The Big Lebowski Card Fest Checklist

The boys on the blogs are working in shifts.

What started out as photoshop practice (practice? We talkin bout practice?) has turned into my first/only/last worthwhile project.

Steven over at White Sox Cards made a submission and dubbed it The Big Lebowski Card Fest. Sounds good to me. And, this is certainly the right blog to keep track of it.



So, this is our homework: To make the greatest set of fake Big Lebowski trading cards that the ether has ever seen. Before you all go crazy, let me explain the rules. Yes, this is not Nam people...there are rules.

1. It has to relate to The Big Lebowski.

2. It cannot have anything to do with the Eagles. We hate the fuckin' Eagles, man.

3. It is not limited to characters. It can be cards featuring anything from lingenberry pancakes to Aimee Mann's toe, with nail polish.

4. Weirdness is encouraged, and feel free to write whatever you want to color up your submissions.

5. Doubles are OK. If Topps can make 27 different Fukudome cards in every set, we can certainly handle a variety of Dudes.

6. The ringer cannot look empty.

That's about it. I think if done properly this can be a natural, zesty enterprise.

I will be establishing a link at the right to keep track. If you make a card and I don't find it, just drop me an email or a comment.

And, don't try to slip any Eagles past me. You're not dealing with morons here.

If you will it, it is no dream.

Names and such

You may be wondering how the name Grady was picked. If you’re reading this blog you are probably a baseball fan and are likely aware that I am an Indians fan. This would lead you to consider that maybe he was named after Grady Sizemore, the incredible Cleveland center fielder and my favorite current Tribesman. Those of you who think this are absolutely 100% correct. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

For those of you who believe that there’s not a chance in hell that my wife Katie would let me name our son after a baseball player, here is another theory: My wife wanted a family name. Grady is an old family name on Katie’s side, her great grandmother’s surname.

Her whole family is Irish and there were a few names to pick from. I’m mostly German. Ultimately we kept coming back to Grady. We thought we had a few more months, but in the end, we had to pick something quick. I think it’s probably better that way.

The following is a list of names considered, but ultimately rejected for one reason or another.

From Katie’s side:

Franklin – not bad, but already taken.

Casey – same thing

John – Too common I guess

From my side: (this is a more exhaustive list as my mother is something of a fiend for genealogy)

Harry – Grandfather’s middle name. My wife was having none of it despite my pointing out that Letterman used it for his son. This failed to move her. In fact I suggested we then use her father’s name “Gerry” as well. Harry Gerry Kramer has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Maybe I’m the only one.

Cooper – Not bad. Rejected due to close affiliation with the Manning family.

Cushman – Awesome name but it’s already a close cousin’s middle name. I liked the idea of him having the same nickname as Jerry O’Connell’s character. Then I could teach him that song he played on the guitar.

Bartholomew – Pretty sweet. No chance in hell. My wife has no sense of humor.

Lemuel – My personal favorite. I have something like 4 ancestors named Lemuel. It’s ridiculous. Why it fell out of favor I’ll never know, but my wife wouldn’t allow the attempted comeback. She has no vision.

Others considered:

Bodhi and Dalton – Only for twins. For some reason I think it would be hilarious to name twins after Patrick Swayze’s character in Point Break and Roadhouse.

Quint – I love Jaws

Lucas or Luke – I thought of Paul Newman. My wife thought of Corey Haim.

Dayf – That conversation happened in the hospital and went like this:

Me – “I just got an awesome package of cards from a guy in Atlanta”
Katie – “What for?”
Me – “I told him I’m a fan of Dan Gable”
Katie – “The wrestler?”
Me – “Yeah”
Katie – “He played baseball too?”
Me – “No, but they make all sorts of cards”
Katie – “So he sent you a Dan Gable card? That was nice. Why’d he do that?”
Me – “Just because. That’s what the blog people (that’s what I call us to my wife) do. It wasn’t just Gable either. He sent me a whole shitload of Indians. I’m trying to find some interesting stuff to send back to him. Maybe we could name the kid after him.”
Katie – “What’s his name”
Me – “Dayf”
Katie – “Dave? Your uncle’s named Dave.”
Me – “No, Dayf”
Katie – “Dave?”
Me – “Dayf”
Katie – “What are you saying? Dave?”
Me – “No, Dayf”
Katie – “Huh?”
And…….scene. I have no recollection of how that conversation ended. Most likely my wife started to ignore me or the nurse came in. Either way, sorry Dayf. I tried.

· Travis – Maybe 2 years ago.

· Manny – Maybe 10 years ago

· J’Grady , LeGrady, DaGrady – I liked them.

Possible nicknames: There really are no shortened or nicknames for Grady. This is probably a good thing. But, if he needs one, here are a few that may be considered, and I welcome your input:

· Larry – I just like that name. My friends are still texting me asking how “Little Larry” is doing. My wife is thrilled.

· Captain Cheeseburger – I think it’s taken, though.

· Skippy McGillicutty – What an awesome name

· LT – Why not? Apparently people have no qualms about giving this to others despite it already being the nickname of the greatest linebacker ever.

· Berserker – Someone already wrote a great song

· Pilot Inspector – Wait…It’s already taken

I guess none of those will probably stick, but I’m open to suggestions. This is your homework Larry.

Achiever Contest #1

Welcome to the first contest on the Achiever Blog. There are a posible 2 prizes to win

1. First Prize: The card represented in the above picture.
2. Grand Prize: My undying respect and admiration.

To win the first prize all you need to do is tell me who the player is. Yes kids, it's just that easy.

To win the grand prize you need to tell me the player, year and set. This seemed like it was probably too hard to require.

The best part is the same person could win both prizes! Wouldn't that be somethin'?

Whoever is the first person to guess right will get the card and maybe a few more or whatever I feel like sending them.

The contest ends whenever the hell I say it does.