19 September 2014

What eBay Hath Wrought 111: 2014 Topps Chrome R.A. Dickey Sepia Refractor


I haven't put any effort into seeking out a rainbow from this year's Chrome releases, and I don't know that I will. I attempted a lot of rainbows in 2013 and while it was fun, I don't think I can afford to chase a rainbow every year. But when a nice parallel of one of my favorite players pops up on the cheap I'll throw a bid in on it. This is the Sepia Refractor of R.A. Dickey from 2014 Topps Chrome.


My copy is # 28 / 75. In the last week or so I've been able to catch a few innings of Dickey's games on MLB.tv. He's had a pretty good stretch lately, although he wasn't able to come away with the win in last night's game against the Yankees. He had a better night than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did, though, getting blasted by the Atlanta Falcons. My fantasy football team came away from that game with a little bit of a deficit to overcome, but there is still plenty of ball left to play for Week 3.

Of course, fantasy football isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things. The different domestic violence situations playing out with many players in the league have taken up the bulk of the sports radio airtime here locally, and I would imagine that is the case throughout the country.

I don't understand those who are able to simultaneously decry the actions of Ray Rice against his wife as unconscionable, but pass off Adrian Peterson's treatment of his son(s) as acceptable discipline of a child. Why is it okay to beat your 4-year old kid to the point that he has multiple open wounds and deep welts across much of his body, but not okay to hit your fiancee in the face? Is it because little kids aren't old enough to be real people yet? Would Ray Rice's actions be more acceptable if he had just explained that he was disciplining his fiancee for misbehavior in the same way he was disciplined as a child?

I know that quite a few of my work acquaintances think that Adrian Peterson's actions didn't go that far over the line and often reference the beatings they received as children as evidence that beating your loved ones is an effective way to produce model citizens. I think these people are living in denial and have to support him in order to rationalize their own shortcomings and inability to take responsibility for their choices and maintain self-control in stressful parenting situations. I don't know exactly where the line is between discipline and child abuse, but I am pretty sure Adrian Peterson crossed it at least once, and from the leaked text messages and his own admission it sounds like crossing the line was his default parenting style.

This might not be a great forum for my views on social issues, but since it has been a huge talking point in the world of sports over the last few weeks I felt like weighing in. Parenting is something that I deal with every day because I have three sons (ages 3, 3, and 5) and they can be extremely frustrating at times. My wife and I spend a lot of time individually and as a team trying to figure out how to bring them up in an environment of love and trust without letting them run the household. We do okay most of the time, but there are plenty of times when I feel like I could do better. It helps to be able to tag team out from time to time when one of us hits the limit of our tolerance for their shenanigans and whining.

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