Stephen Strasburg is facing the Dodgers tonight in his return to the majors. In any situation where the potential for my team to be embarrassed on a national level is high, I am always convinced of the worst. So, Strassy Baby almost certainly will throw a triple no-hitter against my team tonight.
The game fits in perfectly with the general air of trepidation that goes with this time of the year. Today is when all the kiddies go back to school in these parts. As a former kiddie, I always hated this day. I don't enjoy it much more now because, for all of the people in my household, our schedule is connected directly to the school schedule. If school is in session, every one of us is much busier and around much more annoying people. If it's not in session, everything is serene.
But today, the air is filled with apprehension and dread as we rehearse our comeback lines in front of the mirror. (We will all need them).
And don't tell me to work on my attitude. You know what's coming just as well as I do.
But in an effort to do something positive, I decided to post all of the trades that were left sitting on my desk. There's only four of them, so that shouldn't be too difficult.
Plus, I've got five more card packages headed for the mailbox today, too.
See? Positivity! Gosh darn it, maybe Strasburg will throw only a double no-hitter at my team!
I'm dividing the trades into four bite-size morsels. I'll show four cards for each trade and keep my comments short but scintillating.
Cards from: Plaschke, Thy Sweater Is Argyle
What I gave up: A black-bordered mini of Carlos Santana and some Dodger dupes.
Comments: Believe it or not, I signed off on the trade when I was offered the Delwyn Young Fleer mini. That's right. A card of a player who is no longer a Dodger and barely able to stay in the majors who is featured on one of the dullest sets of recent years clinched this deal. I'm like a riddle. You can't solve me.
Cards from: Cards From the Quarry
What I gave up: Some Rockies. They grow like weeds around here.
Comments: The Anduw Jones relic is just nasty. Almost hateful. Fortunately, I've surrounded it with much happier items. The Duke Snider is a 35/45 numbered item from the Leather and Lumber Donruss series. And, yes, it's really framed in lavender.
Cards from: My Past Time ... I Love it!
What I gave up: A David Wright relic and a few Fish.
Comments: The Strawberry Studio card is the last one I needed to complete that team set. That is superseded in awesomeness only by the '89 Fleer '88 World Series card (Alfredo sent me the whole set), and the spectacular Topps Archives Don Sutton relic. The less said about the Kent bat card, the better.
Cards from: $30 a Week Habit
What I gave up: A stack of '06 Topps
Comments: Dodger hits are scarce in this year's Allen & Ginter, which is both upsetting and somewhat of a relief, as they've been pretty plentiful in earlier versions. Ethier is one of the few available. The Franklin Gutierrez card will remind me eternally of another less-than-stellar recent Dodger trade. And this Fred Norman card is in much better shape than the one that was once the oldest card I owned.
And that clears the left corner of my desk! All incoming trades are present and accounted for -- although the mail is still to arrive today -- after a 3-day weekend.
But I finished one other task, too.
The All-Star Stickers.
They're sticked!
There.
I feel like I've gotten something accomplished, and now I can take on whatever nonsense I have to face from September to June.
Bring it on.
I say Strassy doesn't get out of the fifth.
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