Question for the group....

Which of these lasted the longest?
A) Jamie Moyer's career
B) The Crusades
C) Fuji's Contest

Well, if you answered "C" you are wrong but you still have a shot because it's not over yet, baby!

Be that as it may, The Great Fuj has tossed this out there... "What are your three most prized possession(s) in your collection?"

I spent an inordinate amount of time last evening mulling this over. Really, I did. It was men's gymnastic night on NBC so I could safely ignore the Olympics. I sat in my den/office/memorabilia room and tried to decide what three items I'd stash in a drawer if my wife suddenly decided she needed a sewing room and my crap had to go. (And don't think for a minute that's beyond the range of possibility).

I weighed my Brooks Robinson Rookie card against my Johnny Unitas Rookie Card. I contemplated which of my Oriole, New York Ranger and Colt yearbooks or media guides I cherish the most. I stared at my shelves of bobbleheads and display items and tried to pick out my favorite.

After two cups of decaf and a banana nut muffin I'd squared it away in my head. Later in bed I spent an hour second guessing myself, changing my mind and forming a clever post in my head.

Then I got up this morning, scrolled thru my daily reads while the Keurig warmed up and was stopped in mid-read. One responder to the Fuji Challenge had CHEATED! I won't say Whooo it is, but his post is up for all to see.

The certain someone had decided that if he had a fire at his house he could save a binder. A BINDER!!! Holy shit, that shed a whole new light on things! If had considered that I could keep binders I knew I'd been wasting my time last night. I could grab multiple items at once and still qualify for Fuji Points!

So, bottom line, the three most prized possessions in my collection, or in that other guy's terms, the stuff I would save from a fire.:

In no particular order order:

1) My Houston Texans Inaugural Game stuff. I've been a Texans ticket holder since the day they went on sale in the fall of 2001. I invited my Dad to the first game, the Monday night in '02 when the Texans beat the Cowboys. My Dad, who had taken me to countless great sports events as I was growing up, had the time of his life. As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter I expected him to do his usual "Let's beat the traffic" routine and want to head for the ramps. Nope, he wouldn't leave. He was thrilled with the game and caught up in the excitement there in Reliant Stadium that night. We stayed cheering until all the players had finally left the field and I think he STILL hated to go. I've never seen him that excited. I'll remember that forever. I was able to repay him in a tiny way for all the stuff he'd brought me to as a kid. I took him to more games but that Opening Night game in '02 was beyond special. I could replace the stuff if I had to I guess but it just wouldn't mean as much as having the tickets we actually used. Not at all.

2) My binder of football cards that represent every player I've owned in 32 seasons. I love my fantasy Football league. I've run it a long time and it is made up of college friends. We've all been together for ever it seems. I don't think I'll ever give it up. I've tracked down a card for every player I've owned and it's taken some effort. The mainstream cards were pretty easy. No problem grabbing one for Eric Dickerson or Joe Flacco....

.....but finding cards of some players proved hugely challenging and required a lot of footwork and research. I wonder how long it would take to replace them....

 ...and some guys never had a card issued (which makes me wonder why I ever drafted them) and forced me to be creative and make my own....

I doubt I could track down replacements for everything in that binder.I'd never find that picture of 1980 Bengal kicker Ian Sunter again.

3) My plastic box of my kids sportscards. How could I ever get these back? I love my '59 Topps set but I could have another one this afternoon. Wouldn't be nearly the fun as I had putting mine together card by card, but I could write a check and there it would be. But my kids' cards, especially since I did so much of the coaching.... no way could I lose these.

There you have it. My 'three things I can't ever lose' possessions from my collection.

Oh, if my wife gave me that ultimatum I'd dump these items into this banner to store them...

...and claim an Owl told me it was O.K to store them that way.