How I got into this mess

If I'm being honest with myself here, I have to admit one thing. I have too many trade partners.

I know I shouldn't be saying that. No collector can have too many trade partners or too many cards, right? But I can't help but think things would run a bit more smoothly if I trimmed down a little.

I'm not a college kid or unemployed. I've got a family and a home and a fairly demanding job. Plus, the damn dog is an attention whore. So, there are many things to keep me from buying or trading or sorting cards. I find myself running out of cards for everyone, or plain just not being able to offer what someone wants. Yet, when the 441st Met fan that I've come across on this blog shoots me a note asking if I'd like some Dodger cards, I reply, "Sweet! Fire away!"

In short: I can't say no when it come to cards.

Take, for instance, the card at the top of the post, the short-printed Dodgers team card from 2008 Topps Heritage. I have been looking for this card for almost two years. Then I saw it featured on Stats on the Back as trade bait and my brain froze. I can't remember what I wrote in the comments, but I'm sure it was along these lines:

"Me want."

Never mind that Mark is yet another Mets fan and it is a minor miracle that I have any Mets left in the house. I ignored all that. And somehow, possibly because of many silent pleas to my 1975 Topps Tito Fuentes card, I actually found a few Mets to offer him.

So, I lived to trade another day, sent the Mets on their way, and came back with the long-awaited Dodger team card, plus this:

Another 2008 Heritage short-print that I needed for the set. I saw that Mark offered this on a separate post. But the first transaction put me into major Mets rationing mode, so I didn't make a bid on Blake. Fortunately, Mark sent it anyway. That is so cool.

He also sent me my first 2009 Topps Chrome card:

Chrome can do no wrong, except it doesn't know how to scan. I have yet to see any Chrome cards in my neighborhood. And I'm too poor to seek it out at the on-line stores.

Another person that I traded with recently is Shawn of Balmer's Blasters. This was a trade that took a long time to get together even though none of the cards are anything spectacular. That's just the way some of these trades work.

Again, I was concerned whether I had anything to offer Shawn. I did find some Fleer Ultra needs, but it wasn't anywhere near what he sent me. Let's have a look at some of the goodies:

One of my favorite early Pedro cards. I like Pedro a lot. He should be on the Dodgers right now. But he's not. And all you need to know about how I feel on that was addressed in the last post.

A card dominated by a giant hand. Weird.

More "Saved By The Bell"-esque cards from the early 1990s. Where would the early '90s be without pink writing?

Four more Dodgers from the detestable 2007 Upper Deck set. Still need far too many to get rid of this thing for good.

Speaking of sets I don't like, I have officially ended my quest for 1992 Score Dodgers, thanks to Shawn and another person whose cards I'll feature later. No more searching for '92 Sc -- what? There are traded cards? Phooey.

Eddie Murray is trapped in a kids' cartoon and he wants out.

I blame Fleer and Upper Deck for this card. They were the first to show photos that featured "a day-in-the-life-of-a-ballplayer." Then everyone had to get on board and we ended up with stuff like this. How we didn't end up with a photo of someone getting a massage in the trainer's room is a mystery.

I'll end the cards from Shawn with a Bazooka Mike Piazza card, just because I like the set. I don't like Mike's white shinguards. But I like the card.

Oops. Not done with Shawn yet. I forgot he sent some 1993 Upper Deck needs, too. I like this Devon White card because you can tell exactly when the photo was taken -- 6:09 p.m. And "Decal Day" is July 1st!

Here is quite a collection of early 1990s stars.

Are you watching Dave Winfield on "Baseball Tonight"? Wow. It's not Dusty Baker bad. But it gets dicey some nights.

The back of this card is strictly high school yearbook stuff. You could use this to embarrass these guys at an old-timers reunion.

OK, now we have officially moved on to cards from Bud, whom I've traded with once already. Bud seems to have an endless supply of cards as you'll see here. This is some Metal Universe die-cut thingy from the late 1990s when card companies tried everything once and always, always coated it in gold.

The great Upper Deck Timeless Teams set, although there is no way that this is a photo of Davey Lopes from 1977. He's much too young in this photo. His mustache isn't anywhere near as intense as it was in 1977.

I love these red Turkey Red cards. I don't know why all the Turkey Red cards didn't have red borders. I mean, it's in the name. In fact when I first saw Turkey Reds, I thought (or maybe said), how come there isn't any red on the card? Yeah, I know it was the name of a tobacco product.

A 2002 Topps Gold Label card of Kevin Brown. I've mentioned this before, but I don't care how many private jets he was given or how many veins he has in his arms, he didn't deserve a super fancy card like this.

This is from 2006 Upper Deck. Do not have the foggiest what it is. Some insert set I'm sure. Perhaps related to Starquest or something. I don't know if I'll ever figure it out. Back when I was a newbie at this, folks would volunteer information to clear up my confusion all the time. Now that I've been at this for almost a year, they just ignore me. "Stupid Night Owl should know better." I can hear them now.

Very cool Campy card.

The second-to-last Dodger I need to complete the 1983 Fleer team set. Just need the team checklist.

This is nice. A Paul Lo Duca relic card that was some sort of Target exclusive in 2005. The only Target exclusives I ever get are A&G blasters with only one base card that I need. That has happened to me twice now.

Not done with the relics. Here is a 2001 Upper Deck Heroes bat relic of Steve Garvey. I've already got the Lopes one. Is there a Cey and Russell? Might as well go for the whole 1970s infield.

A 2002 Adrian Beltre Topps 206 Polar Bear back card. Quite nice.

And this is my first A&G no-numbered card of the year. Very nice, too.

Both of the last two cards came in their own mini top-loaders to conform to the smaller size. I knew these exist, but I will never be organized enough to track down any.

Many thanks to Bud and Shawn and Mark. Thanks for putting up with a trade partner who isn't all that together or confident in the cards he's sending. But he's doing his best.