Over the last few years, there’s been a big shift for me — in a lot of things — but especially when it comes to sports. My dad and I were really close, but when it came to sports, that was our thing. Sundays were always football days, and every March we had our yearly tradition of watching every minute of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament together.

My dad passed away on July 2, 2022, and ever since then, I just haven’t been able to find that same love for the games. I’m thankful that the last NFL season he got to be a part of was the Bengals’ Super Bowl run. That year we started things off at Paycor for the season opener — an overtime win against the Vikings — and rode that wave every week after. The only game we missed was during a family vacation for fall break… which ended up being the week we found out my dad had cancer.

Even that next spring, going through chemo and radiation, he refused to skip our March Madness weekend. That was just him — tough as nails and always keeping traditions alive.

Since then, watching football or college basketball hasn’t felt the same. Some friends tried to keep the March Madness tradition going those first couple of years, but it just wasn’t the same. This year, I decided to sit it out completely.

But this year I also started collecting again — and that’s brought back a lot of good memories. Going to card shows, hitting up our local card shops together, just spending time talking sports and the hobby. I can’t help but think about how much fun he would’ve had getting back into collecting. My dad and I had a lot in common, but one thing about both of us — when we got into something, we jumped all the way in. I know this would’ve been no different.

I’m not really sure why I felt like writing this tonight. Maybe it’s because I’ve found a bit of peace in this community — seeing everyone share their collections, their stories, and their memories. Maybe it’s just because collecting reminds me of him. I don’t really know.

What I do know is that I’m thankful — for this hobby, this community, and for the folks I’ve met along the way who have become friends.

I picked these up for pretty fair pricing last week. These take me back to a very specific place in my past. Another note, these are the first comics I’ve bought in 15-20 years, conservative estimate.

Thanks for checking these out, I’m always in the market for Twilight Zone comics and collectibles.

Anybody else get free tickets for the Boneyard on Buzz Cut night? Buhner was a fan favorite.

My cousin is notorious for butchering people’s names. And there was an instance when me, my younger bro (RIP ✝) and him were talking about a funny movie with Jason Bateman. I can’t remember the movie right now, but most importantly we couldn’t remember Jason Bateman’s name. My cousin yelled out Jason Basin and we all started laughing. I couldn’t believe years later I stumbled across a Garbage Pail Kid card with the same name. I gave it to my cousin a few years later to remember our story together and celebrate our hysterical moment 🕊

Jason Basin on eBay 🚽😂: https://ebay.us/xBW1Nt

My son and I had an amazing time. Here are some of the pics we took. I will post the card pick ups on another post.