Top Ten Things That Happened to Me in the Hobby in 2008.

As 2008 comes to an end, and another binder full of Topps cards has been put to bed, I am looking forward to what should turn out to be a great 2009 for Topps card collecting. With an awesome looking base set, and the promise of being able to collect cards of legendary players like Ruth, Gehrig, and the other CMG players, I'm already preparing for another long, and hopefully wonderful, journey.

With that said, I can't help but look back and think about the things that made 2008 a great year. I've compiled my list and am putting it in a Top 10 (or should I make it Topps 10...pardon the pun...it's 2:18 AM CST, and I'm not fully awake yet) format. These should be the reasons why 2008 was a fun year for me in the Hobby. (Cue introduction)

"From the home office in Chicago, IL. The category is the Tops Ten Things that Happened to Me, JayBee Anama, in the Hobby in 2008. Here we go:

10. Got to go to the National with my daughter. Seeing my kids starting to grow up and enjoy my Hobby. Isn't that what life is all about???

9. Toppstown. Another way to get my kids involved in the hobby, albeit online.

8. The chase for the "Infamous Series II Six" And realizing that, yes, I am crazed.

7. Kazuo Uzuki. I knew I should have learned Japanese. The fact that there were some people (all right, me included) that thought that this kid was for real (okay, I'm not that gullible) made this one heck of a chase card.

6. Acquiring a complete set of 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter, including a NNO Kosuke Fukudome card. If ever there was a second set for me to collect, this one is it.

5. Being able to capture all six cards from the "Infamous Series II Six" (Arnold Schwarzanegger 2012?, Al Gore, Johan Santana #661, WBC Fukudome, Ramirez, and Yabuta). If I can only get my hands on a Palin card...

4. My name finally appears in Beckett, along with the long quest for a 2005 Topps Barry Bonds MVP card to complete the seven-card set.

3. Both the Cubs and White Sox making it into the playoffs for the first time together since 1906. They may have both lost their playoff series, and yes, the Cubs are now 100 years removed from their last WS win, but it was one heck of a ride. I can only hope they can repeat and improve on the success of the last two years.

2. Completing my 2008 Topps set (series I, II, and U & H) along with all the insert sets (except for the U & H Target and WalMart sets still in progress).

And the number one thing that happened to me in the Hobby:

1. Starting this blog, and sharing my collection with the Hobby blogosphere.

I can't believe it's only been 8 months since I started this humble little blog, and I've at 18,000 page hits (many of them probably my own), and near 9,000 viewers. Now compared to a bunch of other blogs that talk about this great hobby of ours, my numbers may be low. But I know that over time, they'll grow. I feel like I've been accepted into the blogging community, and have enjoyed reading and commenting on many of the great blogs out there.

Next year, the goal is to improve and go back to what I wanted to do for the blog in the first place: talking about, and sharing with the world, my collection of Topps Baseball Cards.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama