El Cardquistador

  • I’ve Blocked You and That’s Okay

    I’ve Blocked You and That’s Okay

    I’ve never seen blocking as war; I see it as a quiet decision to claim my peace. Blocking isn’t a dramatic statement—it’s the choice to manage my energy. Good, bad, or indifferent, I don’t owe anyone my bandwidth. You should still go be you, but I’m curating what I tune…

  • Why We Still Need Sports (Even If Zappa Called It Phony)

    Why We Still Need Sports (Even If Zappa Called It Phony)

    Frank Zappa dismissed sports as “phony,” but he missed their deeper truth. Sports are rhythm and ritual—a safe arena for rivalry and belonging. From Fernandomania to Jackie Robinson to Luis Tiant’s reunion, they show how games can unite us, heal divides, and remind us what shared joy still feels like.

  • It’s Okay to Be Late

    It’s Okay to Be Late

    Missing the rookie chase for legends like Kershaw and Miggy taught me an essential lesson. I cannot possibly track every farm system, so I focus only on the Tigers farm system. I skip the rest—I can always pick them up later. It’s ok to be late.

  • How Slumps and Blunders Blur Perception—and Why I Misjudged Dillon Dingler

    How Slumps and Blunders Blur Perception—and Why I Misjudged Dillon Dingler

    I wasn’t evaluating Dingler—I was filtering him through the 2024 lens. The early 2025 slumps didn’t just reinforce the narrative—they cemented it. I stopped tracking. I stopped adjusting. And even when his numbers stabilized, I didn’t recalibrate until postseason reflection.

  • Why Whatnot is a Boom for New and Returning Card Collectors

    Why Whatnot is a Boom for New and Returning Card Collectors

    Whatnot pulls collectors back in with low-cost nostalgia and instant community, then tempers them into disciplined hobbyists. For both newcomers and returnees, it transforms the thrill of junk wax into a gateway—rekindling old passions, sparking new ones, and proving the hobby is still alive and communal.

  • Why Whatnot Might Not Be the Right Source for My Collection Anymore

    Why Whatnot Might Not Be the Right Source for My Collection Anymore

    Whatnot streams are fun, fast, and full of cards — but that variety is also the trap. Sudden-death auctions and impulse buys pull me off course, while the time sink and community ties make it harder to walk away. For my collection’s focus, Whatnot just isn’t the right source anymore.

  • The Catcher’s Catcher: Dingler and the Lineage of Quiet Architects

    The Catcher’s Catcher: Dingler and the Lineage of Quiet Architects

    Dillon Dingler doesn’t flash. He orchestrates. Behind the plate, young arms, live stuff, and raw energy find focus in his glove. Like Sundberg, Boone, and LaValliere before him, his impact isn’t in the slash line—it’s in the sequencing, the mound visits, the calm presence that turns potential into wins.

  • The Scarcity Trap: From Star’s Ruse to the Rainbow’s Ruin

    The Scarcity Trap: From Star’s Ruse to the Rainbow’s Ruin

    Numbered cards still matter. I’m sleeving them. I’m top-loading them. But when every base card spawns a dozen color-coded versions, the chase starts to feel less like collecting and more like sorting. A /25 is still a /25—but when it’s one of ten different /25s for the same player, the…

  • Gold-Plated Confusion: Why I’m Done Chasing Star Cards

    Gold-Plated Confusion: Why I’m Done Chasing Star Cards

    Star cards promised to be exclusive, premium collectibles, but they ultimately delivered confusion, not clarity. With their confused foil tiers, promos that were impossible to tell from base cards, and a questionable warehouse find, the company eroded all trust. I’ve decided to abandon them, marking a departure from a once-believed…

  • The Set Is Complete—So Why Am I Breaking It Up?

    The Set Is Complete—So Why Am I Breaking It Up?

    I built the 1975 Topps set to own it—but learned I only cared about the chase. The final card wasn’t a trophy, it was a reminder: collecting is about stories, not completion.