Death of Innocence

So I decided today that yes, I am still addicted to breaking boxes/packs. So I googled for any local card stores. I found one in my area and swung by the place. The comic book/card store doubled also as a plant store. I walk in and it is CRAMPED, dirty, and old....much like the one customer in there. The owner seemed nice enough, but yeah, he had three boxes of basketball cards: 97-98 Fleer, 1991 Fleer, and a Skybox (I forget what year). All of them were in not close to mint condition and he was selling em for about $50 a pop. There were no new boxes/packs, and even when I asked if he sold the card protectors (i.e. 9 card binder sheets or plastic cases for my set) he said he didn't have any.

It was then when I almost thought that the dirty old man in the store was going to put a bag over my head and drag me down into the basement where I'd be hogtied with a red ball in my mouth. Yes, it definitely had that feel to it.

Man, I just remember the good ol' days at the local card shop in my neighborhood. Rush to the store after school, gaze at all the packs, pick one out (very carefully) and open it up to see what surprise I'd be in store for. There were also the single cards on display for sale, but man, who the heck ever bought those?

I still remember one day opening up a pack of Fleer Ultra (I forget what year) and finding a Michael Jordan Scoring King inside. Even at that point in time, the card was worth like $125 (on the high end in the Beckett price guide). Man, that was such an incredible hit and subsequent rush of emotions. Too bad years down the road, I stupidly gave the card away to this fat fuck Korean "friend" of mine in Florida who I felt bad for. It's not like he had cancer or anything....he was just an obese mofo who PINED for the card and I just caved in like a house of cards. Man, I STILL think about that card, but wow, writing all that out about the card just now felt really good. Maybe this is why people "blog about it." Frickin blogs, what a crazy world we live in.

Anyway, today was a bittersweet day. No new boxes to break, local card shop full of old pedophiles, but I did bring out my inner demon in talking about that MJ Scoring King card and hey, at least I went into that card shop and got out of there without having to hop out with my hands tied to my back!