luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity

you've got to fall in love with preparation.

that was bill mueller's advice to an aspiring ballplayer, and it's true.  i've known a couple of professional athletes, and the practice and meetings and workouts wear on them.  it is ok with me, then, that preparation has no place in this post.

so, what happens when one of the ingredients of luck (at least according to the roman philosopher seneca who is credited with the quote i used as the title of this post) is missing?  i still call it luck, even if it only required opportunity.

you see, i was at target last night picking up a couple of necessities when i decided to double back and check the card aisle. i have not purchased much in the way of packs this year - maybe a blaster or two and some random packs - when i saw a bunch of the 2016 topps update/chrome update mega boxes.  $14.99 for 5 packs of update and 2 packs of chrome update.

i still had a few dodgers on my update want list, and i only have the maeda chrome update card, thanks to a recent online purchase, so i picked up a box (but not the box in front).  i opened the regular update packs first (in the parking lot, of course), and was treated to one of the corey seager cards that i needed, plus kenley jansen, which was also on my want list. there were also a few inserts that i might try to flip given that they were not mariner or marlins cards.

i then opened the first of the two chrome update packs and immediately saw this.

to clarify - i just saw the "congratulations" and "clayton kershaw" text. i knew it was an all-star workout jersey relic card, and i moved on to the other pack without bothering to remove the card and inspect it in all of its glory.  or, as much glory as there could be with a card featuring the greatest pitcher in the game wearing padre brown.

it wasn't until i got home that i realized this was an autographed version, numbered to 25.

i once pulled a steve garvey jersey card (back when jersey cards were a big deal) from a pack of topps archives which was quite serendipitous and, i thought, an example of collecting karma. this, however, is beyond serendipity or karma.  it is fortuitous and lucky and pretty awesome, and it is easily in the top 5 pack pulls of my collecting experience.  others in that category would include a bill dickey cut auto from a legendary cuts release, a 1/1 mickey mantle printing plate from topps chrome, a 2001 topps tribute eddie mathews patch, a mickey mantle jersey card (with pinstripe!), and two babe ruth bat cards from two different topps tribute sets.  however, given that this card is of a dodger and that it is in particular clayton kershaw, this might be the best pack pull i've experienced.

it's not my first kershaw auto, but it is the first one that i've pulled myself and it made me pretty darn happy.

ps - whomever wound up with me for the bob walk the plank secret santa, don't worry about getting me a kershaw relic auto. i'm good for now.