Airbrushed Fridays: 2007 Bowman Gold #68

I'm still waiting for the March Radness contest winner to claim his prizes. If you're one of the non-winners who is still in line for a prize, please be patient. I'll send you guys an email when it's time for you to make your selection.

Juan Pierre is an outfielder who manages to alienate just about every sector of MLB fandom outside of the announcers that are paid by his very same employers to cover him on a daily basis. His team's fans don't like him because of his empty batting averages and incredibly low on base percentages. Opposing fans don't like him because he's a hustle guy that makes their team look bad with his speed if mistakes are made. I presume that his parents must like him, but he's in that class - somewhere between "scrap" and "grit" - where baseball announcers and the older men that associate with them sing endless praises of his tireless endeavors. He "plays the game the right way" and he's "the first guy to the ballpark and the last to leave."

Why did Topps airbrush Juan's photo? Oh, did I happen to mention that Pierre was a Cub? After one "Juanderful" season as a 3.3 WAR player with Chicago, he was signed in November 2006 by the Dodgers. He's now coming off a season where he led the AL in steals with the other Chicago franchise.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Where is your uniform number, Juan? Why is your "road" uniform so white? What is going on with that strangely slanted Dodgers logo on your sleeve? So many questions...

If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here, please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.