As I looked at the card and read Night Owl's post, I noticed he linked to other blogs that had written about the Corrales play at the plate. Knowing that I had written a post, I wondered if he had linked to my post and he had (which I appreciate very much).
Clicking on the link to my blog, I noticed the first comment on my post was from Chris Stufflestreet. For those of you that knew Chris and read his blogs or traded with him, you know of his love for vintage and his generous nature. For those of you that didn't know Chris, you missed out. He wrote two blogs, The Vintage Sportscards Blog and 1973 Topps Photography. Chris died of a heart attack back in September of 2012.
As I clicked on his two blogs to take a stroll back in time, I was shocked to see a post on his 1973 Topps blog that was dated January 1, 2014. I read the post and the one comment which expressed surprise at the post and I realized the Chris must have been looking ahead to 2014 as the year he would finish his exploration of the 1973 Topps set and scheduled this post over a year in advance. Chris wrote that he wanted to start off the New Year with card # 1 since he would be finishing the set in 2014. Eerily, Chris wrote " 2014 will be the final year of this blog (assuming nothing bad happens to me which forces me to take an extended break)."
I miss Chris and his writing. I miss his take on the 1973 set, which is one of the quirkiest sets where photography is concerned. He was only 39 when he died and that's 4 years younger than I am right now. It makes you think.
It also makes you wonder about other bloggers when they disappear without a trace. Is it because they passed away or did they just give up the collecting/blogging thing cold turkey? It may seem a little creepy, but I have three letters written, stamped and ready to be mailed by my wife if something happens to me. They are addressed to three of my blogging friends and it's just to let them know that I didn't walk away. If...more like when my time comes, I want to be able to say a proper goodbye to the blogging community that has supported me and been so generous with me.
Here's hoping those letters don't get mailed anytime soon.
I can't believe it's been a year and a half since he's passed away. For some reason, it still seems fresh in my memory. I totally missed that post of his, but I appreciate you sharing it again. Okay... time to go, sit back, take a deep breathe, and reflect on life (again).
ReplyDeleteThere's one strike against advance publishing.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, Chris grew up not far from where I live. I always thought doing a tribute blog to '73 Topps (I know someone else is doing one already) in tribute to Chris would be appropriate, but I have so few cards from the set (and too many blogs).
Anyway, it's nice of you to keep Chris' name alive on the blogs. He did a lot for the card community.
Wow, that it eerie. I've noticed quite a few bloggers as well who dropped off of the radar. I attributed it to their moving on from posting, but you're right, they easily could have just passed away. I like your idea of letters. I think if something happens to me, I'll probably just have the reigns of my blog turned over to my son or someone else I'm close to who could carry it on in my absence. Tough to think about, though.
ReplyDeleteWhile sad he's gone, that's super cool he was able to get out a post from the great beyond. Makes me want to schedule a post for a few years out myself. Like a time capsule. The letter thing is a good idea, too.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the awesome "Thanks" he had planned was. Too bad we'll never know.
Thanks for sharing. Chris predates me, I believe. Or our paths never crossed. Interesting idea for the letter that you have.
ReplyDelete