Pack 21: Paul Molitor, Amos Otis, Manny Trillo, Bob Horner, Rich Dauer
0/5 New!

Pack 22: Al Bumbry, Scott MacGregor, Larry Parrish, Nolan Ryan, Sixto Lezcano
0/5 New!

Pack 23: Ben Oglivie, Willie Randolph, Ron LeFlore, Carl Yastrzemski, Bo Diaz
0/5 New!

What the heck is going on here? Three packs in a row and all doubles?


Pack 24: Alan Ashby, Pat Zachry, Pat Putnam, Doug DeCinces, NL All-Star Pete Rose
1/5 New!

Pack 25: Carlton Fisk, NL All-Star Bruce Sutter, Bruce Bochte, Rich Dotson, Stickey Henderson
1/5 New!


Total New: 2(!)/25
Total Doubles: 23/25
Total Stickeys? And then there were two.

Honestly, I'm shocked and at the same time not surprised. Collation was bad, and at the same time pretty good. Here's what I mean. The possibility of someone buying up the entire box of stickers in 1982 was not very high, so if you bought one or two packs you have a fairly decent shot of getting all different stickers. And if you and your friend bought sticker packs at the same time, pulling them one after another from the box, well, you have a good chance at getting many of the same stickers, (with one or two different ones to trade).

But looking at the whole-box collation... jeez, it's not doing too great right now.

You know what? I'm gonna keep going on this post til I get a pack of all-new stickers. I mean, I've barely cracked the 20% complete mark, and I feel like my doubles pile is already in danger of toppling.

So here we go.

Pack 26: Glenn Hubbard, Craig Reynolds, Ken Forsch, Mike Hargrove, Bill Buckner
5/5 New!

There, see? Didn't have to go so far to get all new stickers. And good thing, too. That Ken Forsch looks like one mean little Gelfling.

Pack 16: Andre Dawson, Rod Carew, Dan Ford, Hosken Powell, Dale Murphy
0/5 New!

Stickey Says: Stickey is truly blessed to not end up in a pack of doubles.


Pack 17: NL All-Star Dave Concepcion, Steve Carlton, Larry Gura, Mickey Rivers, Chet Lemon
1/5 New!

Stickey Says: Stickey thanks Steve Carlton for staying in the National League for just about all of his career.


Pack 18: Tom Seaver, Jerry Remy, Dusty Baker, Mike Schmidt, Vida Blue
0/5 New!

Stickey Says: Dusty Baker, Mickey Rivers, Chet Lemon, Hosken Powell, Dale Murphy, Dan Ford, Andre Dawson... Stickey says Stickey could start over all of these guys.


Pack 19: Al Bumbry, Scott MacGregor, Larry Parrish, Nolan Ryan, Sixto Lezcano
5/5 New!

Stickey Says: Stickey is happy to see Mr. The Nolan Ryan in Pack 19. Finally someone on Stickey's level of all-time greaterness.


Pack 20: Alan Ashby, Pat Zachry, Pat Putnam, Doug DeCinces, and Me, Stickey Henderson
5/5 New!

Stickey Says: Stickey can't believe all these players with bad hairdos. Stickey says Stickey never had a bad haircut in his life. Don't they know they're in front of people?


Total New: 11/25
Total Doubles: 14/25
Total Stickeys? There can be only one.

This afternoon I sat by the side of the road, waiting for the crosstown bus. I sat there for what seemed like forever, but was probably no longer than 20 minutes. I finally got so impatient that I crouched next to the bus stop sign, counting the seconds between a car appearing around the bend and it passing me. I also got to thinking... If I can't hardly wait 20 minutes for the bus, what's it like to wait six years from the time you retire to when you first become eligible for the Hall of Fame?

What's it like, the anticipation? Part of me thinks 'waiting for the bus' is a good analogy here. Sometimes it's on time, sometimes you have to wait a little longer, and sometimes it never comes at all.

A lot can happen in six years. Whole lives can change (but there's the Hall of Fame ballot announcement date, circled with permanent marker on the calendar in the back of your mind). For some guys, it's a given that the Hall will call (hey, that rhymes). Guys like Rickey Henderson, Greg Maddux, Craig Biggio--these guys don't have to worry.

But is too much emphasis placed on being an inductee in the first year of eligibility? It took Duke Snider eleven years of voting to make the Hall of Fame (first appeared in 1970, inducted in 1980), Joe Cronin ten years (1947-1956), Don Drysdale ten years (1975-1984), and Bob Lemon 13 years (1964-1976). And those players are just four examples. There are plenty of others.

It's guys like Jim Rice, David Concepcion, and Dale Murphy who get their hopes up, only to have them crushed year after year. And I guess I'll probably have to add Fred McGriff's name to that list in a few years. McGriff becomes eligible next year (for 2010 enshrinement), and while I'll be pulling for him, these days 493 career home runs don't seem to be enough to hang your legacy on.