Trade post grief: stage 5, acceptance

I believe my anguish over trade posts has officially reached the final stage in "The Five Stages of Grief."

You don't believe me? OK, I'll map it out for you:

1. Denial: "Everything's cool. So what if I have eight trades waiting to post? I'll just combine three or four in one post and everything will be fine."

2. Anger: "People don't realize what I have to deal with here! I have so many trades to post! I HAVE to combine them! Screw them. I don't care."

3. Bargaining: "If I make the card packages that I send in return really, really wonderful, then they won't be able to complain about me combining trade posts. All right, now, how much is that rookie Pujols card going for these days ..."

4. Depression: "I just can't deal with posting these trades one post at a time. Why go on? Maybe I'll just scrap trade posts altogether. Thorzul will be happy."

5. Acceptance: OK, I'll make an attempt to post trades individually. It'll mean some trades won't show up until next February, but I'm OK with that."

And that's where I am today. Acceptance.

I am going to try to do the "one at a time" thing with trade posts. But there are a few exceptions.

Exception 1: There are some trades involve just a card or two. Unless that card is something epic, I'm not featuring it all by itself. It'll have to be paired up with another trade.

Exception 2: I reserve the right to publish an enormous, extravagant, blogger-is-getting-cranky, when-will-the-damn-thing-end, Sodom-and-Gomorrah trade post anytime I want. Because sometimes you have to live a little.

But today we're going to be a good little blogger and visit a package I received eons ago. Too much has happened since Peterson of Sign Here ... and Here sent me some goodies.

Let's review:

It's been so long since I received this Bowman Orange Brad Penny card that Penny's old girlfriend, Alyssa Milano, has tweeted 5,486,341 times in that span. In other words, one less tweet than Chris Olds.

It's been so long since I received this '07 Rafael Furcal xrefractor that I was cursing his broken-ass body for the millionth time when I scanned it. Now, he's leading the National League in batting average.

It's been so long since I received this 2010 Bowman Expectations card of John Ely that I was still cheering his every starting appearance, and trying really hard not to make comparisons to Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, like everyone else was doing. Now, he's back in Triple A, and I'm hoping his career doesn't go the way of Fidrych.

It's been so long since I received this Topps Total Hideo Nomo card that I've actually figured out how to play the game on the back of the card. ... OK, that's a lie. I have no intention of figuring out the game on the back.

It's been so long since I received this card that I've scolded myself for comparing Russell Martin to this guy ...

... about 785 times. Come on, Russell J., you can turn it around. Hit the ball in the air once in awhile.

It's been so long since I received this 2010 Bowman Retro Manny Ramirez card, that Manny was still in the lineup. OK, that's a lie, too. He was on the DL. Again.

If this is Manny's last season with the Dodgers, who is going to sign him with all the injuries he's had?

It's been so long since I received this '06 SP World Baseball Classic card of Chan Ho Park that the Yankees were still trying to convince themselves that he was worth keeping. Today I saw a report on MLB Trade Rumors that the Yankees were looking to trade Park. The best laugh I had all day. ... Watch him end up with the Dodgers.

It's been so long since I received this 2004 Upper Deck Etchings Shawn Green card that I didn't even know what set this was.

Still don't.

Finally, it's been so long since I received this 1996 Raul Mondesi SP card that I am no longer alarmed that Mondesi's eyes will not stop following me on this card.

I've accepted it.

Thanks to Peterson for these cards and many others. I'm still searching for cards to send him as he has a rather eclectic want list.

Next trade post due up in, oh, about 2024.