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Cardboard appreciation: 1995 Pinnacle Delino DeShields

(As I write this, the plumber is here. I love house issues, don't you? It's time for Cardboard Appreciation. Because I can find a lot more to appreciate in cardboard than my house right now. This is the 83rd in a series):


I need a laugh right now, and this card is up to the task. I pulled it from a card package from Smed's Baseball Card Blog.

It made me laugh when I took it out of the package. It made me laugh when I looked at it a week later as I realized I had to post the cards. And it's still killing me now.

I've said a lot of unkind things about Delino DeShields in the past. When you're a Dodger fan and your team trades Pedro Martinez for this guy, and you know, in the pit of your stomach that it's not a good deal, and then it turns out to be perhaps the worst deal the Dodgers have ever made, then you are not a fan of Delino DeShields. At. All.

Have I mentioned 124 strikeouts while hitting .224 in 1996? Yes I have.

But somehow this card makes all the anger go away.

DeShields looks childlike, goofy, and clueless all at the same time. The chaw makes the entire photo. If there's no chaw, there's no laughter.

So, the next time I get cranky about that trade in 1993, or anything else, I'll dig out my '95 Pinnacle DeShields card.

Thanks for the good times, Delino, even if they were only on cardboard.

Here are some other cool cards from smed's cards:


The Pee Wee Reese short-print card from last year. Just have the Jackie to go.


A 2010 Finest of Manny. Ramirez has a Dodger Triple Threads card. But I'm so over collecting Manny cards.


This guy is not listed as a Dodger as he was a free agent signing by the Rockies. It's one of those cards that is so elusive for a team collector.


Ron Cey, as a pointless parallel. Oh, Penguin, what have they done to you?


The mystical, magical 1990 Leaf. These cards are a wee bit elusive.


A couple of Kemps. The respective photos tell the story of Kemp's 2009 and 2010 seasons. At the top, he looks like the Kemp we all love. At the bottom, he's wondering what hit him.


I still can't believe someone thought using the phrase "game-worn pants" would be a selling point to collectors. Still creeped out.


Just some more cards I needed. That's what it's all about, right?

OK, now that I've finished the post, the plumber's gone. And I just spent my whole card show budget on him.

Ugh.

Where's that Delino card?

Heh.

Comments

Orioles Magic said…
It looks like Delino is enthralled by his bat.
"I love you bat, I will never let harm come to you. I will just wave you about in front of the world, but will never hit anything with you..." Thats what I always imagined he was thinking... 95 Pinnacle had some great cards in it...
Community Gum said…
Big Delino fan here- he played for the Rockford Expos when I was growing up there so we loved him. I didn't really follow him during the times he was neither and Expo or Cub though... I didn't even know your guys traded Pedro for him! Whoops! -Andy