A Contest Question and Ramble...

Greetings Trollites!!! I am just a little bit late in discussing the contest, but I wanted to give y’all an update. It was scheduled to close at 51,000 hits and as of typing this Collective Troll has received just a touch over 52 thousand (which is AWESOME!), so I am a little bit late. I don’t think that anyone has noticed though, as is very few folks entered. The final voting tally was just 27 readers, but 26 of you voted for a baseball card, so I will have the results (and the winner) ready to announce tomorrow. I have to say I was a little bit disappointed with the turnout. This was the 5th contest that I hosted and the fewest number of entrants. It had the best prizes, too. They weren’t cheap either, not that it matters, but I spent $125. purchasing the 7 different cards that were shown in the original post. Maybe I got ripped off, I don’t know. I am sure they are a ton cheaper on eBay, but I prefer to support my local card shop. I really, honestly thought that I would get 100 entrants and I planned on giving them all away. With only 27 folks in, I am just going to give one card away. The contest prize was intended to be the winning card. It was a close vote, but there was a winner-it ended up being a 3-card race with 3 votes between the 1st and 3rd card. Anyway, I wanted to ask you the entrants if it is okay if the winner chooses which card they. Some of you while voting said that you would vote for card A, but would rather have card C. So I am asking you guys if you object to the winner choosing his or her prize out of the 7 cards listed in the post. I am sorry if I sound whiny, but I am disappointed. I don’t mind spending a few dollars to give back and thank my loyal readers because I do really appreciate everyone reading-I just wish more people were interested in what I was trying to give back. On a similar topic you may have noticed that the “Google Ads” have disappeared from the blog. They went on both my blogs the same day that the contest began and were helping to fray the cost of the prizes and helping me save for a computer. I still don’t understand how Google determines what they pay you, but for 6 days my account got bigger and bigger. I had 43 bucks in the account when I closed it. (and I should have requested a check BEEFORE I removed the ads, because NOW that is an issue) I removed the ads after I got two separate complaints from readers about the ads. Without readers I would still write because I enjoy it, but I enjoy it a whole lot more thinking that people read this. I know a lot of you don’t like the idea of ads. I don’t like ads either in theory, but when you are broke, you’re broke. I am sorry if I offended any of you by running the ads-I hope that you will come back now that they are gone. Since I am starting a forum here with the question about the contest prize, I would like to ask you, the reader, how you feel about the content of the last month. I don’t follow football or hockey or any other sports, so I am not qualified to write about what is going on in the sporting world right now. I haven’t had the money to do pack rips or box breaks, so I have been trying to keep the blog going by writing posts about Topps cards from the 60’s and 70’s. Do you guys like this content? Please let me know. Okay, sorry I got rambley; it has been a very long week for this Troll. Essay week is always rough and next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are my finals, so it’s still a high stress time. I haven’t even begun to think about Christmas, about decorating or shopping or doing anything. I know I have to work on Christmas Eve and Day, so that makes it seem less special. Anyway, it has been a long day; I am way too tired to be typing… Please respond with your thoughts-yay or nay on the contest winner choosing the prize. I was going to do a randomized list, but with only 27 entrants-the names were written down on little pieces of paper and are going to go in the hat. My lovely wife, the legendary Esther Gin N Juice will be picking the winner out of the hat tomorrow morning prior to going to work. I really got to go home and go to bed. Oh-stay tuned because tomorrow afternoon I think I am going to announce another mini contest, but a fun one! Oh, a hypothetical question for anyone holding an Evan Longoria autograph... Would you trade for a Tommy Hansen autograph? Also, looking for BJ Upton, Matt Garza, JP Howell and Dioner Navarro, too. The only other auto that might be available is Ryan Zimmerman. Anyone? Troll out.