Things you *are* looking forward to in 2025?

[EnergizedLib]

Happy New Year, everyone. I question he truly happy of a new year it’ll be, but I’ve also got some things I think will be cool experiences this year:

I’ll be meeting Hall of Famer Alan Trammell January 25 and will be having him sign his three Sports Illustrated covers at a charity baseball signing.

My girlfriend and I are going to the Bulls and Pacers game March 2, hope to add Bill Wennington to my signed SI collection as he’s the radio color man for the Bulls, and a very outside shot at Larry Bird, a consultant for the Pacers. Oh, and I’m hoping for a Bulls victory, too.

What good things are you looking forward to this year?

[CousinIT]

1. Not one damn thing. nt

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. Well

We are going to the US Virgin Islands in March. I've never been off the mainland, ever, despite the fact that I've been to 47 of the 50 states. I'm excited about that.

Otherwise? Not so much. Maybe the death of the orange slime.....

[EnergizedLib]

3. Have fun

I’ve never been outside the country either, would love to change that one day.

[True Dough]

4. I was a Toronto Blue Jays fan as a young teen

so I rooted against your Detroit Tigers. But the Tigers had a solid club back then with Trammel, Lou Whittaker, Chet Lemon, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, Dave Bergman, Jack Morris, Frank Tanana, Willie Hernandez and others.

[EnergizedLib]

5. I'm a Cubs fan

But also a big Sports Illustrated collector. As a sports fan and Hall of Fame lover, Whitaker should be in Cooperstown, too.

Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs.

[True Dough]

6. How many editions of SI do you figure you have in your collection?

And what sort of money would the most valuable one fetch these days? I'm completely out of touch. I collected sports cards when I was young thinking I'd get a big payoff someday, but the reality was that cards were being mass produced back then and the value of the vast majority of them was never going to increase much. But there's the odd rare collector's edition card that is worth a significant sum.

[EnergizedLib]

7. I've got about 140 signed

Plus many more of them unsigned. I figured some might fetch more than $100, though I can’t say for sure. But this is a passion and not an investment for me.

[True Dough]

8. Cool. Which signed edition

do you personally cherish the most?

[EnergizedLib]

9. I can't name just one

Pete Rose, April 8, 1974

Johnny Bench and Will McEnaney, November 3, 1975

Bill Walton, December 13, 1976

Dave Parker, May 30, 1977

Elvin Hayes May 8, 1978

Elvin Hayes May 7, 1978

Rollie Fingers, March 16, 1981

Sidney Moncrief, February 22, 1982

Dominique Wilkins, April 28, 1986

Those are at the top of my favorite ones. I also cherish one’s I have of Greg Pruitt, Denny McLain, Ken Norton Sr. and Pernell Whitaker.

[True Dough]

10. Nice!

Sorry for the million questions, but I'm fascinated. Did you have the majority of those signed in-person, or did you purchase them already signed?

[EnergizedLib]

11. All the ones I listed were signed in person

With family helping me on Elvin Hayes. Norton and Whitaker were Christmas presents already signed. All the others I listed I got signed in person myself.

There’s something happening this month I’m not looking forward to, but will be very nice to see Alan Trammell.

[sakabatou]

12. Let's see here...

My birthday
My anniversary with my girlfriend

I'm unsure what else.

[Upthevibe]

13. EnergizedLib............

.........Some close friends and I have decided on the third Sunday of every month to have gatherings.

Some of the things we may do are go to plays, bowling, museums, and a variety of other outings. We consider ourselves very fortunate to live in Southern California/L.A. & Orange County. There are six of us in our "core" group. We are gay & lesbian and are very much aligned in our philosophies and beliefs. Of course, we're friggin' devastated about the election.... .........So to help with our distress, we've vowed to really be there for each other not only physically but emotionally. These friends are my family.

Also, on the second Saturday of every month some of us go to a Buddhist gathering (and have been doing so for several months now). I always feel better when I've gone.

I've never been to Colorado and it's the one state I've always wanted to go to but never have. I'm thinking about (based on my finances) going sometime this Summer.

Good post. Thank you...

[EnergizedLib]

15. I wish you well

I hope you can go to Colorado in the summer. You are very much accepted here, and you’re safe on here.

This thread, hopefully, can bring some positivity to us. We all need some.

[beaglelover]

14. I usually try to plan a big trip in January for later in the year so we have that to look forward to, but this year I

potentially have something health wise going on which prevents me from planning anything at the moment. I'll know more in mid January when I get the biopsy results. If it is something at least I'll have an idea of what the treatment options will be and the recovery time, etc, so I can then plan something. Best result is it will be nothing to worry about!

[Marthe48]

16. My grandson will get his license next year

When he was 3 or 4, he said when he learned to drive, he'd pick me up every week and take me to get ice cream. I'm looking forward to that