Now that I am coherent ...

I hope you didn't believe anything I said in the last post. That was the exhaustion talking. Of course I am going to post the cards that people were kind enough to send me!

I just needed to knock myself out for a few hours first.

I've got one more night of work to go, and then I am off for a couple of days. So in a day or so, expect to see all kinds of terrific or lame stuff. Depending on your point of view.

But first, a proper dedication to most of the pre-Christmas card packages I received. (Others will be arriving on this blog at some point soon).

I will separate the packages by blogger in the order in which they arrived. How's that for organization? See what I can do when I get some sleep?

All right. On with the card festivities:

1. Blogger: madding
2. Blog: Cards on Cards
3. Reason for sending cards: He put out a call for people to take his minor league cards. I took some, he sent some, and he sent some Dodgers, too!

This 2009 U&H card of Xavier Paul is key. A couple of months ago, I went to a card show and thought I was very smart in swooping up all of the Dodgers from the U&H set. Somehow, probably because I didn't consult a checklist first, I missed the Xavier Paul card. If madding hadn't sent it, it might have been months before I discovered I needed this card. And, oh, you would have heard me make a noise that you could hear in Captain Canuck country.

This was the last Dodger card from the U&H set that I needed. I think I have three of them now. Those are some giant pants Broxton's got there.

Both of these 2007 UD Billingsley cards fill a want list need. The '07 Upper Deck flagship and first edition sets are destined to be forgotten forever. But I can't forget them until I get all the Dodgers from the sets.

Who will Milton Bradley have a conflict with now that he is in Seattle? If I knew more than five people connected with the Mariners, I would hazard a guess. But for now, I just know that it will definitely be someone.

I saw this card on madding's blog. It's one of those "is this a Dodger card or not?" items. Technically, it's not a Dodger card. But for my purposes, it is, because Hill is wearing a Dodger uniform.

Some late '90s Donruss Elite deckle-edged type card. Not a fan of the frilly borders. They might as well cut snowflake designs on the edges.

A 2006 Heritage team card. The people are MUCH easier to see than on the 1957 Topps team cards. But the fence kills the old-timey feeling of the card.

I have recently received several pieces of the Duke Snider puzzle from the 1984 Donruss set. But only madding can say that he pulled a cardboard Van Gogh and sent me Snider's ear. So he wins some creativity points for that.

Thanks, Kerry!

1. Blogger: Crawford Cards

2. Blog: Carl Crawford Cards
3. Reason for sending cards: Apparently, according to the note he sent, I have been due to receive some cards from him for a long time. Honestly, I don't remember hearing that I would be receiving a package from North Dakota. But forgetfulness makes for the greatest surprises, don't it?

Besides the 2004 Heritage Hideo Nomo card that CCC sent, he also sent this '04 Heritage card of Andy Ashby. I expected big things of Mr. Ashby upon his arrival with the Dodgers. I am such a hopeless fan.

1995 Donruss is the best Donruss base set of the '90s, in terms of design. Nothing else that company produced in the decade comes close. Some, like 1994 and 1996, are awful.

Anytime I receive cards of Topps Finest in a package, I almost feel unworthy. It's hard for me to find stuff like that where I am. But I really appreciate these shiny cards. These two are from 2001 Finest and are of two of the Dodgers' finest sluggers of all-time. In terms of monster seasons, anyway.

Thanks, Paul!

1. Blogger: Big D
2. Blog: Hey, That's Mine
3. Reason for sending cards: I saw the '09 Sweet Spot Billingsley card on his blog and I said, "gimme!"

Big D sent a couple of 1995 Fleer Dodgers. You can't argue with folks when they say '95 Fleer is colorful. But I think the adjective "disorienting" is more appropriate.

2005 Upper Deck Trilogy. I had zero knowledge that this set existed. I am in the midst of updating my want lists. I have only 2004-2006 to go (then I have to update some early sets), and I'm sure I'll come across a bunch of sets that are completely new to me.

This is a Fleer Genuine card from 2004, but it looks a lot like an Upper Deck set, especially that Future Stars set from 2007. Even the back is as simple as something from UD.

Any card of Rickey in a Dodger uniform makes me giddy. Happy belated birthday, Rickey!

Lastly, a 2004 Donruss World Series card of Orel Hershiser, which will go into the Hershiser collection. New cards of Hershiser are always welcome.

Thanks, Derek!

1. Blogger: dk wilson
2. Blog: It's Like Having My Own Card Shop
3. Reason for sending cards: We worked out a trade over a shiny item that I'll show later. It turned out to be one of the quickest trades in terms of completion that I have ever executed, especially on my end. He's even posted the cards I sent already.

Mr. Wilson seems to have a stockpile of Adrian Beltre cards. I particularly like this 1999 UD Choice bobble-head thingy. I need a second one so I can try one out. I'll put it on my desk at work and it will taunt certain appropriate people, wagging his head in a mocking way, anytime they hassle me.

Here is a 2007 Chrome refractor of Derek Lowe. Shockingly, he's pitching in San Francisco again.

And here is a white refractor of Lowe pitching in San Francisco. I never knew there were white refractors. It's different.

Here is the shiny card that prompted the trade. It's a 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Gold Mirror card of Kaz Ishii, numbered to 25. Kaz sure had some fantastic cards.

Thanks, Daniel!

1. Blogger: gcrl
2. Blog: garveyceyrusselllopes
3. Reason for sending cards: Well, gee, he just sent me some cards. But I think he found some more now that I've got that Nebulous 9 list up.

Lenny Harris has eluded me in too many early '90s sets. He was the last Dodger I needed to complete the 1991 and 1993 Score sets, and he's one of the last for the '92 Pinnacle set. I don't think he likes me very much.

I'm showing this card only because it's so simple. It's a Fleer card from this decade, but it looks like something from the 1980s.

This is a scratch-off game from 1981. I don't know if these were available in the Northeast, but I never saw them.

The best part is you could have ordered one of those square hats that were all the rage then! Oh, why, oh why didn't they make these items available where I was?

Receiving 1975 Topps minis in the mail is tremendous. These two fellows have some distinctive last names. Put them together and you can create your own sexual innuendo.

All right! Dodger 1975 minis! I need to consult my cards and see how many minis I need to complete the Dodger set. It can't be very many. These are super.

One of the oldest cards I have received in a blog trade. Adam E of Thoughts and Sox sent several 1960 cards a little while back. Now I just have to get some folks to start sending me some 1956 Topps!

The best posts always end with Ron Cey cards that I don't have. Here is the 1981 O-Pee-Chee Cey card. The position listing in French makes the whole card.

And this card is certainly interesting. Cey is still in his Dodger uniform, but the colors that Topps used for the Cubs border his card. That's the beauty of O-Pee-Chee.

Thanks, Jim!

I believe, except for Daniel, I have cards on the way to all of these fine folks. With some time-off ahead, I should get them all in the mail before the week is out. Here is my progress report on those packages:

Cards on Cards: Stack started, needed to track down a few more cards
Crawford Cards: Stack started, need to track down some more
Hey, That's Mine: Stack ready to package up
garveyceyrusselllopes: Stack ready to package up

Phew, I feel another nap coming on.

(Oh: Happy birthday, Mom!)