From 1 to 10, we'll call it 11

This post has been delayed a couple days. My brain just hasn't been in the frame of mind to talk or think because this stupid butt muscle of mine is getting no better, and in fact seems to be getting worse. A couple weeks back, my doctor diagnosed it as piriformis syndrome. The main gist is this: the piriformis muscle, in your tush right under good ol' gluteus maximus, is inflamed and/or tight. This muscle controls turning your leg in and out, and the sciatic nerve runs right next to it or even thru it, so any issue with the piriformis will give you the pain down your leg. Anyway, nothing is helping. I can barely do the stretches from the pain and limited motion. Anti inflammatory drugs don't seem to be making a difference, and in addition to the shooting pain and tingling, I now have hip pain, calf pain and a bunch of other crap occuring. I'm basically falling apart it seems.

Sometimes, while standing up or sitting down, the pain is beyond unbearable. I am like a flamingo getting out of the car, standing on the left leg and slowly extending the right while the hamstring attempts to loosen. It's almost brought me to tears from the level of pain, but I will not be defined by this injury. I hate when they ask me to give the pain a number. When I am flailing like a rag doll to try and get myself in a comfortable position, 10 seems to low.

Yeah - right.

I get some sick joy in saying or acting in a way that will leave people with their mouth agape and a deer-in-the-headlights look in their eyes, but having your doctor looking that way doesn't qualify as a positive. So I have a MRI scheduled, along with an X-ray and physical therapy. No change in 2 weeks, or nothing on the photos and I go to a specialist. Yay me (not really).

Right now, though, I am hopped up on Norco, and I really need to give a shout out to Brian at HSCA. His mailing was the largest of the conspiracy mailings, plus an 11 in the opposite direction of the pain scale, that I have to break it out into a couple posts, so bear with me. Think of me as your pirformis as you read through these two posts - I am a pain in the ass anyway.

If my numbers are correct, Brian just about filled a 300 count box with about 262 cards. I've mostly sorted them all, so here are some of the major highlights from Brian generosity.

We'll start with the White Sox portion - 111 cards sent. I have thought about a Durham player collection for a while - I like 2nd basemen and I have a lot of Ray's cardboard. These three went to the Sox box for now. That Rookie Cup in the center is the very first I have of that set. I'm surprised it took me that long to get one, and in a mailing too. Have never seen one from that set even in a dime box. Jury is out if the Flair is a double play. I'm saying it is, but won't go in the binder.

The 90's, amirite? The 90's in baseball cards is like the late 70's in fashion - what the hell were we thinking?

I know one card that is losing it's protective cover. Love that 1970 Kellogg's May, though it's actually an image from 1968. The Sox dropped the pinstripes on the home uniforms in 1969, and also changed the cap logo to somewhat match the script on the chest.

Woo-hoo! Lots of bunting cards in the box. Yet another sighting of Brett Butler laying one down. Third basemen must have hated him. And hey look - Rookie Cup again. That makes 2 cards. When done properly, there is nothing sweeter than a drag bunt.

Juan doing his thing as well. I'll have to run a report and see who is the 2nd most in the bunting binder after Butler. Pierre is up there, as is Otis Nixon. I love how my scanner makes Bowman Heritage foil cards electric blue.

VINTAGE!!! Technically, McAuliffe is a dupe, but I wanted to show that beauty off with the other cards. I now realized I put the two Angels players side by side. Stupid OCD. Brian sent 69 cards of bunting ballplayers. I believe about 20 were new entries.

These may have been put in as Sox entries, but all were added to the respective player collections. Rowand now totals 56 cards and Konerko is sitting at 332. Or something like that, because when I entered a card into Zistle, it turned out I had it in the binder, so now I have to organize the thing to find out what I missed. By my rough count, I think I should be at 335. First world problems.

We'll stop today with this last image. In the mailing, Brian dropped 45 throwbacks on me. Unfortunately, I think just 4 were new. I thought many more would be added. I should take that binder out and thumb through it to appreciate what I have. But these three are great in their own rights. One of may favorite uniforms on Jackson with the San Fran Seals. A nice Negro uniform on Greinke. And that Broussard is a great card in the long run. The fact he is wearing a throwback to the 54-57 Cleveland uniforms is the icing on the cake.

Ok - that's all for part 1. We'll talk about the rest of the box on Friday, I hope. Depends on the butt, but I am going to fight through it.