Now I can breathe again

Sometimes it's best to keep memories repressed.

I don't ever want to recall that Orel Hershiser pitched for the Giants, let alone get a cardboard reminder in the mail.

However, in one way I am glad that this Hershiser card is featured here. Because that means the trade deadline is over, I can exhale, and this is a harmless baseball card trade post, rather than a "why, oh, why did the Dodgers trade half their team for Roy Halladay" post. Halladay is still spending his Loonies in Toronto. As it should be.

(Meanwhile, I just read that the Dodgers were supposedly close to a deal with the Padres in which they would have acquired Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell for James Loney, Russell Martin, Blake DeWitt, James McDonald and Ivan DeJesus Jr. Holy Smokey! Do people who run the Dodgers know the team has had the best record in baseball for almost the entire season?)

The Hershiser nightmare card came to me from Mark of Stats on the Back. He's been giving away cards, and it's my turn to feature my loot. All but two of the cards Mark sent were Dodgers. The other two were of Hershiser dressed for Halloween.

That's the other one. Look how sinister he looks in that uniform. The darkness, the shadow across his face. It's pure evil! Fortunately, Orel came to his senses and retired as a Dodger.

Time to look at some good guys. And I'll start with one of the best.

It's everybody's American hero, Rick Monday. This American Pie card commemorates Monday's famous rescue of the American flag from burning, at the hands two protesters at Dodger Stadium, during the bicentennial year. I debate whether Monday's more famous for that act or the home run he hit against Montreal that put the Dodgers in the World Series in 1981.

More '70s reflections, with the ho-hum 2005 Upper Deck Classics set. A lot of lousy photos in this set, Davey Lopes included.

A 1972 card is always appreciated, even one that I have already. Because this one can go into my 1972 set binder. If I had one. Right now my '72s are mixed with other sets from the '70s that I am nowhere near completing.

The insanity of this card will speak for itself. There was no time in which Mariano Duncan was considered a superstar. None.

Nomo! Now that's Pinnacle done right, unlike that earlier Hershiser monstrosity. And Nomo pitched for the Red Sox, Brewers, Tigers, Devil Rays, Royals, and even the Mets, but he never threw a pitch for the Giants.

Don't you feel cheap and dirty when you admit you need Opening Day cards? I do. So I'm going to say this is a duplicate. Ha, ha, Mark. Sorry. Got this one already. Didn't really need it (ok, yes I did).

Only my second card of Zach/Zack Wheat, who still owns a bunch of Dodgers records. Wheat led the National League in slugging percentage at .461 in 1916. They didn't slug very well in 1916.

And this is my first card of Van Lingle Mungo, which is a shame because it's one of the all-time greatest names in Major League Baseball. His name was the title for a song in the late 1960s. I'd link to a video of a guy singing the song, but he makes a bunch of weird faces during it, and I don't want to put you through that.

This is a reprint of a Goudey card. I have no idea when the reprint was issued, which screws up my filing system, since my Dodgers are filed by year. If anyone knows when these Dover reprints were issued, I'd appreciate it.

This card eliminates a bunch of needless searching for me. I've wanted an upgrade of Crawford for years because mine features scribbling on the back. But every time I go to a card show I get distracted and never come home with one. Problem solved.

I'll end with some deckle edge goodness from 1969. Al Ferrara's base 1969 Topps card features him with the Padres. He was an expansion draft guy. But he's obviously wearing a Dodger uniform on this card (with his cap blacked out). And since there's no reference to him being on the Padres anywhere (the backs are basically blank), he's officially still a Dodger! Yay! In the binder he goes.

Sorry, Orel. You won't be going in the binder wearing that Giants uniform. Off to the cardboard box with you.