“Who is this guy!?” That’s what many collectors will soon be saying when they see my smiling face while opening packs of @Topps 2026 Allen & Ginter next month. So let’s talk about how we got here… At 8 years old I got my first pack of baseball cards. A drug store down the street had packs of 1985 Fleer that sat in a basket near the register. I had already become a massive Cincinnati Reds fan and I’d get so excited to see any Reds players as I skimmed through the cards. My neighbor and I wanted to trade but my mom thought we should each keep our own, so to be sure they wouldn’t get mixed up, she wrote my initials on the back in the upper left corner. (Cue all of the collectors reading this begin to shiver)

That tradition has continued to this day. My son is now 15 and a few years ago his grandpa bowed out so he could just watch and let my son take over the reigns. Our collecting has reached new heights I never imagined. We even host our own monthly card show at an indoor baseball facility that I am an owner of near Cincinnati. Last month after just seven shows, we had 100 tables. It’s crazy to think that something I got into over 40 years ago could be creating some of the most incredible moments I’ve had with my son. When I first got REALLY back into collecting again, I instantly became a fan of the Topps Allen & Ginter set. It’s the only product I try to build a complete set of every year. I love the mix of former and current players, the quirky subsets that have me chasing cards of famous sandwiches or rare birds. And then there’s the cards that feature comedians. It’s really fun to see friends of yours pop up in a pack of baseball cards. Jimmy Pardo, Roy Wood Jr, Sarah Tiana, Jay Larson, Steve Simeone, and so many more. Thanks to Steve, this year I got to join the club. To say it’s surreal would be an understatement. Of all of the cool things I’ve been able to do in comedy, this might be the coolest. When my career has reached a point to activate a dream 40 years in the making, it’s something I will cherish forever.