The last day of March is practically a holiday, so ...

Yes, good people, it's time for a trade post.

Don't look at me that way. I've just made it through the most debilitating month of the year -- made even more debilitating this time around by circumstances you don't want me to document. Trust me, you don't.

The end results is March ate half of the days off that I usually get during a regular, non-hostile month, turned my general mood from happy-go-lucky to WHAT-THE-F***-ARE-YOU-LOOKING-AT, and I'm quite sure knocked a couple of Marchs off my life, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So with April and baseball right around the corner, I am spunky and ready to go.

Besides, I just got this email the other day:

"Thank you for your order


1960-BB-TS1-265-NA Rip Repulski 1 03/29/10 SHIPPED
1968-BB-TS1-277-NA Jerry Buchek 1 03/29/10 SHIPPED
1972-BB-TS1-532-NA Fred Kendall RC 1 03/29/10 SHIPPED"

My Million Card Giveaway items be shipped!!!

(EDIT: My Million Card Giveaway items BE HERE!!!!!)

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

OK, I've stopped spinning around. Waiting for dizziness to go away ...

Still waiting ...

Waiting some more ...


All right. Back to normal.

I haven't had a ton of cards coming in lately. That's mostly due to the fact that during the month of March I couldn't coordinate placing found cards into padded envelope. But I've rectified that a bit -- and there's more rectification to come in the next day or so, but especially the next month or so. Meanwhile, there are some items that others have been so nice to send. March was kinder to them.

BA Benny found some items to spare in his big buffet of cards and sent a few my way.

I'm starting things off with a couple of Billy Ashleys, which isn't putting my best foot forward, but I try not to discriminate when it comes to Dodgers. Over-hyped prospects are people, too.

Oh, lordy. Why do I have to be reminded that J.D. Drew wore a Dodger uniform? Does anybody like this guy? Has anyone seen him smile? I mean while he's actually on the baseball field?

These 2004 reprint thingies come from the nebulous world of the early 2000s when cards weren't in my field of vision. I'm guessing it's a 50th anniversary of the '55 Brooklyn Dodgers thing. Yankees fans can't have all the insert fun, you know.

Steve Sax Diamond King. One of the last '87 Donruss cards I'll ever need. The Dick Perez thing completely baffles me. Sax is wearing a mis-shapen cap and the action figure down below is some sort of faceless zombie. Weird.

Yes. A Mickey Mantle card that I'm happy to get.

This card came from madding, the same person that sent me that 1989 Topps cello pack (which, by the way I have opened , and will share the contents of the kick-ass fantasy team later).

He was confused as to why I wanted a Mantle card. I don't blame him. Normally, modern day Mantle cards are kindling to me. However, 2006 is the year in which I had to get in touch with my inner completist, so I am trying to accumulate every last wretch-inducing Mantle/Bonds HR history card.

Mr. Mantle HR #8 means I need just 15 more of these things. Ugh.

I also received these 2K6 promo cards, which are very key because I believe these weren't inserted into packs, but into the video game, which I did not purchase. Four more to go on this really pointless insert set.

Cards on Cards recently went on a 1996 Pinnacle spree and I have been one of the beneficiaries. I happen to think this is one of the most ostentatious sets of all-time (there's a word no one uses anymore). But I enjoy it for comic value. Besides, who doesn't enjoy seeing Mike Blowers in a Dodger uniform?

The Mondesi photo is a nice shot, even if it looks like rather distant. I still don't understand the gold foil mountain thing. Why?

Here is the Hard Ball Heroes Mondesi card. The back says that Mondesi "dares runners to take liberties against him." I'm not sure I know what that means. It sounds like the runners are doing something illegal.

A Hideo Nomo Hardball Heroes card. I'm required to show this because it was a Nomo card that I didn't have.

Here is a Mike Piazza card from the "300 series." More gold on this card than around the neck of a swarthy Studio 54 executive.

You'll note that the card number of the back matches Piazza's batting average. Isn't that cute?

I also received a couple 2010 Opening Day Dodgers. I don't have a lot of pleasant things to say about OD, but it does give you a preview of what cards of players in Series 2 of the base set will look like, such as Chad Billingsley, who's got the blue glove going. Good for him.

Continuing with the Opening Day theme, here is a Clayton Kershaw Opening Day card from Brian at Play at the Plate.

People who send me Kershaw cards I don't have receive ... uh, well, they receive, um, cards. Like everyone else. But they also have my eternal gratitude.

Another Opening Day card of Jim Thome, who has more Dodger cards than he should rightly enjoy for a guy who had played of 22 games with L.A. But back in the day, we would have gotten one card of Thome as a Dodger. And he would have been airbrushed into his uniform. So that's progress.

This card is one of those Topps Attax/Opening Day hybrids. I suppose you can use this card in an actual game of Topps Attax. I don't plan to find out.

Brian also sent several 2009 Chrome cards from my want list. They arrived on the same day that I discovered half-price Chrome at the local drugstore.

I'll show just a couple more.

The Nate McLouth card is like the Crede card. Different photo than the base set. We need more of that.

Hmmm. This picture looks familiar. But it's not the same as the Opening Day Hudson photo. I'm not sure whose ghostly apparition looms to Hudson's left. Juan Castro maybe?

One final card. It's more gold, this time from 2000 Fleer Ultra. I don't know why they called this parallel set "gold medallion." Gold medallions are enomorously tacky. But I guess it was the '90s. The disco era for baseball cards (post upcoming).

All right, that's it for now. Many thanks to all three wonderful collectors.

I've saved one recent package for another post. You'll see why when I post it.

But meanwhile, I need to check out my Giveaway cards. I hope to show those in the wee hours tonight. I've got to work one last day of March, you know.

Good riddance, you miserable month. At least you knew how to go out in style.