MartinFFcollector's departure

Hey everyone,

I was PMing with FF about some of his cards today and he mentioned that he was selling most of his stuff to focus on other things. I asked him if everything was okay and he said he simply needed to change things in his life. That being said, he is choosing to make his family and his job the main priorities in his life. I know how he feels and I'm sure many of you have felt or done the same thing yourself. Cards can consume our time, money, and thoughts. I am proud of him for his decision to recognize this and to step away (for who knows how long) so he can focus on what's important to him.

He said I could feel free to share this with the board as he is finding it tough to write a "Goodbye" thread. All of the details aren't important, but it is important for you all to know about his decision. He's a great board member and I know I will miss his insight and knowledge about the hobby.

Feel free to leave him a kind word here if you wish. I imagine he will see it and he may decide to post in it himself. In my opinion, I think it would make him feel better about his decision.

Thanks Donavan for being a great guy who is a fan of baseball, cards, and Bill Ripken error cards!

He has a very nice Russ Martin collection for sale.Good Luck to him.He has been a very good addition to our board.

tommyfro21 said:

Hey everyone,

I was PMing with FF...

Click to expand...

LMAO!

Seriously though, when a "hobby" starts to interfere with "real life", it's time to step back IMO. Best wishes to him.

tommyfro21 said:

Hey everyone,

I was PMing with FF about some of his cards today and he mentioned that he was selling most of his stuff to focus on other things. I asked him if everything was okay and he said he simply needed to change things in his life. That being said, he is choosing to make his family and his job the main priorities in his life. I know how he feels and I'm sure many of you have felt or done the same thing yourself. Cards can consume our time, money, and thoughts. I am proud of him for his decision to recognize this and to step away (for who knows how long) so he can focus on what's important to him.

He said I could feel free to share this with the board as he is finding it tough to write a "Goodbye" thread. All of the details aren't important, but it is important for you all to know about his decision. He's a great board member and I know I will miss his insight and knowledge about the hobby.

Feel free to leave him a kind word here if you wish. I imagine he will see it and he may decide to post in it himself. In my opinion, I think it would make him feel better about his decision.

Thanks Donavan for being a great guy who is a fan of baseball, cards, and Bill Ripken error cards!

Click to expand...

+1 great guy

Donovan is a great guy, he helped me since the start of my online card days about 2-3 years ago back on Topps MB.

Good for Donovan and his realigning of his life.It sucks the board will be without of of its more knowledgeable members.

Donovan is one of my first internet buddies from the topps board years ago. He is a wealth of knowledge and one of the good guys. Hope he still drops by.

He was a very knowledgeable and nice guy.

He pulled this and gave me a great deal on it.

I had a long reply but hit some key and it's gone! Please fogive any spelling errors as I need to type fast. These threads always seem cheesy but on the other hand if certain members "disappeared" I'd be curious as well. So here goes...

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I'm happy to hear I've helped others or left a positive impression. I wish you the best in life and in the hobby.

I will return most likely, but I need to step away, at least for now. This was my decision and one that took me awhile to finally act on it. I was actually hoping for something to help me get away. The whisper of Martin leaving the Dodgers is all I needed. I've spent way too much money and time in the hobby. I'm looking at a huge promotion and playing on the internet for a huge chunk of the day everyday, wont fly. Plus my wife is tired of talking to me while I daydream about auctions ending, where to get $ to pay for that, what I have to ship etc. I'm the sole provider for my family and looking at what I spent this year on cards...I could of bought some nice things for the family. My time at home is limited and it should be devoted to my family. My kids should be 1st on my mind when I walk thru the door. Not my mail.

We overspent on Christmas then I hear our Christmas bonus will be drastically cut this year. Selling off the majority of my collection will not only help with funds, but help me with the "must buy them all" mentality. Time to break up the collection.

I've had fun with the FF card. I learned alot and helped others along the way. Discovering "new" variations was a HUGE thrill for me. Then in the interview with Bill Ripken when he finally admits he wrote on the bat knob, they mention billripken.com! Wow! I cannot describe how that felt. I could go on and on but basically this card is my favorite and always will be. To be involved in finding new versions of a card that I couldn't afford to own as a kid in '89...Wow.

If anyone needs to reach me, I will check my PM's on here from time to time but my personal email or billripken.com will be the best bet. If I have something you know I own and want it, contact me. I doubt anyone's looking for any Russ Martin. I have some FF items that I will be moving shortly. I'm keepng the really rare stuff but moving all of the rest.

Sorry it's so long. I think it helps pointing out my flaws in public. It helps me and you never know when one of your aired faults will help someone else recognise theirs.

Happy Hunting, Donovan

Always put family first, especially before something like cards. Enjoy your kids. I know I love mine.

Hope to see you back eventually, and good luck with the promotion!