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Now that the Red Sox no longer wear the mantle of God's chosen losers, will playwrights, poets, and Boston barkeeps stop citing the team as a metaphor for existential angst? If so, the title of Most Downtrodden Fan Base could be up for grabs. Although the group of L.A. pessimists haunting Dodger Blues wallows in the perceived woes of their sun-dappled team like season-ticket holders waiting out a September rain delay at Wrigley Field (Cubs losing 8 - 1), we won't bedgrudge them their moment in the shade. Still, perusing these funny Dodger quotes, complete with sarcasm-laced annotations worthy of East Coast depressives; browsing the feature Frustrated Fan of the Month; and rummaging through opinions like "So the outfield sucks," we imagine long-suffering fans of the Giants (last World Series W: 1954) clenching their teeth at the self-indulgence. On the other hand, check out the L.A. roster and note the salary of ex-Giant Jason Schmidt (1 - 4, disabled). Now that's grumble-worthy.

As a hobby, collecting baseball cards lost its innocence sometime in the '90s, when commerce trumped the joy of collecting. While we won't get maudlin about the days of ten cards and a stick of stale pink gum, the delight of sorting through cards was slowly sucked dry by $5 packs and a glut of card makers. But this engaging site might rekindle your love for the small slivers of cardboard that marked many a childhood. Ben Henry has been a baseball card collector for 17 years, and his devotion to the hobby bubbles up through this breezy blog. He's currently ranking the best sets of the '80s; we recommend starting from the bottom of his well-written, humorous thoughts. You'll flip over his recounting of the worst pack ever, or the tale of great players being victimized by bad cards. And while the quest for the most boring card ever made continues, we're sure that you'll find this site anything but.