What A Day

Even though it's not even 3:30 PM at the time when I'm writing this post, today has already been an incredible day for Baseball. 

Not only did the Boston Red Sox receive their World Series rings in a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park, but my Dad and I officially finalized our plans to go to the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention this July/August in Chicago, Illinois.

After having the time of our lives at last year's show in Cleveland, we've decided to make this trip an annual tradition of sorts. When I got back from The National last year, I had over a week of recap posts, highlighting this unbelievable experience. 

At last year's show in Cleveland, I completed sets, opened boxes, added to player collections, and pulled some monster cards which I later got graded. I can thoroughly say that I've never had an experience quite like The National, and I'm incredibly thrilled to return at the very end of July for my 2nd consecutive trip.

Apart from the show, I got to see the Angels battle the Indians at Progressive Field last year as well. Though Mike Trout was out with an injury, I witnessed Shohei Ohtani hit not 1, but 2 home runs, leading the Angels to a 7-4 victory.

My recap posts from the 2018 show are located in the August 2018 section of my blog archive. There, you'll get more of an in-depth look at what exactly I brought back from last year's show.

As I previously mentioned, the 2019 NSCC show is in Chicago, Illinois, home of the White Sox and my 2nd favorite MLB team, the Chicago Cubs. Unlike last year, however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch a Baseball game, for all the Cubs home games against the Brewers start at 2:20 pm.

I'd have to be willing to miss almost an entire day of the show to see the Cubs play. We've already planned to check out of the hotel Sunday morning, meaning we have 2 days to see the Cubs. 

Taking 1 day off from The National would mean only 2 full days at the convention, and I'm not sure if that's something that I'd want to do. Because of how indecisive I am, any advice on this dilemma is greatly appreciated.

I'm not quite sure whether I'll go for in-person autographs at the 2019 show like I did last year. In Cleveland, I had Hall of Famers Al Kaline and Bob Gibson autograph a 16x20 photo which I later got matted and framed. I now consider this piece one of the crown jewels of my collection. 

Thus, among other decisions, I'll have to decide whether to spring for another autograph or 2 this year. Guys like Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, and Ivan Rodriguez are definitely at the top of my list.

In addition to buying cards for player collections or tracking down set needs from my want list, I got my first look at 2 newly-released products at the show last year. The first, Allen & Ginter, came out a week or 2 before the convention began. On the other hand, Topps Chrome was released on the first day of the 2018 NSCC.

I tested my luck with both products just for fun and because I was at the show. Allen & Ginter was an enjoyable set to rip, and I landed some major hits out of Topps Chrome. Assuming the release dates are the same, I wouldn't mind doing the same thing this time around.

Alas, we may not have all the details meticulously planned out as of now, but everything is beginning to fall into place. We've already booked our hotel and purchased our convention tickets, so the next step is to find plane tickets online. After that, any other loose ends (i.e. Cubs tickets?) will be tied up.

I know the show isn't for another 3 months and 3 weeks, but it's great to have something to look forward to. After all, if the 2019 show is anything like it was in 2018, I'm in store for another fabulous experience.