Monday, June 15, 2009

Card of the Week: Viva Fernando

For this weeks installment of the "Card of the Week" I bring us back to our Dodger roots. Above we have Fernando Valenzuela's 1991 Upper Deck card.

Upper Deck had been masterful in its inclusion of multiple exposures on cards. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that this card is perfect. After all, it shows us the windup that so many of us grew up on. Valenzuela goes from raising his arms and taking his eye off the plate to stare into the sky. He comes back down and winds his arm back ready to deliver the pitch. Ferdie has the look of determination as he unwinds and heaves a screwball that easily fools the batter. Man, I loved it when Valenzuela pitched.

Another nice thing about this card is the reverse as it shows Fernando signing some autographs for the Dodger faithful. In fact, I remember reading that issue of Sport Illustrated as a kid.