Rich For Today

Saturday August 2nd, 2008 - Rosemont, IL/Lake Villa, IL

My little inner voice told me to go back to the National baseball card show in Rosemont today so that’s what I did. I know I’ve got a ton of other projects that can use my time and attention but this is what I felt an urge to do today so I didn’t question it at all. I just went.

I know I’m never going to be a big time card dealer or probably even a medium or small one, at least full time anyway. It’s a hobby I really enjoy and I have since I was a kid. I get a kick out of seeing nice old cards in good condition and it takes my mind off of problems and stress. Sometimes it creates new stress, especially when I drop a chunk of cash on it.

This is the biggest show of the year and it happens to be in the town I live so I just went and totally lost myself for a few hours. I walked the aisles and studied how they set up the display and what things jumped out at me and how each dealer carried himself. It was one big marketing class that had a bonus of fun cards to look at and I soaked it in for the day.

Some dealers just had an aura of crookedness about them while others were very nice to talk to. I had a nice conversation with a guy from Arizona and he filled me in on a few of the nuances on how he turns a buck and sets up his display and that alone was worth all of my trouble. Picking up little hints and tips in comedy took a lifetime. It’s the same here.

An eye catching display and an engaging personality are the keys to making things work at a big show like this. I hope to have a Uranus Factory Outlet set up at trade shows in the future and I tried to see what ideas I could use when that happens. I kept my eyes and ears open all day and just let it soak in as much as I could. I was there to get a business degree.

There comes a point when it just gets to be too much though. After a few hours I’d had enough and no matter what I looked at didn‘t impress me. Babe Ruth‘s actual head could have been offered to me in a bowling ball bag for a buck and I would have said no thanks.

The show closed at 6pm today and I was punch drunk from looking at everything. Even if someone likes something there’s a saturation point. I questioned my inner voice as to a reason why it was so important that I came to the show today because I felt like it was OK but not worth passing up a chance to work on all my other more pressing projects I have.

My Milwaukee friends Richard and Dennis were there and they invited me to go out for pizza with a friend of theirs who used to live in Milwaukee. I was planning on visiting my friend Dan St. Paul who is performing at Zanies in St. Charles but they were able to twist my arm with the declaration that we were going to Bill‘s - THE best pizza joint around.

By the time we broke down their display and walked it to their car and they dropped me off at my car and we drove out to Libertyville to their friend Rich’s house it was a lot later than any of us had imagined. We were all hungry and I was feeling remorse that I came. It isn’t often I get to hang out with Dan St. Paul and he’s one of my favorite comedians both onstage and off. It was too late to back out so I just shut up and waited for my Bill’s fix.

Rich brought his neighbor along and with Richard and Dennis and me we drove over in a three vehicle five person caravan more than ready for pizza. Bill’s is a wonderful place. It’s got all kinds of stuffed deer and fish and exotic animals on the wall and there are free peanuts everywhere and the shells get thrown on the floor. It’s always a fun place to hang.

We got our booth and I found Rich and his neighbor to both be great guys but especially Rich. He is a couple of years older than Richard and Dennis and me but he’s still right in our wheel house when it comes to cards. He loves them too and we all started firing off as many card memory stories as we could and it was like we were kids meeting up at camp.

We all knew the same card poses of our favorite players and we were all Packer fans so that was a bond too. Rich’s eyes lit up as we went back and forth and it was just as fun as it gets and it reaffirmed the reason why I have stayed around this hobby all my life. It’s an opportunity to go back in time and selectively pick out only the best of all our memories.

Rich was more of a dealer than I was and he and Dennis and Richard did a lot of trading and selling and speculating in their day than I did. They told stories of how they won a lot of money but also how they lost a few thousand as well. It made me feel good about all of my ups and downs because they lost as much or more than I ever did. It was all good fun.

After we finished our meal and shook hands and exchanged business cards and all that I started to walk away but Rich started telling a story to Dennis and Richard of how he will be going to the hospital next Monday to get a brain tumor operated on. He’s been very ill and has asked Richard and Dennis to help him sell his inventory while he’s still coherent.

He looked fine and he sounded fine and he was very fun and funny and we got along as well as two people who didn’t know each other could because we had sports and cards to bridge whatever gap there might be. He got a little less giddy when he described what he would be going through but never once did he get bitter or angry or anything but honest.

I immediately knew that THIS was the reason I needed to come to the show today. I had a blast looking at the cards and watching what the dealers from all over the country did to attract attention to their display booths and the pizza was delicious as always but listening to Rich tell the story of all he was going through and how he handled it was a true lesson.

How well could anyone handle news like that? He’s got a family of course and he’s just a great guy and a gentle soul. Why does HE have to have a brain tumor? Couldn’t any one of the Taliban’s leadership get one? How about death row inmates or the Hell’s Angels? I don’t see any of those maggots even so much as getting a bunyon or a pimple. It SUCKS.

I realize just how short and fragile this life is. I always knew it or at least I thought I did but visiting with Rich tonight really drove it home. I can now see why I needed to see that close up and personal. It doesn’t mean a damn thing how many cards I have or any ‘thing’ there is in this world. It matters how good of a person I am and how many lives that I can touch in a positive way. My whole perspective is once again crystal clear. Thanks Rich.