cried wolf?

Did the two guys who accused me of being racist and who skipped out on that show over the summer ever pay me for their tables? No. Did they ever offer to pay for their tables? No.

What has this got to do with race?

One of the guys claimed they skipped the show because his son had COVID. Okay, legit excuse but why didn't the other guy set up? There are two of them. Why didn't they say initially that they could not make it because of COVID? I would not have been pissed off it they told me the truth... or if that is even the truth.

Anyway, I was soooo insulted. I wanted them to leave and never come back. They even threatened to call the Salvation Army and tell them I am a racist.

What have I learned from this little episode -- I am an idiot and too nice of a guy. I felt bad for ghosting them, so I decided to give them another chance and am going to let them set up again. If they skip out again, they can call me all the names they want but I won't be letting them back in the show.

I even noticed after the confrontation that I had previously placed them back on the waiting list, so I did not totally ghost them. What a horrible racist thing to do on my part. They would have gotten another spot eventually. Nobody has any patience. They are all me, me, me, now, now, now!

So any dealers reading this blog, here is the story. If you no-show me, you're out. Don't ever expect to be let back in the show. You can call me all the names you want, but I will not let you back into the show.

Next, when I kick someone out or a regular dealer cancels, that is when I pull someone off the waiting list. If you are on the waiting list, you will eventually get a call or text from me. Be patient!

New dealers have to start out in the Game Room and bring in their own tables. When space opens up in the Fellowship Hall, I transfer these guys to that room. When space opens up in the gym, I transfer guys from Fellowship Hall into the gym. I find this system fair.

Everybody wants the gym. I don't have enough space to place everybody in the gym. It is my freakin' show and I don't even put myself in the gym, so chill out!!!

It is enough to make me want to throw in the towel. I really felt like handing over the keys to the guys who accused me of being racist. They can run the show and deal with guys like themselves around the clock. Man, it sucks!

End of rant.

Next, there is the ongoing issue of theft. A dealer caught a teenager stealing. He dragged the kid over to me. The kid was shitting bricks. The dealer got his cards back. I felt bad for the kid, he was shaking, was all white. He promised not to do it again. I did not do anything else. I think some dealers might be pissed at me. I could not bring myself to give this kid a hard time, he was cowering. It would have been so much easier if he was a dick about it but he was just scared. If he does it again then I am going to track down his parents and let them deal with it.

I wish I could be allowed to have some fun at my own show. I operate the show for fun. I collect, buy and sell cards for fun. 

It really was a good show. We had one of our larger crowds. The good folks at the Salvation Army rearranged the back rooms, opened them up, combined them and it was a really cool space. 

We are going to lose some space in the Game Room next month as the Sal needs to store toys in there for their annual Christmas toy drive. I'll still have dealers in the Game Room but not as many. Hopefully, they can open it back up for the January show.

I'm trying not to be down. I received so many great compliments during and after the show. You guys don't know how much that means to me. I appreciate you. Please, just don't call me racist. I'm really, really bothered by that one.