MCH's Midseason Report Card

I've seen a few people posting "mid-season report cards," if you will, and I thought that I would take a moment to revisit my collecting goals that I posted back in January.

To review, here's what I wanted to do:

The Big 5 (definite things I want to accomplish)
- Complete the 2013 Topps Chrome Anthony Rendon auto rainbow.Complete the 2013 run of Nelson Cruz cards.
- Add a certified Bryce Harper auto to my collection.
- Make significant contributions to my 2013 Heritage Manager's Project.
- Add 50 followers to my blog.

Other Important Things That Need To Happen
- First and foremost, I need to become more efficient at sending out cards. I started out great - then life got in my way and it started taking me too long to send out promised cards. I'm working on that.
- I also want to become a better host for group breaks. I did an Allen & Ginter break in 2013, and it wasn't bad. But I want to stream my breaks in the future, so I plan to create my own UStream channel to accompany my YouTube channel (that I rarely use). I would like to host at least 3 breaks this year, beginning with Gypsy Queen.
- I would like to find at least five (5) new trading partners. I want to expand my "sphere of influence!"
- Lastly, I would like to make my blog more attractive. This includes a custom logo, "prettier" background and unique .com address.

Well, at first glance, it appears as if my collecting goals are going in much the same way that the Rangers season is going. Clearly, I don't even have any of the Rendon autos anymore. Shortly after posting my goals, I talked about my waning interest in some of my collections, including Rendon. I haven't added a Harper auto, though I have had an opportunity. I've added ZERO TTM autos for my Manager's Project. As a matter of fact, the only thing I have made significant progress on is adding 50 new followers to my blog. I have added 31 followers since that post in January, which leaves me 19 short of reaching my goal.

However, maybe things aren't as bad as they seem. Let's take a look.

Okay, so the 2013 Topps Chrome Rendon auto rainbow is gone. I truly lost interest, primarily because he isn't a player for the Rangers. However, I did take an interest in Luke Jackson, who has certified autos in 2014 Bowman. I believe this could serve as a viable replacement to Rendon.  So how am I doing with that? Well, of the 14 different certified autos, I am only missing 5: purple (numbered to 10), red (numbered to 5), superfractor (numbered to 1), printing plates (numbered to 1), and the orange wave refractor (numbered to 5). When you take the print run of those cards into consideration, I think I am doing pretty damn well. So well, in fact, that I am considering the autograph portion of the rainbow "complete." Grade on this goal: A.

The next goal was to add a certified Bryce Harper auto to my collection. As I mentioned above, I had an opportunity to grab one but I passed. It was a sticker auto from Topps Series 1. When I finally add a Harper Auto to my collection, it will be on-card. And most likely Bowman, since that's where my collecting joy seems to come from. So I have no problem waiting until the time is right to get the right card for my collection. Grade for this goal: In Progress.

I also wanting to make "significant" progress on my 2013 Heritage Managers Project. I defined "significant" as adding six of the remaining eight manager autos that I needed. Okay, there's no way to sugar coat this one. I haven't made any progress toward this goal. I have Joe Maddon's card sitting in my desk waiting to go out, but haven't sent it. I sent a few a while back, but never received the card back. Some of the managers just don't sign TTM. So if any of you Dodger fans can get Mattingly to sign a 2013 Heritage card for me, I would appreciate it! Others are no longer managers - i.e. Charlie Manuel. How am I supposed to get him to sign??? Grade for this goal: Incomplete - More Effort Needed.

The last "main" goal I set for myself was to add 50 new followers to my blog. I was at 55 followers then. I'm at 86 now. I only need 19 more to reach this goal. I've seen some guys do contests or advertise for a fellow blogger in order to gain more followers. I'm sure I will do something similar soon. But adding 31 followers "organically" - letting them come to me - has been pretty nice. Grade for this goal: A+.

I also had a few secondary goals when I made that post back in January. I'll just briefly touch on those. I've been pretty good about sending out cards after agreeing to a trade. On occasion, it will take me four or five days to get a card in the mail, but mostly, I'm able to send everything within a day or two. In terms of breaking, I've created my own UStream channel and hosted a pretty successful 2014 Gypsy Queen break. I have a 2014 Bowman Chrome Break scheduled (which you can still sign up for!), but it is slow to fill as I'm sure most people are waiting on the checklist before they sign up. I will also be hosting one more break later in the year, but more on that later. I wanted to find at least 5 new trading partners, and I am pretty sure that will be accomplished. I can think of three new partners off the top of my head ($30 A Week Habit, The Lost Collector and Dodger Penguin) and I'm sure there are more than that (my sincerest apologies if I forgot you!). I still need to "pretty up" the blog, and I do still have plans to create my own unique logo, as soon as I find someone with graphic design knowledge to help me!

So there you have it. My own midseason report card. I'm not leading my division, but I'm damn sure still in the hunt. Keep posted to see if I can make it through to the end of the season!